Rovers Return in retro World Cup special

Next Wednesday (June 16th) Egmont release the 52 page full colour comic All About Roy of the Rovers. The publication is part of Egmont's regular All About series which focuses on a different topic every issue. (I understand the current one spotlights Prince of Persia.) Usually, All About only features magazine material so it's good to see an issue containing comic strips.

There are five comic strips in all, selecting material from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The issue kicks off with eight consecutive parts of a 1978 Roy of the Rovers story concerning Roy Race forming an England squad that includes real-life 70s footballer Trevor Francis and, in a rare UK comics crossover, Nipper Lawrence (from Tiger's long running Nipper strip). Artwork by David Sque, now the artist on the Daily Mirror's Scorer strip.


Two other Roy of the Rovers stories are included (drawn by Jim Eldridge and, I think, Mike White) which, at eight pages in length each, I presume are from old annuals or specials. There's also a four part Goalmouth story by Tom Tully and John Cooper which I think is from the 1990s, and a four page Andy Steel Playmaker story by H.Manning and G. Marchetti.


I'm the first to admit that football isn't really my thing and I hardly followed the old Roy of the Rovers comic at all but this is a very nice collection of strips. The format is glossier than the Egmont Classic Comics of last year and I'm pleased to see the strips are more complete rather than the open-ended choices of those Classic specials. Another big difference is that the 2009 specials were each on sale for three months, but All About Roy of the Rovers will only be on sale for one month, after which the next All About edition will replace it. (Don't expect future issues to feature comics though. This is just an appropriate World Cup tie-in.)

All About Roy of the Rovers is £3.99 and will be on sale from 16th June to 13th July.