text: Along with Mouse and Dexter, several other characters from Roy of the Rovers history are repurposed for the reboot, including goalkeeper Gordon Stewart (formerly the star of backup series The Safest Hands in Soccer), club captain Vic Guthrie (a Welsh under-17 star and Roy's main rival in the series), towering central defender Lofty Peak (brought to Rovers by his friend Roy after showing his prowess playing basketball), and Roy's childhood friend William "Blackie" Gray, who joins Rovers on loan from Premier League side Islington. New characters created for the series include Roy's younger sister Roxanne, nicknamed "Rocky" (a homage to Roy's son from the original series), and Vic Guthrie's sister Ffion.
  Recurring characteristics
  Over the years, the strip became famous for its employment of certain types of storyline and stylistic storytelling devices. For example, despite the fast-paced nature of a football match, exposition would be provided by members of the crowd apparently commenting to one another. Fans made lengthy comments in the short time it took the ball to travel through the air; as the ball was struck towards the goal a member of the crowd might be seen saying "Racey's had a shot!", followed by another responding "The 'keeper won't make it!". Nonetheless, loyal readers would usually suspend disbelief, a characteristic later parodied by Viz magazine's Billy the Fish, a fish with a human head who plays in goal for Fulchester United.