Tiger 4th October 1975

 Happy twenty-first anniversary Roy Race! Today's issue, dated 4th October 1975, marks the twenty-first anniversary of Roy Of The Rovers, while this year, 2024 marks the the seventieth anniversary. A better man would have synced his blog to the date and month of the comic, but anyone who reads regularly knows that this is done for the love of the comic, and is mostly done for my own pleasure. That said, I'll take on any new readers who happen to stop by, and all are welcome to share in my love of the Tiger comic. Roy's celebration is of its era, and we have some of the sporting stars of 1975 dropping by to wish him all the best. Here in 2024, I'm wondering who will make an effort to celebrate his seventieth -  you can guarantee I will be! 

4th October 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

The cover of this week's issue celebrates a very important anniversary - twenty-one years since Roy Of The Rovers first appeared in Tiger comic. Given that this year is the seventieth anniversary of the same event, it resonates nicely with how I feel about the comic and the stories within today. 

Running onto the field Roy finds a surprise waiting for him. Dickie Davies from ITV is present to host a reel of Roy's finest moments. These highlights are projected onto a screen set up on the field and we are treated to a replay of Roy's first goal for the 'A' team back in 1954, followed by his goal in the cup final in 1974. 

Cricketer Tony Greig delivers a personal message congratulating Roy before we see another highlight - Roy winning the F.A. Cup in 1966, an auspicious year in English football. 

The story follows on in this vein, with messages from Malcolm McDonald and England team manager Don Revie, before the Tiger editor himself appears to thank Roy for his services to football. 

After all this bonhomie, the strip ends with a panel dedicated to Roy's anniversary game, with Roy heading the winning goal. 

This was a pleasant enough story, and while I greatly appreciated the celebration of Roy's twenty-one years,  it did divert us away from the recent story of his conflict with Duncan McKay. The highlights were presented innovatively, and I smiled at the way Roy has changed over the years. The best part of the story for me was the simple line when he commented on the way his hairstyle had changed, and I was reminded of the way my own hairstyle has changed over the years (and is now non-existent). Here in 2024, we are still a month away from Roy's 70th anniversary, and perhaps I shall revisit this comic to celebrate the moment. Roy's first twenty-one years were a low-key celebration, and I'm sure we can do better for his 70 years.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "I sure do, Dickie! I'd been injured for a lot of the match! That was before we had substitutes! And dig my crazy haircut!" 

Tornado Jones

Aussie stuntman Tornado Jones is on his way to Wembley Stadium, where he intends to be fired from a cannon and over the stadium. 

Calling a press conference at the stadium, he announces his plan, and that he will test the cannon the next day. 

The following day, with a group of reports in tow, Tornado Jones climbs into the cannon and prepares himself to be fired across a field and into a net This test goes well, and Jones lands in the middle of the net, although we end with a dramatic moment as it is pointed out that his clothes are on fire.

Roy of the Rovers didn't give me much to sink my teeth into, and neither does Tornado Jones. An announcement to the press, and being fired from the cannon didn't match the drama of our previous encounters with Tornado, and even with his clothes on fire this didn't become the page-turner it should have been. The final panel didn't emphasize the fact he was on fire, and the flames looked small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Obviously, we can't show people fully aflame in a comic aimed at young boys, and perhaps another fate could have befallen poor Tornado to provide some jeopardy. I find myself enjoying the character Tornado Jones, and I hope the story will ramp up in the coming weeks and provide a strong story to serve the character. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Joe, you know that and I know that...let's just hope the cannon knows that!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny are racing in a twenty-four race, with Tiny about to take his turn at driving, although he's almost out on his feet already after having a terrible sleep. 

His second stint starts badly with him driving the wrong way, but he recovers quickly and is soon pointing in the right direction. A relieved Martin can do nothing more and heads off to get some sleep himself. 

Returning to the race several hours later, Martin learns that Tiny has done well, and they still have a handy lead. He isn't so happy when he sees Tiny drive by with damaged panels on the car, but it is explained to him that there was a bad accident with a pole falling onto the track. Many cars crashed out of the race, but Tiny managed to drive through some trees and back onto the track with only a few dented panels to show for it. 

Martin congratulates him as he takes the wheel, and with a good lead the boys are already dreaming of victory and a trip to Hawaii. Tiny can already see the hula girls in his head when there is an announcement at the track that Martin has stopped with half a lap still to go. 

No real surprises here and the very best panels were saved for last when we saw Tiny's facial expression change. The race looked good, and the story told of Tiny's drive was nicely laid out. The only downside for me is it went as expected, and even Tiny's drive through the trees had a predictable outcome. This is unusual for Martin's Marvellous Mini as they usually throw in a few surprises to wrong-foot me. The very final panel had this, but by then I had already condemned this to average. Average for Martin's Marvellous Mini is above average compared to most stips in the comic, and I have given it a seven out of ten, although I know it can be a lot better than this. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Stone me! What's happened to George...he's bashed about a bit!" 

