Galaxion

Lore & Background

Galaxion first appeared around 1993 as one half of a photocopied, digest-size flip comic book titled Salmagundi. In the late 1990s, the story was relaunched as a self-published full-sized comic, which also included a 'flip book' with Amy Unbounded by Rachel Hartman. The first six issues were collected in a graphic novel, Galaxion: The Graphic Novel Volume One. This second version reached eleven full issues but ceased publication in 1999 as the demands of parenthood pulled Tara away from the drawing table.

In 2006, Tara launched a third version of Galaxion as a bi-weekly (later weekly) webcomic, originally hosted at Girlamatic. The comic went on hiatus in August 2018. The roles of characters have differed across versions; for example, the print comic shows Scavina in command of the Galaxion from the beginning and Zandarin leading the Survey Contact Team, while the webcomic version has different assignments.

Reader's Guide

Galaxion represents a long-running independent science fiction series that evolved across print and digital formats over more than two decades. Its creator, Tara Tallan, adapted the story from a photocopied flip comic to a self-published series and finally to a webcomic, reflecting changes in the comics industry and the challenges of balancing creative work with family life. The series is notable for its shifting character roles between versions, which the source article explicitly notes. The webcomic version, hosted at Girlamatic, reached a hiatus in 2018, marking the end of active publication. Galaxion's significance lies in its demonstration of a creator-driven project that persisted through multiple media and life circumstances, offering a sustained narrative from a single author's perspective.

Did You Know?

• Galaxion first appeared around 1993 as one half of a photocopied, digest-size flip comic book called Salmagundi.
• The second version of Galaxion was a 'flip book' with Amy Unbounded by Rachel Hartman.
• The webcomic version of Galaxion went on hiatus in August 2018.
• The roles of characters have been different in earlier versions of the story.

Creator & Narrative Premise

Tara Tallan, born Jenkins and based in Canada, both wrote and illustrated Galaxion, making it a fully independent creation flowing from a single artistic vision. The series is a science fiction comic that follows the crew of an interstellar vessel named the Galaxion as they put a brand-new experimental hyperdrive engine through its paces. Rather than centering on a captain or a military commander, Tallan chose to frame the entire narrative through the eyes of Aria Schafer, the ship's geologist. This perspective choice gives the story a grounded, observational quality, as readers experience the unfolding events of the hyperdrive trials through the lens of a scientist rather than a leader. The premise sits at the intersection of space opera and character-driven storytelling, using the high-concept technology of a new propulsion system as the engine for interpersonal drama and discovery. Tallan's dual role as writer and artist means every visual detail and narrative beat flows from one creative mind, lending the series a cohesive, personal texture that distinguishes it from work produced by larger creative teams.

Three Eras of Publication

Galaxion has gone through three distinct publication incarnations, each reflecting a different era of comic distribution. The story first appeared in print around 1993, taking up one half of a photocopied, digest-sized flip comic book titled Salmagundi, a format that speaks to the grassroots, zine-like culture of the time. In the late 1990s, Tallan relaunched the series as a self-published, full-sized comic. This second iteration ran to eleven issues before coming to a close in 1999. The first six of those issues were gathered into a collected volume titled Galaxion: The Graphic Novel Volume One, and the run also included a flip book paired with Amy Unbounded by fellow creator Rachel Hartman. The third and most accessible version launched in 2006 as a webcomic, initially posted on a bi-weekly schedule and later shifting to weekly updates. It was originally hosted on the platform Girlamatic. This digital run continued until August 2018, when the comic went on hiatus, bringing a long stretch of regular online storytelling to a pause.

The Crew & Shifting Roles

The webcomic version of Galaxion features a crew with clearly defined roles aboard the interstellar vessel. Fusella Mierter serves as captain, while Anna Ito holds the position of Chief Engineer. Brigadier General Scavina Nelson leads the Nelson Project, which is Interplanetary Patrol's experiment in hyperspace jump travel. Vessa Khavis heads the Survey Contact Team, the same team to which geologist Aria Schafer belongs. Two civilian employees of the Interplanetary Patrol round out the main cast: Darvin Deloren, who acts as right-hand man to General Nelson and counts both Zandarin and Fusella among old friends, and Zandarin Wilder. Notably, character roles are not static across the series' history. In the earlier print comic, Scavina is shown in command of the Galaxion from the very beginning, and Zandarin leads the Survey Contact Team. By the time the story moved to the webcomic format, Tallan had reorganized the hierarchy and responsibilities among the crew, giving the narrative a fresh structural dynamic while retaining the same core group of characters.

The Personal Cost of Independent Creation

Galaxion's publication history is inseparable from the personal life of its creator. The series was entirely self-published at every stage, from the photocopied digest pages of 1993 to the full-sized issues of the late 1990s, meaning Tallan shouldered every aspect of production alone. The second print run ended not because of a lack of readership or a publisher's decision, but because the demands of parenthood physically pulled her away from the drawing table in 1999. That same tension between creative ambition and life outside the studio resurfaced in 2018, when the webcomic went on hiatus after more than a decade of regular online updates. The format choices also reflect independence: the original Salmagundi was a shared, photocopied flip book, and the late-1990s run included a flip book pairing with Rachel Hartman's Amy Unbounded, suggesting a small community of like-minded creators supporting one another. Galaxion stands as a testament to what a single artist can build and sustain, and to the real-world pressures that can interrupt even the most dedicated creative projects.