Deadline magazine
Encyclopedia
Deadline was a British comic magazine published between 1988
and 1995
.
Created by 2000 AD
stalwarts Brett Ewins
and Steve Dillon
, Deadline featured a mix of comic strips and written articles targeted at older readers. Although similar to the likes of Crisis, Revolver
and Toxic!
which emerged during the magazine's heyday, Deadline alone managed to sustain its impact beyond the first few issues and had a cultural influence beyond the comics world. Deadline was published by Deadline Publications Ltd.
and Peter Milligan
.
Much of the its non-strip content centred on alternative and indie music. Coupled with the subversive nature of many of the comic strips, the magazine had a distinctive counterculture
ethos and post-punk sensibility. It was most famous for being the original home of the popular strip Tank Girl
, created by the young team of artist Jamie Hewlett
and writer Alan Martin
. Other notable strips included Wired World by Philip Bond
, Planet Swerve by Glyn Dillon & Alan Martin, Hugo Tate by Nick Abadzis
, Cheeky Wee Budgie Boy created & written by Jon Beeston and drawn by Jon Beeston & Philip Bond, Timulo by D'Israeli
, A-Men and Space Boss by Shaky Kane, Johnny Nemo by Peter Milligan
, and several early works by Al Columbia
.
Owned and financed by Tom Astor (grandson of Nancy Astor) and latterly edited by Frank Wynne
(a former staff member of Crisis and subsequently translator of Michel Houellebecq
), it published original material but Frank also introduced later introduced reprints of American alternative comics
such as Love and Rockets
Bob Burden
and his Flaming Carrot and Evan Dorkin
strips such as Milk and Cheese. Content from the magazine was reprinted in the US
by Dark Horse Comics
as Deadline USA.
Deadline enjoyed the patronage of those who wouldn't normally purchase comics and the support of several key bands of the time, with Blur
making regular appearances in the Tank Girl
strips and covers including Ride
, Curve
, Carter USM
and the Senseless Things
. However, the commercial failure of the Tank Girl
film and the crossing over of the alternative scene into the mainstream (around the time of Britpop
, a movement it had helped to champion) saw the magazine eventually fold at the end of 1995. The art of Jamie Hewlett lives on in the band Gorillaz
. In the late 2000s, the Alan Grant edited title Wasted http://www.wastedcomic.com/ owed much to the style and ethos of Deadline a decade and a half earlier.
1988 in comics
-Events and publications:* Jack Binder, creator of the original Daredevil, dies at c. age 86.* Tarpé Mills, creator Miss Fury, dies at c. age 73....
and 1995
1995 in comics
-January:*After Xavier: The Age of Apocalypse is launched. All X-titles change to different names for the next four months.* Thor marks his 400th appearance in Marvel Comics with issue #482....
.
Created by 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
stalwarts Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper in the weekly comic book 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
, Deadline featured a mix of comic strips and written articles targeted at older readers. Although similar to the likes of Crisis, Revolver
Revolver Comic (UK)
Revolver is the title of a British comic which was a spin off from 2000AD. It lasted for seven regular issues and two specials, and was published between July 1990 to January 1991.-History:...
and Toxic!
Toxic!
Toxic! was a British weekly comic book published by Apocalypse Ltd. A total of 31 issues were published from March 28-October 24, 1991.-History:...
which emerged during the magazine's heyday, Deadline alone managed to sustain its impact beyond the first few issues and had a cultural influence beyond the comics world. Deadline was published by Deadline Publications Ltd.
History
The magazine's origins lie in the earlier publication: Strange Days. Strange Days was an anthology title created by Ewins, Brendan McCarthyBrendan McCarthy
Brendan McCarthy is a British artist and designer best known for his work in comic books, film and television.- Biography :Brendan McCarthy, of Irish descent, was born in London. Brendan soon began painting and drawing his own home-made comics....
and Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
.
Much of the its non-strip content centred on alternative and indie music. Coupled with the subversive nature of many of the comic strips, the magazine had a distinctive counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
ethos and post-punk sensibility. It was most famous for being the original home of the popular strip Tank Girl
Tank Girl
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
, created by the young team of artist Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
and writer Alan Martin
Alan Martin (writer)
Alan Martin is a British comics writer best known as author of the comic strip Tank Girl.- Hewlett and Martin :Martin and Hewlett first met in the mid-1980s in Worthing, when Martin was in a band with Philip Bond called the University Smalls...
. Other notable strips included Wired World by Philip Bond
Philip Bond
Philip J. Bond is a British comic book artist, who first came to prominence in the late 1980s on Deadline magazine, and later through a number of collaborations with British writers for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo....
, Planet Swerve by Glyn Dillon & Alan Martin, Hugo Tate by Nick Abadzis
Nick Abadzis
Nick Abadzis is a British cartoonist, comic book writer, and graphic novelist. He currently lives in New York, having moved from his previous home in London in 2010.-Early life:...
