Tom Tully was born in Glasgow, he grew up in Reading, as a supporter of Newcastle United. After leaving school he did his National Service in the RAF as a telephonist, and then worked as a clerical officer in the civil service and as a tally man, and gained a diploma in writing for children, all the while trying to write freelance. Finally, aged 25, he sold a “Buck Rogers” story.
He became a prolific and gifted comics writer, and the longest-running writer of “Roy of the Rovers”, and was considered the go-to guy for sports strips for numerous titles. His credits range from “The Steel Claw” for Valiant to “Kelly’s Eye” for Knockout and “Look out for Lefty” for Action; and, among other strips, “Harlem Heroes” and “Dan Dare” for 2000AD. For me, “The Mind of Wolfie Smith”, which initially ran in Tornado, transferring to 2000AD, is one of his best later tales.
After the closure of Roy of the Rovers in 1993, Tully left the comics industry and ran a pub, the Farrier’s Arms, in Pewsey, Wiltshire, and later moved to another pub near Devizes. He passed away in Autumn 2013.
“Tom lived next door to my Aunt and Uncle for years, and ran one of our local pubs,” Moose Harris, who founded the Sevenpenny Nightmare site now hosted on downthetubes recalled in a post on the ComicsUK forum. “He was still writing for Battle, 2000AD and RotR whilst running the pub. He used to knock out episodes of ‘Johnny Red’ and ‘Roy’ in an office room above the bar during the afternoon.
“He moved to The Cross Keys on Rowde, and kept a house in Lavington. After his wife died, he carried on running the pub with his son Joe, up until he retired. Comics work was long behind him at this point, and although he tried to get into children’s books he didn’t have a lot of success.
“He wasn’t really a private sort, he was always happy to talk about his work over a few after hours pints. I was amazed when he admitted to writing ‘Death Game 1999’ [for Action], but looking at ‘Inferno’, it made sense. I’d always thought he was more ‘Dan Dare’, ‘Johnny Red and ‘Roy’ when I knew him, but it turned out he was capable of a dark and violent tale if needed.
“I tried to chase him down for an interview in 2010 or 2011 but I was told he wasn’t interested in talking about his work anymore.
“Next I heard was just after his funeral in late 2013. A lot of the local landlords attended and I heard about his passing from one of them, who ran the pub opposite Tom’s.”
Strip Credits
Further information welcome – strip details listed chronologically
1960s
“Heros the Spartan” (drawn by Frank Bellamy, Eagle, 1960s)
“Kelly’s Eye” (Knock-Out, later Valiant, reprinted in Vulcan, 1962-76)
“The Steel Claw”, later, “Return of the Claw” (Valiant, 1962 – 1973)
“Mytek the Mighty” (Valiant, reprinted in Vulcan, 1964 – 1970)
“The Wild Wonders” (drawn by Mike Western, Valiant, 1964 – 1975)
“Football Family Robinson” (drawn by Joe Colquhoun, Jag, Tiger, Roy of the Rovers, 1968-79)
“Raven on the Wing” (Valiant, 1968 – 1974)
“Janus Stark” (Smash!, Valiant, 1969 – later strips credited to Angus Allan)
“Master of the Marsh” (Smash!, 1969-71)
“Roy of the Rovers” (Tiger, Roy of the Rovers, 1969-1993 – longest serving writer)
1970s
“Adam Eterno” (Thunder, Lion, Valiant, 1970-76)
“Nipper” (Score ‘n’ Roar, Scorcher, Tiger, Roy of the Rovers, various annuals 1970 – 1974)
“Death Game 1999” (Action, 1976-77)
“Look Out For Lefty” (Action, 1976-77)
“The Leopard from Lime Street” (Buster, 1976-85)
“Operation Shark” (Battle Picture Weekly, 1976 – 1978)
“The Team That Went to War” (drawn by Mike Western, Jim Watson, Battle Picture Weekly, 1976)
“Spinball” (Action, 1976-77)
“The Spinball Slaves” (Action, 1976-77)
“The Spinball Wars” (Battle Picture Weekly, 1977-83)
“Dan Dare” (2000AD, Eagle)
“Harlem Heroes” (drawn by Dave Gibbons, 2000AD, 1977)
“Johnny Red” (drawn by Joe Colquhoun, John Cooper, Battle Picture Weekly, 1977-86)
“Inferno” (drawn by Massimo Belardinelli, 2000AD, 1978)
“The Mind of Wolfie Smith” (Tornado, 2000AD, 1978-79)
1980s
“The Mean Arena” (2000AD, 1982)
“Thunderbolt and Smokey” (Eagle, 1982-83)
“The Nightcomers” (Scream!, 1984)
“Tales from the Grave” (Scream!, 1984)
“The Avenger” (drawn by Mike Western, Eagle, 1987-)
“Goalmouth” (Roy of the Rovers, 1990–92)
1990s
“Buster’s Ghost” (Roy of the Rovers, 1992-93)
Further Reading
• Barney – Tom Tully 2000AD Credits
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.