Billy Dane was the eternal schoolboy who, after over a quarter of a century, managed to remain twelve years old. Rubbish at football, Billy was always picked last for footy practise.

Billy first appeared in the first issue of Scorcher comic dated 10th January 1970. In Scorcher Billy found a pair of ancient football boots, in his Gran's attic that belonged to a footballer called 'Deadshot Keane'. When Billy wore the boots he somehow developed the ability to play in the old star's style.

Billy's Boots (john Gillat) survived Scorcher's merger with Score comic and also its merger with Tiger comic which meant by 1974, Billy's Boots was a regular favourite of Tiger & Scorcher.

With Tiger comic's merger, Billy's Boots found itself in the Eagle (Mark 2) where there was less focus on the footballing side of the storyline.

Billy's Boots was given a new lease of life in 1986, when once again it found itself in the medium that suited it best, a football comic - Roy of the Rovers!

The strip finished in Roy of the Rovers but returned briefly in reprint form in 2006 in Striker.