comic books
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
set up in
1988
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
by Dave Elliott and
Garry Leach
Garry Leach (19 September 1954 – 26 March 2022) was a British comics artist and publisher.
Biography
Garry Leach's early work for ''2000 AD'' included mainly one-off stories featuring ''Dan Dare'' and '' M.A.C.H. 1''.A1'', was an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
featuring the likes of
Ted McKeever
Ted McKeever is an American writer and artist, best known for his work in the comic book industry.
During his thirty years in comics, McKeever created, wrote and illustrated such titles as ''Transit'', '' Eddy Current'', ''Plastic Forks'', ''Metr ...
,
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
,
Glenn Fabry
Glenn Fabry (; born 24 March 1961) is a British comics artist known for his detailed, realistic work in both ink and painted colour.
Career
Glenn Fabry's career began in 1985, drawing ''Sláine (comics), Slaine'' for ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 A ...
, and
Simon Bisley
Simon Bisley is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s in comics, 1990s work on ''ABC Warriors'', ''Lobo (DC Comics), Lobo'' and ''Sláine (comics), Sláine''.
Early life
Simon Bisley began drawing when he was six years old. He is ...
. Seeing who was involved in the project it was natural that ''A1'' contained some stories that were continuations of ''
Warrior
A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste.
History
...
Warpsmith
The following is a list of characters from the comic book series ''Miracleman''.
Superhumans Miracleman
The first of the Miracleman Family, created by Doctor Gargunza in 1954 as a Cold War weapons project based on the orphan Mike Moran. Believed ...
'', written by Alan Moore with art by
Steve Parkhouse
Steve Parkhouse is a comics creator, writer, artist and letterer who has worked for many British comics, especially ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' and ''Doctor Who Magazine''.
Biography
Parkhouse has worked in comics since 1967, when he drew the ...
and
Garry Leach
Garry Leach (19 September 1954 – 26 March 2022) was a British comics artist and publisher.
Biography
Garry Leach's early work for ''2000 AD'' included mainly one-off stories featuring ''Dan Dare'' and '' M.A.C.H. 1''.Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...
for best anthology.
During the 1990s, Atomeka continued publishing ''A1'', as well as related specials such as ''A1: Bikini Confidential''. The company also published some of Simon Bisley's creator-owned work during this period, in titles such as ''Monster Massacre'' and ''Heavy Metal''. In 1992, Elliott solo-edited a four-issue sequel to ''A1'' in colour for
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
's
Epic Comics
Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics, active from 1982 to ...
imprint.
As
Tundra UK
Tundra Publishing was a Northampton, Massachusetts-based comic book publisher founded by Kevin Eastman in 1990. The company was founded to provide a venue for adventurous, creator-owned work by talented cartoonists and illustrators. Its publicati ...
's publisher, in 1992 Dave Elliott began using the Atomeka imprint to establish its own identity within the larger company; he was also responsible for titles with all the British comic creators. Elliott brought two titles he started at
John Brown Publishing
John Brown Media is one of the world's largest content marketing agencies. It was bought by Dentsu Aegis in May 2015. While originally formed as a magazine company, the company creates multichannel content for various brands, with services incl ...
, ''
Lazarus Churchyard
Lazarus Churchyard is a fictional character in a British comics series, created in 1991 by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Matt Brooker under the pseudonym D'Israeli. The stories are cyberpunk in theme, although Ellis himself does not consider it ...
'' and ''White Trash'', with him to complete with Tundra UK/Atomeka.
With Tundra UK's demise in 1993, Elliott started Blackball Comics."Newswatch: Dave Elliott Forms Blackball Comics". ''The Comics Journal'' (165): 14. January 1994. In
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
, Atomeka ceased publishing, as Elliott and Leach pursued other projects.
2002 relaunch
In 2002 Atomeka was resurrected to publish Simon Bisley's ''Maximum Force''. In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
Elliott and Leach resurrected the company, in cooperation with
Ross Richie
Ross Richie (born May 22, 1970) is an American comic book publisher and the founder of Boom! Studios, film producer, television producer and comic book creator. Richie was a Keynote Speaker for the 2012 Harvey Awards and a judge for the "Spirit ...
, publishing ''A1 Big Issue Zero'', ''Bricktop'', ''Mister Monster: Worlds War Three'', and ''Stalkers'', featuring a mix of reprint material. Richie generated his own new projects under the Atomeka banner, such as ''
Hero Squared ''Hero Squared'' is an American comic book series published by Boom! Studios. Originally a limited series, it is written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Joe Abraham. The series follows the superhero Captain Valor as he adjust ...
'' and ''G.I. Spy'' as well as new work from the likes of
Mike Mignola
Michael Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a Hellboy Universe, shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', ''Abe Sapien'', ''Lobster Johns ...
with ''Jenny Finn''. The team-up didn't last long, as Richie left to form his own company,
Boom! Studios
Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House sin ...
, taking ''Squared'', ''Spy'', and ''Finn'' with him.
In late 2004 the ''A1 Sketchbook'' was released in part by the artist responsible for re-creating
Marvelman
''Marvelman'' was a British Golden Age superhero comic book, published by L. Miller & Son in the United Kingdom between 1954 and 1963. The lead character was originally created by Mick Anglo as a replacement for Captain Marvel due to Fa ...
with Alan Moore, Garry Leach and Atomeka Press. It contained four Marvelman-related pin-ups (although the pin-ups were not directly said to be Marvelman for possible legal reasons). A variant of the sketchbook was also produced, and it featured a Marvelman front cover and Kid Marvelman back cover by Leach.
In
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
the company published a three-part reissue of Ted McKeever's '' Eddy Current'', and also one (of three planned) "Bojeffries Terror Tomes", reprinting ''The Bojeffries Saga'' by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse, and featuring additional work by
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
and
Michael Zulli
Michael Zulli (December 20, 1952 – July 8, 2024) was an American artist known for his work as an animal and wildlife illustrator and as a comic book illustrator. Best known for his work on the Sandman.
Career
Michael Zulli's career in the c ...
,
Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...
Michael T. Gilbert
Michael Terry Gilbert (born May 7, 1951) is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked for both mainstream and underground comic book companies.
Education
Gilbert attended the State University of New York at New Paltz, graduating i ...
and
Dave Dorman
Dave Dorman (born 1958 in Michigan) is a science fiction, horror and fantasy illustrator best known for his ''Star Wars'' artwork.
Early life
Dorman's parents are Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jack N. Dorman and Phyllis Dorman. Both parents are ...
,
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ...
and
Steve Pugh
Steve Pugh ( ; born 24 March 1966) is a British comic book artist who has worked for American and British comic producers including DC Comics, DC, Marvel Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse and ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD''.
He broke ...
, and also including Ted McKeever's ''Eddy Current'' and a solo tale of ''Eddy Current''s Nun.
2013 relaunch
In 2013 Atomeka relaunched their flagship title ''A1'' in two formats through
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of the British entertainment company Titan Entertainment, which was established as Titan Books in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cine ...
. The first was a six-issue limited series serializing three strips — ''Carpe Diem'', ''Odyssey'', and ''Weirding Willows'' — over six months that were collected in 2014. Then came a separate 160-page tome, ''A1 Volume 1: World's Greatest Comics''. Also relaunched at the same time was ''Monster Massacre'', an anthology which features B.E.M. (Bug Eyed Monsters) comics. ''Monster Massacre'' is a twice-yearly anthology while ''A1'' is an annual.
* ''A1 Bojeffries Terror Tome'' (2005)
* ''A1 Sketchbook'' (2004)
* ''Bricktop A1 Special'' (2004)
* ''Dan Norton's Space 1958'' (2004)
* ''The Dave Johnson Sketchbook'' (2004)
* '' Eddy Current'' (2005)
* ''
Hero Squared ''Hero Squared'' is an American comic book series published by Boom! Studios. Originally a limited series, it is written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Joe Abraham. The series follows the superhero Captain Valor as he adjust ...
Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin is a daily website covering the comic-book industry.
History Silver Bullet Comicbooks
In January 2000, New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice founded then named Silver Bullet Comicbooks.
During this period, the site ...
Issuu
Issuu, Inc. (pronounced "issue") is a Danish-founded American electronic publishing platform based in Palo Alto, California, United States. The company's software converts PDFs into customizable digital publications that can be shared via links ...
DeviantART
DeviantArt (formerly styled as deviantART and thus abbreviated as dA) is an American online community that features artwork, videography, photography, and literature, launched on August 7, 2000, by Mathew Stephens, Scott Jarkoff and Angelo Sotir ...