Tiger 3rd April 1976

The opening story of this week's issue threw me off my stride. A new artist gave some familiar faces a new look, and not one I immediately warmed to. I usually embrace change, so I'm not sure why this change made me uncomfortable. Maybe I have been too invested in the story and characters, giving it far more credit than it perhaps deserved, based on my familiarity. However, this new look is closer to what I read when I first started buying the comic in 1982, and with this thought comes the realisation that I have now read more of these older issues than the ones I bought new. Time has a funny way of contracting and expanding, and it doesn't pay to think too much about it. Much like the thought that I am writing about comics from almost fifty years ago, which when I was a boy would have been the equivalent of comics in the 1930s. Great, I have officially become my Grandfather, and I'm not too happy about it!    

Tiger

3rd April 1976

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Martin and Tiny have finally joined a Motor Club, and a very smart one at that. This week's strip begins with the lads taking part in a Rally-Cross event. It's wet and muddy, and Martin and Tiny make quite an impression as they slide around the course. Things come to a sticky end as they crash into the private enclosure owned by Sir Hilary Hake. This results in the members being showered in mud, and the outcome of it all is that Martin and Tiny are chucked out of the club, and with that, their chances of racing in the Cairo to Cape Town rally are dashed. 

Sir Hake is pleased with the outcome; now his son has a good chance of winning the rally, and that will be a big boost for Hake cars. However, Martin and Tiny have returned to Buxton Street, and the local community has rallied together to raise the cash for them to take part in the rally.

Martin and Tiny are driving to the start of the race when they drive straight through a large puddle, splashing water over Sir Hake, who immediately threatens to ring Cairo and have them thrown out of the race before it begins. 

It seems a new artist is working on Martin's Marvellous Mini. It has a similar feel, but there are certain panels where the difference is glaring. For the most part, it didn't bother me too much, aside from the panel at the bottom of the first page where Tiny and Martin looked like impostors of the two characters I know and love. 

This distracted me from the main story for quite a while. A reread helped bring me back up to speed, and although the story is good enough, it hasn't yet delivered on the Ciro to Cape Town rally promised last week. That hasn't been entirely forgotten, and these troubles with Sir Hilary Hake are merely setting the scene for that much longer race. 

The muddy rally-cross event gave us a strong cover image, although it was deflating to turn the page and see that change in artwork. The story of Sir Hilary is low-stakes and needed something bold to kick start this diversion. The images of the cars in the mud did this, and while the rest of the story didn't deliver on the promise of this cover, it did at least keep me enthused enough to the finish. 

The story got steadily better as it went along, and once I got used to the new look, I found the story quite engaging. Sir Hilary and his cars played well on the page, and as we head to the start of the Cairo to Cape Town rally, all is in the right place for a cracking story. It was a better-than-expected start, and although the strip had a couple of shaky moments, it gave us a dash of excitement and set us up well for what comes next. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Don't you know? He's that smart gent who had his own private enclosure - the chap who was a bit mud stained!"   

Who the heck are these guys??

Johnny Cougar

Johhny Cougar has received bad news from the editor of Tiger and Scorcher; his story isn't as popular as it used to be, and it's time to spruce things up.

Johnny and Splash meet some young boys in the street and question them about their preferences. The boys tell Johnny that there is too much wrestling (wrong!) and that he should take a break from grip and grapple. 

Things move quickly from there, as the boys encourage Johnny to become a P.E. teacher. Before the end of the strip, not only has he been accepted to teach at the school, but the first lesson has already begun as Johnny pushes his young chargers to run around the gym.

Not everyone is pleased to have Johnny as their teacher, and we see one boy placing a medicine ball behind where Johnny is standing, intending for Johnny to fall backwards when he takes a step back. 

With Johnny and Splash talking to the editor about the popularity of their own strip, Johnny Cougar is ahead of the curve when it comes to being meta. It has since become very trendy, but in the mid to late 70s, this would have been quite groundbreaking. I have mixed feelings about it. It feels right for Johnny Cougar; we have had several instances of him talking directly to the reader over the last three years, and it's not unusual to see him or Splash deliver a final line directly to the reader. However, this is a step beyond that, and although it's no great jump, it does draw back the curtain on Johnny Cougar's popularity at the time. 

Seeing the three boys telling Johnny that there's too much wrestling action goes against everything that I personally feel about the comic. I have often thought the strongest part of any Johnny Cougar story is the wrestling. It seems I am in the minority on that front, and with it now clearly stated on the page, I fear that we may be moving away from what I like most about Johnny Cougar and onto something much more fanciful. 

That hasn't played out yet, and seeing Johnny teaching in a school is a humble beginning. I did question his ease at getting a teaching position, and although they alluded to checking with the authorities, it sounded like no proper police check was done. Oh, how times have changed. Hard to imagine a school now taking on a professional wrestler without a barrage of red tape and hoops to jump through. 

Johnny's first day at school hasn't delivered anything exciting, and my first thought is that any sort of wrestling action would be better than this. Dealing with a problematic student isn't what I want to see from Johnny Cougar, and I can only hope that this is merely a prelude to a much wider story. Only time will tell, and although this was a curious issue, it wasn't an entirely compelling one and needs an extra spark to pay off the first few panels with the editor. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Maybe not...but Cougar heap upset at the news. Words spoken by the editor heap disappointing!" 

Billy's Boots

Billy was facing big trouble last week as he was told to report to the headmaster immediately after the game. This week, that storm quickly blows over as Billy is introduced to the couple whose greenhouse he broke. They return his ball, telling him that they know the full story, including how he is doing Micky Browns paper round. He is a credit to Groundwood School in their eyes, and with this, that part of the story is over, and we can move on to some football. 

The football team is training hard for the cup final, but first, they must face league-leading Fairfield School on the weekend. Training is progressing well when suddenly the Groundswood goalkeeper falls ill with measles. The search begins for a replacement, and Mr. Harris calls on some of the surrounding spectators to try out. One of these boys is a new boy named Reg Wood, and he proves to be excellent in goal. It looks as though he is the answer to all their problems, when suddenly his angry mother appears and drags him off by his ear, but not before stopping to put Mr. Harris in his place. 

Another Billy's Boots issue to mark in your calendars - the first appearance of Reg Wood. Reg rounds out the triumvirate of Billy, Jimmy, and himself, and he will be a mainstay of their gang in the coming years. Billy's world has grown quickly in the last year, and we have moved on from Billy alone. He now has a small clique of friends around him, and this gives us more angles for storytelling. It also serves to make him more relatable, as most boys his age have a small circle of close friends they can rely on. Billy now has Jimmy and Reg at his side, and not only will they feature in football stories with him, but also in the cricketing stories. 

This is a humble beginning for Reg, and in this first issue, his mother makes more of an impression than he does. She is a force to be reckoned with, and anyone who can put Hardnut Harris in his place isn't someone to be trifled with. I hope we see more of her, and he nicely balances Billy's lovely Gran.

The story started slow, and it was disappointing to see Billy's trouble with the broken greenhouse dismissed so swiftly. This story has played out for several weeks, and in a single panel, it was closed as the owners of the greenhouse forgave Billy without any real consequence to all that has come before. Another half-page of drama would have been good, and I would have liked just a little more squeezed from the moment.

Still, this issue is all about Reg Wood and his goal-keeping prowess. It's a joy to see him in action, and coupled with his good nature, he is an instantly likeable character. He is a welcome addition to the strip and to the comic, and we have taken a step forward toward the Tiger comic I grew up with.   

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Reg Wood, sir..."

Hot Shot Hamish

During a vital game, Hamish is being barracked by a man named McKirky, who claims his family has been feeding with the Balfours for hundreds of years. Hamish is about to storm into the stands to sort him out when the referee blows for halftime, and Hamish's team drag him from the field. 

At halftime, Mr McWhacker has good news for the team; the two teams above them on the table are losing, and if they win today, they will be at the top of the league. This is all the motivation the team needs, and they come out to play the second half with new energy. Hamish receives the ball and for a moment thinks about kicking it straight into McKirky's face. However, he puts the needs of the team first and instead strikes the hot shot and scores the first goal of the game. The rest of the game belongs to Princes Park, and they finish as 3-0 winners to take the top of the league. 

That night, Hamish is walking back to his lodgings when a storm strikes. Making his way through the pouring rain, he is suddenly confronted by McKirky, who is drawing his sword and vowing revenge. However, before he can make good on his threats, there is a bolt of lightning that strikes a nearby tree. This topples the tree, and the strip ends with McKirky about to be crushed as it falls.   

This was a well-balanced story that gave us both football action and further developments in the McKirky story. The football action started the strip strongly, and although it wasn't the most demanding of games, for the team or for the reader, it did deliver some strong images, especially that of Hamish's first hot shot. 

The McKirky storyline also delivered a striking image, that of the tree being struck by lightning. The sight of the tree falling and McKirky dropping his sword and bracing himself was the best in the strip. It was a story unto itself and said more in a single image than the preceding three panels had told us. On another day, it would have been my favourite panel in the comic, and it was just pipped by another image of an old familiar face. 

McKirky is just as good this week as last, and his abuse from the stands to Hamish was outstanding. Every line had me smirking to myself, and the back and forth between him and Hamish was a highlight of the football match. Hopefully, we will get more of this back and forth as the strip continues. As things stand at the moment, McKirky is the best thing in the story. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "How do ye like that, ye kilted clown? There's no' a McKirky in all Scotland could  have scored a goal like that!" 

Skid Solo

Tommy has entered the famous Masters' Sports Car race, and after a mistake from his mechanic, he finds himself well down the field as he pulls out of the pits. 

Tommy drives furiously, and as the cars reach halfway, he has pulled himself up to tenth. The commentator is excited by Tommy's speed and breathlessly tells the crowd that Tommy has just equalled the lap record. 

Skid and Sandy had been visiting the local hospital and arrived at the track to find the mechanic fully immersed in the race. He tells them that Tommy is now third, and it's his fault for Tommy's poor start as he forgot to change the spark plugs.

Out on the track, Tommy continues to push the car hard, while from trackside, Sandy worries that he's pushing it too much. However, Sandy's worrying is for nothing, and on the final bend, Tommy makes his move, snatching victory on the line by a nose. 

Skid and Sandy are in the pits when Tommy comes in, and they witness Tommy's exchange with the mechanic. The mechanic apologises for the incident with the spark plugs, and Tommy gives him a stern dressing down before telling him to never make the mistake again and to check the car thoroughly before he puts it away. Skid and Sandy smile at each other, seeing Tommy's newfound confidence and commenting that it is a good thing. 

The climax of the story came after the race, and seeing Tommy chew out the mechanic was the moment I had been waiting for. It delivered as expected and looked fantastic on the page. While there had been intensity on the track, none of it could compare to seeing Tommy confronting his mechanic.

The race itself looked superb, with the usual high-quality art delivering image after image of close racing action. Two panels in particular caught my eye. The close-up of Tommy's face as he determinedly decided that he would not lose, and the appearance of our old friend the track commentator. The track commentator appeared in three panels, and each time, the expression on his face captured the excitement of his dialogue. We have seen this character many times now, and he always adds an extra wrinkle to the story being told, his joy at the racing carrying the spirit to the reader. He is still unnamed, but for me, he is equally important as Sandy, Tommy or any of the other characters besides Skid.     

This story was a big step forward for Tommy. With this victory under his belt, one feels he is ready to take on a Grand Prix. I haven't read ahead, but this must be in the next month or so. As for Skid's return, that remains an unwritten mystery. Whether he will be in a position to race with Tommy remains to be seen, but surely, he will be behind the wheel in some capacity as the season begins. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Great Highland Chieftains! The laddies won!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

Rovers are playing against Highwood Athletic, and after a convincing win, their thoughts turn to the next round of the F.A. Cup. Switching on the TV after the game, Roy catches an interview with Deans Park manager, Brian Davidson, who is basking in the glow of a 6-0 victory against Tynecastle.

Davidson is wearing a brightly coloured jacket, and he tells the interviewer that he only wears it on special occasions as it has become a lucky mascot. He elaborates, saying he will wear it on Saturday for the F.A. Cup match against Melchester, then again for the semifinal, and the final. 

The idea of a lucky mascot catches on, and the next week, Roy is flooded with lucky mascots from Melchester fans. Even the team gets in on the act, and Roy is horrified on game day to find the team waiting at the bus, all with their individual lucky mascots.

He tells them they look ridiculous. and this is just what Davidson wants. Roy is correct, and as they run out at Deans Park, Davidson is laughing, telling Roy that he will remember how lucky he is with every goal they score against Rovers. 

Now we know who the mysterious man in the suit was from the final panel of last week. He isn't as sinister or as dangerous as Blackie made out, and the threat of a lucky suit isn't the most dramatic of storylines. The most villainous thing about Brian Davidson is his smug look in every panel and his greasy smile. 

There was some humour in this week's strip, and the sight of the Rover's players pulling out all their lucky mascots provided some levity against the backdrop of an unchallenging story. The most humorous of these moments was seeing the players board the bus clutching teddy bears and wearing lucky hats and scarves. For a moment, it was almost enough for me to overlook the fact that these are professional footballers worried about an opposing manager's lucky suit. 

We have yet to see this lucky suit in all its glory. We have been told that it is brightly coloured, and one can only imagine that we will see it on the cover sometime in the next few weeks. I am keen to see what all the fuss is about, and it had better live up to its promises. I don't remember such a fuss about a manager's sartorial choices since Jose Mourinho and his famous coat, although I don't remember opposition players loading up on lucky charms when playing Chelsea in the early 2000s. 

Without being a great issue, this still entertained. It was worth reading for the sight of Duncan McKay in his tasselled jacket alone, and that is the image I will carry with me until the next issue.     

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "Hey, Roy...how d'you fancy a pair of lucky Wellingtons?"

Nipper

Nipper has led Blackport to a 5-0 victory over Zeeden in the European Cup Winners Cup, and emerging from the stadium, he is mobbed by the kids from Docks Road. Nipper engages in a quick kick-around with them but soon has to head home. 

Back home, Amy Felcher tells Nipper that a man named Nat Munger is waiting for him, claiming to be his guardian. Munger leaps to his feet at the sight of Nipper, telling him that it's hard to believe that two years have passed since he went to Australia to visit his sick brother. 

Munger is a con man and is aware of Nipper's memory loss. When they are alone, he tells Nipper that the story about him being in Australia was a lie, and of course, he was in prison. Nipper is confused, as Munger expands on his story, telling Nipper that Nipper was his accomplice as he robbed a warehouse, serving as a lookout for him. Nipper tells him that can't be true, but  Munger tells him it is, and Nipper needs to give him some money to keep him quiet. 

Munger is going to be a great villain, but we are still some way from this story blossoming into what it can become. This story is still sketching out the character, and this issue was uneven in that respect. There is no doubt about the trouble Munger is bringing to Nipper, although the setup felt a little clumsy. Of all the things Munger could have told Nipper, he chose to tell him that he is a criminal, someone who can't be trusted. This marks him out as a bad guy right away, and even though he has told Nipper that he too is a criminal, there will always be doubt thrown on his character from Nipper's perspective. 

His demands also seem to be low-key and short-sighted. A hundred pounds doesn't sound too bad, but it isn't the payoff one would expect for the trouble Munger is going through. Perhaps a wider plot will reveal itself in the coming weeks; we will wait and see. 

I was pleased to see the return of the dockside kids. We haven't seen them for many months now, and they are a key part of Nipper's world. A side story with them is just what we need to add a little pep to the story, and this should play well with the main Munger story, giving the story balance and providing some football action. 

A case of the best is yet to come, and while this story only hinted at what's to follow, there is enough here to encourage me to keep on reading. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Nipper, there's someone to see you! He says his name is Nat Munger, and that he used to be your guardian a long time ago!"     

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "More news of Crash Carter! He's equalled the lap record...from a standing start out of the pits! That is absolutely fantastic!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: 

Tiger 27th March 1976

"Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?"
    -Andy Grey

This week, Billy's Boots answers that question with Billy's Groundwood team playing on a waterlogged pitch. It may not be night, but it is definitely cold and wet. Of course, Billy has a trump card; he has already read Dead-Shot Keen's book and holds no fear of such adverse conditions. Elsewhere in Tiger comic, the other footballers all have obstacles to overcome. For Roy, of Roy of the Rovers, it's an early injury; for Nipper, it is a keeper that can't be beaten. My personal favourite, Hot Shot Hamish, has personal abuse from the crowd, which is putting him off his game. All I can say is he must be pleased that he didn't play in the era of social media. This is a storming issue of Tiger, although none of the stories can top Billy and his boots putting on a blinding performance in the wet. Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke? Billy Dane can. 

27th March 1976

Billy's Boots

Billy's School, Groundwood, has reached the semifinals of the Schools Cup, and the game is being played on a waterlogged pitch after heavy overnight rain. 

Billy hopes to slide the ball into the net like the Dead-Shot Keen goal he read about, but conditions are making any sort of positive play difficult. There are chances, but the opposing goalkeeper is having a good day, and at halftime, the scores are still locked. 

Mister Harris gives the team clean shirts during the break and tells them to run hard at the large defenders. The clean shirts make a difference, and the team plays brightly in the second half. Billy earns his chance, and after a nice pass to Jimmy Dawson, Billy runs hard, and as the keeper fumbles the cross, Billy slides in at the far post to score the solitary goal of the match. 

Coming off the field, Billy sees trouble brewing as the couple whose greenhouse he broke are at the sideline. Sure enough, as the team celebrates in the changing room, Mister Harris appears and tells Billy that the Headmaster wants to talk to him immediately. 

This was a great Billy's Boots story. It contained all the elements that excited me as a boy, and there wasn't a single flat moment in the strip. The colour image on the front page let us know exactly what to expect within, and although we didn't get to see Billy score his goal in colour, the image of Dead-Shot Keen scoring his was just as thrilling. 

