Tiger 13th March 1976

I don't want to write an introduction.

I want to jump right into the action and dive into my favourite comic immediately. They say Gen Z is all about instant gratification, but let me tell you, this Gen Xer is exactly the same. In some respects, it is even more so. Who knows how many years I have left on this earth? The number is limited, and every day is important. I can't afford to muck around doing things I don't want to. All I want to do is relax and read my comics while I can, and that's exactly what I'm going to do now. 

Tiger

13th March 1976

Skid Solo

Tommy Carter's first Grand Prix race earns him a place on the front cover of this week's Tiger comic. Surrounded by the stars of the sport, Tommy is nervous on the starting grid and takes his frustrations out on Sandy. 

The race begins, and poor Tommy almost loses control at the first corner as he drives too fast and furious. Regaining his composure, his confidence grows as he passes the Italian Champion Toni Mareillia on the fourth lap. 

Buoyed by this, Tommy begins to think himself bulletproof. He blows by several other drivers, and with each manoeuvre, he pushes himself and the car faster. 

He eventually overtakes Sparrow Smith for the lead, but he has pushed the car too hard, and minutes later, things come to an end as the car overheats. 

Sandy tells him off, pointing out that he knows better than to thrash the car all the way. Put in his place, Tommy watches the rest of the race from the stands. After the race, he hears the other drivers talking about how he was driving like an idiot, and one of them even calls him a no-hoper. At this point, Skid steps in and tells them all that although Tommy is new, he is faster than all of them, and Skid is banking on him being a world champion one day. This raises Tommy's spirits. With someone like Skid backing you, you have to do your best.

This is the story we have been waiting for. Tommy Smith is finally in a Grand Prix car and taking on the best in the business. We see his nervousness on the cover, surrounded by the race cars and listing the famous drivers. The scene is well set before we turn the page, and the following story doesn't disappoint. 

The story is well told and balanced. Tommy is portrayed as being a fast driver, yet very much a boy- exactly as it should be. The story straddles this line throughout, and it never strays too far one way or another. 

I enjoyed seeing Tommy making mistakes on the track, a reminder that he is still young, and I especially enjoyed seeing the other drivers talking about him behind his back at the end of the race. This worked for me on two levels. Firstly, it helped keep Tommy in his place and offered Skid Solo a chance to inject himself into the story. It also played to the insecurity of every young boy and the feeling you get when others talk about you. The look on his face captures this feeling perfectly and helps Tommy earn some empathy from the reader. Not everyone has driven a speed race car around the track, but we have all experienced gossip and small talk in one way or another, and at this moment, the reader is in Tommy's shoes. 

Next week, we are told it's Skid Solo's birthday. I don't know what we will see in terms of motor racing, but I predict a birthday cake will appear, and the story of Tommy and his journey will take a back seat. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Sparrow Smith is leading! If I can get past him, I'm leading!"

Johnny Cougar

Last week, Johnny found himself in a three-way fight against The Pirate and The Masked Maniac. At the end of the episode, Johnny and the Pirate are knocked down by the Masked Maniac and face a serious count. 

Both bounce back this week, and with partnerships rapidly falling apart, it's every man for himself. There is some fast-paced action before the strip wraps up with all three men running at each other from different parts of the ring for a flying head butt that knocks all three men down. 

This was all action all the way, with wrestling dominating from start to finish. It was only two pages, and with large panels filling the second page, the story and action moved quickly. 

The story itself didn't develop much beyond what we saw last week. We still have the three men equally matched, and although there were some short-lived partnerships, they didn't provide any real advantage for the wrestlers.  

The star of the show wasn't Johnny Cougar, but rather the artist. The wrestling looked believable, was exciting, and we didn't need to read the words to follow the story. I appreciated the craft of the story, and my eyes ran excitedly across the page as I took in all the action. Sometimes simple is best, and this delivered the story in a highly efficient manner that made the silliness of the characters seem less important than the actual match they were competing in. With wrestling filling every panel, this was a great strip for both wrestling fans and fans of sports in general.    

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "So it's every man for himself... that's good enough for me!"

Hot Shot Hamish

Princes Park is playing a vital away game against Alexanda town, but find themselves bogged down by a muddy pitch. 

There is chaos in the mud, with Hamish scoring the winning goal when the opposing goalkeeper catches a chunk of mud flying off his boot rather than the ball. 

Hamish returns home to Mister McCash with Jock McBell and is awoken in the morning by a servant preparing some riding clothes for him. McCash and McBell are heading out for a genteel ride, and despite his better judgement, Hamish is convinced to come along. 

On a horse, aptly named Firecracker, Hamish is soon separated from the others and finds himself lost in the swamp. A strange man emerges from the fog, demanding to know who this is on his land. Hamish tells him that he is Balfour, to which the man replies that he is a McKirky, an ancient enemy of the Balfours. 

The final panel was great, but the rest of the story couldn't come close to it for interest or drama. The story of the muddy pitch was weak and delivered little, while the events leading up to Hamish meeting McKirky were low-key and merely set the scene. 

The image of Hamish on a horse did lighten the mood mid-story, although this too paled in comparison to the appearance of McKirky. The humour wasn't strong enough, and despite raising a smile, it couldn't make me laugh. 

McKirky promises much, and one can only hope that next week builds on his appearance here. He looks mysterious and dangerous and offers numerous potential storylines. What will happen next is anyone's guess, but I'm sure it will be better than what we have here.   

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "I should have stuck to football! Here I am lost! No roads in sight...no houses...no horse...nothing!"

Billy's Boots

It's the last minute of Groundswood's vital quarter-final in the school's cup, and Billy lobs a pass over the defence to his pal Jimmy Dawson. Jimmy's shot is saved, but Billy is quick to the rebound and scores with an impressive strike from just inside the area. 