Nipper

Nipper is playing for the reserves after Danny Marvin caused him to be late for training and refused to own up to it. Nipper is furious, and before the game, he makes it clear that he will make the opposition suffer. 

This is heard by some of the opposing players who take it as Nipper thinking he is too good for them. They decide that they will take Nipper down a peg or two, and as the game begins there is bad feeling all around. 

Nipper is lined up for a heavy tackle, but he evades his man with some silky footwork, before neatly chipping the keeper for a goal. This leads to angry words between the players involved, and Nipper finds himself a marked man for the rest of the match. 

The referee becomes involved and warns all the players, especially Nipper. This plays into the hands of the opposition, and the next time there is an incident, one of the players feigns Nipper pushing him and Nipper earns a yellow card. 

A few minutes later Nipper leaps for a header, and the opposing player crumples to the ground clutching his ribs - insinuating that Nipper has kicked him. With the referee approaching it seems Nipper might be about to earn his second yellow card, but we will have to wait until next week to find out. 

I have always said that angry Nipper is the best Nipper, and we had that in spades this week as Nipper was glaring and yelling in almost every other panel. Seeing this backfiring on him, and the opposition playing to his weakness was clever. Normally I find myself sympathising with Nipper, but surprisingly not in this case. The fifty-year-old me is thinking "Yeah, the referee is right, cool it, Nipper". I am sure he will learn his lesson, and play with a level head, but for now, the other team are playing smarter. This story is the opposite of Martin's Marvellous Mini, and I have rated it lower although I enjoyed it more. Martin's Marvellous Mini always has the advantage of being in colour, and it is only in this comparison that Nipper suffers. The artwork again looks great on my big screen, and I can only wish that comics could have been even bigger in the seventies and eighties. Perhaps that is again the fifty-year-old me speaking... 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Stone Me! This must be 'clobber Nipper Lawrence' week!"

Skid Solo

It's the final race of the season, at Watkins Glen, USA, and Skid needs to win the Grand Prix to win the driver's championship. 

A determined Skid stakes to the track, and after avoiding an early pile-up, he is soon pushing the other two drivers at the top of the driver's table out in front. 

With five laps to go, all three are still inseparable, and with three laps left, Sandy lets Skid know that there are three seconds between them and it's now or never. Skid makes his move and pushing his car to the absolute limit he makes his way past the other two drivers,. It looks as though he might have overdone it, and there is a hairy moment as he goes into the corner, but manages to keep control of his car and stay on the track. 

The drama doesn't end there, and halfway around the last lap, his engine begins to blow smoke. It looks as though he has cooked it, yet he manages to hold onto this to his, and in a three-way finish he takes the victory and the driver's championship. 

A simple handshake with Sandy and the comment that he couldn't have done it without him is how the story ends, and the 1975 season comes to a close with Skid Solo once again champion. 

A soft end to a dramatic and fitting finale to the season. A handshake and a thanks? Come on Skid, you've just won the big one, show some emotion! Still, this is 1975 when men were men, and I was two years old. This race had everything you could have asked for. Close racing, a crash early on, engine failure, and Skid winning by a whisker. It has been an odd racing season, and it's only been in the last four races that Skid made his run for the championship. A lot of this season was dominated by the arrival of young Tommy, and surprisingly he doesn't appear in this issue at all. After all he has been through with Skid and Sandy this year, I thought he may have made even a brief appearance, but instead, he is nowhere to be found. With the season over, thoughts are already turning to the next season. Before all that though we will have a string of one-off races, experimental cars, and Skid driving around the world to fill the months between. I can't say I'm excited, although I do love Skid Solo, as for me this strip will always be about the race season. Still, I'm sure there will be an odd gem or two hidden in there, and the only way to find out is to read on. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "No hanging around today, Sandy. If I'm going to be World Champion...I've got to drive like one!"

Billy's Boots

Billy was dropped from his school team for showing off. Given a second chance, he was picked for an away game, only to miss the coach and have to cycle through the rain to make it. Again, his luck took a turn as the match was cancelled, although Mister Renton is furious that Billy missed the coach. 

Mister Renton has already gone, and Billy is told to put his bike on the roof of the coach and to get onboard for the ride home. As they drive home the weather clears, and the boys ask the driver to stop so they can have a kick around at the park. A five-a-side game ensues and soon the boys are splashing around on the soaked pitch. 

Things come to a muddy end as Billy kicks the ball and accidentally hits the park keeper who has suddenly appeared on the sideline. The park-keeper recognises Billy immediately and tells him that the park is closed and a notice is up. Despite Billy's claims of not seeing the notice the groundskeeper remains adamant and tells them that Groundwood School will pay to clean his suit. 

Sure enough, on Monday morning Billy is called into Mister Rentons office and held accountable for missing the coach, playing in the closed park, and kicking the ball at the park keeper. The end result is that he must pay to have the parkkeeper's suit cleaned, and worse yet, he is banned from the school team for the rest of the year. 

Billy's pals rally around him, telling him it's not fair and that they'll support him. A chant of "Strike, strike strike!" goes up, only for the headmaster to appear at the window and once again the boys find themselves in trouble. 

On the back of last week's fantastic episode, this week ramped things up and we saw Billy take the fall for all the things that had been building up. While it didn't offer the same dramatic panels as we saw last week, there was still plenty here to enjoy, and once again it was the pained expressions of Billy that caught my attention. I have often complained that Billy appears as the whiny annoying type, and while that may certainly be true, this week it was the expressions of the boy that carried this thought rather than his words. This worked better for me and I found the character more sympathetic as the story showed rather told. We have plenty more drama in store, and this season is proving to be a cracker as far as storylines go, I am well and truly hooked. With a furious headmaster in the final panel, Billy's troubles are just starting and right now it seems all the world is against him. All except his band of friends that is, and I hope the story leans into this comradeship in the coming weeks 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I know you...you're Billy Dane. I've seen you before! And you shouldn't be in here...none of you should! The recreation ground's closed...there's a notice up!"

Johnny Cougar

Splash Gorton needs to recruit the service of Hardy Steele in an attempt to lure Johnny Cougar back to the ring. However, not only is Steele a dirty fighter, but he also wants nothing to do with Splash's scheme. 

Splash's second encounter with Steele seems equally futile until Spalsh mentions the publicity Steele would gain from such an event. This draws some interest from Steele and he agrees to Splash's plan. 

Over the page, and the old pair of Splash and Steele approach Cougar's Indian camp where he has secluded himself. While Steele remains out of sight, Splash approaches Cougar, and once again he gets a frosty reception. However, Splash pulls out a movie he has brought with him, and setting up a projector he shows Cougar the previous encounter between Steele and Cougar. 

Cougar remembers the fight well, and angrily throws the film aside, telling Splash that he has tried to get revenge for many years, but Steele is too cowardly to face him. At this moment Steele appears and tells Cougar that he is ready to wrestle him, just name a time and place.

Finally, we have arrived at a moment where it seems Cougar may finally step back into the ring. It has taken some time to get here, and even this issue didn't provide a lot of drama. It was a low-key journey from A to B, and the only drama was in the opening panels as Splash met with Steele. once this meeting was initiated, everything else went as smoothly as it could, with Steele readily agreeing once Splash explained himself. Splash seems to have manipulated Cougar nicely, and I have no doubt that next week Cougar will take up the challenge of a fight. The artwork is always one of the best things about this strip, and it feels like the last few weeks have been a waste of such talent as there was only one wrestling match, sands Johnny, and everything else was devoted to following Cougar around the countryside and his campsite. Give me impactful images of big men throwing each other around the ring and I shall be very happy. Cougar talking to Splash at a campsite, not so much.   

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Publicity! That's something I'd do anything for! Maybe you're right..."

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish has caused a scuffle at the market, and now with a gang of toughs arriving it looks like he is in a sticky situation. However, this is defused quickly in the first panel as Hamish leaves the market and walks home. As he departs, young Alfie promises Hamish that he will recover the items stolen from the Princes Park changing room and get them back to the team.

Alfies pal Tommy thinks he's a mug for making such a promise, but Alfie tells him that he will no longer help him with his dirty work. The next day Alfie turns up early with all the stolen items and starts working hard - whitening the lines of the pitch and playing in a practice match in the afternoon. 

Things are looking up, but Tommy appears, asking Tommy where the gate takings are kept and telling him there's a lot of money to be made if there's a big crowd. Alfie reiterates that he will not help Tommy in any capacity, and continues with his work for Princes Park. 

In the practice game that afternoon, Hamish and Alfie combine well, with each scoring a goal assisted by the other, Mister McWhacker is suitably impressed and tells Hamis that they will play Alfie in the next game. Since he and Hamish have a good relationship Hamish is the one to tell Alfie. Alfie is happy with the prospect of making it to the big league, although in his head he has concerns that Tommy may ruin things for him with his thieving ways. 

A step down from the previous week, I was most disappointed that the potential fight between Hamish and Big Jackie and his brothers came to nothing. It looked like a certain thing on the last panel of last week's issue,l and to see Hamsh just walk away from it with no repercussions this week was a letdown. The story with Alfie is progressing nicely, and we have a good villain in the devious Tommy. Seeing a young lad misled by wayward friends is a familiar story for most, and I can well relate to Alfie's plight, although most of my friends now are too old to be wayward. This was a case of steady as she goes, and despite my earlier disappointments, it was still a solid episode that built on what came before and led us into a wider story that will continue next week. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Och, ye're a fool, Alfie Fancy promising to return the stuff I nicked "

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story:  Roy Of The Rovers 

Best Line: "But I'm sure many of the grown-ups still find time to read your footballing adventures. All over the world, the name Roy Of The Rovers means something really special!" 

Best Panel:

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