DC Thomson Revives Football Picture Story Monthly Volumes 1 and 2
Reading time: 3 minutes
Football Picture Story Monthly is back! Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, the fan-favourite title returns with two incredible graphic novel volumes out now - Volume One: The Best of Stark and Volume Two: The Best of We Are United!
First published in 1986, Football Picture Story Monthly was an instant success for British publishing giant DC Thomson. This celebrated title launched during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. It ran for 17 years and released a staggering 418 issues. Now DC Thomson's most requested reprint is match-ready. The Heritage Comics team have collated some of the title's most beloved issues across two graphic novels, with more to come!
Volume One: The Best of Stark
Volume One: The Best of Stark collects four top stories featuring legendary football mercenary Jon Stark. It includes his final chapter, where he must choose between the English and Scottish teams in their latest tournament.
Jon Stark, The Footballer Of The Future originally premiered in weekly comics Scoop, Victor and Hotspur. He was the perfect character to debut Football Picture Story Monthly. Scoop's original series was drawn by Barrie Mitchell, one of Britain's finest football story illustrators, and scripted by Roger Kettle. The story was set in the near future when players weren't tied to clubs by long-term contracts. Stark, a prolific striker, hired himself out on a pay-per-game basis. £1,000 per match with another £250 for every goal he scored. No charge for a defeat. It was a football story with a difference, and the readers loved it.
Volume Two: The Best of We Are United
Volume Two: We Are United meticulously reprints three comics from the fan-favourite We Are United series.
We Are United began in DC Thomson's comic Champ, launched in February 1984. It quickly set itself apart from rivals, which usually centred on one player, such as a top-scoring striker or unbeatable goalkeeper. Instead, We Are United wasn't about one character or one team. It was about a club, United. This opened up a wealth of stories around beloved characters. They included goalie Charlie Barr, full-back Tug Wilson, midfielder Hedgehog Jones and striker Kevin Nicklish.
Many believe that We Are United is the most accurate and true-to-life football story ever published in a comic for boys. It told the story of a club once crowned champions of English football. That club now languished in the lower division. Then, United stalwart Joe Pearson was appointed player-manager. His brief was simple. Take them back to the top. Week by week, match by match, Joe built a side that would take United back to winning the game's major prizes.
The series was a big success with readers. They were even invited to write in for the chance to become team mascot for a week. The lucky ones were incorporated into an episode and drawn leading out the team.
Eventually, as the publication of weekly comics for boys ceased, Football Picture Story Monthly was launched in the summer of 1986. We Are United was a perfect fit. As an editor on Champ, Bill Graham took on manager duties as editor of FPSM. He was quick to bring back many of the original artists and writers. And, of course, Joe, Charlie, Tug, Hedgehog and the gang were all there. The stories were as good as ever and continued the fan-favourite saga.
For the next seventeen years, United fans old and new could follow the team again. Football Picture Story Monthly ran to 418 issues. We Are United featured in forty-three of them.
Both collections are an open goal for football and comic fans. This unmissable companion set draws on British football comic history, with incredible artwork from British legends Ian Kennedy (Dan Dare, Commando), Barrie Mitchell (Roy of the Rovers, Judge Dredd) and many more!
Get your copies of Football Picture Story Monthly on Amazon now: Volume One: The Best of Stark and Volume Two: The Best of We Are United.
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