All talk is of the semi-final, but first Billy and Jimmy pay a visit to Mickey Brown, who was injured during the game and is now in hospital with his leg in plaster. Mickey can't do his paper round, but Billy volunteers to do it, thinking it will be good exercise for the semifinal. 

Billy makes good time running around the paper round when disaster strikes. He runs headlong into a man on the street, dropping his football. The man becomes angry, kicking Billy's ball over the fence and telling him he has no right to play in the street. 

Billy goes to retrieve his ball, but as he peers over the fence, he sees a man and woman looking to see what the crash was before discovering the ball has broken the greenhouse and smashed up the man's orchids. 

At football training, all Billy can think about is the trouble he might be in. His lack of concentration doesn't go unnoticed by Mr Harris, who decides he will have a word with Billy afterwards. 

The football action that opened the strip was good enough, but it was the following page and the appearance of two businessmen that enthralled me. With their suits and bowler hats, they were a throwback to an older era, an era before my time, and they presented a real curiosity on the page. Having them holding umbrellas added to the Englishness of the image, and I was fascinated by it. 

The fallout from this encounter propelled the drama to the next page and continued to influence the story through to the next week. On the back of this chance meeting, we now have two new characters introduced with the couple whose plants were damaged, as well as Billy's play being affected and Mr Harris looking to get involved. This adds several elements of interest, and coupled with the injury to Micky Brown, the story is branching in different directions. I'm not sure even his boots can get him out of this one. Whatever happens next, Billy will have to face the consequences on his own.    

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Steady on, Simpson, old man!" 

Tornado Jones

Tornado Jones has received a telegram inviting him for some work in the film industry. Arriving at set, Jones is told he will play the part of a dispatch rider in a war film, and he is soon dressed in character and ready to go. 

Instructed to follow the white arrows in the forest, things soon go wrong for Jones. He crashes through a brick wall (luckily made of cardboard) before driving wildly down the hill toward the car park. He comes to a calamitous end as he crashes into a jeep, sending the driver and Wild Bill Bannon flying. Bill Bannon comes up with his fits clenched, and Jones is warned that he's trouble with a capital T.

Although I am not overly fussed by the thought of Tornado Jones being a stunt rider, it did give us several attention-grabbing images. The pick of these was Jones smashing through the brick wall, an image that pre-empted the crash that would round out the strip. 

The stunt riding could be short-lived, and from what we have seen here, there does not seem to be much future in it for Jones or for the storyline. Already, we are seeing a move out of the immediate story with Jones crashing into Bill Bannon. This will either spin off into a direct confrontation with Jones and Bannon, or it will greatly colour what comes next in the making of the movie. I shall be happy either way we go. The movie has failed to deliver thus far, but the appearance of Bill Bannon has reset the clock in the final panel, and wherever we go from here, he is bound to play a big part in it. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Wow, that was quite a prang...and the bloke I clobbered doesn't look too happy about it!" 

Martin's Marvellous Mini 

Hot on the heels of a kidnapped Henry, Tiny and Martin find themselves in a fun house on Mr Twastle's Island. Tiny has disappeared through a trap door on the floor, and Martin follows his voice until they are reunited at the centre of a hedge maze. Henry is there too and tells them that he was kidnapped by two of Mr Twastle's waiters who are asking for two thousand pounds for his return. 

All three drive at high speed back to Mr Twastle, and when they arrive, they learn that he has already paid the ransom. Tiny and Martin get back into the car, and after some more high-speed driving, they see the kidnappers sailing out of the harbour. With little pause for thought, they jump on the nearest boat to give chase. However, as they leave the harbour, they find the seas rougher than expected, and the boat struggles to stay upright. 

"When a man is tired of Twastles Island, he is tired of life" - Samuel Johnson

Well, sir, mark me down as tired of life. I am weary of this constant tomfoolery on Twastles Island. I thought we had had enough of this from the last time we were here, yet one year later, I still see characters falling through trap doors or running around mazes. The first time, I passed it off as fun; this time, I was not so accommodating, especially as there was a kidnapping at hand, something far more exciting and thrilling than seeing Tiny disappear through the floor. 

The final panels restored the comic's reputation somewhat, and we ended on the right note as Tiny and Martin gave chase - albeit on a boat at sea rather than their normal means of transport. This was a better fit for the weighty storyline, and although one could laugh at their final predicament, it wasn't played for laughs. 

Although I wasn't a fan of this week's episode, the second half played much better than the first, and we are well placed for a strong issue next week. Seeing the boys at sea promises much, and as long as we don't return to the island, I shall be happy with whatever comes next. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Fancy asking two thousand pounds...for me!"

Nipper

Nipper is lining up a penalty against the Dutch side, with only Jan, his nemesis of the last two weeks, in his way. 

Nipper sends the keeper the wrong way, but his shot hits the post. The English players race for the rebound, but Jan is too good for them and makes the save. He continues his sterling efforts in goal, foiling Nipper at every opportunity. Nipper is eventually subbed off, and Jan continues his heroics until the end.

After the game, Nipper tries apologising to Jan, but Jan tells him he won't accept the apology. Nipper inspired him to great heights, and he promises more of the same next time. 

Nipper wonders what he means by next time but finds out when he returns to Blackport training. Blackport's next European opponent is Zeeden of Holland, with Jan Eyke in goal. 

Storming action and magnificent artwork ensure that Nipper stays at the top of my reading pile this week. The action was cast equally across both Nipper and Jan Eyke, with Jan almost stealing the story from Nipper's top billing. He was excellent throughout the story and well served by the artwork and storyline that accompanied him. He looked strong, yet carried a natural humanity about him that played well within the strip. He was a tough opponent who never came across as a villain. Instead, he was Nipper's equal in every way -  which should drive the story for the coming weeks. 

