Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years – football’s comic-book role model | Football | The Guardian Soccer Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years – football’s comic-book role model Launched in Tiger magazine in 1954, the Melchester Rovers striker’s career captured the imagination of youngsters and adults alike – and even former England manager Alf Ramsey. Click here to see how Roy of the Rovers has changed over the years in our gallery Roy of the Rovers through the ages. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Monday 8 September 2014 11.50 EDT Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.43 EDT Share on Messenger Close It is a phrase embedded in the game’s vernacular, a character from a bygone age and a team that, somehow, overcame the odds on a weekly basis. Sixty years ago Roy of the Rovers was first published as a comic strip – six decades since Roy Race’s golden locks and debonair charm first enraptured youngsters and adults alike to evoke dreams of glory and unlikely tales of sporting bravura.

“He was everything you would want a footballer to be,” says Barrie Tomlinson, who worked on the comic strip for 30 years. “Roy was an example of how it should be done. I know it sounds corny but that’s how it was.” Say the words Roy Race and Melchester Rovers to someone of a certain generation and the eyes mist up, a reflective pause follows before a wistful smile. To many those names represent childhood, escapism and sheer joy – the weekly ritual of buying a comic , reading in rapid time before poring over the same pages again and again until the next edition hit the shelves. It was a time before the digital age, when readers wrote letters to voice their disapproval of a particular storyline or merely to ask for Roy’s autograph. It was a time when the England manager would be asked for his opinions on a fictional character and responded, sincerely. It was a time when a comic book regularly became national news. Roy of the Rovers tackled issues of the day: here the comic addressed football hooliganism in a 1977 strip. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd.

All rights reserved Roy of the Rovers first appeared in Tiger magazine on 11 September 1954 and during its heyday had a circulation of about 400,000. After 22 years of success it moved from Tiger in 1976 and became its own weekly publication until 1993, when sales had declined to 20,000, although the story did run on a monthly basis until 2001 in various forms . The drama never stopped. Aside from Race’s nine league titles, eight FA Cup victories, three European Cups and many international caps, there was plenty to keep readers entertained off the field. Melchester were ambushed by rebels in South America, an assassination attempt on Roy Race failed in 1981, an earthquake at Mel Park and the appointment of Geoffrey Boycott as chairman were just a few examples of the remarkable struggles at the club. There was also the time eight Melchester players were killed by terrorist activity in the Middle-East state of Basran, before the eventual demise of Race himself, the centre-forward turned player-manager’s career cruelly cut short after losing a foot in a disastrous helicopter crash.

“In the early days Melchester Rovers would always do remarkably well and almost win every match that they played,” says Tomlinson, a former editor of Tiger who launched Roy of the Rovers magazine. “Then they changed it and it went much more true to life, the audience began to expect a more sophisticated storyline. Roy was the first comic book hero to get married and that had lots of support from the readers. “His wife, Penny, left him because he was spending too much time at the football club and it was national news. Every newspaper carried the story and it was on TV and radio. I was whisked on to ITN to discuss the serious situation and then in the evening on the BBC. Roy of the Rovers is such an important character in children’s comics – I was very fortunate to be part of it for so long.” Frank Pepper was the author of the original strip, while early stories were written alongside Bobby Charlton, who many associate with Race’s gentlemanly demeanour. Throughout the controversy that engulfed Melchester, throughout the myriad scandals, he remained the quintessential model professional, regularly emerging with his integrity intact and, quite often, with it enhanced.

Yet while Race was a constant protagonist from 1954 to 1993, the cast of illustrators and writers changed significantly. Joe Colquhoun was the original artist but was followed by Paul Trevillion, Yvonne Hutton, David Sque and Michael White. Derek Birnage, an early editor of Tiger, played a key writing role before Tom Tully. It was in the 60s when the strip’s popularity accelerated. Trevillion, who illustrated the strip in a new style of comic realism between 1963-65, recalls one particular moment when he first realised how famous the story had become. He said: “I was at Tottenham’s training ground one day and Danny Blanchflower said to Bill Nicholson as Cliff Jones went past about three players: ‘He thinks he’s Roy of the Rovers.’ I couldn’t believe it. Then I was told that kids were writing in for Roy’s autograph.” It was at that time when Alf Ramsey took a keen interest in Race’s travails. The England manager was an avid reader and often provided Trevillion with his constructive criticism on the illustrations, before becoming a character in the strip himself.

“Alf was my art teacher,” joked Trevillion. “It was always the same argument, Alf would always call me and say: ‘He’s in the wrong position, he’s leaning too far back and the ball would have gone over the bar.’ It was Alf who always said: ‘Go out and watch Bobby Charlton.’ ” However, there were storylines that readers did not always appreciate, such as the introduction to the team of Martin Kemp and Steve Norman from Spandau Ballet, or Bob Wilson and Emlyn Hughes, who many associated with TV and celebrity culture rather than football. Sque, the illustrator between 1974 and 1986, said: “Someone came up with the idea and I knew it would be the death of Roy, to make him into a ‘real character’. He married his secretary Penny, she had twins and it all tied in with Prince Charles and Diana getting married at the same time. I knew when we made him a real character his son would end up taking over. That put a time-limit on it.” Indeed, after the helicopter crash of 1993 it was Rocky Race, Roy’s son, who became the driving force of the strip.

However, in the face of digital competition, there was to be no return to the glory days of old. Roy Race was involved in a terrible helicopter crash onto a football pitch in March 1993. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Egmont UK currently holds the rights and is commemorating the strip’s 60th anniversary with a new Roy Race autobiography next month. There may be many young fans of the modern game for whom this will not even register, oblivious to a character who once was entwined in the very fabric of English football. For some, though, Roy of the Rovers will never die. “I think it’s a tragedy that Roy isn’t around any more,” says Tomlinson. “Football is so much more dramatic now than it was in Roy’s day that the storylines would be much easier to write – but he’s still my best friend.” Roy of the Rovers - Melchester Rovers relaunched online comic | Daily Mail Online comments '89 minutes gone in the Cup final, we're deadlocked at one-all and heading for extra time here at Wembley.

