Tiger 22nd February 1975

Any day when I quote a Cure lyric in my blog is a good day, and today is a very good day indeed. It's Christmas eve, and instead of dancing around the lounge to the sounds of "Last Christmas" I have instead sequestered myself away in the spare room with a pile of old comics and albums. Why chirp away to Mariah Carey, when you can wail along to Robert Smith and company? It is just like heaven, and my comics and albums will be my refuge as the festive storm of Christmas takes hold for the next twenty-four hours.       

Tiger

22nd February 1975

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

Johnny's next opponent may appear to be an ordinary matman, but beneath his plastic skin, Grarg is an incredible robot. 

Johnny has fought some weird and wonderful characters over the years, and Grarg is right up there with the weirdest and wonderfullest of them. We get an impressive display of his wrestling prowess early as he volunteers to step in and fight the Bearded Beauty before his bout with Johnny. 

Grarg barely flinches as the Bearded Beauty hits him with a flying hit butt and responds with a single forearm smash that lays out the bearded wrestler. Johnny and Splash can only look on helplessly as they realise the scale of the challenge that lies ahead of them.

Stepping into the ring to take his turn against Grarg, Johnny immediately applies a nerve hold in the hope of weakening his opponent. Needless to say, it is ineffective and Grarg reacts with a mighty forearm smash. This is where we leave poor Johnny, with a voice from the crowd commenting that no one could survive a blow like that. 

A lovely set-up to this story, and after seeing Grarg being built up as an incredible fighting machine we finally steered him into the ring against Johnny. The fight against Johnny is only three panels long, but already I can see that all this build-up was worth it and the rest of the match, should Johnny be able to continue, should be fabulous. There were no weak points in this week's story and although it wasn't end-to-end action it delivered on many fronts, giving me a well-rounded and satisfying experience. Nothing is rushed, the characters are well grounded and set up, and when there was action it was kinetic and heavy-hitting. The artwork gave us several memorable images, and I could have picked any number of them as a favourite. The story is yet to peak, and one can only wonder how much better it will get in the following weeks. We shall find out together. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best line:  "Incrediable! If they'd have counted minutes instead of seconds, he'll still have been out cold!"

Roy Of The Rovers

Roy has taken over as player-manager in the absence of Tony Storme. However, as the team kicks around before their match against Castledene Roy is convinced he has seen Tony Storme in the crowd. 

This thought is still lingering in his head as the game kicks off, and Roy remains distracted as Castledene attacks. Roy loses the ball cheaply and as the minutes tick by he does his best to make amends, playing across a variety of positions and over-thinking the game at hand. Falling for a dummy runner at a Castledene corner kick, Roy leaves his man unmarked and Castledene scores easily to take a one-nil lead.

This leads to Roy dropping deeper to aid his defence, which in turn prompts Castledene to push more players forward. They are rewarded with a second goal, and as the team comes off the field at halftime a lot of angry looks are flashed at Roy. 

Harsh words are spoken in the dressing room, and several fingers are pointed before they are all interrupted by a stone being chucked through the window. Even more intriguing, it has a note wrapped around it, a mystery that we will have to wait until next week to have resolved.

Several developments this week make this feel very much like a boy's story in a boy's comic. The mysterious figure in the crowd with a scarf wrapped around his head wasn't as thrilling or as surprising as you might think, and it fell flat as a plot device to propel this story. Having Roy trying to do too much on the field almost felt right, although  I don't believe a man of Roy's experience would lose his head so easily once the game started. The stone coming through the dressing room window was the weakest of this triumvirate of weak plot points. Even in 1975, it would be hard to get access to the dressing room like this and it all feels just a little too convenient. That's not to say that I didn't like this week's story, even misfiring it still continues to move forward, dragging me along with it. I want more, and it can give more, let's hope next week it returns to firing on all cylinders. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Keep it up, Race! You're the best player-manager that Castledene ever had!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

"And the way the rain comes down hard…
That’s the way I feel inside…"

So wrote Robert Smith for the Cure's  1992 song "Open," a lyric I am immediately reminded of when I see the open panels of Martin's Marvellous Mini from seventeen years previous. Martin and TIny are suffering through a heavy rain storm in the Australian outback, and the artwork perfectly captures the wet spirit that will permeate through the first page of the story.  

With George firmly bogged, the two pals have no choice but to trudge several miles in search of civilization. They find a farmhouse and an offer of a tractor and help. A surprise is in store for them though when they open up the garage, not only does the farmer have a tractor but also a Formula One car and a Formula Three car. 

It seems this farmer runs the local race track, and once their car is pulled from the mud they are offered a night's accommodation and a chance to enter the mini cup race that is taking place next week.

They return quickly to Perth, although they are forced to stop for a running repair on the fan belt, and once there they get busy in a workshop making all sorts of repairs to George who has taken quite a beating over the last few months. 

The following day at two o'clock sharp the race begins, and as all the cars take off from the start line George remains motionless, all the repairs seemingly for nothing. 

I feel we have seen similar stories already told over the previous year, and after the first half a page I could have filled in the blanks myself. That's not to say it's bad in any way, but it did feel overly comfortable and familiar. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and that is perhaps where I am today as I read the story. If I park the plot for a moment, I find the art style and the easy way between the two pals to be as wholesome as ever, and I get a warm feeling when I read the strip. The plot is bordering on boring, but the characters themselves and the style of the comic carry the day. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line: "I bet they win, Dad...they've got a smashing little car!"