It goes without saying that the best panels belonged to Jan, and there were a number of images showing him pulling off dynamic saves. All of these helped ramp up the tension and, coupled with the frustrated facial expressions of Nipper, helped build the idea that Jan is a human barrier as well as a mental one for Nipper. The most pleasing aspect of this is that it isn't just a one-off, and Nipper must face Jan again in the European Cup. Expect plenty more of the same, with lots of dramatic saves as Jan continues to keep Nipper at bay. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Have a rest, lad... it's just one of those games! I don't think you'd score if we played all night!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy has put his faith in Gerry Holloway, and although Holloway arrives twenty minutes after kickoff he is subbed into the game. 

The team is still disjointed, but a quick throw-in by Roy sends Duncan McKay away. McKay crosses to Blackie, only for Holloway to appear and head the ball home for the opening goal. 

Holloway is quiet for the rest of the game, until midway through the second half when he unexpectedly manages to catch up with a loose ball that was threatening to go out. A beautiful cross lands at Roy's feet, and Roy strikes the second goal to win the match. 

After the game Roy tells Blackie that he will explain why he is lenient on Holloway, knowing that his reason had better be good or he will face a full-scale mutiny. 

The Holloway storyline is gaining momentum, and after last week saying that I hoped it would end soon, I once again find myself engaged with the story as Holloway takes the field. 

Helped in no small part by the various factions coming together in the story and David Sque's efficient artwork, things moved quickly. Other weeks have barely moved in the Holloway story, and this week more than makes up for it as the story jumped forward on the back of Holloway's strong performance on the field. With Roy promising to tell the team why he has been lenient on Holloway, I expect the story to take another large step forward next week.

Although this wasn't my favourite story this week, it wasn't too far off it, a surprising development after last week. It just goes to show that while form is temporary, class is permanent. The class of Barrie Tomlinson and David Sque is clearly on display here, and with last week's issue forgotten, once again, the future looks good for Roy Of The Rovers. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Er, sorry about that, Roy, but I thought I had a better chance than Blackie!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Skid Solo 

Best Line: "If I can pass Mareilla...I can pass the others too! All of them!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 6th March 1976

After sitting through a couple of wet months, summer has finally arrived. It's a beautiful day outside, and the last thing on my mind is football or comics. Still, this is the bed I have made for myself, and I'm committed to putting down my thoughts on these comics. I have decided to make some changes in the next few months. Nothing will affect this comic; I'm just shuffling my life around to make it a little better. More on that next week, but until then, here are my thoughts on Tiger from early March 1976.

Tiger 

6th March 1976

Roy Of The Rovers

Hansfield has taken a shock 3-0 lead against Rovers, and when the referee refused to award a penalty for a foul on Roy, some of the Melchester fans invaded the pitch.

Roy talks the fans off the pitch and takes the free kick, narrowly missing the goal. The game ends with Hansfield winning 3-0, and the fans are downhearted as they leave the ground. 

The Melchester players exchange harsh words in the dressing room, and an equally angry Roy tells them to stop whining and accept their defeat like men. 

The next day, Roy is still simmering with fury, and he tells Penny of his dilemma on whether or not to bring Gerry Holloway back into the squad. 

Roy visits Holloway's flat but is told that Holloway is away up north for an archaeological dig. That doesn't deter Roy, and he names Holloway in the team. 

Come the day of the game, and everyone is questioning Roy's decision. Holloway still hasn't returned, yet he is named as a substitute. The game kicks off, and Roy finds himself playing in a defensive role as the team is on the back foot. However, help is at hand, and the final panel shows Holloway emerging from the tunnel and Taffy preparing him to come on.  

Despite the pitch invasion, everything felt flat this week. Roy easily talked the fans back off the field, and the brewing trouble of last week dissipated under Roy's stern words. Roy's looking directly off the page and telling the supporters that they don't need any more trouble from football mobs was a direct plea not just to the Melceshetr fans but to the wider footballing community. A direct comment on the football violence of the 1970s, it dated the comic immediately and reminded me what a time capsule some of these moments are. 

After the match, most of the strip revolved around Roy's mood and his interaction with various other characters. We saw him talk with Penny about his problems before coming into direct conflict with the club's directors. Although this was all drama-infused, there were a lot of talking heads, and for a football comic, it greatly slowed the story down. Of course, all of it was necessary, but it was a change from the previous few months, and it feels like the story is changing focus. 

I'm all for this if it continues in this way, although I would like to see the talk and drama be about something more substantial than Gerry Holloway. I'm still not on board with this story, and the fact that Gerry Holloway didn't appear on the page didn't help his or the story's cause this week. Even a panel showing him working at the archaeological dig would have been nice and said more than Roy talking to his flatmates. 

There is no doubt that Roy Of The Rovers is evolving. This wasn't the best example of the strip, but we can see some key changes. Once we throw off this Holloway story, some of these changes can be more fully embraced. I just need a few weeks more patience, but already I can see that Roy is being put on course for a golden period (and his own comic,) and these are the first seedlings of that change.  

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "How can you even consider a player who has been missing since Wednesday?"

Johnny Cougar

The three-way fight between Johnny Cougar, The Masked Maniac, and The Pirate is about to begin. 

Johnny is up against it from the start as the other two wrestlers gang up against him. His quickness keeps him in the fight early on, but a combination between his two opponents sends him crashing to the floor, and the referee begins to count him out. 

The Pirate congratulated The Masked Maniac on their teamwork and was rewarded with a surprise strike from his opponent, sending him to the floor for a count as well. The strip ends with the count sitting at eight for Johnny Cougar and four for The Pirate, while The Masked Maniac looks on, gleeful at the prospect of a double knockout. 

Wrestlers wrestling - no gimmicks, no stunts, now that's what I like. The Pirate didn't do silly Pirate things, the Masked Maniac stuck to wrestling (albeit underhanded wrestling), and Johnny didn't play any silly pranks. All fought strongly, and the wider plot was forgotten as the sheer physicality of wrestling was put in the spotlight. 

The ending, with two of the three wrestlers laid out on the canvas, highlighted what a hard-hitting match this was. The final strike by the Masked Maniac was the most impactful panel of the strip, for not only did it look powerful, but it also signalled his betrayal of the Pirate and twisted the story into its second half. It's hard to imagine that next week's issue will be as hard-hitting as this one, but should it stay focused on the events in the ring, we should be on firm ground. The tournament did what it needed to do to get us here, but now the time is right to strip the story back to the wrestling alone and let the characters tell their own story. 

The most important element of this week's strip was the artwork, and it delivered in spades. A variety of panels showed the wrestlers in various acts of hurting each other. The artwork remained crisp and unobtrusive, telling the story quickly while embellishing the size and power of the wrestlers fighting in the ring. Less is more, and the more uncluttered the art, the better the story was. I can't see the story going much past next week, but I sure wish it would. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "But this dissolves our partnership...right now!" 

 

Hot Shot Hamish

Jock McBell has accused Hamish's landlord, Ian McCash, of running off with some of his money when they ran a business together. While Hamish holds the two men apart, each explains their side of the story. 

McCash tells how he knocked his head and found himself on a boat for Canada. In Canada, he built his fortune from the ground up before returning to Scotland a rich man. 

He realises he must have used Ian McBell's money to get to Canada and tells him that he's happy to have found him and he will share his fortune with him. With that, the two men are friends again, and this story is closed.

Back at Princes Park, the team is training for their next match, although many of the team are struggling with the after-effects of the flu, and by the end of the training session, many are out on their feet. 

On Saturday, the game kicks off at Alexanda town on a heavy and muddy pitch. The pitch becomes muddier as the game progresses, and after consulting McBell, Hamish tells the team to keep the ball in the air as much as possible. 

This they do, but it is unsuccessful as the ball is headed to Angus, who takes it full in the face and collapses to the ground. 

The story of Alexanda town and the muddy pitch is a step down from the story of McBell and McCash and was a weak ending to what has been an entertaining couple of weeks. I have greatly enjoyed the artwork depicting the two men and their troubles. I will whisper the next bit, but I also enjoyed the break from football. 

The first page contained all my favourite moments, and it's not too much of a stretch to say every panel was a delight. The images of McCash building his fortune gave one the sense of how hard he worked, while the image of him as a successful man in a suit topped it all. The final coming together of McCash and McBell was done quickly, yet it did what it needed to do across three panels. 

The next page was all about the muddy pitch. Normally, I'm a fan of such things, but coming off the back of the McCash and McBell story, it wasn't as much fun, or indeed funny, and the story fell back on something we have seen several times already. There may be a twist next week that fires my enthusiasm, but for now, I am reading without much joy. An unusual thing to say about a Hot Shot Hamish comic, but the recent highs have cast this storyline into the shadows, and it's going to take something special for it to get its shine back.  

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "But now I'm back...and rich! And I've found you again! So...everything I have, I share with ye! Half of all ma fortune is yours, mon!"

Skid Solo

Tommy has entered two events this week - the sports car race on Saturday and the invitation race at Charfield. Participation in the Charity race depends on a good performance in the sports car race, and two officials from the Charfield race are at the sportscar race to judge Tommy's performance. 

Tommy starts fast and leads from the front. The rains come, and Tommy extends his lead as other cars crash out or slow in the conditions. Sandy wants him to take a conservative approach, especially since Tommy has been given the nickname "Crash"

Sandy holds a pit sign, and Tommy can see that Mellors is seven seconds behind, and Oliver nine seconds behind. With that, Tommy drives even harder, determined to make the grade for the invitational race. 

Tommy wins his race and is told he can drive in the invitational. However, Sandy chastises him for not following his pit instructions. The two look at the pit board, and Tommy points out that Sandy had been holding it upside down - it said "Go SLW" not "M7S, 09" as Tommy read it. 

A typical ending for a Skid Solo, and one that could never happen nowadays. The pit boards used by Skid and Sandy are often integral to the stories being told, yet they don't exist these days, and some of the stories told could never happen in 2025. The outcome of all this was rather low-key, and I didn't find the final panels particularly amusing if that was indeed the intent. 

On the other hand, the racing was fantastic and felt a million miles from the story being told with the blackboards, The cars looked fast, and Tiommy shone in the poor conditions. Even better, he proved his worth, and next week, we get to see him in a Grand Prix car. We have waited a long time for this moment, and there is a certain thrill in seeing the young boy achieve his dream. His journey has proceeded in fit-in starts but since Skid has been confined to a wheelchair it has moved quickly on, and the time is right for Tommy to take centre stage.

This has me wondering when Skid might be making a return himself. With Tommy performing well on the track and in the comic, Skid needn't be rushed back. It is his name across the masthead, but Tommy's stories have been as fun and enjoyable as any Skid Solo story we saw last year. Tommy is appealing to a younger readership, and although the sight of the two racing together will be a joy, I don't need to see it just yet. Tommy is performing well, and we should all just sit back and enjoy it.     

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "We've come along to look at the boy wonder of yours..."

Tornado Jones

Tornado Jones breathed in some leaking engine gases and became light-headed while attempting to leap the Avon Gorge in his rocket car.

He is unaware that his car has looped around, and at that very moment, he is flying upside down back towards where he took off. The people on the ground are well aware of what's happening, and then there is general panic as a hurried message is radioed to Tornado Jones. 

This snaps him out of his drowsiness, and he realises that he has to get the car on an even keel to make a landing. He barely regains control of his car as he crash-lands in a field of cabbages. Luckily, Jones is thrown from the car as it rolls over and is helped to his feet by a worried Professor Caine. 

Jones thinks he has made the leap across the gorge, but the situation is soon explained to him. He is disappointed, however the Professor points out that he had brought entertainment t to the crowd here and watching TV at home. This isn't enough for Jones, who tells us that he is a perfectionist and will have to start proving himself as a stuntman all over again. 

Wonderful artwork papered over some of the silliness of this story. I shouldn't have liked it as much as I did, but the final page was beautiful and swept away my doubts about the story. Jones, crashing into a field of cabbages, looked spectacular and caught all the details of the disastrous stunt. It's normally the faces of Tornado Jones that capture my attention, an odd thing to say about a story full of stunts, but this issue finally gave us a stunt worthy of the art, and Jim Bleach did a wonderful job of capturing the final touchdown. 

The only downside is this is the end of Jones' dalliance with a rocket car. Next week, we shall be taking on a new stunt, and it will be another step into the unknown. We have seen good Tornado Jones stories in the past immediately followed by weaker ones. I hope this won't be the case this time, and we get two great stories back to back. Only time will tell, but for now, this was a great ending to the rocket car saga, and easily the best story in this week's issue. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Stone the wombats, what have I been doing? Got to get on an even keel!" 

Martins Marvellous Mini

After seeing Henry in the back of a car holding a sign saying he had been kidnapped, Tiny and Martin find themselves in pursuit.  However, they lose sight of the car, and coming to a river they attempt to cross on a flat barge. It doesn't go well, and as the barge sinks in the water, they resort to jumping the rest of the way across. 

Although they land in the water, they are close enough to the shore to drive off while the ferry sinks to the bottom behind them. 

Driving on, they reach a building called "Twastles Fun Palace" Within, they find a hall of fun mirrors before Martin picks up a phone to call for help. The phone is a prank, and Martin gets a face full of water for his trouble. Tiny finds this hilarious, until a panel later when a trap door opens in the floor, swallowing him up. The final panel sees Martin realising the seriousness of the situation, and commenting that maybe this place isn't a joke.

The boys had a lot happening this issue, but nothing seemed to dominate, nor, indeed, thrill me. The pursuit of the car was a strong start, but it was strangely glossed over as we got deeper into the story. The river crossing on the barge was something we have seen before in the boys' worldly adventures, and as such didn't thrill more, nor did it feel like it belonged in this particular story. Their final arrival at the fun house is more weirdness we have come to expect on this island (remember the giant pinball machine they drove down last time they were here) and the sight of it had me forgetting all about the car they were chasing. 

I'm sure the main story of the kidnapping will be picked up again in the next issue, and I am confident that somewhere in this fun house they will find Henry. Yet, it doesn't quite feel right and is disconnected. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Another joke...and it's on you this time!" 

Billy's Boots

It looked as though Billy and Jimmy were out of the team again after upsetting Mr Harris by not turning up to support the last game. However, they are surprised when Mr Harris names Jimmy as a starter and Billy as a substitute.

On Tuesday Billy polishes his boots in anticipation of the cup quarter-final the following day. On the day of the game, he rushes to the drycleaners during his lunch break to collect something for his Gran, before hurrying on to his game.

At the game, he changes and realises he has left his boots at the dryclears. He scurries back to collect them and returns to the game to find that Mr Hariris has been desperate for him to come on as a substitute. Groundwood has been playing with ten men after an earlier injury and is now one-nil down. 

Billy comes on and struggles against the many taller opposition players. However, he reads the play well, pouncing on a lazy back pass by the other team and scores a goal to tie the game. 

He is heavily marked after this, but after finding himself surrounded by four opposing players, he deftly flicks the ball over the top to Jimmy Dawson who is making a run towards goal in the final moments of the game. 

This is exactly what I expect from a Billy's Boots story, and it was satisfying to see all the key elements fall into place. We had another appearance of Billy's Gran in a homely setting, Billy leaving his boots at the dry cleaners, and Hardnut Harris chastising Billy. This all builds wonderfully to the final moments when Billy, reunited with his boots, takes the field and delivers what we have come to expect over the years. 

One could mock it all, or even become bored, but I revelled in every moment of it as I realised that this is the charm of the story. Recently we have seen these various elements appearing one or two times a story, but to see them all occur across two pages made for a fast-moving story that was the essence of Bily's Boots. 

The artwork facilitated this fast-moving action with clean lines and panels that gave us chunks of plot in a single image. Billy at the dry cleaners was a good example of this - the dialogue sketching out the situation while the art showed us Billy fishing in his pockets while the lady watches patiently on. It was simplistic, yet loaded with detail that made it instantly recognisable. 

Another day, and this would have been my favourite story in this week's comic. Even so, it was a joy to read, and although Billy's Boots and I have had our ups and downs over the years, this strip reminded me of why I fell in love with it in the first place. A simple boy trying to make his way through life, football, and school, it was relatable to me now as it was then. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "My boots! I- I left them in my bag at the cleaners shop!" 

Nipper

Due to his memory loss, Nipper has had a nasty run-in with Jan, the Dutch goalkeeper he is about to play against. 

Jan won't listen to Nipper's apology, and he vows that Nipper will not score against him. He makes good on this promise, pulling off a series of spectacular saves and reiterating his promise to Nipper 

Nipper tries something different, and a short corner move leads to the ball bobbling around the area. Nipper is about to shoot when he is shoulder-charged from behind, sending him crashing into Jan. This is seen as a deliberate violent act by the rest of the Dutch players, and for the rest of the match, Nipper finds him at the end of some rough treatment. 

This climaxes when Nipper is taken out inside the box, and a penalty is awarded. With all eyes on him, Nipper is one-on-one against Jan, wondering what he has to do to get it past this granite-like keeper.   

As I picked up this week's comic, I was unsure of what direction Nipper would go. I had expected to see Nipper competing directly with Jan in the opposing team, but I don't think I realised Jan was a goalkeeper until this issue. This cast a different light on the events that followed. Nipper was constantly tussling with Jan, obviously, but the rest of the players were brought into the action as they rallied around their keeper. 

This broadened the scope of the story and made things all the more challenging for Nipper. It also became the driving force of the story as Nipper battled eleven players before the final panels when the challenge again became one-on-one. Jan was at the centre of the action throughout, saving all Nipper's shots on goal, but this final panel of the two facing off was the crux of the story and the hook we needed to bring us back next week.

Once again, the art was strong and every bit as enjoyable as the story. We had plenty of football action, with panels dedicated to showing Jan saving Nipper's shots in a variety of poses as he stretched his body in all directions. He was portrayed as a superman in goal, which only made the final prospect of Nipper taking a penalty shot against him all the more intriguing. How Nipper can beat such a man remains to be seen, and next week's issue promises to be just as exciting as this one. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Before the match, I make a little vow - whatever happens, Lawrence shall not get the ball past me!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Tornado Jones 

Best Line: "I've got my reasons, Mister Barlow! But if you don't like the way I'm running things, then you'd better find a new manager!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 28th February 1976

You cannot beat the anticipation of the big game. The swell of the crowd as the teams emerge from the tunnel, and the roar as they come onto the field. The cover of this week's comic plugs directly into that, and we are greeted with the sight of Billy and Jimmy leading a team out. It not only creates anticipation for the game over the page but also for the entire comic that will follow. I'm not cheering as I see the front cover, but I am ready for whatever comes next. Let's kick off and see what will follow. 

Tiger

28th February 1976

Billy's Boots

This week's cover is surprising. We see Billy and Jimmy leading out Walbury Town, kitted out and ready to play the second half.

Although Billy doesn't have his boots, he has his luck, and one of his miskicks has an unexpected outcome as Walbury scores their first goal. 

Buoyed by this, Billy plays with much more confidence. He and Jimmy combine well and almost score a second goa,l which a full-stretch keeper just saves.

After the game, Billy and Jimmy earn the praise of their teammates, although as they walk home, their thoughts again turn to the school team. They run into a school friend and learn that the school team struggled without them. They have high hopes of getting back into the team, but these are dashed in the final panel as their friend tells them that Mister Harris was furious that they weren't there to support the team.

The exact words Mister Harris used were "Let the team down", so I don't expect to see Billy and Jimmy back in the team anytime soon. A shame, as their performance at the charity match was particularly good. 

The charity match delivered on many fronts. It gave us a lovely cover, with Billy and Jimmy leading the team out, and this primed the reader for what was to come. The team in red was eye-catching, and paired with the yellow of the tunnel they were running out of, it neatly matched the red and yellow Tiger title above. I was once told by a marketing man that red and yellow together was the most pleasing colour combination on the eye, and from what I see here, there was some truth in his statement. 

Despite not having his old boots, Billy played remarkably well. I recently read an article that suggested that Billy's Boots weren't magical at all. It is ambiguous, and perhaps the old boots only give Billy the confidence to play well rather than being magical. Now, I cannot help but think of them as "Billy's Placebo Boot's"   It is never explicitly stated on the page that they have powers; we only have Billy's thoughts on the matter. The article made a great point, and seeing Billy play well in this week's strip with regular boots suggests that he plays all right. In particular, Billy's strike from the edge of the box was magnificent, and only some fine keeping kept it out. 

Billy is obviously a confidence player, and chances are, with Mr Harris dropping him from the team, his confidence will be shaken. He will need his placebo boots near at hand for the next few games, no matter who he ends up playing for. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line:  "Don't worry, son...we all miss our kick at times. Just keep trying, that's the important thing!"   

Skid Solo

Skid is at the track and looking longingly at his car that Sandy has rebuilt. Still in his wheelchair, Skid cannot drive, and Tommy takes it for a run around the track. 

Tommy stops after twenty laps, telling Skid and Sandy that he is taking his driving examination today. Sandy goes with him, and soon Tommy is taking the test with a driving instructor. 

The test goes well, especially the emergency stop, as Tommy's reflexes prove worthy of a racing driver. The instructor commends him on his driving, and Tommy passes. There is one more final surprise for the instructor as Tommy is greeted by fans wanting his autograph, and the instructor learns that Tommy is already a famous racing driver. 

He tells Tommy that his son is a fan, and Tommy offers him free tickets, if he'll just come back to the track with him he will give them to him. The instructor obliges, and on the way, they pass a car that has crashed into a fence. The instructor tells Tommy that such drivers should be banned, and they soon reach the track. 

There, Skid greets them both, and Tommy tells him that he passed the test. Skid confesses that he tried driving today but was less successful than Tommy as he crashed into a fence. The driving instructor hears all this and, seeing it was Skid Solo who crashed, apologises to Tommy about the comment that such drivers should be banned. Sandy tells him not to worry, while Tommy brushes it off and gets the free tickets.

The plot was mildly amusing and did just enough to keep the story moving along. Although the story focused on Tommy, it was the secondary plot with Skid that had me enthralled. The art depicting Skid in his wheelchair was evocative, and the sight of him looking at the new car and thinking about his life in motor racing overshadowed anything else we saw from Tommy and the driving instructor. 

This part of the story was laid out early, with the first panel showing Skid in his wheelchair looking over the car with Sandy and Tommy. Although talking positively to his teammates, we get some insight into Skid's mind as the following two panels show him replaying the crash over in his mind. I read quickly past it the first time, but a second look had me reconsidering the story and realising that underlying darkness. It was all humour and hijinks for Tommy and the driving instructor, but Skid was struggling with his own battle - a battle far more interesting than Tommy was embarking on. 

The humour with Tommy contrasted with the heaviness of Skid's story. It helped balance out the story, but I can't help but think it also felt frivolous and misplaced. It was jarring seeing it straight after Skid replaying the crash in his mind, although it was helped by the fact that Tommy's story mostly took place once we had turned the page. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. 

Both Skid's and Tommy's stories are moving rapidly. In the next few weeks, we should see Tommy get onto the track proper, and after six months of talking about his licence, we can now shut the gate on that story. The path is clear, and little remains between him and his dream. Skid still has a long way to go, but from today's issue, we can see that he has the drive to get back to where he belongs. He has the willpower, and it's only a matter of time before he trades in the wheelchair for a faster set of wheels. It may be some months, but I am here for the journey and will be with Skid every mile of his journey.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "That's okay, mon...ye didna ken..."

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Tiny and Martin are sailing toward Mr Twastle's holiday island, with horrible Henry still in tow. Henry plays several tricks on them while they are sailing, and it is with great relief that they reach the island and are reacquainted with Mr Twastle.

George is delivered to the island, and Tiny and Martin set off for a little peace and quiet. They are only five minutes on the road when a blue saloon car roars past them. In the back seat is Henry, holding a sign that says "Help, being kidnapped." Following behind, Tiny and Martin assume it's another practical joke, although the sign is just enough to plant the seed of doubt. 

There has been a kidnapping, so it feels strange to say this was a relatively low-key issue of Martin's Marvellous Mini. It was the friendship of Martin and Tiny that filled two-thirds of the comic, and the drama of the kidnapping only appeared in the final panels. 

Henry may have been playing pranks on Martin and Tiny, but mercifully, he wasn't on the page much. In the first prank, we didn't see him at all, merely Tiny suffering while Martin laughed. This was reversed a panel later, and I enjoyed seeing the boys laughing at each other. We had another couple of small-scale pranks from Henry before seeing Tiny and Martin enjoying a drink with Mr Twastle. It seems they have easily forgotten how much trouble he caused them. They have also forgotten how much he owes them, and I was surprised when Tiny told him not to worry about it; a holiday on the island would be enough. 

There was an injection of warmth in the comic as we saw Tiny and Martin reunited with their vehicle and speeding down the road together. These were my favourite panels of the story, and I especially liked the panel of the mini being overtaken by the blue BMW. One could sense the speed of the much larger car, and we again saw a natural interaction between Tiny and Martin. Only a line from each, but it told us plenty. 

I don't care much for Henry or the kidnapping. Martin's Marvellous Mini is the fastest-moving of all the Tiger stories, and situations like this are usually quickly wrapped up in the next issue. In this case, I wouldn't mind at all if they caught the kidnappers in the first panels, returned Henry home, and started their next adventure, all by the end of next week's strip. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "It...it's Henry's electric hand-shaker!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Trevor Cassidy is out to prove that his energetic style of play is better than the lethargic performance that Gerry Holloway put in during the last game. This has backfired, and his impulsiveness gives away an early goal before he makes another hasty mistake and surrenders a second. 

Roy tells him to cool it and slow down, but there is further trouble at halftime when Roy is forced to play another reserve with the injured Jimmy Slade coming off the field. Having two reserves in the first team throws off the balance, and Hansfield score a third goal.  

When Roy is roughly tackled just outside the box, he is awarded a free kick rather than a penalty that many fans think he deserves. With this, the fans take matters into their own hand,s and the strip ends with a pitch invasion imminent. 

Roy is everywhere in this strip, yet for all his industrious activity, he has very little agency, and events swirl around him under the influence of others. Roy was depowered in this issue. Too often, we see him swing a match with his own performance or score a match-winning goal in the last minute, but there was none of that this week. He was a member of a team that let him down and failed all over the field.

There were moments when Roy could have had an influence. We saw him hit the post with one shot, and then, late in the strip, he took it upon himself to dribble at the goal and won a free kick. Another week, and this could have been the point when the game swung back in Rover's favour, but with the fans spilling onto the field, that is unlikely to happen. 

The fans are always a crucial part of the Rovers story, and to see them take a larger role here is an interesting choice. We have seen them come onto the field of play before (The Spangler story comes to mind), but here, it is an overt choice. Fans injecting themselves into the game adds another wrinkle to the story and another aspect of the game that Roy has no control over. How he will navigate this next week remains to be seen. Right now, Roy Race has a lot on his plate, and any of the multiple storylines could take centre stage.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Save it for the dressing room, Trevor! The whole team needs sorting out!" 

Hot Shot Hamish

Hamish has taken Jock McBell home with him, but this has caused a problem as McBell recognises Hamish's landlord as McCash, a man he has sworn to take revenge against. 

McBell quickly explains the back story of how when they were young men, he and McCash owned a sweet shop together. One day McBell went to play football, and when he came back, he found McCash was gone, as was all the money from the till. He never saw him again. 

Seeing McCash, McBell chases him, threatening violence. A well-placed hot shot from Hamish sees the two men bang heads, and they both fall to the ground, dazed. 

With peace restored, McCash suddenly recognises McBell. He tells a story of how McBell went off to play football, leaving him working at the shop. While McBell was gone, he fell from a ladder, banging his head, and when he awoke, he found himself on a boat for Canada. 

McBell doesn't believe a word of it, but Hamish quietens him, telling him that McCash has regained his memory and he should let him tell him what happened next. 

Not so much a Hot Shot Hamish story as a McBell and McCash story. Hamish was merely an observer here, and most of the strip was given over to McBell and McCash explaining their own side of the same story. 

Despite Hamish being a passenger, I found I liked the story a lot. It was a nice change of pace, and once again, the art delivered some splendid images. The sight of McCash falling as he reached for some sweets stood out, as did the panel showing McCash and McBell being hit by the hotshot. It was a story that leaned into the humour without going too far over the top. 

This fine balance made for a faster read, yet a rewarding one, as the humour and art went hand in hand. I often complain when Hot Shot Hamish strays too far from football, but on this occasion, I enjoyed the chang,e and the story feels refreshed as we turn toward next week's issue. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "For fifteen years I've waited to put ma fist on yere nose, McCash...and now I'm going to do it!"    

Johnny Cougar

It's the last match of the international wrestling tournament, and Johnny Cougar is fighting against The Pirate. 

The Pirate talks big and is fast in the ring, but Johnny is faster. After the bout goes back and forth, it is eventually Johnny who hits The Pirate with a dropkick to win the match by a knockout. 

The tournament ends in a three-way tie between Johnny, The Masked Maniac, and The Pirate, and in a sensational finish, the organisers announce that the tournament will be decided by a three-way fight between the three men. All three men will be in the ring at once, and the last one left standing will be declared the winner. 

Johnny Cougar differs greatly from Martin's Marvellous Mini. This tournament felt like it had been running for months, although this was only Johnny's fourth fight. The fights themselves often stretch for more than an issue, and there is always plenty happening in between. If this was Martin Marvellous Mini, the fight would be over in the first quarter of the strip, and by the final panels, we would be halfway through the next one.

That is not a criticism of either strip, and their different styles work for the respective stories. I do enjoy seeing Johnny's fights laid out over several pages. I thought this one may have given too much to the gimmicks of each wrestler, especially after seeing the opening last week with the plank and the flags. However, that wasn't the case, and apart from the Pirate speaking in character, the story stayed tightly focused on two big men wrestling hard against each other. Dropkicks and forearm smashes dominated the page, and the strong art was a good match for the strong characters.

The excitement of the audience at the prospect of three men in the ring wrestling speaks of the times the comic was written. They did have multi-wrestler matches, but without them reaching a large TV audience, not a lot of people would have seen one. Nowadays, it's common to see matches with different stipulations, and it's not at all unusual to see the ring littered with big men. Seeing their excited faces, one can only wonder how they would react to seeing a Royal Rumble. Mind-blowing indeed. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best Line: "Fantastic Daddy-O...just fantastic! But do you know what this means? It's a triple-tie at the top of the table!"

Nipper

Nipper is off on his motorbike to meet up with the rest of the England under-twenty-three team to play against the Netherlands. Nipper still hasn't regained his memory and is apprehensive that he won't remember the previous training sessions or the tactics.

Stopping at a cafe to ask for directions, he finds himself involved in a scuffle with a man he doesn't recognise. The situation is defused, but Nipper is aware that he has to watch his reactions in future. 

Joining up with the team, Nipper's worst fears are realised, and his play at training is completely disjointed from the rest of the team. The manager tells him that he will probably play him as a sub, but in the final panel, Nipper's attention is caught by the arrival of the Dutch team and one player in particular - the very man he had a fight with in the cafe earlier. 

The artwork of Nipper continues to delight, and I am enjoying it much more than a year ago. It is lighter, easier to digest, and lets the characters and story shine without getting in the way. The story seems to have become a lot more entertaining on the back of this, and although it's just as heavy in places, it's never a chore to read. 

This week's story is still dealing with the fallout of Nipper's memory loss, and although he is getting better, we can see that he still has a long way to go. Last week, we learnt that he was in the England under-twenty-three team, and this week, that story escalated with the introduction of Nipper's Dutch foes.

The cafe scene was wonderful in every way. It was heartwarming to see Nipoper asking for directions and ordering a cheese roll. Seeing the simple things in life depicted on the page always helps make these characters all the more real. 

While in the cafe, he also crossed paths with one of the Dutch players, although he didn't realise it at the time. This is common for a Nipper story, and we often see him competing one-on-one against various opposing players. Last week it was Zampia, and now this week it's the Dutch number one. It's an interesting choice and not something we see in the other football strips in Tiger. Nipper always seems to play better when he has a man to play against, and these one-on-one battles are often the main focus of Nipper's story. Like Batman and the Joker, Nipper is defined by the characters he comes up against, and without a great villain, he would be just another regular team player.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Just watch who you are thumping, mate! You almost spilt my tea!" 

Tornado Jones

Tornado Jones designed a rocket car to leap the Avon Gorge, but the night it was completed, he passed out. 

Professor Caine drags him out, and they realise there's a gas leak in the car somewhere. That night, they do an investigation, but come the day of the jump, no leak can be found anywhere. 

Jones sits in his car at the top of the ramp, and we learn that not only is his jump being televised, but Jones also has a microphone on him. 

The take-off goes well enough, but seconds after, Jones can smell gas and becomes delirious. He begins to sing while his car begins to loop the loop. The strip ends with Jones's car upside down and heading back to where it came from.   

Tiger has saved the best for last. Nipper and Tornado Jones are the best stories in this week's comic, and this was just the finish we needed. Tornado Jones promised much last week, and it has delivered here with a story neatly laid out in two halves. 

In the first half, we saw the problem arrive, and Jones and the professor tried to discover its source. This built up the second half of the strip nicely. The ending was inevitable and made all the more delicious by the work put in the first half of the strip. 

Despite being a dangerous and life-threatening moment, it was still fun, and having Jones sing as the stunt went wrong added some levity to the moment. It did undermine the peril he was in and gave the feeling that he would survive whatever came next, which is no bad thing for the end of the comic. Nobody likes a tragic ending, at least not me.

Tornado Jones is often the last strip of the comic. I am sure it would be far more appreciated if it were to appear earlier in the comic. I am often fatigued by the time I reach the story, and it suffers in my estimation because of this. Some of these stunts deserve the front cover at least, and I would love to see some colour thrown around. Track listening for any album is crucial, and so too for comics. It seems to be neglected here, and Tornado Jones deserves better than he gets. This week's story was a beauty, and as such, it deserves all the attention it can get. Sadly, that doesn't always happen for the last strip in the comic. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Fumes again...funny smell! Ha, ha, ha, I-I don't know what's wrong with me, but I feel like singing!"

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Tornado Jones 

Best Line: "But if you pass out during the actual attempt - it'll be fatal!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: