Roy Of The Rovers gets makeover for Women’s World Cup
Written by News on 20/05/2019
Roy Of The Rovers will feature a female lead for the first time in the comic book’s 65-year history to coincide with the Women’s World Cup.
Rocky Of The Rovers: France 2019 will feature a popular trio of characters from the recently rebooted Roy Of The Rovers series.
Rocky, Roy’s sister, will be the star of the official continuation of the story, written by the comic’s author Tom Palmer.
Readers will follow the adventures of Rocky Race, her brother Roy and her football coach Ffion as they travel around France to cheer on the Lionesses.
Palmer wrote the new edition for a joint project with the National Literacy Trust, the Football Association and Rebellion Publishing.
This is the first Roy Of The Rovers story to feature not only a female lead, in the form of Roy’s feisty younger sister, but also women’s football in general, and represents the latest step in bringing the beloved football comic into the 21st century.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the comic.
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Palmer said: “I went to watch the Lionesses play in the Euros two years ago and loved it.
“This time I’m sending three of my characters from Roy Of The Rovers to enjoy it, setting Rocky, Ffion and Roy a few challenges along the way.
“The idea is to write the story day-by-day as the events unfold, making the action as up-to-date and relevant to children in the classroom, so they enjoy reading for pleasure.
“And to encourage them to follow England women all the way to the final!”
The comic will be offered for free and is aimed at readers aged eight to 14.
It is designed to be read aloud in the classroom or at home and will be published in three chapters a week on the National Literacy Trust’s website throughout the tournament.
(c) Sky News 2019: Roy Of The Rovers gets makeover for Women’s World Cup
