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A1 DEADLINE SPECIAL

Created by Dave Elliott

Pre-orders are live now for A1 DEADLINE SPECIAL if you missed the Kickstarter! The heart of UK comic book counterculture returns in a 104-page special issue, bold, rebellious, and packed with the spirit that defined a generation. Featuring award-winning icons and new talent not to be missed! Pre-order today and get your copy of the magazine delivered to your door.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Thank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!!!
24 days ago – Wed, Sep 09, 2026 at 02:56:46 AM

“Looks like we made it!”
 

Seriously, I can’t thank you all enough! 

I know there are a couple of very minor loose ends to tie up, but 99.9% of you have everything you asked for! All of the last missing or damaged shipments have been sent out. I think there’s one retailer out there who backed it that is still waiting, but we got you.

This ride has been a massive rollercoaster for me. I learned a lot. I struggled in a couple of places when others dropped the ball; I banged my head against the wall in frustration over spreadsheets and fulfillment lists (more than once), but we got there.

I could bore you all about the changes in postal service (or lack thereof) and charges, but I think everyone has experienced that if you’ve sent anything at all through the post recently (especially overseas).

I particularly want to thank our two fulfillment centers, one in Los Angeles and the other in Liverpool, for helping to navigate all this.  Big shout-out to our West Coast muscle, Justin (the guardian of the One Ring), then Mike, Gareth, and the rest of the Liverpool based Diamond UK team. 

Alison, Roger, Ilya, and Kek at Gosh Comics for the launch!

I wouldn’t have expected to have on my bingo card that I would be editing Deadline again 30 years after I initially took over from Steve (Dillon) and Brett (Ewins), and that so many of the original Deadline creators would be ready to come back for more. My hat is off to everyone of them and the new faces who will be in future issues.

One of the new faces on the block is Chloe Maveal (https://www.instagram.com/trash_humper/), who valiantly lent a helping hand on the special and will be with us kicking ass on the road ahead!

The A1 DEADLINE Special was our Christmas Carol to you—a little of the past, present, and future. Several of you said you wanted to be surprised and not to give everything away ahead of time. We will definitely do some of that. I always loved not knowing what was going to be in a comic before I read it; however, we will most definitely be laying out a trail of breadcrumbs to get you to come back here for more. 

A1 DEADLINE is back so that comic creators have a platform for short-form content while they’re working on their latest magnum opus! It’s here for creators to have a soapbox when needed about issues and ideas they feel passionate about. The articles will be art-, music-, and culture-led. 

At the same time, I hope you’ll find new voices and talents that you’ll go seek out for more.

There’s been a lot of change in our society over the last 30 years, and I wish I could say that most of it has been good; sadly, it is even harder today for creators to profit from their own work. Your support is the first step to making that an achievable goal. I plan to build a system to make that possible, while entertaining you all. I own no rights to the material I publish (unless I create it myself). Tom Astor, the original publisher, assigned me the rights to the name Deadline only. It’s what I brought with me (along with A1), and it’s all I’ll leave with.

Many of you signed up for our newsletter many moons ago, but I don’t have access to those sign-ups, so I’m asking you again to sign up for our new newsletter.

https://mailchi.mp/c0cba7b73bd6/atomekapress

There’s more to tell you, but what would the point of a newsletter be if I told you all here?

Any thoughts or comments you have are welcome. You can reach us via email at [email protected]! Let us know what music you're listening to these days. I'll publish the best reviews!

See you in the funny pages!

SLACK!

~ Dave xxxx


 

A1 DEADLINE Special - Digital Edition
4 months ago – Tue, May 26, 2026 at 10:54:39 PM

You're receiving this Kickstarter update as you're one of the lovely people who backed our A1 DEADLINE Special campaign.

We've included all the variant covers. Enjoy! 

Instructions: 

Enter $0 as the price and click "I WANT THIS" to download.

Includes a free wallpaper pack of select covers for iPhone and Android.

A1 and DEADLINE, two landmark UK comic book publications, are back! The heart of UK counterculture returns to print... 

But first, here's the link to your digital PDF!

https://1571449075708.gumroad.com/l/DIGITALMAGAZINE

Please be patient in waiting for your physical rewards. They have started going out, although the postal service isn't making it easy.

An update on that will be forthcoming once everyone has recovered from the holiday weekend.

Are We There Yet?
5 months ago – Fri, May 01, 2026 at 11:41:56 AM

Hey, Hey, Heeyyyy: 

The first wave of the A1 DEADLINE Special fulfilment goes out on Tuesday. That's roughly 70% of all orders, so there's a really strong chance yours will be in this batch.

Dave put together the very first package at the warehouse!


For the remaining backers, Wave 2 is right behind it. We are finishing up the last logistics on those deliveries, and they'll be on their way right after Wave 1 clears. These other tiers needed more work because they require additional assets for those packages, such as original art, prints, and T-shirts.

Rufus Dayglo and Shaky Kane original art!
T-shirts and trading cards!

You've been incredibly patient through this process, and we genuinely appreciate it.
When your copy shows up, we want to see it. Please take a snapshot of you with it and tag us on Instagram at @a1_deadline. Unboxings, shelf shots, cats sitting on it, reading it in the bath, whatever you've got. Go wild.

Cheers,


~ Atomeka

ps. Satisfied customer!!

pss. Have a great holiday weekend!!

New update coming shortly and OOPS, made a mistake!
6 months ago – Wed, Apr 01, 2026 at 11:29:31 AM

Hey, Everyone!

Got a solid update coming this week!

But I wanted to apologise if you got a Substack notice from me. Please ignore. The wrong file was uploaded, but it has been totally deleted. 

I'll try again, and you can sign up if you want to then.

A1 DEADLINE's first convention will be at Lawless next month.

It’s happening 9–10 May 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bristol.

https://lawlesscomiccon.co.uk/

I'll be sharing a table with SHAKY KANE and KEK-W!

Yours,

~ Dave

UPDATE TIME!
7 months ago – Fri, Mar 13, 2026 at 05:18:22 AM

It's all happening!

Your shipping has been charged. Now things are moving again.

If your charge didn't go through, we'll make another attempt to process it. As always, if something doesn't look right on your end, let us know, and we'll reach out via direct message.

The magazine has been printed! It is being bound today. 

Hot shots taken by our printer!

Check out our Insta account for a video of the mag on press: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVwHZbDjRHY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Waiting for final details from the printer, but they should be on their way to New Jersey for shipping to the UK. US backers will be getting their copies from California.

Spanks!

- Dave xxx