Roy Of The Rovers Returns!!!

spence · Post by **spence** » 01 Feb 2007, 16:53

From the papers today - A group of footie fans in the North East run a fanzine called Players Inc and they have just paid Egmont the princely sum of ?150 for the rights to re-launch the Roy Of The Rovers comic strip.

The downside is that apparently the fanzine will only be available in newsagents in the North East (first one out this weekend)

Initially it will feature reprints but they are planning on coming up with new stories soon...

With any luck, they'll wing some copies to Mark Towers at http://www.royoftherovers.com and rest of us may be able to get hold of it as well...

I can't actually believe that Egmont have signed over the rights to such a high profile character for just 150 quid !!!!

chrissmillie · Post by **chrissmillie** » 01 Feb 2007, 17:53

Pretty shocked at that myself!

Captain Storm · Post by **Captain Storm** » 01 Feb 2007, 21:17

If that were the case,would be publishers would be clamoring to get their mitts on their fav characters!!!!!

Garen · Post by **Garen** » 02 Feb 2007, 00:54

?150 must mean licensing of the rights rather than ownership of the rights, and the amount may reflect the low commercial level of the publishing enterprise.

tonyodonnell · Post by **tonyodonnell** » 02 Feb 2007, 00:59

I was in discussions with the Editor of Players Inc, Steve Wraith about the possibility of creating a Football Comic but it looked like it was going to be too expensive for the Magazine, I knew he was a Roy of the Rovers Fan and was keen to revive the character- I mentioned that it might be possible as I had noticed that The Daily Record was reprinting Hotshot Hamish..or perhaps it is The Sunday Mail. It seems like a bargain price...but then all syndication is relatively cheap in comparison to the cost of producing new Comics.

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 02 Feb 2007, 01:02

Garen wrote:?150 must mean licensing of the rights rather than ownership of the rights, and the amount may reflect the low commercial level of the publishing enterprise.

Also, I wonder if that's ?150 per issue they pay Egmont?

Lew

Richard S. · Post by **Richard S.** » 02 Feb 2007, 17:55

the editor was on the sport bit of BBC Breakfast this morning talking about the launch! Amazing publicity for the magazine (and for Racey).

Richard Sheaf

Cap Haggis · Post by **Cap Haggis** » 05 Feb 2007, 12:29

Tony - Fyi its the (Scottish) Sunday Mail that reprints Hot Shot Hamish

David · Post by **David** » 06 Feb 2007, 20:49

Update:

While Players Inc was granted permission to reproduce the comic strip Roy Of The Rovers, no transfer of copyright ownership was involved. Copyright and ownership of all rights relating to the Roy Of The Rovers character remain with Egmont UK LTD.

Source: today's Metro free paper

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 06 Feb 2007, 21:19

David wrote:Update:

While Players Inc was granted permission to reproduce the comic strip Roy Of The Rovers, no transfer of copyright ownership was involved. Copyright and ownership of all rights relating to the Roy Of The Rovers character remain with Egmont UK LTD.

Source: today's Metro free paper

Yes, some news sources (such as this one: http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13) do seem to be running away with the idea that Egmont have sold the copyright on the strip when it's just the reprint right that Players Inc have.

And I'm still wondering if it's ?150 per strip / issue they're paying, or perhaps ?150 a month or something. What exactly is the deal?

Lew

kevf · Post by **kevf** » 07 Feb 2007, 10:16

Now if only Roy Of The Rovers had ever actually been any good...

fústar · Post by **fústar** » 12 Feb 2007, 02:14

kevf wrote:Now if only Roy Of The Rovers had ever actually been any good...

Sacrilege! Remember the Basran bus crash? That was about the most dramatic and traumatic thing seen in "Boy's Comics" since the days of "Charlie's War". And what of - the beautifully illustrated - Hot Shot Hamish? The gentle, moving and low-key "Durrell's Palace"?

Admittedly there was rubbish in RotR - Project 917 (for example), or that story about the kid with the bionic right leg - but there was plenty of gold in them thar hills.

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 12 Feb 2007, 11:43

f?star wrote:
kevf wrote:Now if only Roy Of The Rovers had ever actually been any good...
Sacrilege! Remember the Basran bus crash? That was about the most dramatic and traumatic thing seen in "Boy's Comics" since the days of "Charlie's War".

Except that Charley's War recorded true events.

Lew

Kashgar · Post by **Kashgar** » 12 Feb 2007, 12:26

Any strip that lasts for fifty years has to have something going for it, but that will only be appreciated by those that enjoy the premise of the strip in the first place, in this case football. And even then, and this is true in my case, a polarisation towards the football line-up offered by the papers of D C Thomson mean that my own sporting affections are to be found with the likes of Nick Smith, Limp-along Leslie, Wee Bandy, Dozy Danny and the mysterious Pickford rather than with Roy Race and his Melchester Rovers squad.

fústar · Post by **fústar** » 12 Feb 2007, 15:33

Lew Stringer wrote:
f?star wrote:
kevf wrote:Now if only Roy Of The Rovers had ever actually been any good...
Sacrilege! Remember the Basran bus crash? That was about the most dramatic and traumatic thing seen in "Boy's Comics" since the days of "Charlie's War".

Except that Charley's War recorded true events.

Lew

That didn't matter to me when I was a kid. The deaths of Vic Guthrie and Jimmy Slade (etc) left me just as poleaxed as any of the Somme casualties.

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