But wait, here come Melchester Rovers again...Noel Baxter has it on the wing and the crowd roars him on. Inside to Lofty Peak and the Scot heads it on to Blackie Gray! He’s looking for options and suddenly there’s Race! Race gets the ball, he lines up to shoot. AND it’s there! Roy Race wins the Cup for Melchester!’ For a generation of football fans, those words and names will have just brought back a flood of memories. Thousands up and down the country followed the fortunes of comic strip creation Melchester Rovers as closely as their own team for years and years. The fantastical character of Roy Race - that phenomenal goal machine with his flowing blonde locks - drew as much respect and wonder as real life players. Comic book hero: Thousands of football fans up and down the country followed the fortunes of Roy Race and Melchester United in the weekly Roy of the Rovers comic strips Front cover of Tiger (13 April 1963 edition), featuring Roy of the Rovers drawn by Paul Trevillion All Imagery © 2012 Egmont UK Ltd.

Roy of the Rovers ® For nearly 50 years, schoolboys would save up their pocket money and rush down to the newsagent to grab the latest issue of ‘Roy of the Rovers’ – an extraordinary work of riveting football fiction. There was never a dull moment – when they were not being kidnapped by rebel militias in the South American jungle on their pre-season tour or fighting strife in the boardroom, Melchester managed to win three European Cups, ten FA Cups and ten league championships! Race enjoyed a 40-year playing career, all but one year of which was with Melchester, and scored an incredible 481 goals (by rough calculations) for his clubs and 52 for England – though he never graced a World Cup or European Championships as injury always seemed to get in the way. It was boy’s own stuff every week - a cavalcade of hat-tricks, last-gasp victories and shiny silverware. This was what playground footballers always dreamt of issued weekly in a flash of red and gold coloured ink.

The Roy of the Rovers comic strip in its last guise folded in 2001 but in an age when players like Lionel Messi seem like an incarnation of Roy Race, his spirit lives on in the hyperbole of commentators (‘It’s Roy of the Rovers stuff here!’), the old editions gathering dust in many attics, and now in an online archive accessible on your iPad and other forms. Roy scores again in the 21st century as part of a release of classic comics by Egmont UK this year. Five volumes of Roy of the Rovers comics from the seventies and eighties are available at the moment through the iBook store on Apple’s iPad tablet. What’s more, you can see a sample of five pages beneath this article. There’s also a new range of merchandise out just in time for Christmas at Marks and Spencer.

Goal machine: Roy Race had a phenomenal record of 481 club and 52 international goals in his 40-year playing career, but he never had the opportunity to represent England at a major tournament owing to injury THE MELCHESTER TROPHY CABINET Division One Champions – 1931, 1932, 1933, 1951, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1988, 1992 Division One Play-Off Winners – 1998 Division Two Champions – 1903, 1982 FA Cup – 1907, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1947, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1984

, 1990, 1999 League Cup – 1974, 1986, 1987 European Cup – 1964, 1969, 1973 European Cup Winners’ Cup – 1967, 1971, 1975, 1985 UEFA Cup – 1979 Fans will be able to re-live in high resolution glory all the epic matches and captivating storylines of the original.

The team’s disappearance in the depths of the South American jungle in 1960 when their aircraft was shot by rebel forces fighting a bloody civil war. The extraordinary deja-vu in 1964 when the Rovers were captured by bandits near Bogota in Columbia, only to later escape on horseback. The drama of 1981 when Roy, by then Melchester player-manager, was gunned down in his office by a disgruntled actor who played him on TV. The collapse of Roy’s marriage to Penny Laine in the early eighties and his sensational move to rivals Walford Rovers after falling out with the board in 1983. The tragedy of eight squad members being killed by terrorists in war-torn Basran in the late eighties, Roy’s retirement from Melchester live on Sky Sports in 1992 and the helicopter crash that ended his career the following year. There was also the emergence of Roy ‘Rocky’ Race, his son, in the nineties – if anything, an every hotter goalscoring prospect. What endeared the comic to so many was its synchronisation with the real world of football.

The plot ran in tandem with the football season, with the drama gradually building to a crescendo as May grew nearer. Inevitably, Melchester always found themselves challenging for honours or trying to escape relegation. Stocking fillers: A Roy of the Rovers annual would always be a delight to unwrap on Christmas morning Mighty Melchester! An early Rovers line-up It was a comic strip that could be enjoyed by the whole family and shared with friends, while it also took a ballsy stand against issues of the age such as hooliganism. ‘People who treasure our national game don’t want you! I don’t want you!’ screamed Roy at the thugs in 1990. The story spawned a whole roster of teammates – Roy’s great friend and strike partner Blackie Gray and uncompromising Scottish midfielder Lofty Peak. There were even some real stars – Bob Wilson and Emlyn Hughes came out of retirement to play for Melchester in 1985, while Sir Alf Ramsey took over as manager when Roy fell into a coma. But more than anything, the adventures of Roy and his pals showed football at its best – captivating, unpredictable and so very often, simply fantastic.

The Roy of the Rovers archive can be downloaded for iPad via the iBooks store now. A new range of Roy of the Rovers-related merchandise, including Blow Football, Table Football, wallet and keyring, can be bought via Marks and Spencer here . RELATED ARTICLES Share A TIMELINE OF ROY OF THE ROVERS 1954 – First appearance of Roy of the Rovers on September 11, as a feature in the comic Tiger 1960 – The Melchester Rovers team disappeared when their aircraft was shot by rebel forces in a South American civil war 1964 – The squad is kidnapped near Bogota and has to escape on horseback 1968 – Roy Race breaks the club’s 30-year club record with his 300th goal 1976 – Roy of the Rovers starts up as a separate comic with the first edition released on September 25.

It runs for 853 issues, until March 20, 1993 1978 – Race stands in as England manager for a friendly with Holland after the national team boss is injured in a car crash 1981 – Roy is gunned down in his office by a mystery assassin. It later turns out to be a disgruntled actor who played him on TV Early 1980s – Roy’s wife Penny leaves him, in a storyline covered by national news 1985 – Former stars Bob Wilson and Emlyn Hughes come out of retirement to play for Melchester. Martin Kemp and Steve Norman, of the pop group Spandau Ballet, join the board in the same year. Eight members of the Melchester team are killed in a bungled act of terrorism in war-torn Basran. 1992 – Roy sensationally quits Melchester on Sky Sports 1993 – Re-launches as a monthly comic with grittier storylines aimed at teenage readers.

