New RotR stories on Match of the Day magazine

• Roy of the Rovers is being rebooted and relaunched in 2018, with a modernised Roy Race taking centre stage.

• The ‘new’ Roy Race is 16 years old, and beginning his career in football with Melchester Rovers.

• An exclusive Roy of the Rovers comic strip is to appear in Match of the Day magazine, running from 5 June – 25 August 2018 – the first new Roy of the Rovers material to be published since 2001.

• The new Melchester Rovers kit is designed and supplied by hummel®, and sponsored by The Totally Football Show Podcast.

• The artist on the Match of the Day Magazine Roy of the Rovers strips is talented newcomer Lisa Henke, and they are written by Rebellion’s Rob Power and Keith Richardson.

• The character design on the Roy of the Rovers reboot is by Ben Willsher (2000 AD, Doctor Who Magazine).

• Rebellion’s publishing plan also includes three 56 page hardback graphic novels per football season, launching in Autumn 2018, January 2019 and April 2019. The graphic novels are written by Rob Williams (Suicide Squad, Action Comics) and illustrated by Ben Willsher.

• Middle grade illustrated fiction titles are also to be released alongside the graphic novels, launching in October 2018 and following on in February 2019 and May 2019. These titles are written by best-selling children's author Tom Palmer.

More info here

Roy of the Rovers stuff...literally

There are 3 pub conversations everyone reading this will have had at least once in their life –

1. Greatest album of all time?

Now this is open to a huge amount of debate - personal taste aside great bands don’t always make the truly ‘great’ albums, do you judge it on sales, mass appeal, or purely personal preference? I will simply say this without ever hoping to answer conclusively. If you say anything other than ‘The Stone Roses’ by The Stone Roses you’re wrong. If you answered with anything by Meat Loaf you can probably stop reading this and go spend some time taking a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror.

2. Greatest film of all time?

To be right just pick any one from these five – Weekend at Bernie’s, Rocky IV, Escape to Victory, Clerks, or Weekend at Bernie’s 2. Alternatively I will accept some pornography. Nothing with dwarfs though. Never again.

3. Greatest footballer of all time?

Now this is the biggie. Do you go Diego - mercurial, breath taking, the entertainer supreme and with the personality to match the talent? What about Pele, the most brilliant of the brilliant Brazilians, an institution in the game, scorer of over a 1000 goals (ish…)? How about Bestie, the wasted talent, the ‘How good could he have been’ argument? Then there’s Di Stefano, Socrates, Bobby Moore, Beckenbauer, Puskas, Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane, Gareth Bale…

Next time this comes up, let me give you a slightly different take. Let me submit to you a footballer whose career spanned decades from youth player to first teamer to player-manager. Off the pitch he survived player rebellions, a takeover of his club, a coma after being shot, a coach disaster, and a high profile marriage break up and reconciliation. On it he won everything domestically (including 9 league titles) as well as every European competition available including a personal favourite – the Cup Winner’s Cup.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Roy Race.

A Subbuteo ...comic strip!

Ever been interested in reading a comic strip where the actual Subbuteo figures are the stars? If so have a look here! It's rather amusing, if anything!