Billy's Boots

After arriving late at the game and earning the ire of his teammates and watching pupils, Billy now has a chance to redeem himself with a penalty kick in the final minute of the cup match.

Billy lines up his kick and the goalie picks what direction he is going to strike it, only for Billy's ancient boots to take a hand and push Billy to shoot to the other corner. It's a goal and Billy has redemption for his previous late arrival. Not everyone is pleased, but the sports master is happy enough and he tells Billy and Jimmy Dawson that he wants them to train together for the next game.

With this in mind,  Billy and Jimmy make their own training plans, including an early morning cross-country run and a kickaround. They also train in the evening, although one evening Jimmy inadvertently leaves his sports bag at Billy's house after dinner. 

The next morning Billy sets off early to Jimmy's house to return the bag. Billy reaches the end of the street, but cannot find Jimmy's house. Following the road, he finds it turns into a track in the forest, and there he finds Jimmy's house tucked away in the woods. 

Jimmy is alone, cooking his own breakfast as his Dad is away until Saturday with work.  Billy comments that it is a bit spooky living by yourself in the woods, although it does have its perks as Jimmy leads Billy deeper into the woods where his father has built him a practice pitch. 

They are both admiring the pitch when suddenly they hear a car engine approaching. Both scurry into the woods, assuming that a car can only mean something bad at this time of the morning deep in the woods. 

Great to see another layer added to the story with Jimmy's home life revealed on the page and we learn more about his family and living situation. It wasn't what I expected, although it does explain a lot. Interesting that like Billy, he has absent parents, and the story is tightly focused on the boy's world with little adult attention aside from a bevvy of coaches and schoolmasters. Last week's football match was wrapped up quickly, with little fallout (at least for now), and the emergence of this new story suddenly makes Billy's Boots a lot more interesting as we roll into March of 1975. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Jimmy's a quiet lad, Billy...does he ever invite you to tea at his house?"

Nipper

The England under-23 squad turns out for their qualifying game against Italy, and the crowd is aghast to see that Nipper is wearing a tracksuit and will only be a substitute. 

Although the English manager is angry with him, Nipper does have some support in the crowd with his local fan club in attendance along with his lovely girlfriend, Kerry Carter. 

The game doesn't start well for England, and they find themselves struggling with an Italian attack that pivots around the captain Gavera and the striker Carlatti. The Italian side is soon one-nil up and the English team becomes increasingly frustrated with the two Italian stars. 

On the bench, Nipper has several firm ideas about what should be done with Gavera and Carlatti, and he isn't shy about letting those around him know it. Despite some surrounding players telling him to keep quiet, Nipper is heard by the England manager who surprisingly agrees with him. Not only that, the manager is keen to get Nipper on the field as soon as possible to get some of his ideas into action. 

Nipper is up in a flash and stripping off his tracksuit. Soon after he is on the field, and the England captain tells him to get the forwards going. Nipper tells him that that's not what he's been substituted for, and he's on to take care of Carlatti. The game restarts with Carlatti making another dangerous run and Nipper out to put his money where his mouth is. 

This is just the sort of footballing story one would expect from Tiger comic. Nipper is right behind Roy of The Rovers when it comes to telling believable football stories, and this one is a great example of that. With two Italian players toying with the England team, I look forward to seeing how Nipper will deal with the expectations laid on his shoulders. The story remained purely focused on the game, and despite Nipper fans being in the crowd, the panels remained centred on the on-field action. I did enjoy seeing Kerry again, and it was only proper that once she greeted Nipper she stayed in the background and let him get on with the game. This story has been building for some time, and we have had some silly detours, but it is all paying off now as we see Nipper in an English shirt about to give his all to the cause. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Then you'd better do it yourself, Chum! Jacko's told me to take care of Carlatti, and that's what I'm going to do!"

Skid Solo

Skid is still getting used to this new car, and he isn't helped by the fact that the track is icy and snow is beginning to fall. Abandoning his practice, he and Sandy load the car onto a truck with plans to make for sunny climes - in this case Johannesburg. 

Two days later they are on the flight, where they are surprised to see Sparrow Smith is also flying to South Africa. Sparrow is on his way to the South Africa Grand Prix, and he is surprised to learn that Skid isn't racing in it, electing instead to continue to test his car in anticipation of the Spanish Grand Prix next month. 

Although Skid isn't racing, he is still welcome to use the same track for his testing, and soon he and Sandy have adjusted the car to his liking. With these adjustments, Skid breaks the track record, raising a few eyebrows in the pit lane. It is commented on that it's lucky that he's not racing in the Grand Prix, and Sparrow tells the owner of the Martine teams that he's sure he can get his car to the same speeds as Skid. 

This he does, tying Skid for the track record. Mr Martine is happy but is still concerned that Skid may enter the race. This proves prophetic for at that very moment Skid and Sandy are plotting and changing their plans in the face of the extra speed they have found in their car.

Nicely worked story, although I am surprised at the ease with which Skid was able to suddenly enter his car. We managed to get a surprising amount of car action on the page, and although this was merely practice laps it still contained a thrill. There was also a fine contrast between the sight of Skid driving in the icy British weather and the sunbaked track at Johannesburg. It felt like two stories in one and was a pleasant bonus. Overall, we are heading in the right direction, and the race with Skid and Sparrow promises much for further issues, with the story loaded with potential. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Well, it's a good job he's not in next week's Grand Prix,...otherwise we'd have a race on our hands!"

Hot Shot Hamish

It's all on from the very first panel and the entire field of players rush towards the ball lying on the Dunferlie United goal line. With Hamish and Wallie's houses on the line, there's a lot at stake and it's no surprise to see the whole Princes Park team ending up in the back of the net with the ball to score the equaliser they desperately need.

