A schoolboy from Sheffield has created the first new character to be included in one of Britain's favourite comic strips since it began 50 years ago.
James Thompson, who is 7, based the new character on Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, who is, himself, only slightly older than James.
The story will appear soon in The Beano.
'Wayne's In Pain' is the tale of an accident-prone, foul-mouthed centre forward who just can't stop complaining to referees. He regularly unleashes a torrent of four-letter rants, replete with more obscenities than one would find in any issue of Viz.
James had the idea of 'Wayne' after seeing Rooney moan week after week on the BBC's Match of the Day, which his dad let him stay up late to watch. His idea has prompted other childrens comics to come up with new characters for their publications.
The aforementioned Viz has used England international Frank Lamp-post as the inspiration behind illiterate bunglemeister 'Frank the Plank', whilst another, the award-winning Own Goal, has an exciting new story called 'Rio In Rehab'.
It's the cautionary tale of a washed-up own goal merchant who has been carelessly "eating all the wrong kinds of sweets", and is based upon an, as yet, unspecified member of the Manchester United team.
