Realm Press

Chris Scalf artwork featuring the Realm Press logo.

Realm Press was a comic book company that published comic books based exclusively on the Original Series, spanning between 1998 CE through 2000 CE.

Following the end of the Maximum Press run, Realm Press began its own run of Battlestar Galactica comics, beginning with their Battlestar Galactica: Search for Sanctuary single issue special. Other one shots were subsequently published. Later, Realm introduced a monthly comic titled "Battlestar Galactica Season 3." This series only ran for three issues before it was canceled, and shortly thereafter Realm abandoned the entire franchise altogether.

Realm's foray was notable for its use of airbrushed art and its attempts to remain faithful to the look and feel of the Original Series, unlike its predecessor. Character likeness were altered in order to avoid legal likeness issues regarding performers.

Mission and Relaunch

The revival of Battlestar Galactica comics in the late 1990s was driven by a team of creators who were fans of the original 1978 television series, led by Chris Scalf. In addition to Battlestar Galactica, Realm Press attempted to begin a non-BSG line calledThe Drakkon Wars written in collaboration with Richard Hatch, who portrayed Captain Apollo and attempted to resurrect the storyline with a continuation effort, but the story did not proceed beyond issue #0.

When a new ownership group took control of Realm Press in 1999 under Mark L. Haynes' JMJ Media Group, LLC., their explicitly stated mission was to create a "Season Three" that would function as a direct narrative continuation of the original show, picking up after the final episode, "The Hand of God."

The new publisher acknowledged inheriting a "credibility deficit with its readers and the retailers" from the company's previous ownership. To address this and ensure the series' financial viability, a decision was made to relaunch the primary ongoing series with a new #1 issue, titled Battlestar Galactica: Season III, to capitalize on the sales boost a first issue typically generates. To avoid confusing readers by starting a new volume mid-story, the publisher announced that unresolved storylines from the previous run, such as the Search for Sanctuary arc, would be concluded in a new companion anthology series, Battlestar Galactica: The New Millennium.

Production and Scheduling

The production of the Realm Press comics was consistently affected by significant scheduling challenges, which the editors frequently and openly discussed in the editorial columns of the books. In the editorial for Season III #2, the editor apologized for the issue being "about a week later than we would have liked," and in the following issue acknowledged further delays, while assuring readers, "we've got this under control now."

A primary source of these delays was the difficulty of producing a high-quality, fully painted comic book on a monthly schedule. This led to frequent changes in the artistic team. For the Season III series, original artist Chris Scalf was unable to complete the first issue on schedule, which required Robert Scott to be pulled from his work on issue #2 to finish it. When Scott subsequently fell behind on issue #2 and was unable to complete issue #3, Scalf had to step back in to finish the assignment. This constant state of flux led the publisher to adopt a "team approach" for the art, bringing in additional artists such as Michael Malbrough and Dan Parsons in an effort to balance their commitments to both "quality and timeliness."

Marketing and Fan Engagement

To ensure the financial survival of the comic line, Realm Press utilized several market-driven strategies. This included the frequent use of variant covers for single issues, as well as offering special autographed editions for collectors. The editors explained that these measures were taken "with the goal of being able to keep doing these comics."

The publisher also maintained a high level of transparency with its audience. The editorial pages in each issue, such as "Greetings From Earth" and "View from the Pub," served as a direct line of communication to readers. In these columns, the creative team candidly discussed production struggles, announced future projects, and published and responded to fan mail. As a further gesture of goodwill to the established fanbase, the new ownership also committed to honoring all outstanding subscriptions from the previous incarnation of Realm Press.

In addition to Battlestar Galactica, the JMJ-owned Realm Press repackaged Matt Busch's Daria Jontak comic serials, originally published as in Hustler Comix as well as reprinted in various Hustler magazines including Brown Sugar, into a single volume. This 18+ adult genre saga follows Jontak, an intergalactic con-artist, whose appearance is inspired by 1990s CE American sex symbol, Pamela Anderson.

Publication

Battlestar Galactica, Season II

1. Issue 1: The Law of Volahd, Part 1 (2 alternate covers)
2. Issue 2: The Law of Volahd, Part 2
3. Issue 3: Prison of Souls, Part 1 (2 alternate covers)
4. Issue 4: Prison of Souls, Part 2
5. Issue 5: Prison of Souls, Part 3

Battlestar Galactica, Season III

1. Issue 1: No Place Like Home (3 alternate covers)
2. Issue 2: Hades Hath No Fury (4 alternate covers)
3. Issue 3: Fire in the Sky (3 alternate covers)

The New Millennium

1. Fear of Flying / Favorite Son / Tales of the Pegasus: Chapter One, Daddy’s Girl (3 alternate covers)

Eve of Destruction

1. Prelude I: Nostalgie De La Boue / Prelude II: Daughter of Elysium

Search For Sanctuary

1. Search For Sanctuary, Part 1
2. Search For Sanctuary Special Edition

1999 Tourbook

1. Dark Genesis (3 alternate covers)

Battlestar Galactica Special Edition

1. Centurion Prime (2 alternate covers)

Gallery Special

1. The Care and Feeding of Your Daggit / Masquerade

Cancelled one-shots

1. Colonial Technical Journal, Volume 1
2. Dire Prophecy (2 alternate covers)
3. Darkest Night (2 alternate covers)
4. Battlestar Black and White (2 alternate covers)
5. Cylon Dawn (2 alternate covers)
6. No-Man’s Land (2 alternate covers)
7. Minor Difficulties (anthology of short tales)

See also

• List of Comics