Hot Shot Hamish

“Hot Shot” Hamish was a footballer standing at an impressive height of 6 feet 10 inches, hailing from one of the Hebrides islands off the coast of Scotland. He became well-known for his signature “hot shot,” a powerful kick that could send a football flying with such force that it would tear through the net and even break the goalposts.

Hot Shot Hamish made his debut in Scorcher’s August 25th, 1973 issue. The character was created by writer Fred Baker and typically illustrated by Julio Schiaffino. When Scorcher was discontinued and merged into Tiger, Hot Shot was one of the characters to make the transition to the new title. He remained a consistent presence for over a decade until Tiger was eventually cancelled and merged into Eagle.

In a unique turn of events, Hot Shot did not face cancellation or a move to Eagle. Instead, he made a shift over to Roy of the Rovers, a football-themed comic centered around a popular character whose strip also originated in Tiger. Here, Hot Shot joined forces with an existing strip, Mighty Mouse, which followed the story of a skillful but short, overweight, and bespectacled footballer named Kevin “Mighty” Mouse. The combined strip, initially titled Hot Shot Hamish and Mighty Mouse (later simplified to Hamish and Mouse), depicted how the two footballers met, formed a friendship, and eventually became teammates.

This combined strip ran from 1985 to May 1990, resumed in July 1990, and continued until January 1993, shortly before the cancellation of Roy of the Rovers.