IMGpapers 1976–79

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1976–79

Bad Taste: the birth of Tarry Kelly

· Socialist Challenge No. 54, 20 July 1978 · p. 15 of the scan · 267 words

The scan: sc-n55-jul-20-1978.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

This text was corrected by hand against the scan: the strip at the head of page 15, which the machine reading did not see; image taken from the scan and its lettering transcribed (18 Oct 2026). One of Cormac's Bad Taste strips: the birth of Tarry Kelly.

page 15 of the scan

Five-panel cartoon strip: Cormac receives a letter from the editor of Socialist Challenge asking for a character who epitomises left sectarianism, and invents the ultra-left Tarry Kelly.
Cormac, "Bad Taste" (unnumbered), Socialist Challenge no. 55, 20 July 1978, page 15. From the Marxists Internet Archive scan.

The strip, panel by panel

1. BAD TASTE — Cormac. (A letter addressed to Cormac comes through the letterbox.) "Post!"

2. (The cartoonist, at his desk in the office of "Cormac Inc.", reads the letter; his cat looks on.) Thinks: "Ah! A letter from the editor of 'Socialist Challenge' ... 'worth seriously thinking about inventing a character who epitomises the sectarianism so common on the left ....'" Cat: "'Invent?' Who needs to invent? I've met this character a thousand times!"

3. (The cartoonist sketches.) Thinks: "'Model figure ... a wo[illegible] student who [illegible] ... "when in doubt, pull the programme out" ... regards the ANL as a popular front ... can't relate to people outside the far-left ghetto ... thinks all problems solved by founding fathers & no more debate necessary ... also a Stalinophobe!'" Says: "An ultraleft? Let's give him an Irish background ... all the best ones come from Ireland!"

4. Cat: "Good thinking, kid! Let's call him 'Kelly' ... with a good slangy forename like ... ah, lemme see .... yeah, that's it ... 'Tarry'."

5. (A shed with a sign, "Cormac (Comix) Ltd".) Caption: "So every few weeks look out for the life and times of Tarry Kelly (British Section of the Organization for the Reconstruction of the Sixth Intergalactic)."

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