A superhero-style comic book telling David Beckham‘s amazing life story went on sale today.
The 24 pages of ‘Fame: David Beckham’ chart his progress from gangly East End youngster to one of the world’s greatest-ever footballers.
It includes the moment he met Posh Spice Victoria Adams but also details the darker side of his journey to the top, such as his alleged affair with Rebecca Loos.
The colour 4.6 x 2.6 inch book also details Goldenballs being sent off in the 1998 World Cup match and the friction between him and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Wife Victoria and the superstar couple’s three children Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are also part of the comic, along with other family members and colleagues.
British writer Pete Rogers, 36, was ”delighted” when American publishers Bluewater Productions commissioned him to write the book in January.
He said: ”I couldn’t believe my luck when I was asked whether I wanted to cover David Beckham. For any British football fan it is a great honour.
”The hardest part to write was the bit about Rebecca Loos but I couldn’t ignore it because it is such a huge part of his story.
”We didn’t want to put Beckham on a pedestal and turn him into a comic book superhero but he essentially went from a normal child to this huge star.
”The book was going to end with Beckham just entering the tunnel to play for England in the World Cup but obviously his injury meant that couldn’t happen.
”There was a hasty re-write after that and we now have him back as a child looking at all the things he has achieved.”
Dad-of-one Pete, who lives in Monmouth, Wales, spent a month researching Beckham’s life using biographies and online resources.
He created Fame: David Beckham – part of a collection of comics which also feature Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Twilight stars – along with Tanzanian artist Pablo Martin.
It was the first time Pete – who previously created six fantasy comics and is in the process of writing a Twitter and Facebook themed superhero book – had worked on a biography.
He said: ”Telling someone’s real life story was quite a challenge, and I tried to find as many ways as possible to ensure that it was visually interesting and not just a case of ‘he did this and then he did that’.
”It was also hard to keep Beckham’s life into just 24 pages, which is so concise. A lot of the time was spent deciding what was going where.
”I couldn’t spend much space on any one part of his life as there just wasn’t space but I wanted to include as much as possible.”
Pete, who is managing director of Gloucester-based animation company Giggle, is planning to write another celebrity comic biography.
Darren Davis, president and founder of Bluewater Productions said Beckham was ”perfect” to cover in comic form.
He said: ”David Beckham is the first sports star we’ve featured in a Bluewater comic.
”Of course, Beckham is much more than simply a sports star.
”He’s also an international celebrity, as famous for his looks as he is for his soccer abilities, so he’s a perfect fit for our Fame line.”
The book is published by Bluewater Productions and is now available through www.amazon.co.uk, priced £2.65.
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the artist is Pablo Martinena and he is from Argentina