ROY OF THE ROVERS is months away from making a stunning comeback - after 17 years in the footballing wilderness.
The adventures of Roy Race became a national institution after they were first published in the 1950s.
The series was cancelled in 2001 as the status of Roy and Melchester Rovers as heroes to millions of schoolboys across Britain dwindled.
But now the iconic character is ready to hit the shelves of shops again after receiving a major reboot by the publishers of the 2000AD comic and Judge Dredd Mehazine.
Oxford-based Rebellion will be publishing a series of comic books, with the first appearing in September.
They plan to introduce the goalscoring exploits and love of fair play to a whole new audience by going right back to the start of his career in the game.
Writer Rob Williams is the man plotting the new storylines, which will see Roy embarking on his journey in football in the modern era at Melchester.
Williams said: "We wanted him back on the pitch.
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"And I think the old Roy may have lost both his legs, which would make it hard for him to score a last-minute winner."
In keeping with the way modern football is in this country, Melchester have fallen into decline while local rivals Tynecaster boast a new stadium having been bought up by billionaire owners.
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Ben Smith, head of books and publishing at Rebellion, said: "There are only a handful of truly iconic characters in British comics, and Roy Race is surely one of them.
"We look forward to bringing Roy to modern audiences in a completely fresh incarnation that honours the extraordinary legacy of the character.
"We will be telling stories that connect with readers both young and old.
"There is a dearth of football-related fiction on the shelves, and we're looking forward to correcting that, whilst giving a classic British comic character a new lease of life in the process."
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