It's been a while since I featured Tiger on this blog so here's a quick look at the issue that was on sale from 19th to 25th April 1969. This was the 4th combined issue of Tiger and Jag, with IPC having taken over the Fleetway comics and trimming back the weaker selling titles. The Roy of the Rovers cover is by Yvonne Hutton, whose linework still looks fresh and modern even today. Tragically, Yvonne died in a car accident in the early 1990s.
The following Skid Solo story is drawn by John Vernon. It's a significant episode because it introduces 'Sparrow' Smith, who became a regular supporting character. (Click on all pages to see them much larger.)
The Nosey half-pager at the end of the Skid Solo story was drawn by Alf Saporito, who a year later became the regular cover artist on Gus Gorilla for Cor!!
Since its merger with Jag, Tiger had inherited that comic's web offset printing process which was a higher standard of printing, and allowed artists to paint their colour pages instead of relying on the flat colour overlays that the newsprint comics used. Just look at the quality of this full colour Football Family Robinson centrespread by Joe Colquhoun...
Tiger later became an all-sports comic, but in 1969 it still featured a variety of subjects. One such strip was Saber, King of the Jungle, illustrated by the excellent Denis McLoughlin...
Here's a few snippets of some of the other strips in Tiger and Jag that week, starting with Typhoon Tracy drawn by Graham Allen using a less cartoony style than that which he'd used on The Nervs for Smash!
Custer by David Sque...
Black Patch the Wonder Horse by Sandy James...
...and the long-running Johnny Cougar by John Gillatt.
Finally, to add to the flavour of the year 1969, here's a few of the adverts that appeared in that issue, including one of the legendary "Great News, Pals!" announcements for two comics joining forces...
By the way, - you can see more classic ads from other comics in previous posts on this blog. Here's a few links:
3 comments:
This is why this blog is essential reading. These blasts from my past! Thanks (again) Lew.
Thanks Lew, it funny how you can come to appreciate artists whose style was once disliked. Sandy James is one of those, his B&W work for the Eagle, I never liked, but recently I have got to see his colour art on Ring Raiders and the Turtles comic, and it really is great stuff.
Yes, his work looked better in colour I think. It depended on the subject matter too. He took over Johnny Cougar, and did some nice work, especially on the colour covers. Pity that Johnny himself was written as such a bad stereotype.
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