Just when I think I know which my favourite stories are, and which disappoint, we get an issue like this. Old favourites fail to deliver, while stories I never care for suddenly become compulsive reading. The ups and downs of the comic world follow the ups and downs of my football team. Unexpected players score match-winning goals, while the dependable favourite gains a red card, or season-ending injuries. Nothing as dramatic as a season-ending injury here, but an unexpected turn of events that has me excited about every aspect of Tiger. Anything could happen, and this week it did.
6th December 1975
Billy's Boots
Billy and Jimmy have committed themselves to two games in a day, playing for Billy's street team The Merrydowners in the morning, and the Groundswood's first eleven in the afternoon. They start well for the Merrydowners, and after showing some deft teamwork, Billy and Jimmy engineer the first goal. After taking this slender lead, the Merrydowners park the bus, and Billy and Jimmy spend the rest of the game helping out in defence.
Trouble is brewing on the sidelines as two schoolmasters watch the game. They both recognise Billy and Jimmy, and one of them slips away to report to Mr Harris that the boys are playing two games.
Billy and Jimmy arrive at the school and receive a message to report immediately to Mr Harris. They fear the worst, but Mr Harris accepts that they are fit enough to play the second game and they are allowed to take the field.
They start strongly, and Billy demonstrates he is fit enough by chasing down an opposition player and winning the ball back. However, as he takes the ball towards the opposition goal and prepares to shoot, he suddenly falls to the ground with a cramp.
Highly relatable, although to be honest I mostly get cramps when I'm sleeping. The appearance of some teachers watching the Merrydowners play was surprising, yet I enjoyed seeing the teachers on the sideline and thinking about what they do outside of school. This story was low on action but remained highly enjoyable with the characters interacting. The scenario that played out was believable, and I could easily see myself facing the same situation when I was a boy. The best was saved for last and the final panel of Billy crumpling to the ground with cramp was the right note to end the strip. Everything here is beautifully balanced, with a fine mix of sport, relationships, and nostalgia, all making for another strong entry for Billy's Boots.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Yes, Mister Carr...but the boys gave me their word they were fit...and that's good enough for me!"
Hot Shot Hamish
Alec McCloud is playing in his first big game, and despite all the jeers and boos he has been receiving, he is preparing to take a penalty kick.
McCloud is nervous, but Hamish insists he takes the kick. The shot is a poor one, but McCloud follows up and scores, ending the game with a two-nil win to Princes Park.
In the dressing room, Hamish receives a telegram telling him to come home as there is sickness in the house. Hamish fears the worst and makes the trip back to his little island only to find that it's not his Daddie who is sick, but rather his pet sheep McMutton.
Hamish nurses McMutton back to health with some good Scottish broth, and after a week is readying himself to return to Princes Park. As he climbs onboard the boat to take him home, there is a splash and we see McMutton jumping off the pier with Hamish's Daddies still holding the lead. Both are soaked, and Daddie tells Hamish that McMutton wants to go with him, leaving Hamish no choice but to take McMutton back to Princes Park.
It's great to see Hamish's Daddie back in the mix, and although he only plays a cameo role here, the strip lit up with his appearance. The opening panels with the football were well done, with the pressure on McCloud reflected in the claustrophobic nature of the artwork. The tight nature of the game was dispelled when Hamish returned to his island, yet the story remained darkened by the landscape and the subsequent story. Sometimes I find McMutton to be annoying and silly, but I enjoyed what we had here, especially as it exposed the caring nature of Hamish. There are shenanigans on the horizon with the return to Princes Park, but that is a week away, and what we had here was just the right amount of fun. Next week may well be a step down, so until then, I shall celebrate what we have on the page here.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "The stupid animal's getting better food than I am!"
Martin's Marvellous Mini
The New York to Moscow rally has started fast, and Martin and Tiny are already driving across Canada. After crashing into a ditch they found a farmer to loan them a tractor, but now face a bear coming at them as they drive the tractor out of the barn.
Luckily it's only a stuffed bear, and the man carrying it to the barn introduces himself as a local taxidermist who uses the barn for storage. He agrees to help the lads pull the car out of the ditch, and a few panels later the job is done with the help of the man and the tractor.
Tiny and Martin arrive at the next checkpoint where their sponsor Mister Twastle is waiting for them. They explain why they are late, and he is delighted, thinking only of the publicity. Sure enough, the next morning the papers are full of headlines about the boys being attacked by a bear, while underneath is an advertisement for Mister Twastle's holiday island, proudly proclaiming it's free of bears.
The rally continues with the cars loaded onto a ship for the voyage to Europe. Mister Twastle is still eager for publicity and suggests that perhaps they could have a race on the ship. He puts his plan into action, and a go-kart is wheeled out with the offer of five hundred pounds for whoever can do the fastest lap. Tiny and Martin point out that they tried this once before and they ended up in the sea, but Mr Twastle is non-plussed and tells them all they have to do is win.
Deeply disappointed to see the bear wasn't the threat I thought it was going to be. However, I did enjoy the subplot and the weird way a taxidermist was shoehorned into the story. Bonkers, yet brilliant. The voyage offers potential, although Martin is right to point out that they already did something similar in the past (on the voyage back from Australia, from memory). It's not as long ago as you might think and is still quite fresh in my mind. If we can find a way to inject fresh life into the idea, all shall be well and good, if not then we may have a flat couple of issues as we cover the same ground. This issue itself was neither here nor there, and we are stuck in no man's land until something better comes along. The Canadian story quickly closed, and the voyage storyline yet to burst into life, we look to the horizon for what comes next.
Rating: 5.5/10
Best line: "You're on the front page! Listen to this..."Martin and Tiny attached by Grizzly Bear, rally aces in peril!"
Roy is off the field injured, but still doing his best to manage his team to victory over Tarbury in the league cup.
It looks like Tarbury may score and it's only the quick instincts of Charlie Carter in goal that saves the moment. From the sidelines, Roy is beside himself, and he can't help but become more involved when he sees how much attention Mervyn Wallace is receiving from the Tarbury defence. With time running out, Roy offers some quick advice to Wallace, and the next time he gets the ball he runs infield, drawing the Tarbuy defence with him.
A nice cross-field pass opens up the field, and Noel Baxter's cross is greeted by Lofty Peak's head to set up Blackie for a match-winning goal in the final minute. Roy is satisfied that the team can win without him, and two hours later is off to join the England team. However, as he drives away Mervyn Wallace tells the others that it was Roy who advised him to pull the defence out of position, and it was Roy who won the game for them even though he wasn't on the pitch. He then suggests they can't do without Roy, on or off the pitch.
A solid story that is again elevated by the artwork. Thinking about what I had just read, there was nothing here that demanded I read the next issue immediately. However, the art gave the story a sheen that made it read better than perhaps it really was. The football scenes looked dynamic, and I loved seeing Charlie Carter in action. The final panels with the team talking were crucial to the plot, and these looked just as good as the football imagery, even if I wasn't as involved. It was deceptively simple, and the plot was bolstered by this art, making for a story that I enjoyed more than I should have.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Sorry, Taffy! But I'm...still the manager of this outfit! I can't help getting involved!"
A typical Skid Solo story from the start finds Skid and Sandy driving up to Scotland to test a new invention by one of Sandy's friends.
They arrive to find Sandy's friend, Angus, in a rage and chasing some kids off his property. Sandy quietly tells Skid that Angus has a temper, so it's best not to upset him.
Angus greets them and then shows them his new invention. This invention is a tyre that is filled with water rather than air. This gives good stability and grip in all conditions.
Skid takes a car out equipped with these new tyres for a test run. The first part of the test goes very well, as Skid takes the car over some rough terrain,. The next part of the test is some track driving, and for the first few laps, Skid makes good time. However, after the tenth lap, he fails to appear and Sandy and Angus begin to wonder what has happened to him.
We soon find out as Skid appears over the crest on foot. Walking back to the car he explains what has happened. As the tyres have heated up the water has turned to steam, eventually bursting all the tyres. At this Sandy and Angus are greeted with the sight of the car, all its tyres leaking and steaming. At this Angus flies into a rage, striking the car with a stick and yelling, leading Skid to comment when anything gets overheated it needs to let off steam.
While I related to Angus's fiery temper, I didn't much care for water-filled tyres. The scenes of Skid driving the car were tired and pedestrian (sorry on both counts, couldn't help myself) and were surprisingly the weakest parts of the story. The best parts were Angus and the moments when he lost his temper. The moment he was hitting the car with a stick and cursing was the most relatable panel in the comic and could have been lifted straight out of my life. It also reminded me of John Cleese doing something similar in Fawlty Towers. A quick Google search tells me that that particular episode of Falwty Towers aired in October 1975, so it may well have been a direct influence. We have seen many of these stories before of Skid testing various vehicles, and while this one was par for the course, it was elevated by Angus and his fierce temper. He had more personality than some of the other characters in Skid's world, and it was nice to see someone expressing themselves on the page. Surprisingly, there was no appearance by Tommy this week, but he wasn't needed with Angus amply filling the quiet spots of the story. A Skid Solo story where Skid Solo wasn't the standout, and one that made an impression while I read it, but I daresay it will be forgotten once the Grand Prix season is upon us.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Aye...an' he's got a keen temper, Skid...so dinna upset him!"
Nipper and his rival Danny Marvin are playing together for Blackport, although so far Marvin has concentrated more on making Nipper look bad than beating their Swiss opposition. Marvin manages to break through the defence and cross a ball to Nipper and Nipper is horrified to find that Marvin has put a powerful spin on it, making it impossible to kick straight.
A half time Nipper and Mike talk about the troubles, and Nipper tells Mike that he is going to do the opposite of what Danny Marvin expects.
From a throw-in, Nipper guesses what the opposing team is about to do and yells at Marvin just in time for Marvin to intercept the ball. Marvin then runs hard at the goal, scoring the first goal from a long-range shot.
Nipper is the first to congratulate Marvin, and this confuses his rival, especially as Nipper covers him again in the field. With his confidence high, Marvin attempts another shot at distance. It hits the post but Nipper is on hand to head it home and give Blackport a two-nil lead.
Watching from the sideline, Andy Stewart is happy with what he sees, although it gives him a big problem for the second leg. John Brakespeare should be fit for the next leg, which means he will play either Nipper or Marvin, but how to choose between them?
I have rated this highly, although I should have enjoyed it more than I did. The story is progressing nicely, and it looks like Nipper has found a way to work with Danny Marvin. However, it didn't feel right on the page, and I did question the ease at which it unfolded. Andy Stewart is more shrewd than we saw here, and I don't think he would be so easily swayed by what happened on the field., There are more legs left in the story, and Andy Stewart's selection dilemma may yet add more fuel to the fire between Nipper and Marvin. The football action on the page here wasn't up to its usual high standard. We did see some goals, and some very fine pay, but it didn't catch my imagination in the way that it has in the past. The sight of Nipper scoring from the rebound was the pick of the football panels, and the stand-out panel of the strip, although it was the only one that caught the eye. I would like to see this story wrap up soon, it does feel like it's been several months so far, but it remains to be seen, and judging by the look on Andy Stewart's face, there could be plenty more to come.
Rating: 7/10
Best line: "Their winger slipped me...but Lawrence was covering! He...he's got me out of trouble again!"
Johnny Cougar
This week's new wrestling story starts with a grotesque lineup of wrestlers, all competing in a Mister Nasty competition. The winner of this contest gets automatic entry into next week's international wrestling tournament, and after seeing a couple of ugly runner-ups we find the winner is a wrestler simply known as "Ugly"
He certainly lives up to his name but there is a surprise at the bottom of the page as this wrestler pulls a mask from his face and reveals himself to be none other than Johnny Cougar himself. More tomfoolery and fun and games from the Indian wrestler and he continues his clowning as the presenter speaks with him and the audience.
They agree that although it was a mask, Johnny can compete in the tournament. With a week until the tournament, Johnny turns his hand to ten-pin bowling. He is interrupted by some photographers who want some publicity shots. Cougar agrees, setting up some cardboard cutouts of the other wrestlers to bowl it. It's great for publicity, but the other wrestlers are watching from the other side of the bowling alley, and they're none too happy that Cougar is making them look stupid.
I was fooled by the opening, and then disappointed to see it was Johnny Cougar playing his pranks., The grotesque lineup would have made for an awesome wrestling match, and I really wanted the Alien Freak to be part of the forthcoming action. We moved away from the wrestling ring in the second part of the story, although I enjoyed these pages much better. The sight of Johnny Cougar bowling brought a smile to my face, a smile that broke into a grin as he bowled at the cardboard cutouts. Having seen plenty of the Roy Race cutout on these pages over the years, it's great to see that such things also exist in the world of Johnny Cougar, and he certainly put them to good use here. There is no wrestling yet, but already we have a cast of villains for Johnny Cougar to take on, and there now exists plenty of tension between the two parties. Next week the story should bloom into some proper wrestling - it's just a shame he won't be wrestling the Alien Freak.
Rating: 6/10
Best line: "Haga! The Cougar strikes!"
Tornado Jones
While on the Welsh Coast, Tornado Jones found a freak tidal wave and has an idea for his next stunt.
Arriving back at shore, he starts spreading the news that he intends to race this giant wave on a specially adapted surfboard. The locals all think he's crazy, but oblige him by lending him a workshop and the materials he needs to build his surfboard.
Jones cuts his surfboard out of a piece of fibreglass and then mounts one of his old motorcycle motors on it. He takes it to sea for a test ride, but hits a submerged rock, damaging his vehicle. He again makes his way to shore, only to be greeted by a policeman with a restraining order from the local court. His stunt has been deemed too dangerous, and permission will be refused. Furthermore, he will be arrested immediately if he attempts to race the giant wave.
With "Boyo," "Dai," and "Bach" appearing literally in the text, you know Tornado Jones is definitely in Wales. This could have detracted from my enjoyment of the strip, but instead, I found myself lapping it up. The story has grown with the appearance of local characters, and they provide a new context for the character of Tornado Jones. He is a much more sympathetic character with these local interactions, and I am beginning to empathise with his situation. The strip didn't have a stunt, only a test ride that went wrong, but it didn't need to be filled with drama to be an entertaining and warm read. After several weeks of complaining about Tornado Jones, I have come across a story I like, and one that is worthy of the art bestowed upon it. I didn't see this coming, but I love it and can't wait to see more.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best line: "A sheet of fibre-glass? I can let you have that one, boyo...plus the use of this place for a week! What do you hope to make?"
Issue final ratings:
Overall: 7/10
Best Story: Tornado Jones
Best Line: "They might be there...but they won't be fit! They can't play two games in one day! It's a disgrace! I'll phone their sports master..."
Best Panel:
%201975-12-06.png)
Roy's Sports Quiz:
No comments:
Post a Comment