After the weekly comic’s closure in 1993, the story continued in a relaunched monthly publication with grittier storylines. Additionally, there were adaptations of Roy of the Rovers in other magazines like Shoot. 8. Who took over the comic’s rights in 2016? In the interests of keeping the strip exciting, it seemed that no season for Melchester Rovers could ever consist of mid-table obscurity. Almost every year, the club was either competing for the major honours at the top of the domestic and European game, or struggling against relegation to lower divisions. Often, such spells of good and bad fortune and form would directly succeed one another—a Rovers team that won the European Cup one year could find itself struggling to stay in Division One the next. [45] [d]

The magazine was relaunched as a monthly in September 1993, but finally closed in March 1995, after a further 19issues. And finally the horrific helicopter crash in 1993 that resulted in the amputation of Roy’s legendary left foot, bringing the curtain down on his sensational, game-clinching, goal scoring exploits. 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.” A number of official Melchester Rovers Subbuteo teams were produced in the 1980s and 1990s. There was also an officially licensed board game in the 1980s, which saw players take on the role of Roy Race and manage the club. [74] Replica Melchester Rovers shirts have been available at various stages of the series' life, up to and including a strip designed and produced by Hummel for the 2018 reboot. In mid 2012, Egmont launched its digital Classic Comics imprint with four iBooks collecting some classic Roy of the Rovers stories. A fifth volume followed in November 2012, which we reported here. None of these iBooks are currently available.Annuals were produced from 1958 to 1994 and a number of Melchester Rovers Subbuteo teams were produced in the 1980s and 90s. 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. Artist Joe Colquhoun had previously drawn strips for the struggling Champion before taking on ‘Roy’. When Pepper dropped out after four instalments due to the demands of an unwieldy workload, Colquhoun assumed the writing duties, assisted by Tiger‘s editorial staff on the technical aspects of the game, admitting that he knew “damn all about soccer”. He continued to write and draw the strip, which appeared for many years under the by-line ‘Stewart Colwyn’, until February 1959, returning for a second stint as artist only from 1965-67. Division One Champions – 1931, 1932, 1933, 1951, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1988, 1992

The first Roy of the Rovers annual was published in 1957 (cover-dated 1958), demonstrating the character’s massive popularity. In February 1964, however, the series lost its permanent spot on the cover of Tiger, alternating thereafter with other features. Behind the Scenes – The Artists", Roy of the Rovers.com, archived from the original on 30 December 2010 , retrieved 21 June 2010 Roy of the Rovers is a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer and later manager 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, published by IPC and Fleetway from 1976 until 1995, in which it was the main feature. He's like every boy who wants to grow up to be a footballer," Tom Palmer, the author of the new novels, tells BBC Sport. "He is a normal lad, who is gifted at football and works hard and wants to get there. It is wish fulfilment but it makes it possible.

Roy of the Rovers: Cup Heroes Special

The Old Ones Are Still the Best", Irish Examiner, 24 December 2005, archived from the original on 29 September 2007 , retrieved 20 June 2010

There is another significant cross-over between the Manchester United and Melchester strikers - a drive to spread the joy of literature.Roy of the Rovers comic magazine was launched as a weekly on 25September 1976, named after the established comic strip of the same name that first appeared as weekly feature in the Tiger on 11September 1954. The title ran for 853issues, until 20March 1993 [nb 1] ( industrial action prevented publication of 3 issues in December 1978 and a further 5 in May and June 1980), and included other football strips and features. In February 1989, the magazine merged with the similarly themed Hot Shot, and was known for a brief time as Roy of the Rovers and Hot Shot, but reverted to its original title shortly afterwards. Football themed stories were hugely popular in the 1950s. Frank Pepper who created Roy had created another football story, Danny of the Dazzlers and was asked to create a new, realistic story about an ordinary boy joining a club as a junior and making his way up. Roy was intended to be inspirational for young footballers.