After repairing the now-destroyed net, the game resumes. Hamish is tricked into passing the ball to an opposing player, a trick that infuriates the big man. Chasing down his opponent, Hamish bullies him off the ball before launching an attack down the field with a mighty hoof. The ball passes back and forth, eventually landing at the feet of Hamish who, you guessed it, unleashes the hot-shot. 

The keeper has no chance, choosing to cower in the corner rather than attempt the save, and the game ends with Princes Park winning two-one. Hamish and Wallie's houses are safe and all are happy. Well, not quite all, for at the moment the McDonalds, whom Hamish and Wallie wagered against, listen on the radio, realising they have just lost their own house to the pair. They may have lost the wager, but the McDonalds will not surrender their house easily and we finish the strip with the McDonalds rolling out the cannon and preparing to defend their house at any cost. 

Another football-heavy story that played to its strengths. There is no better sight than that of Hamish Balfour steaming down the wing to make a tackle, or thundering in to hit the hot-shot. We had both here, the whole story hinged on these two moments, and boy did they deliver. It was made all the better by the delicious artwork that had me salivating over every morsel of football action. The football we saw here was so good that it was easy to forget the wider wager, although this was the plot point that whipped this game up into a frenzied feast of football delights. With a strong plot and expressive artwork that delivers the intensity of the story on the page, Hot Shot Hamish is once again outstanding in its heady mix of humour and life-or-death football. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Line: "Och, ye're no' a gentlemen! Ye canna call for it when ye're not one of my team!" 

Tallon Of The Track

Three heats left in the Ospreys' meeting against the Russian amateur team the Gorbski Lions and they lead 33 to 26. You would think that Jo would be happy with this, but she remains concerned about Kurkov, leader of the Lions, who looks a shattered man as his hopes of the team being elected to the Russian Federation are now looking very slim indeed. 

However he feels inside, Kurkov still gives his all on the track, winning the next heat and splitting the points with Ospreys. The following heat looks to be a victory for Ospreys with their riders taking an early lead. Unfortunately, things go awry shortly after with Sven hitting a rut and crashing into his teammate, and the Lions snatch maximum points to set up a thrilling finale. 

It is all down to Jo and Dave now in the final race. In the pits, Jo can't help but look at Kurkov, who can't even bear to watch the final race. If his team fails he will be so distraught that she can't imagine him ever racing again. Dave tells her there's nothing she can do about it, although crouching by her bike Jo tells Dave that yes, there is something she can do. 

The race begins and Jo immediately leaps out to a lead. She holds this lead throughout, until seventy yards from the finish line her front tire blows out and the Russians sweep pass for a victory. The Gorbski Lions have won the meeting, and Kurlov is carried out of the stadium on the shoulders of his team.

Meanwhile, Dave is suspicious and tells Jo that he reckons she jammed a small nail in her front tire just before the race, knowing that it would work its way into the tire and cause a blow-out. Of course she denies it, but a sly wink to the reader tells us all we need to know. 

I can't really ask for much more than a happy ending such as we have here. This story has been a rollercoaster, with strong issues and weaker ones, and a part of me is just glad it is all over. We are still in Russia, and I have almost forgotten what brought us here. The next adventure should be a timely reminder of the overall story and hopefully have us back on the straight and narrow. Tallon Of The Track has lost its way over the last six months, and what we need right now is a tightly focused story that concentrates on the basics. This story was overall enjoyable, although it has been the art that has been carrying the load for many months now. A consistent storyline to match the always expressive art would see this become one of the best, instead of a strip that is cruising on its past glories. 

Rating: 6/10

Best Line: "I wouldn't do a thing like that...would I?

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Hot Shot Hamish

Best Line: "Ye canna make a fool out of a Balfour and get away with it!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sport Quiz: 

Tiger 15th February 1975

I recently read that an ideal blog post should be about eight hundred words. That makes today's post a complete failure as it clocks in at just over three thousand words. Maybe I'm compensating for something (No, not that ladies), and I think I know what it is. In everyday life I don't meet many people I can talk forty-year-old comics with, so this is the only outlet I have. Speaking of which, I am up to February of 1975, and a mere forty-eight years ago. I was barely two at the time, but I do have some memories of these stories from the comics I picked up at second-hand stores in the 1980s. The stories from the 1970s already felt distant at the time, although I did enjoy seeing the younger versions of the characters and their earlier development. They're not the characters I fell in love with in the early 1980s but these stories are just as enjoyable and a real insight to the era they were written. A time when Australia was still a mystical faraway land, and professional football players were accessible and carried a sense of sportsmanship about them.    

Tiger

15th February 1975

Skid Solo 

A fantastic front cover featuring Skid Solo starts this week's issue in the best possible fashion. With Skid and Sandy driving back from Switzerland through the Alps, we catch up with the strip as a blizzard wraps the mountains in its icy grip. This spells big trouble for Skid and Sandy as a rockfall catches them on the road and Skid is forced to take evasive action on the icy road. 

He manages to avoid the ice fall but is now sliding towards a truck coming the other way. With the final words "We've had it" Skid and Sandy drive off the road, before hitting a snow drift and careening down the slope.

It is a wild ride, and when the dust settles, Skid and Sandy are upside down, bruised, buffeted and shaken, but otherwise okay.

Walking to the nearest village, they find the local police sergeant in a foul mood and accepting no visitors. Forced to wait, they can only watch as the Policeman sends all his men and resources out to a special case. 