The off-field drama was well played and didn't interfere with the game, yet it came to a head at just the right moment. We had a fantastic build-up of Billy struggling on the pitch before finding a way to score the winning goal, only for this final action to bring it all crashing to earth. The threat of the Headmaster was made all the better by the fact that it is unknown what he is going to say. The image of the boys telling Billy the worst outcomes was, as I remember as a boy, just the type of thing you don't want to hear when you are in trouble. 

This great storytelling is capped off by stupendous artwork that seems to have gone up a notch in the last couple of months. We had some dynamic scenes on the football field, but even the still panels contained drama in the way they were drawn. The image of Billy walking off the field and seeing the couple springs to mind, as does the final panel as he walks out to face the headmaster. Any number of panels could compete for my favourite of the week, and I already know that this won't be bettered anywhere else in the comic. 

Rating: 10/10

Best line: "Perhaps the Head's going to expel you for something!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

Rovers lost the first leg of the League Cup semi-final 3-0 and are desperate to overturn this deficit in the return leg. However, they are playing with several youngsters in the team, and Roy, in an attempt to lead from the front, has now injured himself in scoring the first goal. 

Despite some magic spray, Roy is forced to retire from the field. Big Duncan McKay steps up in Roy's absence, and the team respond to his fighting spirit. Just after halftime, McKay scores a goal, and Rovers are only trailing by one on aggregate. 

The young team plays hard, but they can't break the Hansfield defence. In the game's final seconds, the ball falls for Vernon Eliot for a clear shot, but at that moment, the referee whistles for full time, and Rovers are knocked out. 

Roy isn't too disheartened, and he compliments the Hansfield manager as they shake hands. He then tells Rovers that there is still the League and the F.A. Cup. However, Blackie looks to a smiling figure in the stands and thinks that man could make sure they miss out on everything. 

I have no clue who this mystery man is or how he may impact on Melchester Rovers, so it is with some intrigue that I will read next week. He cuts a dashing figure in the crowd and is obviously known to Blackie, so no doubt Roy will be well aware of who he is as well. 

The rest of the story was a solid tale of a football match, and it played out as one might expect. We saw Roy's injury, a flurry of chances, and some thoughtful substitutions as some of Rovers' better-known players came to the fore. Duncan McKay (always referred to as Big Duncan McKay), Lofty Peak, Vernon Eliot, and Blackie Grey all appeared at various moments, each playing a role in the theatrics of the game. It was nice to see some of them again, and I only wish each had a larger role. Sometimes it feels like Rovers is only four players, and it is a lottery as to which four we see on the page. 

I enjoyed the football side of this story immensely, and the final panel hints at a wider storyline coming. We still haven't fully resolved the issues surrounding Gerry Holloway, and with new layers being added, the story is continuing to grow in a way that demands I read closely. Built on a solid base of football, we can't go too far wrong with the other aspects of the story, and the strip is in good shape as we continue the march toward Roy's wedding. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Good old Duncan! He's making our youngsters work so hard, they haven't even missed me!"

Johnny Cougar

Johnny Cougar is in a three-way fight with The Masked Maniac and The Pirate, and as we pick up the action this week, Johnny Cougar is standing strong over the other two wrestlers as The Pirate faces a count out. 

Seconds later, it's all over for the Pirate, and the match is now a two-man fight between Cougar and The Masked Maniac. 

The rest of the fight is a hard-hitting affair. Both wrestlers have their moments, and there is intense physical action throughout. Johnny Cougar emerges victorious, finishing The Masked Maniac with a double-handed smash. 

With the cup awarded, all thoughts turn to what might come next, with Splash Gorton telling us that after all this action, everything might seem dull, but he and Johnny will be sure to find something exciting to do. 

Like Roy of the Rovers before it, this strip was built on solid sporting action. The wrestling looked intense on the page, with the artist conveying the physicality of the wrestlers well. The blows looked fearsome, and the impact was earth-shaking - just what you would expect from two large men battling it out in the ring. 

Over the last three months, the story has been built on the unique characteristics of the wrestlers, yet that was largely absent in these last two issues. All the frivolities have been shorn off, and we are left with the basics, big men wrestling it out in the ring. This purity surprisingly made the story more engaging, and of this story arc, this was one of the better episodes. I am surprised by this, although it does remind me of the mantra of any good football manager: "We have to get back to basics." That's exactly what Johnny Cougar did this week, and it gave us an enjoyable story based on nothing more than two men wrestling. As for next week, well, that's a whole other story... 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Phew, what a fall...I felt the whole ring shake!" 

Skid Solo 

Another week, another sports car race for Tommy Carter as he proves his worth on the track in the absence of Skid Solo. 

Tommy hasn't had a good time of it so far, and a flashback shows us his earlier troubles. Skid and Sandy are unable to make it to the race, but Skid has arranged for another mechanic to help Tommy at the track.  At first, he was refused entry to the track, the guards thinking he was too young. After producing his ID, Tommy is waved in. In the pits, he is checking his car when an angry mechanic tells him to leave the car alone. The mechanic doesn't realize that Tommy is the driver he has been assigned to, and after an angry exchange, the pair part on bad terms. 

As the race starts, Tommy is determined to put all this behind him. He makes a fast start but soon finds other cars are easily driving by him. He pulls into the pits and tells the mechanic something is wrong with the car. The two have another argument, but this time, Tommy puts the mechanic in his place and tells him to have a look at the engine and get it sorted, or he'll never work again. 

The reluctant mechanic does as he is told, and as Tommy pulls back onto the track, the mechanic ruefully looks at the spark plugs in his hands and hopes that Tommy never finds out that he forgot to change them before the race.  

As a fan of angry faces on the comic page, this story appealed to me. We had angry faces glaring at us from almost every panel, and we could feel the pressure of Tommy's situation. The artwork in this regard was outstanding, and while it is often the cars that thrill me, in this case, it was the furious faces that propelled the action. 

I'm not normally a fan of flashbacks, and it does feel like we have had a lot recently, but it worked well in this case and helped connect the arresting first image with the wider story. The opening panel of the cars on the grid caught the eyes, with the flashbacks building the backstory nicely to get us back to this point.

Skid was almost totally absent this week, only appearing in a single panel early in the strip. It didn't matter too much; Tommy is becoming stronger as a character and is now at the stage where he can carry the story by himself. The image of him dressing down his mechanic highlighted his growth and was the defining moment of this week's story. 

We have more to come next week, although it may well be anti-climatic after what we have read here. A good race won't be enough to satisfy me; I want to see Tommy conquer both the track and the officials.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You might have won a few, mate...but you've never won at the Hatch Lane track before! Win today's race...and you will be someone!" 

Tornado Jones

Tornado Jones has been challenged by a rival stuntman, Bill Bannon, to a five-lap race around the studio perimeter fence. However, Bannon released a smoke flare, and the blinded Tornado Jones crashed through a gate and into a lot where a Western was being filmed.

There is mayhem as he blindly drives down the main street, climaxing as he crashes into a saloon where a gunfight is being filmed. With a morning's filming now ruined, Jones doesn't wait around to suffer the consequences and instead rushes back to his race. 

A shortcut through "Tarzan" and then "Napoleon's retreat from Moscow" sees him rejoin the race just seconds behind Bannon. After a furious final lap, Jones pips Bannon at the post and wins by a wheel length.

Bannon is gracious in defeat, and the pair shake hands. Jones reports to the movie set the following day, ready to take on the job as chief stuntman. However, he is greeted with the news that the studio has decided not to fund this movie, and once again, Tornado Jones is out of a job. 

This was an enjoyable romp, although the final panels were a letdown for both Jones and the reader. Until then, the story had been fast-moving and exciting, but it all proved to be for nothing, leaving the action feeling empty and worthless. There was no reward for what we read, and although I don't need a happy ending, I do need a payoff that feels worthy of what has come before. 

The humour of the story was far better balanced than previous Tornado Jones stories, and I liked the way these humorous moments were woven into the story. Jones taking a shortcut through Tarzan and a Napoleonic epic weren't overplayed but provided a smile as Jones continued with his chaos. The race remained the main driver of the action and was the focus even when Jones was engaging in some silliness. This kept the story moving even while I was laughing and helped frame the humour.   

The final panel tells us that Tornado Jones will be taking a break next week but will be returning in two weeks. I don't know what will be taking his place. I don't think a one-shot story will appear, and I can only assume that the next issue will be a story short. We shall see, but it will be good to read Tornado Jones with fresh eyes upon his return. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "And I'm so mad, I don't care who I upset - not even Tarazan of the Apes!" 

Nipper

Nipper is playing against the Dutch Club Zeeden and facing the goalkeeper Jan Eyek, who seems to hold an uncanny mastery over Nipper. 

Nipper has tempered his desire to score and instead set up Mike Bateson for the first goal. He continues to play in this style and acts as a decoy as Blackport scores a second goal. 

The Dutch team see that Nipper is acting as a decoy and changes their tactics. This gives Nipper more space, and soon he is through one-on-one with Jan Eyke. Eyke stops Nipper dead with a rugby tackle, and from the resulting penalty, Len Duggan scores. 

Well into the second half, Nipper finally scores himself, and the game ends with a four-nil victory to Blackport. Coming off the field, Nipper thanks former player Bill Robinson for his advice. Bill had told Nipper that Eyke was so desperate to stop Nipper that he virtually forgot the other forwards, and so it proved on the field. 

The final panel points to trouble in Nipper's future as an evil newcomer arrives at Nipper's house, about to find out if the rumours are true and planning to make a lot of money out of Nipper. 

The story of Nipper and Jan Eyke has played out, and it finished as we guessed last week. There weren't a lot of surprises on the field, apart from Eyke not being sent off for rugby tackling Nipper. It was a different game in 1976, and surely, such an effort in modern times would earn Eyke a straight red card. 

I have enjoyed this story arc with Nipper and Eyke, although I am quietly pleased to see that Nipper's memory loss hasn't been forgotten through all this. The appearance of an evil newcomer (and he did very much look like an evil newcomer) in the final panel signals a return to this memory loss storyline and this time it appears far more serious than forgetting tactics on the football field. This newcomer looks the business, and I expect we shall learn a lot more about him very quickly next week. 

We still haven't had any repercussions for the students that kidnapped Nipper, and I am beginning to wonder if this current story will ever make a loop back there to see them face justice. It looks unlikely from here, and it does feel like a thread that has never been tied with the story. I'm not too concerned, but it does cross my mind from time to time that these people are still out there, and nobody seems too bothered to punish them.  

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "He's stopped Nipper, all right - with one of the best rugger tackles I've ever seen!" 

 Surely that's a red card?

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Tiny and Martin are on the holiday island and are charged with keeping an eye on young Henry, who lives on their street. Henry is currently out of control on a motorbike and careens over the top of a sand dune with Tiny and Martin close behind in the mini. 

It all comes to a rapid end as Henry goes over the handlebars and into the water. Although surrounded by crabs, he emerges unscathed, and the boys drive him back to the hotel, with Tiny riding the motorcycle.

The week ends, and the boys return the now much-politer Henry to his family. From there, they venture onto the Castle Motor Club that Mister Twastle has signed them up to, and they are told that they have been entered into the Cairo to Cape Town rally. 

This excites the pair (and me), but some club members are rather sniffy about their appearance and their old car. Tiny becomes incensed and angrily approaches them, with Martin doing his best to pull him back.  

Not a poor story for Martin's Marvellous Mini, but one that concentrates on wrapping up their time with Henry and setting the groundwork for the next adventure. The story of Henry paled into insignificance after reading that they were about to embark on the Cairo to Cape Town rally, and the previous page felt lightweight after this revelation. 

I never cared much for the story of Henry and their time on the island, so I was rather relieved to see it finish this week. It had a low-key ending fitting for the story, and like so much of the rest of the story, it felt undercooked. Henry was never in serious trouble, and he didn't bring a great deal of humour to the strip. He and the story sat in no man's land for most of its run and failed to make much of an impression on me throughout.

One person who did make an impression was the castle's owner where the motoring club is based. He looked suspiciously like the man in the final panel of the Roy of the Rovers strip, and although there is no connection between the two, I can't help but note it. 

This week's strip didn't excite me, but I'm all in for the Cairo to Cape Town rally. Throw in an angry Tiny and some snobby Motor Club members, and there is drama aplenty on the horizon. The story of Henry will be soon forgotten as we embrace some proper motoring action and another spectacular travelogue from Tiny and Martin. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Who do you think you are...Tornado Jones?" 

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish has fixed up a trial for young Jamie McKirky but now finds himself facing the wrath of Jamie's father. McKirky is waving his sword at Hamish but is subdued when the rest of the team throws a goal net over him before carrying him from the field. 

The trial for Jamie begins, and he proves himself adept with the ball. However, he isn't quite good enough and is a good amateur rather than a professional player. Hamish sends Jamie on his way with a handshake and the promise to try again next season once he has more experience. 

Princes Park's next game is on Saturday, and as the game begins, Hamish finds himself the target of constant abuse from McKirky in the stands. It's loud, and it's personal, and Hamish finds his game suffering as a consequence.  Things come to a head in the final panel as Hamish loses his cool and storms off the pitch, threatening to sort McKirky out. 

An uneven story from Hot Shot Hamish this week. It started strongly, then sagged in the middle before finding its feet again in the final third. The opening sequence of him fighting McKirky was fun, although not as long as I wanted, and it started the story strongly. The final outcome of this fight was well-played, and I enjoyed the creative use of the goal nets.

The trial of young Jamie wasn't so appealing and consisted of half of a page of Jamie using various skills on the field while McWhacker critiqued them. It was as exciting as Jamie's skills. All very good, but not what we expect from a Hot Shot Hamish Story. 

The final third with the game and the abuse from McKirky felt far more in tune with a Hot Shot Hamish story and strongly reminded me of the games when Hamish's Daddie was in attendance.  McKirky and Hamish's Daddie are cut from the same cloth, and I would love to see them both on the page at the same time. They may happen down the line, but for now, it is enough to see McKirky and the trouble he is giving Hamish. His first few appearances have been silly, but now McKirky has become a more well-rounded character and a worthy nemesis for Hamish -all of which should serve up a cracking story in the next few weeks. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "That's about yere mark, ye daft pudding!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Billy's Boots 

Best Line: "You check that engine now! And if you ever speak to me like that again...I'll see you never get a job on another track for the rest of your life! Now move..."

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 20th March 1976

This is a great issue for those who admire the time and effort, not to mention the talent, that goes into the artwork. Several stories have exceedingly good art, and I find myself commenting on the art throughout the issue. Even if a story is lacking, the artwork shines, making for a visual experience as much as a reading experience. I try to be even-handed when reading these stories, but sometimes a single panel steals my heart, and that is exactly what happened in this issue. I have always been a sucker for a pretty girl's smile, and it's the same when it comes to art - I am too easy to give my heart away.

Tiger 

20th March 1976

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Tiny and Martin are chasing down a couple of kidnappers. The twist is that the action is at sea, and the chase is in motorboats.

The sea is rough, and the pursuit is soon over as Tiny throws a length of rope in front of the other boat, tangling in its propellers and bringing the kidnappers to a halt.

Back on shore, the kidnappers are escorted away, and Tiny and Martin decide to go for a driver along the beach. While driving, they decide that they would like to enter a rally again, and later, while they are speaking with Mr Twastle, he tells them he knows a man who could get them into a motorsports club called the Castle Club. 

The boys are enthused by this, but their conversation is interrupted as a motorcycle speeds by. It is Henry, and it looks like he is out of control. Tiny and Martin race after him, and we end with Henry going over a sand dune and the lads about to follow him into the unknown. 

This is a rather random episode of Martins's Marvellous Mini with various plots thrown into the mix without any of them sticking. The kidnappers were caught as we expected, although, in the first panel, some of the drama was washed away as Martin commented that the sea had calmed a little. This was a step down from the wild seas we saw in the final panels of last week, although it was alluded to again later this week as the kidnappers were brought in feeling seasick. 

Interestingly, we had an image showing the kidnappers and Tiny and Martin all together, with one of the kidnappers looking remarkably like Tiny. The fact that they both have their heads at the same angle and are feeling seasick helps this illusion, and I did a double-take when I saw it.

The second page was disjointed. Tiny and Martin were speeding along the beach and talking about doing a rally again. We then cut to them talking to Mr Twastle, before the strip ends with them back in the car pursuing Henry. The scene with Mr Twastle broke up the momentum of the car action, and I would have preferred to see them talking about the rally with him earlier and finishing with them racing on the beach and then chasing Henry. It's only a small thing, but it did derail the flow of my reading. 

I'm giving this a lower score than one might expect from Martin's Marvellous Mini. It wasn't in colour, which detracted from my enjoyment, and paired with an uninspiring storyline, I just couldn't connect with it this week. I am happy to hear that we have some rally action coming up. I just wish we could wrap up this story with Henry and move quickly on to what comes next. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "We'll...take the tow! I-I'm feeling sea sick already!"

Johnny Cougar

When we last left Johnny Cougar, he was in a three-way match with The Pirate and the Masked Maniac. All three men had collided in a flying head butt, and we pick up this week's action with Johnny Cougar getting groggily to his feet.

The fight gets underway again as Johnny catches his two opponents with a flying dropkick to send them both back to the floor. 

With this, The Pirate and The Masked Maniac work together, and shortly after, Johnny finds himself trapped under both of them and suffers the first pinfall. 

In his corner, Splash Gorton tells Johnny that he needs to snap out of it quickly and get himself back in the match. This Johnny does, after catching The Pirate with a kick and a forearm smash, he follows up with a head butt that leaves The Pirate collapsed on the canvas.

Just like last week, the wilder shenanigans are put to one side, and we have a story purely focused on wrestling. No complaints at all on that front, as the story was fast-moving and gave us plenty of dynamic art. 

The only thing that perhaps counts against it is that we have seen The Masked Maniac and The Pirate for several months now, and the novelty value of both characters is wearing thin. Familiarity breeds contempt, and we are quite familiar with these two characters now. However, this is tempered by the fact that the story stayed firmly fixed on the wrestling, adding a balance that negated the overexposure of these two characters. 

I'm not sure how many more weeks we can get out of this story, however, it remains intriguing enough, and I am happy enough to follow for several more weeks. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Cougar thinks you need another rest, mighty quickly!"

Billy's Boots

Billy can't stop thinking about the damage his ball caused to a greenhouse last week, and that dominates the first half of the comic as he discusses his situation with Jimmy Dawson. 

Billy decides that the best course of action would be to find the man named Simpson who kicked his ball into the greenhouse and explain to him the damage done. 

The two boys drop by Mrs Brown and give her the money they have earned doing Mickey's paper round, before going to school where they find Mr Harris has named them in the team for the semifinal. As they leave, Mr Harris comments to Billy that he doesn't seem to have his mind on the game recently and asks if anything is troubling him. Billy denies any trouble, and as they walk home, Jimmy tells him not to worry so much and to try and get a good night's sleep. 

This Billy does, but only after he has read some of Dead-shot Keen's book. He reads that Keen once played on a pitch that was waterlogged and scored one of the most spectacular goals of his career. Billy awakes the next morning to find the rain pouring down, and he thinks the pitch will be just like the one he has been reading about. 

I think I could make a fair pitch for what comes. This week, the story didn't make any great leaps or bounds, but it did set us up nicely for next week's episode and a soggy field. It did what it had to do, with a minimum of fuss and some delightful artwork to keep the reader engaged.

The first page with the boys giving money to Mickey Brown's mother was sweet and helped compensate for the wordy first few panels when Billy and Jimmy were merely talking about what had happened and what they planned to do next.  

The final panels of Billy reading in bed were a mixture of the homely and the fantasy world he dips into when talking of Dead-shot Keen. Keen's spectacular goal didn't live up to the hype, and as important as this was to what comes next, I was far more interested in the real world of Billy. The panel of him reading in bed was good and only bettered by the final panel as he looked out at the rain. 

There wasn't a lot of drama throughout the story, but the art was worth every penny and gave the story an extra shine that it didn't really deserve.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "I'll just read about Dead-shot Keen for half an hour. I might read something that'll be useful in the semi-final tomorrow..."

Nipper

Nipper is having nightmares about Jan Eyke, a keeper he just can't score against. His landlady, Amy Felcher, wakes him from his nightmare and tells him that Jan Eyke is an ordinary human being. 

Nipper takes this on board and is further bolstered by a chance meeting with his old mentor, Bill Robinson. Bill offers Nipper some quiet advice, and by the time Nipper arrives at the ground, he has a plan to take on his foe. 

Nipper is hungry for the ball early on, and as Jan Eyke mocks him, he kicks it from a long range. Eyke points out that it wasn't a good shot as it curves away from the goal, however, Mike Bateson appears from nowhere and heads it home for the first goal of the match. 

While the crowd rejoices in Bateson turning Nipper's duff shot into a goal, Nipper quietly stares at Eyke. It was no duff shot, but rather it was part of his plan with Bill Robinson, and there promises to be plenty more where that one came from. 

The opening images of Nipper's nightmare were splendid and a real highlight of this week's comic. With the reappearance of Amy Felcher, this made for a strong start to Nipper's story, and the rest of the story struggled to make as much of an impression as this first page. 

I enjoyed seeing Nipper outfox Jan Eyke, although Eyke seems to become nastier issue by issue. I'm sure he wasn't this much of a villain when we first met him, but there was no doubt about it when we saw him glaring at Nipper after the goal was scored. 

The most evocative panel of the second page, and the game, was as the fans lined up to enter the stadium. In a single image, the artist captured the feeling of attending a big game and the anticipation as one enters the stadium. It is a great piece of work, and it is all the better in that it is just a small panel in the top left corner of the page. I have said it before, but I'll reiterate it here: some of these artworks deserve a much larger canvas and a wider audience. They are tiny works of art in their own right and deserve better recognition. 

This is another story progressing well, although I sense next week could see it all wrap up. I hope I'm wrong, as I am enjoying seeing Nipper battle Jan Eyke and his own mental block, and it is giving the creative team behind the comic a chance to flex their muscles in delivering this solid story. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Mike Bateson is going to cut it off! Watch him, Jan!" 

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy is about to explain to his team why he named Gerry as a substitute, despite him arriving late, but trouble is already brewing, and before Roy can explain, Cassidy throws his shirt in Roy's face and storms off. 

In the dressing room, Cassidy apologises, but it's too late, and the damage has already been done. The following day, the newspapers are full of the story of Cassidy throwing his shirt at his manager, and Roy is under pressure as he faces the media. 

Roy angrily tells the media that there is no mutiny within Melchester Rovers, and Gerry Holloway has a legitimate excuse for being late. Holloway had gone off on an archaeological dig because he was embarrassed about the uproar his arrival had created. It was all blown up by the irresponsible chit-chat of players who should have known better. 

The atmosphere is unsettled, and Roy and Ben Galloway decide to exclude Cassidy and Peters from the league cup squad. The following Tuesday, Roy leads a very strange-looking team onto the field for the next leg of the cup, with three young players filling in. 

Roy thinks an early goal will settle their nerves and takes it upon himself to dribble through the opposing team. He weaves his way through the players, and as he enters the box, the keeper runs at him. There is a three-way collision, but somehow, Roy squeezes the ball over the line. However, this goal has come at a cost, and Roy is down and clutching his knee in pain. 

No one likes to see a player suffer an injury, but I did like the way that this issue ended. For all his troubles as a manager and with various players, it is on-field that Roy suffers the most personally. He is doing his best to control the drama around him, but it is his own drama that ends the strip and carries us through to next week. 

The first half of the strip wasn't as exciting as the second, although ostensibly, this was where the drama that drove all this originated. Cassidy throwing his shirt was the inciting incident, and although it looked good on the page, the artwork didn't quite capture the drama of the moment. 

For all that, though, the angry face of Roy is always worth the price of admission, and we had a couple of fine examples this week. His face when he confronted Cassidy was the better of the two, although seeing him angry with the media was just as satisfying. 

This was a very Roy-centric episode, although that may not continue next week if he is seriously injured. There is plenty else happening in the story to carry the load if he does face an injury break, but this week's strip is a timely reminder of how important Roy is to his own story and how much he is involved with every aspect of his club. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "...Plus a score of pressmen...and the television cameras! You couldn't have given us more bad publicity if you'd stolen the F.A. Cup!"  

Skid Solo 

It's Skid's birthday, but in preparing Tommy to race in the masters' sports car race, Tommy and Sandy have forgotten. 

Skid reminds them, and after earlier reminiscing about when he won the masters' race ten years earlier, he now casts his mind back twelve months ago. A year ago, he had received sacks of cards and letters wishing him a happy birthday, as well as competing in the masters'. He had won the masters' with the crowd wishing him a happy birthday. No one had forgotten then, yet now he is yesterday's man. 

Skid decides that it's no good dwelling on the past and tells Tommy and Sandy they best be getting back home. On the way home, Sandy makes a small detour to the local village. He tells Skid he has to visit the village hall and insists that Skid accompany him. 

The trio enter the hall, and Skid is surprised to find twelve sacks of mail waiting for him. Tommy tells him that they had them sent there, and there are further surprises as first Sandy enters with a large cake, and then the curtain is pulled back on the stage to reveal a chorus of top Grand Prix drivers singing Happy Birthday to Skid.

Skid is overwhelmed by all of this, and the strip ends with Skid turning his face from Sandy, overcome by all the events.

A serious Skid Solo story, keeping with the path we have been treading the last couple of months. There was pathos in the final panel that put an exclamation point on all that had come before, emphasising the downbeat tone the story had carried throughout. 

From the very start, we had Skid in a reflective mood, and with his thoughts becoming increasingly depressed, the story did a good job of moving forward while allowing Skid to wallow in his misery. It isn't the tone we usually get in a boys' comic, especially a comic focused on sports, but it felt right for the character, and it felt right for the story being told. 

We have seen a lot of Tommy in the last few months, and the writer has done a good job of moving between his journey and Skid's. The balance is right, with the highs of Tommy tempered by the lows Skid is experiencing. It's not always comfortable reading, but it is true to life and to the story being told. 

The final panel of Skid said more than could ever be expressed by words, and if not for its pessimistic tone, I would have made it the best panel of the strip. Even in another comic surrounded by different types of stories, this still would have stood out as an outstanding piece of art, and it accented the talents behind the Tiger comic. It is art in the truest sense of the word, and something I will remember long after I put the comic down.    

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "These cards...they're from all over the world! And there's one here from the editor of Tiger and Scorcher, and from the readers."     

Hot Shot Hamish 

Hamish is lost in the moors when a man emerges from the mists, telling him that he is Mister McKirky, sworn enemy of the Balfours. The McKirkys and Balfours haven't talked for five hundred years, and Hamish walks away wondering about this powerful feud.  

Reaching a house, Hamish is struck in the face by a football. The boys who kicked the football invite Hamish in for some local hospitality, but this is short-lived when the owner of the house is revealed to be McKirky. 

Hamish walks away, but as he leaves, one of the lads, Jamie, asks for a trial with Princes Park. Hamish agrees and tells him to come along the next day. 

At training the next day, Hamish and the team are stunned when Mister McKirky appears at the ground, incensed that Hamish has offered Jamie a trial. Throwing a sword at Hamish's feet, McKirky tells of the treacherous Balfours and how they kidnapped Rufus McKirky's son in 1575. Waving his sword above his head, McKirky tells Hamish to pick up the claymore and defend himself.

An excellent high-spirited story that helped sweep away some of the melancholia from the previous Skid Solo story. There was a touch of football, some humour, and, of course, the underlying drama of Scottish heritage. A five-hundred-year feud plays well to my sensibilities, and as someone who holds a grudge, I found I related well to Mister McKirky. 

It was a coincidence that McKirky's boy was good enough for a trial with Princes Park, but such things are bread and butter for the Hot Shot Hamish comic. It stretches belief, and the comic only gets away with it due to the humble nature of Hamish himself. While other characters around him are larger than life and the situations they find themselves in are ridiculous, the simple nature of Hamish grounds the comic and keeps it on just the right side of reality. 

The scene of McKirky arriving at the Princes Park ground is a good example. While the sight of McKirky brandishing a sword above his head seems incongruous with his surroundings, the simple utterance of Hamish that he's not good with fighting with swords brings us back to earth, and the story returns to its humble beginnings. Like Skid Solo, there is a natural balance to the story as it straddles two worlds, giving us the best of both while delivering a story with heart and fantasy in equal measure. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "I-I'm no' very good at fighting with the sword, Mister McKirky...could we no' talk?"

Tornado Jones 

Tornado Jones has upset a fellow stuntman on the movie set where he is working and is now facing the wrath of Wild Bill Brannon. 

To prove who is best suited to work on the movie, the pair decide to settle the argument with a motorcycle race - the prize being the job on the movie set. 

It's decided to race five laps of the fifteen-kilometre perimeter fence, and they both get off to a fast start. Jones decides to follow Brannon for the first couple of laps, and on the third lap, he makes his move. However, Brannon reaches under his seat and releases a smoke flare. This blinds Jones, who crashes through a gate and ends up speeding down the main street of Dodge City, where a cowboy movie is being filmed. 

The final image helped restore this story in my estimation, and while it had been rather low-key (at least by Tornado Jones standards) to this point, it suddenly got a whole lot more interesting as Jones crashes onto a different movie set. 

The chaos this causes is far more interesting than anything else in the strip and bodes well for the next issue. Until this panel, the story had been by the numbers, and the drama sedate on the page. It was a simple enough motorcycle race, and even the nefarious undertakings by Bill Brannon didn't give us anything we hadn't seen before. Neither did it feel particularly threatening, and the story lacked a sizzle throughout. The most dangerous moments were when Jones first met Brannon and once the race was decided the drama seeped out of the comic. 

However, the final image made amends, and I'm happy to give the story a high rating. It entertained without being silly, and there is enough drama left unwritten that I am excited to pick up next week's story to see what happens next. It may not live up to my expectations, but at least I'll be here to see it.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "Hey, there's no admittance to studio property without a pass! Come back here, you crazy fool..."

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Skid Solo 

Best Line: "Don't worry, Roy! I know a manager's blue-eyed boy when I see one..."

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: