Tiger 22nd November 1975

An eye-catching cover has me optimistic that we are in for a good issue this week. I'm fifty years old, yet I still give my heart to the simplest things in life. A colourful cover, a pretty girl, a cold beer - it doesn't take much to satisfy me. Today I have two out of three (and the quiet hope that my wife never reads this blog), and before I have even turned the page I am content. Skid Solo may have troubles, but from where I am sitting all is right in the world and I can't wait to read this week's adventures. 

22nd November 1975

Skid Solo

Skid Solo is our cover star this week. His colourful story begins with Skid in trouble as he reverses a race car he is borrowing into a beat-up car belonging to two fair dinkum Aussies.

They are big lads and Skid is concerned that things might get rough. However, they recognise a world champion when they see one, and they tell Skid there are no hard feelings. They even go so far as to wish him all the best for his race.

Skid is relieved, and arriving at the track he finds his first car is damaged, forcing him to use a second. The race start is delayed half an hour for this to happen, and when it does begin Skid starts from last place.

The racing is as expected, with Skid overcoming several mechanical issues, and aggressive driving, to win the race on the line. Covered in oil, he accepts the trophy and the cheque before the team quickly packs their bags and heads for the airport. 

Skids tells the others he will meet them at the airport, and later Sandy and Tommy wonder what has become of him as the final call to board the plane is made. Just then Skid appears, claiming he had to buy a newspaper. However, in the final panels, we see one of the Australians from the front cover, with the trophy, telling two others that Skid Solo gave the trophy to him as they are buddies. In fact, he just bumped into them that morning.

The Australians that Skid encountered on the very first panel stole the show and were the highlight of this strip. It's a shame they didn't appear more than they did, and the story popped off the page with their appearance. While I enjoyed the race, and the associated drama, it didn't feel all that important. It's not part of the Grand Prix circuit, and despite the multitude of problems that Skid faced, none of them felt important enough to keep me interested. I would have liked to see more of Australia while Skid is here (and more Australians), just to demonstrate that we are in a different environment. Skid has left Australia, already jet-bound for another location, and it feels like a missed opportunity to showcase the country he is in. He has clocked up a lot of air miles of late, and I hazard to guess where he might be jetting off to next. Wherever it is, I hope he spends a good amount of time there and the drama has longer to percolate. I leave this story with the thoughts of the two Australian characters Skid met. They both looked interesting, and I could have easily spent more time with them. Even though they made a brief appearance, I loved every panel and I'm perhaps rating this story higher than I should based on my affection for them.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "He took that well, Skid...that lad was big enough to cause a lot of trouble!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy has now scored on every division one ground in the country, and as the team comes out for their next game against Oldfield, Roy is celebrated by the fans in attendance.

It's not much of a game and Roy's head isn't really in it. He tries to do too much himself. As the teams trudge off after drawing nil-nil, some players are happy to have bagged a point, but Roy is already thinking about the next game.

Their next game is against Milboro, and the pundits are already calling it one of the greatest derbies in history. Milboro is in fine form, and Roy tells Blackie that the game clashes with an England match he has been selected for against Mulvania.

Roy chats to Ben Galloway about it, and Ben tells him not to worry, he still has ten days to decide. In the meantime, there is still a cup game against Tarbury, the third-division killers.

Roy comes out of the meeting as confused as ever, with even more worries on his mind. His teammates understand all his worries and have concerns themselves about Roy's state. Worried as he is, he is no use to anyone. 

Roy may be worried about everything, but I'm not. I love the artwork throughout this story (especially Roy's eyebrows - sterling stuff), and even if I don't feel involved in all of Roy's troubles I always find the artwork easy on the eye. Not a lot happening this week, it's all about the build-up to the local derby. Curious that the media are calling it the biggest derby in history, especially considering the bad form of Rovers of late. The way the Milboro are playing they should demolish Rovers, something the commentator alluded to in his own speech before proclaiming it the derby of the century. He's certainly a lot more excited about it than I am.  Aside from that, I like the way the game is being built up, and the panels with the TV pundit were among my favourites. Roy's match against England does feel shoehorned in, yet I look forward to seeing him wearing an England shirt. A case of steady as she goes this week, and we have all the building blocks now in place for an intense next couple of weeks.  

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "And if mighty Melchester Rovers are watching from across the river, let me tell Roy Race and his players that they're in for the fight of their lives, when the Rovers face Milboro in what is already being hailed as one of the greatest local derby games of all time!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

We last saw the mini, George, sinking in quicksand as the two lads gave Mr Twastle a ride around the island. This issue they abandon the car and go to fetch a nearby bulldozer. Using the dozer, they push George to safety but lose the dozer to the quicksand. Mr Twastle doesn't mind too much, he's more concerned with saving the car and the publicity he will gain in the New York to Moscow rally.

The rest of the strip shows Tiny and Martin gathering a variety of supplies for the rally. Then as they line up to begin the race, Mr Twastle reminds them that it's all about publicity. They should do some crazy things, such as get arrested or drive over a cliff, anything to keep their names in the paper. 

Tiny and Martin are taken aback but agree, and the strip ends them them being called to the line by the race officials and told to hurry up. 

The quicksand trouble was quickly dealt with, as is the way of these comics, although I could have done with seeing it as a larger problem. Last week it looked like the car was already deep in it, and seeing the lads climb out and wade to the edge of the sand felt a little too easy. Even the effort of bringing on a bulldozer was underplayed and seemed like a cheat code. Interesting to see the bulldozer sinking into the sand while the mini was pushed free, quite how it was able to get traction while sinking I'm not sure, but these are questions one should not be asking of a boy's comic. The second part of the story was gentler, yet just as enjoyable. I take a certain amount of pleasure in seeing the boys preparing for the rally, and some of the items and dialogue pointed to where future storylines might take us. Mr Twastle telling them to get arrested or drive off the cliff sows the seeds as does the snow shoes the boys brought. Chekov's snowshoes, I'm sure, watch this space. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Snow shoes? What do we want them for?...We're not going to walk to Moscow!" 

Johnny Cougar

In his match against Ossie Ostrich, Johnny Cougar is playing the fool and scoring cheap laughs by mocking his opponent's appearance. 

This mocking attitude carries into the action as Johnny pretends to run away before catching Ossie with a surprise move. With Ossie laid out on the canvas, Johnny scores the first pinfall. However, he's not done yet and he pulls out an out-of-order sign and places it over Ossie. 

Ossie is incensed, smashing the sign before going on to the offence. A series of explosive moves put him on the front foot, and Johnny is knocked out as Ossie scores the next pinfall, tying the match and setting the scene for next week.

Disappointing to see Johnny Cougar persisting with the same nonsense as last week, especially early in the episode. Things improved considerably in the second half of the story as Ossie fought back, and seeing Johnny on the receiving end was a nice change. Often Cougar finds a way to fight his way out of these situations, but not in this case as Ossie followed up his first blows to affect a knockout. I don't recall the last time we saw Johnny knocked out, and this gave the story some real drama after the shenanigans of the first page. Ossie may look cartoony, but he is bringing a menace to the comic that we have not seen from some of Johnny's larger opponents. For all their size and angry faces, not one has delivered a knockout like we have just seen, and the outcome of this story remains unknown. Hopefully, this has knocked some sense into Johnny Cougar. I certainly hope so and the strip is ending on a high with this blow. Coupled with the incredible-looking faces throughout, the story is punching above its weight, although it has yet to deliver a knockout blow

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Cougar, you're making me look stupid! Squawwwk! You're gonna pay for that!"

Billy's Boots

There's trouble on the field as Billy is jeered by a bully named Dixon from the sideline. Billy has lost his temper and yelled back and now Mister Harris has intervened, telling Dixon to clear off as he's not welcome. 

The game resumes, and the Groundwood thrash the opposing team, with Billy setting up Jimmy Dawson for the final goal. After the game, they get the news that the first team has lost five- nil, and hopes are high in the dressing room that they'll all be back in the first team next week. 

On the way home, Billy finds that Dixon is waiting for him. The two don boxing gloves to settle their differences, but this time Billy remembers what Mr. Harris taught him, and he spends the first half of the fight bobby and weaving. Dixon can't lay a glove on him and eventually tires himself out. It is then that Billy strikes, knocking Dixon to the ground.

It seems that Billy's troubles are over, but later the Merrydowners come to his door, asking for him to play for them. Dixon has left, taking a couple of other players with him, and now they're desperate for players for their next cup game against Drayford. 