, Cheeky Wee Budgie Boy created & written by Jon Beeston and drawn by Jon Beeston & Philip Bond, Timulo by D'Israeli
D'Israeli
Matt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...
, A-Men and Space Boss by Shaky Kane, Johnny Nemo by Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
, and several early works by Al Columbia
Al Columbia
Al Columbia is an American cartoonist, illustrator, writer, photographer, musician, and filmmaker.-Big Numbers controversy:At the age of 19 Columbia was hired to work as an assistant to Bill Sienkiewicz on Alan Moore's Big Numbers series...
.
Owned and financed by Tom Astor (grandson of Nancy Astor) and latterly edited by Frank Wynne
Frank Wynne
Frank Wynne is an Irish literary translator and writer.Born in Co. Sligo, Ireland, he worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at Deadline magazine . He worked for a time at AOL before becoming a literary translator...
(a former staff member of Crisis and subsequently translator of Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq , born Michel Thomas, 26 February 1958—or 1956 —on the French island of Réunion, is a controversial and award-winning French author, filmmaker and poet. To admirers he is a writer in the tradition of literary provocation that reaches back to the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire;...
), it published original material but Frank also introduced later introduced reprints of American alternative comics
Alternative comics
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
such as Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets (comics)
Love and Rockets is a black and white comic book series by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez, sometimes cited jointly as Los Bros Hernandez. Their brother Mario Hernandez is an occasional contributor...
Bob Burden
Bob Burden
Bob Burden is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of Flaming Carrot Comics and the Mystery Men.-Early life:Burden grew up in the industrial rust belt of the Northeast United States...
and his Flaming Carrot and Evan Dorkin
Evan Dorkin
Evan Dorkin is an American comics artist and writer. His best known works are the comic books Milk and Cheese and Dork...
strips such as Milk and Cheese. Content from the magazine was reprinted in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
as Deadline USA.
Deadline enjoyed the patronage of those who wouldn't normally purchase comics and the support of several key bands of the time, with Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
making regular appearances in the Tank Girl
Tank Girl
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
strips and covers including Ride
Ride (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
, Curve
Curve (band)
Curve was an English music group formed in 1990 chiefly around the collaboration of singer/songwriter Toni Halliday and bassist/guitarist/programmer Dean Garcia.-History:...
, Carter USM
Carter USM
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a British indie rock band formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
and the Senseless Things
Senseless Things
Senseless Things were a British indie punk band, who were active on the UK festival circuit in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:Senseless Things formed around the musical partnership of songwriter Mark Keds and Morgan Nicholls , who as eleven year old schoolboys in Twickenham, Middlesex put...
. However, the commercial failure of the Tank Girl
Tank Girl (film)
Tank Girl is a 1995 science fiction action film loosely based on the Tank Girl comic book created by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and stars Lori Petty as Rebecca Buck, aka the eponymous Tank Girl, who had originally appeared in the UK comic magazine...
film and the crossing over of the alternative scene into the mainstream (around the time of Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
, a movement it had helped to champion) saw the magazine eventually fold at the end of 1995. The art of Jamie Hewlett lives on in the band Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
. In the late 2000s, the Alan Grant edited title Wasted http://www.wastedcomic.com/ owed much to the style and ethos of Deadline a decade and a half earlier.
Contributors
Artists, writers and cover artists include:- Nick AbadzisNick AbadzisNick Abadzis is a British cartoonist, comic book writer, and graphic novelist. He currently lives in New York, having moved from his previous home in London in 2010.-Early life:...
- Dave AndersonDave Anderson (cartoon writer)Dave Anderson is a British writer and creator of cartoons and animations including Bastard Bunny and the BAFTA nominated animation shorts, The Terribles...
- Rachael Ball
- Simon BisleySimon BisleySimon Bisley is a British comics artist best known for his 1990s work on ABC Warriors, Lobo and Sláine. His style, reliant on paints, acrylics, inks and multiple-mediums, is strongly influenced by Frank Frazetta, Bill Sienkiewicz, Gustav Klimt, Salvador Dalí, Egon Schiele, and Richard Corben...
- Ola Belo
- Brian BollandBrian BollandBrian Bolland is a British comics artist, known for his meticulous, detailed linework and eye-catching compositions. Best known in the UK as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology 2000 AD, he spearheaded the 'British Invasion' of the American comics industry, and in...
- John Bolton
- Philip BondPhilip BondPhilip J. Bond is a British comic book artist, who first came to prominence in the late 1980s on Deadline magazine, and later through a number of collaborations with British writers for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo....
- Jon Beeston
- Al ColumbiaAl ColumbiaAl Columbia is an American cartoonist, illustrator, writer, photographer, musician, and filmmaker.-Big Numbers controversy:At the age of 19 Columbia was hired to work as an assistant to Bill Sienkiewicz on Alan Moore's Big Numbers series...
- Steven CookSteven CookSteven Cook is a British artist, photographer, and graphic designer.Best known for his work in the comics field, Cook was art director and designer for the British comic 2000 AD . During this time he produced a number of striking cover illustrations along with its distinctive, iconic logo still in...
- Glenn DakinGlenn DakinGlenn Dakin is a British cartoonist and author of children's books. He was a contributor to a number of British comics magazines including Escape and Deadline and was part of the British small press comics scene in the 1980s...
- Glyn Dillon
- Steve DillonSteve DillonSteve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
- D'IsraeliD'IsraeliMatt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...
- Evan DorkinEvan DorkinEvan Dorkin is an American comics artist and writer. His best known works are the comic books Milk and Cheese and Dork...
- Jonathan Edwards
- Brett EwinsBrett EwinsBrett Ewins is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper in the weekly comic book 2000 AD.-Biography:...
- Glenn FabryGlenn FabryGlenn Fabry is an Eisner Award-winning British comics artist known for his detailed, realistic work in both ink and painted colour.-Biography:...
- Rebekah Ford
- Melon Girl
- Jamie HewlettJamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
- Paul Spencer (Tank Girl photography)
- Jaime HernandezJaime HernandezJaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
- Ed 'Ilya' Hillyer
- Rian HughesRian HughesRian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, where he illustrated Robo-Hunter, Tales from Beyond Science, Really and Truly and Dan Dare, among others...
- Shaky Kane
- Roger LangridgeRoger LangridgeRoger Langridge is a New Zealand-born comics writer/artist/letterer, currently living in Britain.-Biography:Langridge originally came to public prominence most notably with the Judge Dredd Megazine series The Straitjacket Fits , a surreal, hallucinatory, convention-bending strip set in an insane...
- Garry MarshallGarry MarshallGarry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
- Alan MartinTank GirlTank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
- Mike McMahonMike McMahon (comics)Michael McMahon is a British comics artist best known for his work on 2000 AD characters such as Judge Dredd, Sláine and ABC Warriors, and the mini-series The Last American....
- Brendan McCarthyBrendan McCarthyBrendan McCarthy is a British artist and designer best known for his work in comic books, film and television.- Biography :Brendan McCarthy, of Irish descent, was born in London. Brendan soon began painting and drawing his own home-made comics....
- John McCreaJohn McCreaJohn McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
- Peter MilliganPeter MilliganPeter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
- Dom Morris
- Shane OakleyShane OakleyShane Oakley is a British illustrator and comic book artist from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-Biography:He began his career contributing to the alternative comics review Deadline Magazine in the 1980s . In 1989 Shane worked as the penciller on issues 1 to 6 of Mister X volume two...
- Savage PencilSavage PencilSavage Pencil is a comics artist, and is the nom de plume of English music journalist Edwin Pouncey.-Biography:...
- Ed PinsentEd PinsentEd Pinsent is a British cartoonist, artist and writer born 1960 in Liverpool.-Biography:Pinsent has written and drawn his own small press comics since 1982, including characters such as Primitif, Henrietta and Windy Wilberforce...
- Gary Pleece
- Warren PleeceWarren PleeceWarren Pleece is a British comics artist. He is best known for his work at the DC Comics imprint Vertigo.-Biography:With his brother Gary Pleece, he wrote and drew four issues of a self published comics magazine called Velocity between 1987 and 1989...
- William Potter
- Jerry ProsserJerry ProsserJerry Prosser is an American comic book writer and editor, best known for his work with Dark Horse Comics.-Biography:Prosser was part of Dark Horse Comics from its early days, and was one of five creators, who as Team CGW created the Comics' Greatest World line for Dark Horse Comics...
- Tony Riot
- Andy Roberts
- Dave SheltonDave SheltonDave Shelton is a retired American soccer player who played four seasons in the North American Soccer League.Shelton attended the Indiana University where he played on the men's soccer team from 1975 to 1977. He was the 1976 NCAA Most Outstanding Defensive Player as the Hoosiers finished runner-up...
(uncredited) - Pol Sigerson
- Si SpencerSi SpencerSi Spencer is a British comic book writer and TV dramatist and editor, with work appearing in British comics such as Crisis, before moving to the American comics industry...
- Frankie Stein
- Bambos
- Mat WakehamPhoo ActionPhoo Action is a BBC Three 60 minute TV pilot, one of six drama pilots that were transmitted in early 2008, and was first broadcast on February 12, 2008 at 21:00 UTC. Phoo Action is based on the Jamie Hewlett created strip 'Get The Freebies' which ran in The Face from June 1996 to June 1997...
- Peter WebberPeter WebberPeter Webber is a British director who is best known for his debut feature film Girl with a Pearl Earring and Hannibal Rising.-Early career:Webber made his first short film, The Zebra Man, straight out of film school...
- Chris Webster
- Mark Worthington
External links
- Tank-Girl.com (Official home of all things Tank Girl)
- Online version of the Deadline strip Sadist