Roy’s playing days are ended after nearly 40 years when he loses control of his helicopter and crashes into a field 1997 – Final home for the comic is Match of the Day magazine – until 2001 2012 – Roy of the Rovers archive launched for iPad Roy of the Rover comic makes a comeback - Telegraph How about that? Roy of the Rovers comic makes a comeback Roy of the Rovers, the classic football comic, is to make comeback in Britain with the publication of a collection of strips next month. Roy of the Rovers: Roy of the Rovers first appeared in 1954 in Tiger magazine. Photo: PA By Murray Wardrop 6:30AM GMT 24 Mar 2009 The comic, which detailed the life and exploits of the fictional footballer Roy Race, has not graced shop shelves since 1995 after more than 800 issues. However, the children's book and magazine publisher Egmont has teamed up with WH Smith to bring the golden-haired player back.

A 64-page Roy of the Rovers special collector's edition will go on sale on April 1 and is the first of four collections of classic comic strips planned by the publisher. The deal will also see British war comic Battle revived later, as well as a collector's edition of Buster, which ceased publication in 2000 after 40 years of humour and adventure strips. A collection of strips from girls' horror comic Misty, which ran from 1978 until 1984, will complete the set. Each collector's edition will cost £3.99 and be available exclusively from WH Smith. Roy of the Rovers first appeared in 1954 in Tiger magazine. The cartoon's protagonist Roy Race was the star player of Melchester Rovers and soon became an idol to millions. Famed for his "rocket" left boot, Roy was given his own dedicated comic in 1976, which also featured football-based strips such as Billy's Boots, Hot Shot Hamish and Goalkeeper. After almost 40 years of footballing adventures, the character's career was cut short when his left foot was amputated following a helicopter crash in 1993.

The comic was then switched from a weekly to a monthly format but survived for only 19 further editions. Roy of the Rovers | British Comics Roy of the Rovers Publication Dates: 25 September 1976 – 20 March 1993 Number of Issues Published: 851 (#1 – #851) Color: Colour Binding: Saddle-stitched Publishing Format: Was ongoing Roy of the Rovers is a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer named Roy Race, who played for Melchester Rovers. The strip first appeared in the Tiger in 1954, before giving its name to a weekly (and later monthly) comic magazine, published by IPC and Fleetway from 1976 until 1995, in which it was the main feature. The weekly strip ran until 1993, following Roy’s playing career until its conclusion after he lost his left foot in a helicopter crash. When the monthly comic was launched later that year the focus switched to Roy’s son Rocky, who also played for Melchester. This publication was short-lived, and folded after only 19 issues.

The adventures of the Race family were subsequently featured in the monthly Match of the Day football magazine, in which father and son were reunited as manager and player respectively. These strips began in 1997 and continued until the magazine’s closure in May 2001. Football-themed stories were a staple of British comics from the 1950s onwards, and Roy of the Rovers was one of the most popular. To keep the strip exciting, Melchester was almost every year either competing for major honours or struggling against relegation to a lower division. The strip followed the structure of the football season, thus there were several months each year when there was no football. By far the most common summer storyline saw Melchester touring a fictional country in an exotic part of the world, often South America, where they would invariably be kidnapped and held to ransom. The average reader probably stayed with the comic for only three or four years, therefore storylines were recycled; during the first ten years of his playing career, Roy was kidnapped at least five times.

The stock media phrase “real ‘Roy of the Rovers’ stuff” is often used by football writers, commentators and fans when describing displays of great skill, or results that go against the odds, in reference to the dramatic storylines that were the strip’s trademark. Roy of the Rovers first appeared on 11 September 1954, as a weekly feature in the comic magazine Tiger, debuting on the front page of the first issue. After 22 years of continued popularity, the strip was judged successful enough to sustain its own weekly comic, the eponymous Roy of the Rovers, launched on 25 September 1976. The comic ran for 851 issues, until 20 March 1993, and included other football strips and features. At the peak of the comic’s success about 450,000 copies were sold each week. There were also hardback annuals and holiday specials featuring a mix of reprinted and original content, and for a brief period, starting in 1986, Roy of the Rovers was serialised in the now defunct Today newspaper.

These were all-new strips, focusing largely on the relationship between Roy and his wife Penny, rather than the action on the pitch. Between 1988 and 1993, a Best of Roy of the Rovers monthly comic was published, reprinting older stories. Roy was created by the author Frank S. Pepper, who had created the similar strip, Danny of the Dazzlers, but he only wrote four instalments of Roy of the Rovers, because of his commitments to another of his characters, Captain Condor. His role was taken by the strip’s first artist Joe Colquhoun, who used the pen-name “Stewart Colwyn”. He was replaced after four-and-a-half years by Derek Birnage, the editor of Tiger, who had commissioned the strip. In 1960, in an attempt to whip up publicity, it was announced that the footballer Bobby Charlton had taken over as writer, although in reality it was still written by Birnage (who claimed that he did consult with Charlton occasionally for story ideas).

The longest-serving writer of the strip was Tom Tully, who began in 1969 on an intermittent basis and then continuously from 1974 until the end of the weekly comic in 1993. Ian Rimmer became the main writer for the strip during the Match of the Day years, until the magazine’s closure in May 2001. Artists After Joe Colquhoun departed, he was succeeded first by Paul Trevillion, then by Yvonne Hutton, who illustrated from 1967 to 1974, before David Sque took over in 1975. Despite reportedly not being a football fan, he was responsible for one of the strip’s more definitive looks in its early ’80s period. He was replaced in 1986 by former 2000 AD artist Mike White, who gave Roy a more muscular look and the strip a more modern feel. Barrie Mitchell took over in 1992, with a style quite similar to White’s.

A number of artists worked on the monthly comic, such as David Jukes, Sean Longcroft and Garry Marshall, in contrast to the lengthy tenures of the weekly strip’s creative team. Tony Harding often illustrated Roy for the Roy of the Rovers annuals and also drew the Roy’s Action Replay strip that appeared in All Action Monthly in the late eighties (Fleetway). Mitchell returned in 1997 as the sole artist of the Match of the Day strips for all four years. Filmmakers Luke Dormehl and Tom Atkinson, released a documentary called “Roy” in 2008, featuring interviews with some of the key members of the Roy of the Rovers creative team. The film was shown at The End of the Pier International Film Festival in 2009, where it won the prize for Best Documentary Short.