The drama of last week quickly evaporated as in the opening panel we saw Mr. Harris send Dixon on his way with a bee in his ear. Previously we saw Mister Harris telling Billy that he would speak to him after as the referee threatened to send Billy off, and I was surprised this week that never happened and Mister Harris instead dealt with Dixon. As for the referee, we never heard from him again, and the focus of the comic turned fully on Billy and Dixon. The boxing between the two of them looked good on the page and added another interesting angle. We haven't seen any boxing on the pages of Tiger, aside from Johnny Cougar and the Golden Boy earlier this year. The panels featuring the boxing were dynamic and caught the eye in the face of all the football strips in the comic, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed seeing two young lads donning gloves. It is always good to see the underdog win, as we saw with Billy here, and it was especially pleasing after he took Mister Harris's advice on board. The art captured this drama superbly, and although we return to pure football action next week, I shall be along for the ride in the hope of one more physical confrontation between Billy and Dixon. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Remember what Hardnut Harris taught you, Billy, dodge him..."

Nipper

Last week decided that he would continue to live with Amy Flecher, a decision he probably regrets this week as the very first panel she throws him out of bed. There is no time for Nipper to relax, and she lets him know that with an important European fixture coming up, against the Swiss team Zalmo, he needs to be on his toes. Amy knows a thing or two about football, and she tells Nipper that the Swiss will defend hard and it will be like trying to penetrate a brick wall. 

At training, Andy Stewart reiterates this, telling the team that the Swiss will effectively park the bus. Nipper still hasn't fully regained his spot in the team, he will start on the bench, with his replacement Danny Marvin taking the field. At training, Nipper catches Danny with a tough tackle as Marvin holds the ball too long. It looks like trouble, but Andy agrees that it is the type of training they need for the forthcoming match.

On game day, the Swiss play as expected, working the off-side trap to perfection. Danny Marvin is caught twice, and then again as he tries to do too much with the ball. The fans are chanting for Nipper to come on, and Nipper begins to worry that if they don't shut up he will be in even deeper trouble. 

I have a lot of love for Amy Felcher, and the first image of her shaking Nipper from his bed is one of the best in the comic. The expressions on both her and Nipper's faces are evocative and set the tone for what is to follow. The rest of the story doesn't reach these heights, although I am happy with everything throughout. We have a nice pivot back to Danny Marvin, and seeing Nipper catch him with a tough tackle made my heart sing. Finally, Nipper is getting a measure of revenge and the storyline with Danny Marvin is gaining some traction. We have taken a winding road to get here, but this week we are back on the straight and narrow, all under the watchful gaze of Andy Stewart. I hope that Amy won't be relegated to the sidelines of the story, she has much to offer as both a character and a football expert. She's too good to waste, and I can only hope that both she and Nipper have a chance to shine in the next issue. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "That's what old Amy said! They ought to sign her on as team coach!"

Tornado Jones

During a second test flight, Tornado Jones once again crashed Harvey Halliwell's flying machine, this time in front of a crowd of journalists. 

Naturally, it's all over the TV and newspapers, and Tornado's reputation has once again taken a dent. Halliwell enters, and before Tornado can stammer a sentence, Halliwell tells him he's already found another challenge and is ready to move on to something entirely different. As a final parting gift, he leaves Tornado the flying machine, before abruptly leaving the story. 

Tornado manages to rebuild it and, without an audience, he takes it for a successful flight. However, the flight doesn't end well, with the machine falling apart and Tornado parachuting to safety. 

Upon landing, he decides that this part of his adventure is over, and he needs to move into a bigger stunt. 

Halliway checked out of this story early, and so did I. I'm not sure why the plug is so quickly pulled on this particular storyline, it feels like it has only just begun, but I am glad to be moving on to the next thing. Perhaps the writers had the same thought as me, this was an uninteresting cul-de-sac, and apart from a couple of arresting images of Tornado in the air, it was hard to become invested in the objective. It has all been very pretty to look at, but never once did I care. Hitting the reset button was the correct move here, and we can start afresh next week with a new, hopefully better, Tornado Jones adventure.  

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Sorry, dear boy, no time to try again...I'm leaving! They're offering a prize for the first person to grow a striped rose! I'm off to my laboratories!" 

Hot Shot Hamish

Alfie McPhee is continuing to frustrate the rest of the Princes Park team with his primadonna attitude, and things escalate this week as he demands double the wages and brings his agent into the picture. This agent is everything you might expect, taking over every aspect of McPhee's career- negotiating wages, looking after his well-being, and handling his publicity. 

This means that at the next training, the agent is there, and while the team warms up, McPhee poses for the cameras and speaks to the reporters. This is all too much for Hamish, who gives the ball a mighty kick, catching McPhee full in the face. By now, even Mister McWhacker agrees that McPhee is a problem, and he tells Hamish he wished he nipped it in the bud earlier.  

While Mister McWhacker puts McPhee on the transfer list, Hamish grabs the agent by the scruff of the neck and marches him out. 

The next game, McPhee has been benched and another youngster takes his place. The crowd is chanting for McPhee not to be sold, and these calls become even louder when the lad taking his place misses an easy goal. The strip ends with the crowd riotous, and a pitch invasion imminent. 

The appearance of McPhee's agent in the story was pitch-perfect and everything we have come to expect of a modern agent. He was smooth-talking, smooth-looking, and definitely an obstacle between the player and the management. The more things change the more they stay the same. The meat and potatoes of the story were the panels with the agent and the training session and I was delighted with everything I read there. Not only did we have the slick agent, but also a furious Hamish, and the panel when he kicked the ball at McPhee had me quietly chuckling to myself. I have often felt the same frustrations, although I am far more restrained than Hamish. The other week I wished that this storyline would wrap up, now I find myself hoping it goes for longer. More time with the agent would be good, and there is still the hope that Hamish's Daddy will show up, both of which I would love to see.       

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I've dropped Alfie from today's side, Hamish...so ye and the lads can show everyone how ye can get on withoot the little show-off!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story:  Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "Okay...but don't you get onto me again, Dixon! I might look soft...but I'm not!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: 

Tiger 15th November 1975

"What are you doing in there?"

-My Mum, when I was fourteen. 

Well, it certainly wasn't what she thought. I have always enjoyed the solitude and the quiet moments alone when I could shut the door on the world and spend quality time with my comics. Things haven't changed much in the last forty years, I still shut myself away in the bedroom with my comics after a stressful day at work. The only difference now is that it's usually my wife banging on the door demanding to know what I'm doing. For some reason, she doesn't believe me when I tell her I've been reading comics from fifty years ago. This week, those old comics offer the usual diverse array of stories in a somewhat mixed bag. All the stories ended well, but along the way, we had a few twists and turns, as well as some moments that didn't really work. Still, it's not how you start, it's how you finish, and each story had a hook to bring me back. So I'll be back in my room again next week soaking up the newsprint, while those women in my life wonder what the hell I'm doing in here.

15th November 1975

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy has never scored against Eastgate at their home ground, Eastgate Stadium. Last week he didn't seem particularly concerned about breaking his duck and instead concentrated on helping Rovers gain a two-goal lead. 

This lead looks threatened in the second half as Eastgate attacks strongly, and only some great work from Charlie Carter prevents a goal. Thinking quickly, Charlie creates a break that leads to a third goal, and this goal is soon matched by a fourth set up by Roy. 

With only seconds remaining, Roy still hasn't scored. However, the Eastgate players are visibly tired, and Roy runs hard at them in the final minutes, earning himself a well-deserved goal as the referee blows full-time. 

As they come off the field,  the team is happy with their win and delighted that Roy got a goal. They surmise that he was only playing it coy so Eastgate would do all the worrying, but Roy lets them know that it was quite the opposite- he was worried stiff throughout the match. Furthermore, he is still worried, this time about the next match and as he sits back in the dressing room the team worry that he's on the verge of complete collapse. 

This story scores a five for me, but the artwork is a 10/10. David Sques' work is crisp, clean, and uncluttered, presenting the story in the most efficient way possible. The front cover was a show stopper, and despite the story never reaching the highs I hoped, it was good enough for me to devour at a feverish pace. Roy's final expression says just as much as anything else in the story, and again we can see the responsibility of being the manager weighing upon him. I am pleased to see some of the other players featured in the story, it feels like a long time since we heard the name Vernon Elliot or Geoff Giles, and here they are combining for the third goal. Sometimes the story leans too much into Roy and Blackie, yet here it was well balanced with the rest of the team giving their own moments - no doubt helped by the fact that Roy didn't score all the goals himself. These few issues were a nice diversion, well-rounded, and gave the comic a firm base as we go forward. Now that Rovers have beaten West Ham Eastgate they are off the bottom of the table, and the season feels like it has finally started for the team. I expect another short story arc to follow this one, undoubtedly concluding just in time for *gulp* Christmas.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Eastgate are all over Melchester...they're doing everything but score!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar continues with his new attitude, embracing life with good humour and lightheartedness at every turn. 

In his match against Ossie Ostrich, he tweaks the man's nose, making fun of its beak-like appearance, before throwing a net over him. Ossie is not impressed, and neither is the referee who tells Johnny to stop fooling about and to start the bout.

Once the match starts, Johnny continues fooling about and playing for laughs. Even taking a heavy fall, Johnny continues to entertain, picking up a stethoscope and listening to his own heartbeat. The crowd lap it up, and there is talk in the crowd that if Johnny keeps this up all his fights will be sensational. 

Plenty of laughs here, although the story didn't greatly progress. Last week I was uncertain of this new direction for Johny Cougar, and there is nothing in this week's issue to reassure me. I laughed at the right places and enjoyed it well enough, but it never once felt like a Johnny Cougar story. I know that he's got a new attitude, however the change is too sudden and too great for me to wrap my head around. Johnny Cougar already had a good sense of humour, pushing it to the extreme in this story isn't adding anything to the character and is, in fact, detracting from the familiarity and goodwill I have from my years with Johnny Cougar. To repeat what I said last week, a cracking next issue and all my complaints will be forgotten, for now though, I remain unconvinced that this story will win me over. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Cougar help Ostrich to fly!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Albert Twastle, owner of a holiday island, has offered Tiny and Martin a job to help publicise his island. After testing several of the amusements, the two pals now find themselves in a thrill-car racing towards a blind bend. Around the bend they find the track widens out, although there are several brightly coloured obstacles on the track. 

They soon find out what these as they bang into them and they light up. At the bottom of the slope, they find a giant scoreboard and a score of 50,000 points for them and they realise that have been driving down a large pinball game. 

Mr Twastle is delighted and tells them that he has a further surprise for them around the corner. There they find that their trusty mini, George, has been repaired and that Mr Twastle has entered them into the New York to Moscow rally. With a million dollars for first place on offer, the boys are thrilled.

Albert Twastle asks that they give him a ride, and they oblige him, giving him a fast lap of the island. However, things end badly when they drive down an unfinished road and find themselves in quicksand, quicksand that has already claimed two bulldozers.

A weird issue and things have really taken a turn since the boys arrived in Hawaii. Already we are moving towards a New York to Moscow race, and all the build-up towards Hawaii has quickly been swept aside. I expected a lot more surf and sunshine in Hawaii, but alas it wasn't to be. I can't say I was overly fussed by the pinball scene as the boys raced down the slope. The colours looked great, but it all felt a bit silly. Still, this episode has set us up for the next long-distance rally, and that has me daydreaming of all sorts of possibilities. If it's anything like the London to Sydney race last year, we should be in for a real treat, let's hope it delivers. Back in the here and now, we have that old 70's favourite- quicksand. As a child in the 70s, I seem to recall quicksand appearing in many TV shows and movies, a fad that has since died out. I can't say why it became so trendy in the 70s, but it was a nice reminder of the times in which this comic was written to see the car sinking in the sand. Great way to round out this odd, issue, and with the prospect of a long distant rally on the horizon there are plenty of reasons to return next week  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "I've entered you a great rally....New York to Moscow! Five hundred thousand pounds if you're in the first three! One million if you win! Is it a deal?"

Hot Shot Hamish

Alfie McPhee has just scored for Princes Park, but only after he tackled his own player, Hamish, to get the ball. Hamish is furious and storming up the pitch as this week's issue opens, and it looks as though Alfie might be about to get thumped. 

Surprisingly Hamish controls his anger, and through gritted teeth, he congratulates Alfie, before telling him that he just wants to get on with the game. Alfie sees things differently and thinks Hamish is jealous of the attention he is getting, and he's not shy to tell Hamish so. 

Things are frosty between  Alfie and the rest of the Princes Park players as the game continues. Hamish is wide open, yet Alfie continues to hold the ball himself, despite being surrounded by defenders. This doesn't discourage Alfie and he takes a dive - earning himself a penalty which he duly converts. 

After the match, Hamish returns to his lodgings, arriving to find Alfie in the process of moving out. Alfie thinks he's too good for Hamish, and as he is driven off he calls Hamish a lump of bone-headed beef. Hamish is upset and writes to his father for advice. The strip ends with Hamish's Daddy dictating a response to the postman, telling Hamish to boot Alfie out of Princes Park, and that if he won't do it, then Daddy will come down and do it for him.

The best part of this strip was on the second page, especially the images of Hamish and his Daddy corresponding.  These were superb and had an intimacy not usually captured in the story, especially as most of the action usually takes place on the football field. The look on Hamish's face as he concentrated, brought the character to life, and in a story that is over the top cartooony, this was a moment of realism that brought me closer to the characters. I am tired of the Alfie McPhee storyline, but it looks as though things are coming to a head, and the promise of Hamish's Daddy becoming involved next week should step things up a notch. This was a footballing story that greatly improved once the players got off the pitch, and with other non-footballing characters becoming involved we should move further in this direction in future issues.

Rating: 7/10

Best line:  "Shove off, Hamish...I'm taking my bow! The crowd are clapping me...not you! Don't try to get in on the act!"

Skid Solo

After their adventures in Mexico and South America, Skid Solo and his team arrive in Sydney, Australia. It's all part of being a famous racing car driver as Skid appears in a variety of race meetings around the world. 

The first surprise for the reader comes as Sandy tells Skid that he wants to go watch some cricket at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Skid tells him that they will meet him later in the day after he and Tommy go to the track to test the car they will be racing the next day. 

Skid and Tommy have a good practice session, with Tommy taking a spin in the second car, and when they have finished they decide to treat themselves to a picnic in the countryside.

Out of town and the weather quickly changes, leaving Skid and Tommy scrambling as a heavy downpour hits. Skid realises he has made a mistake, they are in a dry river bed and with the rain pouring down the streams are rapidly rising. 

They have a touch-and-go moment trying to escape the flooding, with Skid finally managing to get the car up the side of a bank and to safety. Relieved to be safe, they drive back to the city to collect Sandy from the cricket. 

Skid is recognised at the ground and pointed towards a despondent Sandy. Not a single ball has been bowled, and Sandy is disappointed. Tommy laughingly tells Skid that Sandy should have come with them, at least he would have had some excitement.

It seems that Tommy's driving is coming along in leaps and bounds, and in this issue we see him giving Skid a run for his money on the track. This bodes well for future episodes and we should see Tommy step up several notches in the coming years. The character has been given plenty to do since he first arrived, and looking back over the last year I can see just how much he has been integrated into the story.  Aside from the Tommy moments, the rest of the story contained several exciting moments, although it was let down by the final reveal. I loved the thought that Sandy was a fan of cricket, and considering this I thought I would like the end far more than I did. The neat way he pricked the stereotype earlier on appealed to me, although this wasn't revisited until the final panel in a flat finale. The real action was Skid getting caught in the flood, and although it looked great on the page, I do feel we have seen Skid in similar situations previously. It did serve up several good images of Skid's face, and seeing him admit he made a mistake was a good moment that gave our hero feet of clay. A likable story, but hardly essential, and I left it feeling good and ready to move on to Skid's next adventure. I wonder where in the world he might go next.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Can Tommy use the other car? He hasn't got a licence to drive on public roads yet...but he's pretty useful behind the wheel! He can pace me round the track..."  

Tornado Jones

After a disastrous first flight, Tornado Jones is ready to quit Harvey Halliwell and his attempt at human-powered flight. 

However, Halliwell knows just how to manipulate Tornado. Calling him a coward, Halliwell angers Tornado, who furiously tells him he'll show him who's scared and to prepare the pedo-plane again. 

However, a couple of days later it is Halliwell who is angry when he finds news of his plane splashed across the front pages of the paper. Tornado has leaked the story to the press himself, hungry for publicity as a stuntman,

Halliwell tells him that this means that hundreds of sightseers will swarm over their work, while Tornado tells him to relax, as it will give them more encouragement. 

The next flight takes place in front of a crowd of onlookers and cameramen. Initially, the flight went well, with the take-off being much smoother than previously. The second part of the flight isn't so good, with Tornado crashing into a tree, much to the amusement of the mocking onlookers. 

Despite a flight and a crash, in front of numerous onlookers no less, this story fell flat I couldn't get excited about the Aussie stuntman. The panels in which Halliwell goaded Tornado into staying with the program we the best of the strip, and these two panels towered above anything else we saw on the page. We are heading in the right direction, and I feel the story is just about to turn the corner, yet I was once again let down by this issue. The artwork remains a joy, and the characters look great on the page, it's just that I can't find it in myself to care about the pedo-plane. The next issue will be make or break for me. I'm willing to like it, but I need something to grasp onto.

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "A coward, Mister Jones. A snivelling spineless jelly-bag!"

Billy's Boots

Billy has been invited to play for the Merrydowners, but one boy, Dixon, has taken a dislike to him and challenged him to a boxing match. They both don gloves and start swinging but Billy is no match for the bigger lad and it all ends as one might expect.

Billy quietly leaves and the next day at school he is cheered by the news from Jimmy Dawson that they have been picked to play for the second eleven against a school they handily thrashed last year. 

While training in the gym, Billy asks his teacher Mr Harris if he has any boxing tips. Being a regimental boxing champion while in the army, Mr Harris shows Billy his skills, evading Billy's blows with ease as they spare. The lesson is learned, it's more important to learn to dodge the blows than anything else. 

Come game day, and Billy and Jimmy start well, concocting a goal between them. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, trouble is brewing with the appearance of Dixon. He berates Billy, and eventually, Billy responds by telling Dixon to shut up. The two boys square up to fight, while Mr Harris tells Billy that he'll be seeing him after, as the referee threatens to send Billy off. 

So, Mister Harris was in the army. I can't say I'm surprised, and this certainly explains a lot about him and his attitude. I liked this small nugget of background information a lot, and I am far more interested in "Hardnut" Harris after learning this about him. Although Billy didn't fare well in the first fight, I enjoyed seeing him stand up to the bully, and the final panels in the story were full of intensity as Billy refused to be cowered by the bully and gave as good as he got. There is drama coming from three sides now, Dixon, the referee, and Mister Harris, with Billy at the centre of it all. This is excellent, and each one will have to be resolved in the next couple of weeks, making the strip compulsive reading. Sadly, Billy's Gran didn't make an appearance in this issue, but she did get a mention, and it was a relatable moment for any boy growing up. Despite all these fantastic panels and interwoven stories, my favourite panel was the one where Billy talks to his friends as they pull their bikes from the bike stands. It was an instantly recognizable moment for me, and I had a flashback to my own school years at the sight of it. Amazing how a single image can evoke such memories. This familiarity made this story my favourite this week, and with all that is happening, it should be in good health for the next few weeks. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You left yourself wide open! Go home to your Granny! Ask her to give you some knitting lessons! That's about your mark!"

Nipper

Nipper is horrified that his landlady Amy Felcher has taken it upon herself to kit him out in new clothes. He looks smart in a suit, but he has a face of thunder as he looks at himself in the mirror. Nipper is adamant that he won't wear these new clothes, but Amy Felcher surprises him when she says he can earn a few hundred extra pounds if he takes part in the modelling session she has arranged. 

Nipper agrees, but throughout the catwalk, he worries what his friends might think of him. His worst fears are realised when his picture appears in the papers and he takes a ribbing upon arriving at the training ground. 

However, it's not all bad. Andy Stewart is pleased with Nipper's smart new look and tells him he looks respectable. Not only does he put Nipper back in the first team, but he also removes Nipper's obligation to stay with Amy Felcher. 

Nipper is delighted, but after thinking about the situation he realises that it's Amy's efforts that have restored his position at Blackport. The strip ends with Nipper telling Amy he would like to continue living with her, after all her bark is worse than her bite and the grub is pretty good.

The sight of Nipper in the suit was transformative and gave us something we had never seen before. The grubby urchin cleaning up was the tipping point for both Nipper and the general story itself. Finally, he realized what Amy meant to him, and we saw this side story conclude in a satisfying manner. Now that Nipper is back in the team, we should see a showdown with him and Marvin, a character we haven't seen for some weeks. The issue with Nipper living with Amy may have been resolved, but the story still has legs and will offer more in the coming issues. With memorable images and a sentimental ending (I'm not crying, you're crying) this was a strong issue, only lacking in football to raise it a notch higher. My only problem with it was that it all happened too fast, and I would have liked to see this fashion angle stretched across two issues. Even as it is, it was a well-rounded read and a solid end to this week's comic. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "This...this is worse than missing a penalty. I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"  

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story:  Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "Och, awa', mon...just because we live north o' the border...we're no' all fans o' caber-tossing and sword-dancing!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: