Bad Taste no. 64: the Olympics

The scan: sc-n132-jan-31-1980.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 14, which the machine reading did not see; image taken from the scan and its lettering transcribed (18 Oct 2026). Number 64 of Cormac's weekly Bad Taste strip: the Olympics. Note: the small printed number beside the title reads "#64" but is partly obscured.

page 14 of the scan

Five-panel cartoon strip: the Olympics — people running round in circles and jumping over fences — only slightly more tedious than "It's a Knockout"; a pub bore drags politics into sport and the Irish snooker team, and a man wishes the Russians would invade Ireland so the Olympics would be abandoned. — Cormac, "Bad Taste" no. 64, Socialist Challenge no. 132, 31 January 1980, page 14. From the Marxists Internet Archive scan.

The strip, panel by panel

1. BAD TASTE #64 — Cormac.

2. Captions: "People running round in circles — why? To find who does it fastest?!!" "Jumping over fences to see who jumps the highest?!? Is this a kind of joke? Nope!"

3. Caption: "It's the Olympics!" "Somewhat similar to 'It's a Knockout'" "And only slightly more tedious"

4. Caption: "But it does give us an opportunity to ponder on what became of those who told us not to 'drag' politics into sport ...." (A pub bore:) "And do you realise that if this country were not partitioned the Irish snooker team could easily defeat the English — Taylor, Higgins and Fagan! And as for soccer! Well, let me tell you ...." (His companion:) "Bored"

5. Caption: "... And it gives others an opportunity appear on television and try to bore us to death" "Wouldn't it be nice if the Russians sent troops into Ireland? The Olympics might be permanently abandoned!"