================================================== Profiles Of the Great and Good: Roy Race: It's Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff Here | Bleacher Report Profiles Of the Great and Good: Roy Race: It's Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff Here By Willie Gannon , Senior Writer Nov 20, 2008 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories 1.2K Comments Roy of the Rovers was by far the most popular football comic ever. Running from 1954 to 2001, stories covered various issues—Roy as a teen trying to break into the famed "Melchester Rovers" team, winning every trophy imaginable, representing his country in the World Cup, playing with pop stars and even relegation. He even had an unstoppable shot called the "Racy Rocket"....ah, those were the days. Roy Race made his debut in the Tiger comic in 1954. Tiger was from the same stable as the famed "Eagle Comic" which focused on the science-fiction end of things, with Dan Dare as it's banner character. Tiger was focused on real life, and all of it's stories were based in the "real" world.

And this new direction proved to be an instant success. Readers took to football stories like proverbial ducks to water, with Roy of the Rovers becoming one of the most popular stories on the planet—in the '70s sales reached the million mark. Considering the comic was weekly, that is some sales figure. Beginning on September 11th 1954, Roy of the Rovers was the banner storyline in the Tiger Comic. Initially focusing on a teenage Roy as he tried to break into the first team at Melchester Rovers. After a whole year in the youth team (story-lines were slow-burners in those days) Roy eventually made it into Melchester's first team and became a star. Roy won his first honour in 1957 (League Title) and over the next 46 years, it was a rare occasion for Roy to go a season without a trophy.

As was expected with most comics of this nature, it focused on the matches and scoring glorious goals against "cheating foreigners" but where Roy of the Rovers differed especially during it's golden period of the 70's and 80's was that it often featured side stories about training methods and the perils of being a footballer and the obstacles they have to overcome. Most sport comics at the time required the reader to make huge assumptions and connect the panels together as the story progressed. The writers of Roy of the Rovers invented a novel method of doing this for the reader, in such a simple way that they didn't even notice it. They had the crowd make comments during the matches. Nothing strange there, but the comments were carefully designed pieces of commentary. As if the reader had John Motson sitting on his shoulder. By adding in lines such as "Race is looking to find Gray with a pass", "The keeper will never save that shot" etc., the commentary moved the story line of the match on with incredible ease. That sometimes these whole paragraphs took place from the time the ball left Roy's boot to when it hit the back of the net never dawned on the average fan, it was all part of the beauty of story-telling.

And although the football matches were at the core of the comic, it often branched out in some strange directions. Over the years, storylines saw Roy lapse into a coma after being shot, which was the starting storyline for when Roy eventually flew the Tiger coop and got his own comic, Roy of the Rovers. In a storyline mimicking the famous Who shot J.R.? story, Roy was shot by an actor who played Roy on TV. Over the next couple of weeks the story captured the public's imagination (and mine) and for a short while it became an item that featured on the news as the comic became one of the most popular comics on the planet. The Melchester team were even kidnapped by Arab terrorists, in this storyline the team escaped after being held captive for weeks, only to crash into a terrorist car laden with explosives. Six of the Melchester United side were killed, and the story brought so much condemnation of it's stereotypical portrayal of the Middle-East, that the story-line was never referred to again. This storyline in 1986 signalled the end for Roy, as readership levels began to steadily fall. The players killed in the explosion were replaced by pop-stars Martin and Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet.

Almost every match had a last gasp winner, and with the matches sometimes being stretched over three or four weeks (to keep people buying the comic) the readers began to grow bored. In an attempt to regain high readership levels, the writers tried some other unusual gimmicks. One storyline saw an earthquake in Melchester cause subsidence under the stadium, and being left homeless, Melchester had nowhere to play. Luckily enough a benefactor agreed to let them use Wembley for a season. How the writers thought that Roy Race playing at Wembley would boost figures is anybodies guess. By this stage in 1993, readership levels were at an all time low, and the writers took the decision to curtail the weekly comic and go monthly instead. In another gimmick, other popular football comic stars of the past signed for Melchester. Johnny Dexter "The Hard Man", Hot-Shot Hamish, Kevin "Mighty" Mouse, Billy Dane (Billy's Boots), Rick Stewart (Goalkeeper) and Blackie Gray all became Melchester players in a bid to centralise all the British football comic characters and to try to convince all of their fans to buy "one" comic.

The whole history of Melchester Rovers changed too. Roy's 40-year career was shortened to 10 years to make it more realistic. Opposition place names changed too, to mirror this new realism. Melchester didn't play against Everpool or Liverton anymore, the team-names were changed to reflect real areas such as Birkenhead, Toxteth, and Islington. Failing to realise that these real names meant nothing to fans was a huge mistake. Fans knew that the writers couldn't use the real team names but they easily identified with teams like Everpool, Tyne Castle, Liverton, and Melchester. And although the new names reflected a certain realism, fans couldn't identify with them because they didn't know where the areas were or who they represented. In another effort to drum up readership among ethnic minorities, Melchester signed a token Nigerian in 1994, just prior to the World Cup. Del Ntende was nicknamed "Delroy of the Rovers" and featured heavily but the writers attempts at reviving the comic were too little too late. Finally the writers chose to "jump the shark". Roy was on his way to see a prodigious youth play when his helicopter crashed.

Over the next few weeks fans all over the world waited with baited breath to see if Roy would survive. He did, but he had to have his trusted left foot amputated, and so ended the playing career of the greatest comic book player ever. How the writers thought that this would save the flagging comic is mind-boggling. Roy moved into management, first with A.C. Monza in Italy but then back to Melchester. But even he couldn't save the comic from finishing. By the end of Roy of the Rovers final season as a comic, Roy had had his foot amputated. Blackie Gray had resigned after receiving death threats from fans, Melchester Rovers were in receivership and were on the verge of going out of business and Roy's son Rocky scored the winning goal in the FA Cup. Like father, like son. From the comics demise in 1995, various attempts have been made to bring Roy of the Rovers back from the dead. In 1997, BBC bought the rights to the comic, and they began to feature an on-going storyline in "Match of the Day" magazine.

BBC ran the comic strip until 2001, when they decided that the time was right for Roy to retire for good. Roy of the Rovers is remembered fondly by all those who had the pleasure of reading it as a child. Especially those of us who are lucky enough to have read it in it's heyday of the 70's and early 80's. It had a certain kind of charm, storylines were simple and not controversial back then. The miserable attempts by the writers in the late 80's and 90's to boost readership figures should be held in contempt for exactly what they were, soulless. It's unlikely that we'll see a new Roy of the Rovers strip nowadays. People who were fans have moved on, and that kind of stuff isn't as popular with children of today. Times have changed. However, in early 2008 worldwide publishing firm Titan Books announced that they had bought the rights to the entire back catalogue of Roy of the Rovers comics. And they hope to have them on the shelves in graphic novel format for Christmas this year.

If you know someone in their 30's or 40's, or even 50's who read the comic as a child, you could do a whole lot worse as a present for Christmas. But lets honour the greatest player to ever play (in a comic). Over his 55-year career, he won the league 10 times, the FA Cup 10 times, European Cup three times, Cup Winners Cup four times, UEFA Cup strangely only once, and the World Club Championships twice. He even managed England. He scored 436 goals for Melchester and is the record goal scorer in English football. The phrase "it's real Roy of the Rovers stuff" has even become a staple of any good commentator, especially when describing the unbelievable. Not bad...for a comic. I would like to thank the Race family for being so helpful in putting this article together. Football Comic Heroes 08:24 2 comments Issue 2 centres on Roy waking up from the coma, and how his family copes with the issue of him having to lose his left foot due to complications.

At Melchester Rovers, the directors have a meeting with Blackie to discuss the recent run of poor results, and the upcoming make or break European game against AC Gironde. The players meanwhile are still voicing their concerns at the appointment of Blackie as manager, and there is trouble brewing between Johnny Dexter and Derek 'Mozzie' Mostin. On the pitch Rovers take to the field to play their crunch tie against French champions Gironde, can they get the needed win to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions league? 19:06 MELCHESTER No comments GOALKEEPERS When Roy broke through into the Melchester Rovers first team in 1955, LEN DOLLAND had the goalkeepers jersey. It is unclear when Dolland took over the regular slot and from whom he took it over, it was never mentioned in any of the comics. Dolland remained a mainstay in the team until 1958, when Rovers legend TUBBY MORTON would take over his place. Morton was signed from Tranbridge United. Unclear as to why Dolland lost his place, but Morton took over from him at the start of the season.

Dolland did have the consolation of being part of the championship winning team in 1957/58. Tubby's first game was against Bamford Athletic, and his inexperience soon showed as he conceded two soft goals. Converted from centre half Tubby was trying to har to impress, and a rout appeared to be on the cards, however Morton regained his confidence and this saw a change in fortune for the Rovers as they fought to go ahead 3-2. However Blackie Gray scored an own goal in the dying minutes of the game that meant Morton's debut was not a winning one. Although Morton had not been convincing in his debut he remained the regular number one goalkeeper until 1973. During that time he would win 4 League titles, 5 FA Cups, 3 European Cups, 1 European Cup Winners Cup, and 2 World Club Cups. His place would never be really threatened, there were pretenders to his throne in the shape of REG SCOTT, PETER BAKER AND CHARLIE CARTER to name but a few, but it was not until Carter came along that Morton's place was challenged.

At the start of the '73 season Morton was injured, back up keeper Baker had broken his leg so it paved th way for wannabe pop star Carter to come in and take over the regular slot. The rest they say is history. Carter would remain a mainstay until his position became challenged in 1985 by the superstitious ANDY STYLES. There were games where Carter did not play and replacements had to be found. TERRY VENNER was one such replacement in 1976/77 when Carter had went through a confidence crisis, however Roy stayed with Carter and although they went out the League Cup to Swinford, Carter had his confidence back. Another goalie to be mentioned as back up to Carter was Tubby Morton. He had taken over the reserve squad after long term injury and Carter had curtailed his ability to play, but he made a comeback in 1977, to replace Carter in a match v Sandford. SANDY EVANS, an eighteen year old in 1980, would replace an injured Carter for a European match v Heklavik, however his blunde meant the part time Icelander's knocked Rovers out.

Another was WALTER WILLIAMS who played in goal after Charlie again had a confidence issue. He played at seventeen against arch rivals Meldboro, who had a newly signed Geoff Giles in their ranks at the time. Walter was also listed as being an England youth international at the time. He lost his debut 2-1 to Meldboro, but remained in goal for a 2-2 draw with Carford the following game. A match also notable for Nat Gosden's debut game. Williams would not appear again until the beginning of the 1982/83 season, when Carter broke his collarbone. Williams however would only play one match, as veteran goalkeeper TUBBY MORTON reappeared from retirement as cover for the injured Carter. Morton was the cause of unrest when Roy refused to let him retire to his sports shop when Carter returned from injury in early 1983, it would eventually be one of the reasons that would result in Roy leaving the club to join Walford Rovers. Williams had to play in place of Carter in the 1984 League Cup Final, when Carter was injured in the league match v Holverton just before the final.

When Carter was again injured and the Williams went down injured, we were introduced to ANDY 'STREAKY' STYLES. He had signed for Rovers at the end of 1984, after a period playing in the North American Soccer League. We first saw him when he played in a youth match at the start of 1985. 13:06 ROVERS 2000 No comments By the time that the MoTD magazine came to an end in 2001, the Rovers were coming to the end of their season. They were chasing Champions League qualification, and were needing the revenue from that competition so that Diana and Roy could complete their takeover of the Rovers from the Vinter Brothers. Not a lot was known about the Rovers of 2000, as the script did not allow for much detail to be given about the players. We take a look at the squad of Melchester Rovers as they entered the new millenium. JEFF COOPER Goalkeeper Age:27 One of Roy's first signings when he returned to the club from AC Monza in Italy.

Spotted when he played a blinder for Gatesfield against the Rovers, who were desperate for a win that day, but Jeff defied them with save after save. Gatesfield were happy to let him go, and he has been a Rovers stalwart ever since. Big and brave, Roy has likened him to all time great Charlie Carter. PETER MARSHALL Goalkeeper Age:20 The number 2 at the club. A giant between the sticks standing at an impressive 6ft 6ins - with hands like shovels. Has plenty of agility. If he progresses as expected he will be pushing Jeff Cooper for his place before too long. Made his debut for the club in the Champions League against Vrayonne Rapide in 2000-01.. DINO MARCELLO Defender Age:24 Dino arrived at Melchester from AC Monza, Roy's former club. He arrived at Melchester in 1999. Roy had given Marcello his debut for Monza, so Roy knew he was a classy performer and what he was getting. His tackling and distribution are excellent, certainly better than his english.

Prone to some bemusing comments, when Rovers ended a recent poor run, he said "the light at the end of the tunnel is switched on again" STEVE WOOTTEN Defender Age:33 The only player left on the books from Roy's playing days. This guy just seems to keep going and going. Very much part of the furniture, having originally come through the youth ranks. Is now the club captain and has modified his game from being a marauding full back to astute centre back. Does have a temper and an attitude, but that is what makes him such a great leader of the team. ANDY KERRIGAN Defender Age:34 Andy was signed from Carford City in 1998. Rovers were languishing in the Championship, and being a very young side were desperate for someone who could add much needed experience and stability at the back. Roy again knew what he was getting when he signed Andy, having played against him in his playing days, albeit Andy had mre hair back then. JAMIE NASH Defender Age:20 All the attributes of a defender and all the skills of a midfielder, a talented mixture.

Brought up from the youth team due to injuries and has never looked back. Very much a case of if your good enough your old enough. Has learnt from the old heads of Steve and Andy and has bailed out the expeienced heads on occasions with his lightning pace. ANTON GRONVOLD Wing Back Age:22 Roy saw Anton playing for the Nrway u-21's and started negotiations right after the game. Great first touch and technique and as fit as the proverbial butchers dog, so the demanding role of wing back is no problem to him. Has been found out on occasion defensivelybut he continues t work hard on his game to improve. RITCHIE LAWRENCE Wing Back Age:24 Ritchie is another who has come through the ranks at the club. A very athletic, left sided player, he is fast improving. Has all the defensive qualities required and can run all day. With qualities like that hes an ideal wing back. Easy going lad who seems to get on with everyone in the team. DAVID GATES Defender Age:21 One of Rover's most recent signing, David joined the club from Stockley Town of League One.

Good in the air, and an excellent tackler he is very sound defensively, Work required on his distribution and his cavalier style, so that he joins the attack effectively and at the correct times. PER ENQVIST Midfield Age:23 Recommended to Roy by former Rovers star Olaf 'Olly' Olsen, who is now asst manager to the Danish national team. Per was signed on a free transfer at the start of the season. Clever on the ball, but not the hardest worker off it. If this apect can be improved upon then he might develop into a useful squad member. KEITH DURHAM Midfield Age:26 Mister Reliability. A midfield enforcer who gives the team a real bite. Likes a tackle, but also can use the ball well once he has it. Transferred in from Railford Town in League Two, but has really developed and improved quickly to play at the higher level. PAUL EVANS Midfield Age:24 An unsung, uncomplicated, workmanlike player who just gets on with the task at hand.Chips in with the odd goal or two, but could score more if he was to put his mind to it.

However the graft he does for the team is what makes him stand out from the crowd.. DECLAN MCCAFFREE Midfield Age:17 Raw and very young, but what an incerdible talent. Two footed, with pace to burn, and technically gifted beyond belief.Still has an incredible amount to learn about the game, but definately 'one for the future'. Found by former Rovers star and manager Blackie Gray, who recommended that Rovers secure his signature. DION TEMPLETON Forward Age:27 A player who Rovers took a gamble on when they signed him from non-league football. At the time he looked awkward and his technique required a lot of work, but Rovers spotted his hunger and desire, not only to win but to score goals. He has worked tirelessly to improve and is now reaping the rewards. ROBBIE BISHOP Forward Age:19 A quick silver jack in the box style forward who scored a hatful of goals in the reserves last season. Has yet to make his first team debut, but is he progresses as he has been over the last few months, then it can only be a matter of time before he breaks through.

ROY RACE JR Forward Age:22 What can be said about this guy that has not already been said? Signed back from arch rivals Meldboro, and has helped Rovers get back to their best by creating good partnerships with Templeton and McCaffree. More stories to be written about him I am sure, but for now he is scoring and playing well. BEN ARGENT Forward Age:18 Had a couple of run outs with the first team, and scored, but did little to endear himself to Roy or Meldboro fans, when he decided to flash a tshirt at the Meldboro fans, causing an uproar in the process. Sold to Johnny Dexter's Castlemere quickly after. NOW LEFT THE CLUB 09:03 ABOUT No comments Britishness is hard to define. It took Danny Boyle, the man behind the Olympic opening ceremony, two hours, 800 nurses and a heck of a lot of fireworks to define it. Some would argue he could have encapsulated it in two comics: the Beano and the Dandy. Goofy, rude and cheeky, stuffed with bad gags, custard pies and a din of interjections – Thwack! Twang!

Zoink! Glug! – these comic books are a mini-riot printed on shoddy paper. The theme is that continual theme of British history, rebellion against authority (except the tyrant is not King John or Charles I, but the teacher and the parent). And the protagonists are understatedly British: no superheroes here, just a bunch of snotty schoolboys. These comics formed a huge part in many kids’ schooldays. The modern British ritual was not to go to church, but to buy the Beano. The Dandy sold 2m copies in the 1950s. The comic strips are still lodged in the national memory. The satirical magazine Private Eye – a sort of Beano for adults – runs a fortnightly strip called “Dave Snooty”, in which David Cameron is cast as the Beano character Lord Snooty. The mayor of London Boris Johnson is often accused of speaking in Beano-isms (“Cripes”, “Golly” and what-not). So it was sad that the Dandy admitted recently that it was wavering over whether to close. Sales today are a quarter of what they were in 2007.

The circulation is just over 7,000 today. There are about 500 subscribers in all, enough to fit into a medium-sized playground. The Beano, owned by the same publisher, is more popular but shows similar signs of decline. Circulation has halved since 2007; it was 38,000 in 2011. Most children’s magazines are taking a hit because of the recession. It seems when parents’ incomes are squeezed, less money is spent on them. But the decline in British comics goes back farther than the present downturn. The Beano’s circulation was a “six-figure” number in 2003. Fifty years ago, football hero Roy Race first turned out for Melchester Rovers, and although the ace striker hung up his shooting boots some years ago, the legend lives on. Kidnappings, a shooting and the saxophone player from Spandau Ballet: forget about the football, Roy of the Rovers encompassed far more. Long before the Footballer’s Wives scriptwriters started work on a soccer soap opera, the creators of Roy of the Rovers realised the value of mixing football with melodrama.

If anything, its plots were more outrageous. Take the time the Rovers were kidnapped by Fidel Castro lookalikes before the 1964 World Club Cup final in South America. They escape and 48 sleepless hours later they’re one-nil down at half-time. Fortunately, in the absence of modern performance-enhancer nandrolone, they get hold of a local narcotic, “Carioca Juice”, and recover to win 2-1 with a trademark Roy Race bicycle kick. Still, that’s not quite as ridiculous as winning the 1986 Milk Cup with a line-up including Bob Wilson, Emlyn Hughes, and Martin Kemp and Steve Norman from Spandau Ballet. Roy of the Rovers started in the first issue of Tiger on September 11 1954 and became a comic in its own right in 1976. Although the bastardised name encourages many to associate Roy’s team, Melchester Rovers, with Manchester United, rumour has it that Tiger editor Derek Birnage and the original scriptwriter Frank Pepper actually modelled the Rovers on the Arsenal team of the 50s. Roy himself was based on nobody.

Roy Race, The Beano & Dandy are just the first in a long line of characters and stories that are fondly remembered. DC Thomson had their own attempt at recreating the success of Melchester Rovers, when they created a storyline called ‘We Are United’, that first appeared in the Champ comic in 1984. The story was then integrated into the popular Victor comic one year later and ultimately became a success in the companies attempt at creating a monthly comic entitled Football Picture Monthly. Jon Stark arrived on the football scene in the late 1970s, a prolific striker who played for numerous clubs in England and abroad on a nomadic career path motivated entirely by money. A self-styled ‘Matchwinner for Hire’, his terms of service were set out on his business card: ‘£1,000 per match plus £250 per goal, no payment for lost games.’ Playing for different clubs every week, wherever the promise of payment took him, Stark was the ultimate football mercenary.

He was, of course, entirely fictional – a comic book character created against the backdrop of a real-life transfer revolution under the strapline: ‘Meet the Footballer of the Future…’ Stark first appeared in the debut issue of Scoop comic (15p every Thursday) in January 1978. Stone Orient were rock bottom of the second division after three consecutive defeats. A cup match against top-flight Belmoor saw the club turn to Stark, who told them, ‘Play me against Belmoor and I’ll guarantee you victory for £1,000 plus £250 for every goal I score. If we get beaten, you pay me nothing.’ There were numerous other characters that appeared in various different comics, Hot shot Hamish, Billy Dane, Limp Along Leslie, Nipper, to name but a few, who are forever fondly remembered by the youth of that era, but our bond to these heroes goes further than football or the anarchy of the Beano & Dandy; for; invariably we loved the comics for what they were.

Who can forget the excitement on hearing the clank of the letterbox and plop of our favourite comic hitting the doormat, or visiting the local newsagents and seeing the latest issue sitting on the shelf, screaming out at us, usually having to forego our regular treat of a sweet, so that our parents would buy the latest issue. All of us whether children or adults, enjoy some leisure reading. It is a retreat from the serious business of living which can be recreational in the true meaning of the word: the retreat can create us again. Complex situations can be pictorially presented in ways beyond the reach of words. If the subject is interesting enough to us, we gaze at the picture while silently relating our own experiences to it. Children of all ages enjoy a good story, whether it is inspired, exciting or funny, through the vivid medium of a cartoon. What would become boring and dull through the telling of the story in written format, becomes more entertaining through a brilliant picture. The Comics Campaign Council estimated that, in the 50's, 350 million comics were sold anually in Britain. Today, that market has shrunk drastically and the boys football paper in particular is all but extinct.

But forget about the present; indulge yourself in these pages and glory in the past trimuphs of these comics. I fervently hope the story of your comic book character is related here. Unfortunately my own collection only centres around the likes of Roy of the Rovers, We Are United, and the Football Picture Monthly, so unfortunately the prominence of this comic site will be based more around football based stories than the likes of the wartime stories told in the likes of Battle and Victor or sci-fi as was depicted in Eagle. Do not let that deter you, what is here should be enough to hold your interest and also let you see how alluring comics can be. If nothing else revel in the history of these comics, because they are becoming more and more rare as people clear out their attics and sheds. They wont always be available on ebay. 21:32 ROTR STORY No comments I have decided with the melchester storyline to begin with a continuation from the crash, rather than continuing it from the end of the MoTD era. Personally I feel there is to many unanswered questions from the helicopter crash. The RoTR monthlies although an official continuation of the magazine, left the reader with more questions than answers. What happened to Blackie?

Where did Terry Spring go? When did Johnny Dexter retire? to name but a few. I hope within the realms of the upcoming issues to answer a few of those questions, and to maybe create a new version of events for Roy Race, his family, and Melchester Rovers. Because I am no artist, and it means using images from the original comics, and editing them, I have decided each issue to create a cover and then create the images inside in black and white. Each issue will have around 4-5 pages of material, detailing the events after the helicopter crash, and what happened to Melchester Rovers in the years from 1993 until MoTD began in 1997. Issue One looks at the three months after the crash, how Roy's family are coping and how Melchester Rovers have faired since Roy fell into a coma.

From Roy of the Rovers to World War 1 – Joe Colquhoun | Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine From Roy of the Rovers to World War 1 – Joe Colquhoun Nick Churchill on the extraordinary body of work of Swanage illustrator Joe Colquhoun Published in September ’14 Charley Bourne says ‘Cheerio chum’ to his old mate Smokey Holmes in a Battle from 1981 Although Charley’s War was described by The Word magazine as the ‘greatest British comic strip ever created’, drawing it, was to Joe Colquhoun’s family, simply what he did for a living. It kept him fully employed for at least five, but usually more, days a week, alone at his desk in the attic of the Swanage home he shared with wife Mary and children Ian, Jane, Tracey and Kate. Charley’s War ran in Battle Picture Weekly from 1979 until Joe’s death in 1987 and followed the story of an underage British soldier called Charley Bourne who lies about his age to join up and is immediately thrust into the hell of the Somme.

The commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of World War One has accelerated a growing resurgence of interest in Joe’s work in general and Charley’s War in particular with original drawings being exhibited at the International Comic Art Festival, in major shows in France and Holland and in Joe’s hometown, at Durlston Castle. Written by Pat Mills, the strip tells of Charley’s frequently mundane and sometimes harrowing life in the trenches throughout the Great War and beyond, into the invasion of Russia in 1919 and eventually to a less successful story, penned by Scott Goodall, at the start of World War 2. ‘Joe was incredibly conscientious,’ says Mary. ‘He was always at his desk by 9.30 every morning and he worked right through until six or seven in the evening and often much later. The scripts would arrive and he would have to draw three pages a week, every week, for Charley’s War, plus whatever extra work he had taken on as well. He was always taking on extra jobs when we needed the money.

If we ever took a holiday it was a nightmare for him as he would have to do all the work in advance.’ Joe at home at work Jane, herself an artist, remembers her dad constantly working, invariably to a tight deadline, although she says he always had time for the family. ‘He never seemed to mind being interrupted even though it must have been terribly annoying for him. We knew he drew but we didn’t take much notice, if anything all these war stories were a bit of a turn off. Other people were much more impressed by his work; to us it was just what he did. The ironic thing is that if he was working today he would enjoy far greater recognition.’ Joe’s drawings for Charley’s War are widely credited with pushing the boundaries of art in comics, long before they were referred to as graphic novels and artists such as Jim Lee, Steve Ditko, Frank Miller and Alan Moore enjoyed superstar status among the cognoscenti. Joe’s use of heavy inks, busy backgrounds and predominately black frames, with his unflinching portrayal of emotion in men at war, established Charley’s War as the only overtly anti-war story of its era and directly influenced the darker tone of modern graphic novels.

Indeed, when Joe started working in comics artists were not even credited. ‘Dad’s name didn’t appear on the strips until the 1980s,’ says Jane. ‘I’ve been reading his diaries which go back to his school days and it seems he sort of drifted into drawing for comics in the 1950s after finishing art college. Even then he was told he was putting too much in the frames and he would never make any money out of it if he drew that much detail.’ In 1954 he became the first artist to draw Roy of the Rovers and also wrote the story for three years, despite professing to have no interest in football. In the 1960s and 1970s he worked for comics including Tiger (Football Family Robinson), Buster (City Jungle) and Corr!, for which he drew the all-colour Kid Chameleon in 1971 and The Goodies in 1973. He also created a Morecombe and Wise strip. His other strips for Battle included Johnny Red and Soldier Sharp: The Rat of the Rifles.

In one particularly sinister 1976 strip for Valiant called The Final Victim, Joe drew an over-worked comics artist who grumbles about short deadlines, late payments and demanding editors. In an effort to capture the perfect expression of horror the beleaguered illustrator goes on a killing spree, studying his victims’ faces as they succumb before burying them in his basement. As if it could be any darker, Joe’s fictional artist is a perfect self-portrait. ‘I’ve only just seen this one, but it’s definitely dad,’ says Jane. ‘It’s his desk in the attic, his angle poise lamp, the same dirty cups, the flares! We didn’t even know he’d done that one. ‘However, Charley’s War was certainly his magnum opus. There’s something about the mark making in those strips that is unlike anything else of that time.

It brought together all his skills and was the strip he was working on almost until he died.’ Charley's War never pulled its punches about loss (Joe Colquhoun (c) Egmont UK 2014) For all the uncompromising action sequences, the bulk of Charley’s War reflects the drudgery of life in the trenches interspersed with outbreaks of terror. In the early strips much is made of Charley’s touching friendship with Ginger Jones. After many action-packed episodes Ginger is killed by a random shell while at ease and in three agonisingly poignant frames (shown below), Charley gathers his friend’s remains in a sack only to be accused of stealing by an officer. ‘I think a lot of the stories were aimed at adults, even though the comics were read by children,’ says Mary. ‘Pat Mills was a lot younger than Joe, a different generation and he definitely wrote them with a political edge.’ Charley’s War was re-serialised in the comic 2000AD, created by Pat Mills, and has since been made into ten books, which have been translated into French.

Joe’s original artwork is highly prized by collectors and some is now included in permanent collections at the Tank Museum and on long-term loan at the Cartoon Museum. ‘The interest in dad’s work has been gathering pace for a few years now,’ Jane explains, ‘ever since it featured in a BBC documentary called Comics Britannia. There are collectors wanting to buy it and the French are really keen, but the only pieces we’ve sold have been to a genuinely dedicated fan. I’m sure dad would be happy to see his family benefitting from the sale of the archive, but we felt a real pang when we let some of it go.’ Jane and Mary Colquhoun looking at some of Joe’s original artwork on his old table easel Joe’s diaries, unlooked at for years, are laced with clues to the man and his work. Mary and Jane have been unpacking these parcels from the past and through them are seeing Joe’s work in a new light.

There are drawings of soldiers and footballers throughout the journals and also in Joe’s school exercise books, particularly his French grammar book: ‘He always said he wasn’t interested in fighting or football, but I suppose he was just drawing the things that boys of his generation were into,’ says Jane. ‘There are things he was drawing at 13 years old that crop up in his later work, especially Charley’s War. He had a nice childhood, I think. It was almost like a boys’ own comic strip of the day, full of adventures and trips with his mates. Later on he seems to be very disappointed as his mates started to get married and move away.’ Called up as an 18-year-old in 1944, Joe served in the Royal Navy during World War 2, mainly in the Mediterranean. He saw little action, if any, and somewhat resented spending his salad days swabbing decks in the sunshine. ‘Oh, he had a lovely war,’ says Mary, ‘if a bit boring. He writes about it in the diaries and letters home to his parents.

He certainly wasn’t drawing on his own experiences in Charley’s War, but he was able to put himself in the shoes of men at war in extreme situations. He couldn’t do women though, couldn’t get the expressions right. He tried a couple of things for girls’ comics but they didn’t really work.’ A characteristically uncompromising Charley’s War strip (Joe Colquhoun (c) Egmont UK 2014) The diaries reveal Joe had considered becoming a writer and completed a correspondence course in the Navy, but he also mentions wanting to be an architect and having a job where he could travel. In the event he enrolled at art school in Kingston, close to his parents’ home, and subsequently fell in to writing and drawing for an American-backed comic. When that didn’t pay he went to work for Amalgamated Press and the die was cast. ‘Dad was a bit remote I suppose,’ says Jane, ‘always busy. As well as the drawing he took the dog for walks, did all the DIY in a crumbling house, kept an allotment, took us to school, did his accounts and insisted on taking us out on a Sunday, but he’d always come back to work.

It’s strange hearing from fans of his work because he’s held in such esteem by them, but to us he’s just dad. People used to say he was everyone’s favourite uncle and he was like that as a dad as well. He was a cuddly man, very kindly, funny too.’ Joe Colquhoun goes into Battle This resonates with Mary who adds: ‘It must have been quite depressing at times to be surrounded by that much misery in the stories, but he hardly ever let on. He was a lovely dad. I was absolutely in awe of what he could do, I can’t do anything like that … I can make a cake though!’ ◗

Question: In which children’s comic did the character "Roy Of The Rovers" first appear in September 1954 ?
Answer: THE TIGER