He finally settles down enough to see our two heroes and tells them the cause for his rushing about - a  driving accident has been reported and he had to send all his men out to find the famous racing driver Skid Solo. 

The rest of the story writes itself as Skid explains who he is, and the sergeant is left clutching his head. 

The cover image was brilliant and gave this story the jumpstart it needed. No messing about with a set-up, the first we see is Skid on the road and in trouble. Sandy's exclamation of "Great steaming haggis" undid some of the seriousness of the situation, but I was hooked from the first sight of Skid's bright red car. The rest of the story was uncluttered and moved quickly with no distractions. The first page was purely about the crash and aftermath, while the second page dealt with the scene at the village police station and the sergeant in charge. Both worked well and told their story with a minimum of fuss. Paired with the clear line of the artist, this was easy to read, compelling, and humourous, all wrapped up into one digestible ball. Sometimes the simplest things are the best. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "You want to report an accident? We already have an accident reported here. The biggest accident ever, M'sieur...a driving accident!"

Billy's Boots

After arriving late to the school match and giving away an easy goal, Billy now finds that the boys watching the game are turning on him. At half-time, he faces a barrage of abuse, and the sports master tells him he can't play with everyone jeering him and he's going to sub him off. Billy asks for just ten more minutes and the sports master agrees. 

Things change drastically in the second half as Billy's magical boots begin to take effect. First, he makes a hard tackle and scorching run, only to be denied a goal by the boot of a defender. He has his moment from the resulting corner, and moving away from the goal mouth he is well-positioned to score when the ball comes his way. 

This lifts the team considerably, and Billy begins to work in combination with Jimmy Dawson. Dawson scores a second goal, and tied at two each with ten minutes left we are in for a tight finish. 

Once again Billy and Jimmy link up and it looks like a certain goal as Billy lashes it towards the corner of the goal. However, the defender does the only thing possible, and puts his hand up to stop the ball, thus earning a penalty for Groundwood school. 

The captain is preparing to take the penalty when Billy finds himself stepping forward to take it. Thus we end with Billy about to take the penalty, while worrying about the consequences if he misses. 

Immensely enjoyable, this is precisely the type of Billy's Boots that I enjoy best. There was no whining from Billy, he didn't do anything silly, he just played to the best of his ability with a little help from his boots. It was a joy to see his combination with Jimmy Dawson on the field, and even though it is only a comic I found myself cheering them on every step of the way. There is still time for it to go horribly wrong, and Billy has put himself in a pressure situation lining up the final penalty kick. I have faith in him, and I sincerely hope the writers give him a break and let him score this crucial penalty. The only thing that could possibly make this week's strip better would be the appearance of his Gran with a nice mug of hot chocolate. No doubt that will be waiting for him if he scores, and I have my fingers crossed for the young man.  

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "What's Dane up to? He's asking to take it himself!"

Martins Marvellous Mini 

Chasing their stolen car in a borrowed sports car, Tiny and Martin find themselves in turn chased by the local Perth police. 

This three-car pursuit runs through the streets of Perth and then out into the desert. It's fast and furious, although Tiny and Martin do have some luck, not necessarily good, when the driver of George takes a bad turn and rolls the car onto its roof. 

Tiny and Martin leap from the car they have been following in just as the police arrive. Tiny angrily tells the police to arrest the driver, but the driver emerging from George isn't Hartley the bank robber, but rather some poor chap who bought the car off him earlier in the day. 

As luck would have it, just at that moment, the police radio informs them that the bank robber has been captured. While the driver of the sports car leaves them to sort it out, the new owner of George elects to go with the police to see if he can recover his money. This leaves Tiny and Martin to roll George back up the right way and make their own way back. 

Their mood is not improved as heavy rain lashes down, and things become worse for the two pals when George becomes bogged in the fresh mud. 

I'm pleased it's mud, when I first saw the rain come down I thought the boys were going to be caught in yet another flash flood. The last issue I was unhappy with the element of luck that had taken a hand, this week was much more balanced and I walked away feeling very happy with what I read. I was pleased to see the bank robber story quickly wrapped up, and even more so in the fact that he didn't even appear on the page this week. The chase through the desert was fun, and we were left with a fresh situation that could go in several directions. The artwork was light in touch and left me feeling fresh after the darker lines of Billy's Boots, all of which helped elevate the story further. We are still a long way from a return to Britain, and I am beginning to wonder if the lads will ever make it home, but Australia is proving to be fertile ground for storytelling. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "I don't know who this guy is, but he's damaged my mini...arrest him!"

Tallon Of The Track

The identity of the mystery prisoner is revealed in the first panel of Tallon Of The Track - it is Yuri Chubinim, a senior member of the Russian Speedway Board. 

The arrival of Viktor Kurkov quickly explains the situation. The Gorbski Team is desperate to be elected to the Soviet League and thought that beating a top team such as the Ospreys with a Russian speedway official watching would secure them a place in the league. You would think that being kidnapped and tied up in a shed would sour Yuri Chubinim's view of the Gorbski team, but he is quite amenable to their position and tells them that thus far he has been impressed with their rider's performance. Furthermore, if they go on to beat the Ospreys his report would be favorable. 

With it all on the line, heat nine begins with Ospreys trailing by a single point. It is Jo's turn to ride, and after turning in a great performance, Ospreys take maximum points from the heat. They repeat the performance in heat ten, again snatching maximum points and giving themselves a commanding lead. 

With three heats to go, Jo calls to Viktor that he'd best give his team a pep talk. As Viktor trudges off, Jo and Vladimir can see that he is a broken man, and speedway isn't just a sport for the village, but a way of life.

I read this strip twice and still, I walk away from it feeling neutral. It wasn't a bad story and I enjoyed it in places, yet it never grabbed me in the way I wanted and shook me up. It stayed firmly in the middle of the road (or middle of the track if you like) and the drama remained low speed and low risk. I was disappointed to see the kidnapped victim remaining calm and going along with the scheme. This could have been a point of more conflict to feed the story and I am surprised more wasn't made of it. Even the motorbike racing felt low-key with little sense of danger and excitement. Jo rode hard as you'd expect, and victory felt like it came all too easy. Next week's issue promises shocks galore, and I certainly hope so as nothing was shocking or thrilling in this week's issue. 

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "Then how in the name of cold caviare did you end up here, in the middle of nowhere, tied to a chair?" 

Roy Of The Rovers

Last week, Roy was asked to be Melchester Rovers's player-manager in Tony Storme's absence.

The first half of this week's issue sees Roy mulling over the decision, with most of the story driven by his internal monologue. He drives home only to find a horde of journalists awaiting him, the news having already leaked from the director's office. Before he knows what's happening, Roy finds himself being interviewed on live TV.

He realises this is his chance to catch the attention of a wide audience, and uses the moment to make an appeal to Tony Storme to come back. 

With the news out in the open, Roy is inundated with letters from fans imploring him to take the position. This is reinforced by a steady stream of fans arriving at the door, all begging Roy to take the job.

Come Saturday, Melchester Rovers are preparing to take on Castledene and still no firm decision has been made. Finally, Roy arrives in the dressing room and announces to the team that he will be the player-manager. The team is overjoyed with the decision and they take to the field with plenty of smiles and laughter.

With a light warm-up, Roy takes his first kick as player-manager and blazes the ball over the top of the goal. It is not pre-match nerves that have caused him to miss, but rather the sight of a man in the crowd who looks suspiciously like Tony Storme. 

It's hard to imagine a professional club letting the team drift along to game day without a manager, and Roy's very late announcement to the team doesn't seem to fit with his otherwise professional character. I know it is only a comic and not real life but Roy has always been extremely professional throughout his career, and this late decision doesn't fit the man I know. There were several bright spots sprinkled throughout the story, and I enjoyed seeing Roy's home life, especially when he was woken by his housekeeper. I also enjoyed seeing him rolling the decision around in his head, and although he decided very late in the piece, we did see how much the decision was weighing upon him. It may be shortlived, the man in the crowd does look very much like Tony Storme, and I can only hope that it is a red herring and Roy gets a good run as player-manager. If not, it has been an interesting diversion and although this story didn't live up to what we expected in Roy Of The Rovers, it did show some different elements of the world the character inhabits.  

Rating: 6/10

Best Line: "You'd better play your normal games, or I'll want to know why! Your new player-manager expects nothing but the best!" 

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton

My favourite type of Johnny Cougar story this week, with wrestling action front and centre. 

We are dropped straight into the action with Johnny fighting an unnamed opponent in front of a capacity Midlands crowd. His opponent is big and strong, and Johnny is his equal as the bout plays out over the first page and a half. There are heavy blows exchanged, and some high-speed collisions before Johnny wins the pinfall with an extravagant finish. 

Entertaining and fast, the crowd is in awe of the match when suddenly there is a commotion by one of the exits and the Grarg, the robot we met last week, enters, escorted by his manager Jacob Barclay.

Jacob Barclay announces he has a special challenge for Johnny, and Grarg gives a display of his strength, pulling the ring ropes apart with his bare hands. 

A handshake between the two sees Johnny winch in pain and clutching his hand. Little does anyone in the room suspect that Grarg is a robot and Johnny is about to face one of his toughest opponents. 

Fantastic story this week, and the first panel alone was enough for me to decide that this is my favourite story. The fact that wrestling remained its focus helped in this cause, and I couldn't help but be thrilled by the action I was reading. If the previous two strips in this week's comic left me feeling flat, I was certainly reinvigorated by Johnny Cougar, and this is shaping up to be an explosive story. It is being built up well and I appreciate that last week led the groundwork for the background of Johnny's opponent, and this week continued the steady build. The payoff should be spectacular, and next week's issue can't come fast enough. Top-notch, this is the very best kind of Johnny Cougar story. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "By the spirits, Cougar look forward to meeting such a man! Cougar accept challenge! We shake on it!"  

Nipper

Cats and dogs running amok in a fancy hotel, it's a chaotic start to Nipper this week. With his dog Stumpy causing trouble, Nipper is immediately facing the wrath of the England under-23 manager Gordon Jackson. 

Despite Jackson interceding on Nipper's behalf with the hotel manager, Stumpy still has to leave, and with him goes an angry Nipper. Nipper is firmly told that he must be at training at 10 o'clock sharp, and the only reason he is in the team is due to his goalscoring form.

Nipper takes no chances and dutifully turns out at the Larnford ground early. He starts practising by himself, but after an hour there is no sign of the English team. Speaking to the groundsman, he finds that there are two Larnford Grounds, and he's at the wrong one. 

Quickly making his way to the correct ground, Nipper is well and truly late and once again in hot water. He has missed the training and the team talk and is told that he won't be in the starting lineup. He has just made the substitutes bench, and for that, he should be grateful.

Poor Nipper, he just can't catch a break. I felt sorry for him at the start of the strip with Stmpy causing trouble, although Nipper was his own worst enemy when he failed to back down, thus exacerbating the problem. The first panel was chaotic but fun, but the real meat and potatoes of the story were over the page and Nipper's issues with getting to training. With no football game this week, the art didn't have to carry the weight, and it was the words on the page that carried the story. That's well enough for me, but with comics being a visual medium it would have been nice with a few more striking images, aside from the obvious first panel. The saga continues next week, and there is potentially a chance for Nipper to get on the field, a chance for both he and the artist of the strip to show us what they're made of. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Best line:  "That's right! But this is the corporation ground...open to the public! You'll be wanting the new sports complex, most likely! The one they built on the old running track..."

Hot Shot Hamish

Hamish and wee Wallie Campbell have rashly wagered their houses against the McDonald clan on the outcome of the Princes Park game against Dunferlie. 

While Hamish is approaching the game in a positive frame of mind, Wallie is distraught and a bundle of nerves as they take the field. A brief pep-talk from Hamish about showing some fighting spirit backfires as Wallie attacks the game like a madman, immediately fouling the opposition players in a flurry of arms waving and punching. 

Failing to heed the warning of the yellow yard the referee flashes at him, Wallie commits a second foul and is sent from the field. Facing ten men, Dunferlie launches wave after wave of attacks, only for Princes Park to grimly hang on. 

Down one-nil at halftime, the manager Mister McWhacker urges Princes Park to go onto the offensive. As he rightly points out you might as well lose ten-nil as one-nil. 

After the re-start, Hamish launches the hot-shot, knocking the keeper over. However the ball fails to cross the line for a goal, and we end the strip with the ball lying on the goal line while both teams surge towards it - Princes Park to score, Dunferlie to clear it.

The last couple of weeks have strayed from football action, and I was most happy to see Hamish and his beloved Princes Park back on the field. With such high stakes, the game had an intensity to it that we don't usually see on the pages of Hot Shot Hamish, and I found myself falling deeper into the story. I wasn't too fussed with the last couple of weeks and the tobogganing action, and this week was much more to my taste. Seasoned with a pinch of humour, this was a more fulfilling dish, and I can only hope next week is the sweet finish we hope for. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Och, the great big brute o' a man isna going to try a shot from the half-way line is her? He'll no' beat a goalie o' my calibre that way!" 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Story: Johnny Cougar

Best Line: "Tony...if you're watching...come back! Don't leave me to make a decision that could plunge the Rovers even deeper into trouble!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz:

Tiger 8th February 1975

I missed updating the blog last week because I, ahem, over-indulged at the office Christmas party. It seems getting older doesn't mean getting wiser. Back again this week, although a little tired from a long busy year. I'm looking forward to a break from work over Christmas, and you know what I'll be doing with my days off. That's right - reading comics!  

Tiger

8th February  1975

Roy of the Rovers

Melchester Rovers are out of the F.A. Cup having suffered a shock defeat against non-league Sleeford. The stunned faces on the cover of this week's Tiger say it all, and the postmortem begins immediately once they reach the dressing room. Roy gets to the point succinctly - Sleeford took their chances and Rovers didn't.

The team are still despondent as they board their coach, with Sammy Spangler feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Roy reassures him that he'll be fine, it's the manager he is worried about as it is always the manager who has to carry the responsibility. 

And so it proves, with Roy arriving at Sam Butler's (one of the directors) house two days later to plead Tony Stormes case. Normally Roy's words would carry some weight but Tony Storme has vanished since the team arrived back from Sleeford and Sam Butler is far from impressed. 

Roy takes control of the training session in his absence, although the team has no enthusiasm in the wake of Tony going missing. The club is a mess, and Roy is called away from the training session to speak with the directors. Here he learns that there is still no word from the missing manager, and in the meantime, the directors would like Roy to step up and manage the club as a player-manager.

My previous complaints about Sammy Spangler vanish with this issue and I love the direction were are heading in with Roy taking on the player-manger role. The story now has much more meat to it, and the frivolous Sammy Spangler storyline has taken a back seat. I'm sure there is more to come, but for now, it is Roy who is grabbing all the headlines. It was also pleasing to see Melchelster Rovers directors take a stronger role in this story, and seeing where Sam Butler lived was a gentle reminder of the money behind Rovers. With his chauffeur-driven car and large mansion, he reeked of money and a luxurious lifestyle. No mention of a super-yacht, but no doubt he has the 1970's equivalent. He was also the right man to make a strong decision, and seeing him take charge in the board room was entirely fitting for the wealthy man we met on the previous page. Elsewhere, the rest of the Rovers are absent on the pages. Sure, we did see Noel Baxter trying to cheer the team, and there were glimpses of the team training, but the bulk of the story belonged to Roy and the board. Even with the team in the background, this was an excellent issue and one that lays out some heavy groundwork for the coming weeks. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "And I mean you, Roy! We want you...until further notice...to take over as player manager of Melchester Rovers!" 

Skid Solo

After seeing how fast the Martine cars were last week, Sandy is hard at work on Skid's car. A new engine and cooling system means that the car now has a lot more power and Skid is soon on the track putting it through its paces. 

The car is fast alright, and Skid finds himself braking too hard to get through the corners. A couple of panels later he is off the track as the car proves too fast to handle. Coming into the pits, Sandy looks over the car for the cause of the problems. There is nothing immediately obvious, and soon Skid is back on the track.

Skid pushes the car and once again he finds himself sliding off the track. Returning to Sandy he tells him they have serious problems. Again Sandy takes the car to pieces, and again he can find nothing wrong with it. 

Perhaps a holiday would help, and the two friends fly off to Switzerland for the weekend. It is here that they find themselves watching the ski champion coming down the mountain at speeds over sixty miles an hour. Skid and Sandy aren't impressed. He is fast but loses speed and he slides sideways. He doesn't look like a champion as he falls right in front of them. There is a lesson here. He speaks to them and tells them that he has new faster skis, and must teach himself to ski all over again. Skid makes the connection to his car and tells Sandy that he must teach himself to drive his car in a different way from before. It's not a fault with the car, and it is his technique that has been the problem. 

Not the most thrilling cliffhanger in this issue. I do want to see the outcome of Skid driving a faster car, although I am not compelled to immediately pick up the next issue. The story remained low-key with very few stand-out panels, something I rarely say about a Skid Solo story. I would like to have enjoyed it more, but it was all too gentle and drifted by me rather slowly. I have already seen next week's story (I accidentally read the wrong issue when I started today) so I know that it is about to get a whole lot better and with that thought I can file this away without a second thought and look forward to next week.  

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Aye. I watched ye! Swinging it around like a merry-go-round! I'll strip it doon and check everything!"

Martin's Marvellous Mini

Stranded in the middle of the desert, facing an unwanted passenger with a rifle, there is nothing Tiny and Martin can do but obey his demands. Soon they are speeding towards Perth with night about to fall. 

Making camp, they sleep soundly, eventually waking up to find both their car and the uninvited passenger, gone. With little choice, they pack up their belongings and start following the car tracks through the desert. 

A stroke of luck over the page as the helicopter sent to find them picks them up and soon enough they are in Perth where another shock awaits them. On the front page of the paper is the very man who stole their car, now wanted for a bank heist. 

There is a second stroke of luck further down the page as they see their mini drive-by on the streets of Perth. Like any good movie, they jump into the nearest passing car, telling the startled driver to "follow that car:"

However, all this is witnessed by a nearby policeman who thinks he is witnessing a kidnapping and immediately puts out a general alarm. 

Plenty going on this week, and once again it all gets a boost from its wonderful colouring. I wouldn't have thought the desert would give much scope for the colouring, yet it was splendid and I could feel the heat beating down as I looked at the artwork on the page. The story wasn't quite as good as the artwork, and I was disappointed when the thief told Martin early on that he didn't have bullets with his rifle. At this point, the two of them could have easily overwhelmed him, although I guess this would have greatly shortened the story. I'm not sure why the writer made the decision to reveal this, we have seen plenty of loaded weapons in the past and even had people shooting at Tiny and Martin, so there was no need to sanitise it for a younger audience - this was nothing new for the reader. I'm curious and I wish I knew more. The rest of the story moved rapidly, although I faced more disappointment with the two strokes of luck. Being found in the desert was the first, although I could wave this away as it was on the cusp of believable with the helicopter being sent for them and them following the car tracks. The second stroke of luck with them seeing George on the streets of Perth was harder to swallow. Perth isn't exactly a tiny town, and randomly seeing their car, especially after it had been used in a robbery earlier in the day, seems highly unlikely. I'm going to accept it as I love the story, but I would like to writers to steady the ship in next week's issue. This week was uneven, and I read this story with a lot of goodwill based on our past together. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line: "Martin! Wakeup! George has gone!"

Hot Shot Hamish

Hamish has got himself involved in a toboggan race, with Wallie Campbell's family home on the line. A test run goes well, and Hamish feels he is just as fast as he was as a kid. 

The McDonalds are watching with interest, although they aren't worried about the race, especially given that they have spent a lot of money on the best toboggan money can buy.

And so it proves, Hamish has a fast start that sees his toboggan get away from him and the McDonalds take an easy victory.

The McDonalds have now won the Campbell's house, and Hamish feels personally responsible. Wallie bets all his land and cattle on a victory by Princes Park on the weekend, and the McDonalds take the bet once Hamish also throws his island and everything he owns into the pot. With a lot riding on Princes Park's next game, the scene is set for some intense football action next week.

A weak entry this week for Hot Shot Hamish. After building up the toboggan race last week, it was all over too quickly this week and never gave me the thrill that I thought it would. The sharp dialogue that we have become used to is largely absent, and with not a football in sight, there was very little to carry the story. Hamish is one of my favourite characters, and not just because we share a name, but after reading this week's story it is hard to see why. We have had some cracking issues in the last few months, this isn't one of them, and all I can do is hope for a return to form soon. 

Rating: 5/10

Best line:  "Ye'll have nothing. Neither will that great big oaf ye call yere friend. Princes are a terrible side!" 

Johnny Cougar with Splash Gorton 

A strange castle and the laboratory of a half-crazed scientist, the new Johnny Cougar story is looking good from the very first panel. 

The story is laid out simply, the professor has been working on a robot named Grarg. This robot looks like a normal man, although as we soon learn through a series of demonstrations he is big, strong, and tough. 

The gentleman this robot has been built for is most pleased with the displays of strength and resistance, and has plans for sporting domination, starting with Johnny Cougar.

The obvious question is who is this man, and why has he spent so much money on a robot just to beat Johnny Cougar. I'm sure he could find much better uses for such an amazing invention. Despite this, I enjoyed the story immensely. I'm a sucker for a remote castle and a mad scientist, so I was on board from the first panel. The subsequent panels are filled to the brim with splendid artwork only serves to hook me in further. Not a lot happened so I read the story twice, mostly so I could indulge in the artwork a second time. It was worth the time, and I can't wait to see what happens next. There is no better endorsement of a story - you can guarantee that this will be the first story I turn to next week. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "At last, at last! All is ready! Grarg is ready to face the world! My work is finished!" 

Tallon Of The Track 

We start with a man bound and gagged, not an unusual sight on the pages of Tallon Of The Track. Jos sums it up best with her comment "This whole set-up is getting crazier by the minute!" 

With the speedway competition reaching its peak, Jo hasn't much time, and she quickly tries the door where the man is captive, only to find it locked and no way in. She is interrupted by Kurkov, leader of the Gorbski Lions they are racing against, who tells her to forget what she saw and get back to the speedway track. His gun speaks volumes and soon we are back in the thick of the on-track action. 

Things are not going well for the Ospreys and Jo arrives just as the race ends and the Ospreys are trailing overall by twenty points to twenty-one. Kurkov takes his place for the next race, and Jo takes her chance to investigate the man she saw tied up in the hut. 

Taking Debenko with her, they make short work of the guard who has been placed at the door. Debenko then uses his brute strength to smash down the door and announces with surprise that he knows this man who has been tied up. 

We'll have to wait until next week to find out who it is and this was a nice little hook at the end of the story. If not for this final panel, I would have been much more disappointed with the story, and it was just about enough to save it from the scorn I was about to pour upon it. Kurkov made it far too easy for Jo to make her way back to the hut, and although he put a guard on the door I was surprised that Jo wasn't kept under a more careful watch. The rest of the story was passable, helped in no small part by the excellent art bestowed upon it. Always the strongest point of this strip, the art throughout the story this week was outstanding and a good mix of bike action and facial expressions. I delighted in all of it and although the story let me down, I felt that the art more than compensated. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "What new craziness is this, little Tallonski? A man in daar hut? Tied up, you say?" 

Billy's Boots 

Billy has a game for Faraday Athletic, but on Friday evening his sports master has asked him to turn out for the school team. Faced with conflicting matches Billy must choose one over the other. As usual, he turns to the pages of Dead-Shot Keen's life for a solution and decides to go with the team that asked for him first, in this case, Faraday Athletic. 

Getting to the game, Billy encounters Mister Slade, who senses something isn't right. Billy explains his situation, and Slade tells him to play for the school- he can play for Faraday anytime. He then offers Billy a lift to the school game, where he arrives just as the game kicks off. 

Billy is still getting changed when the opposing team, Melton, scores. The team is unhappy that they have started with ten men and conceded a goal, and Billy needs to quickly make amends. 

However, his combination with Jimmy Dawson isn't what it was the other day, and Billy soon gives away the ball which leads to a second goal by Meltton.

The crowd are against Billy for letting his side down badly and booing him to get off as we finish on a low in the final panel. 

A lot of conflict and distress across these pages, and I felt for Billy as he faced all his problems. Not as intense as other weeks, it still came across as real and the pain etched on Billy's face captured his inner turmoil perfectly. Nothing magical about his boots this week, although I'm sure they'll come into play in the next outing. Billy is still frustratingly whiney, but I can't help but feel for the kid, and this week's story played to a young boy's angst and growing pains. Awkwardness abounds, and next week should see more of the same. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "Get a move on, boy! They've kicked off without you!" 

Nipper

A watershed moment in this issue as Nipper moves into his caravan, a living arrangement that will be a permanent fixture in the coming years. 

Already christened "Nipper's Nest" he proudly shows it off to his girlfriend Kerry, and his best pal Mike Beatson. 

Neither is impressed, and some hard work from the trio has the caravan brought up to a more fitting standard for a football superstar. 

Once Mike and Kerry have left, Nipper takes some time to have a practice kick around, before the rain sends him running for the sanctuary of his caravan. It is not quite the sanctuary he expects, and the leaky roof is an obvious problem. Nipper spends a good part of the night on the roof doing running repairs, and as the next day dawns he is not in a good state to play his first game for the English under-23s. 

His troubles get worse on the way to meet the English team. First, he encounters Mister Tremlow from the welfare people. He has to run away from him, and ends up on a bus, with his dog Stumpy still keeping him company. He had intended to leave him with Len Duggan but now must carry him on a couple of trains and a taxi ride to the hotel where the England party are staying. 

The hotel has a strict no-dogs policy, and Nipper is forced to hide Stumpy up his jumper as he enters the hotel. However, he comes unstuck with the appearance of a cat, and as Stumpy tears off after the cat Nipper sees his international career going up in smoke. 

First, let me say that I don't remember Nipper's girlfriend being so beautiful. You shouldn't fall in love with comic characters, but if I was going to she would certainly be in with a chance. Let's overlook the fact that she looks a little like Nipper, although I don't know if that reflects badly on me, or on him. There was no football this week, yet I enjoyed this just as much as any other Nipper story. The story was fast-moving, and I felt we covered a lot of new ground. The appearance of Nipper's caravan was great, as were the associated troubles he had with it. I did feel sorry for him, but it looked so wonderful on the page that I hoped that more bad luck would befall him. The final image of the cat and dog was stretching towards silly, and it was only that I had such a cracking time before this that I am happy to overlook it. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best line: "I'll sort it out with him when we get back, Stumpy! All that matters to me at the moment is playing for England..." 

Issue final ratings:

Overall: 6.5/10

Best Story: Roy Of The Rovers 

Best Line: "Yes! But we haven't got time to advertise! We need someone who holds the trust and confidence of the players! A man who can inspire them to pick up the pieces, and start winning again!"

Best Panel:

Roy's Sports Quiz: