Greedo’s Cousins
If you’ve been reading the strip then you’ll be familiar with our version of Jabba the Hutt… or Jabba Declan as we call him. Just to recap: George Lucas originally filmed a scene with Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt for Star Wars in 1976. He had planned to use special effects to replace the stand in (played by Declan Mulholland) with a more monstrous appearance, however the money and the effects just didn’t happen and so the scene was omitted from the final cut. I always felt this original scene worked better than the later CGI re-insertion for the Special Edition. I like to imagine Declan as simply one of Jabba’s top cronies, despite the fact Han addresses him as Jabba. In any case, for BMS we tried something of a “what if” when we did our Docking Bay 94 Jabba scenes using the Declan version and passing him off as the REAL Jabba. Long story short, we liked something about this take on Jabba who was uniquely our own, much like our Biggs is unique to BMS. This version will be sticking around for a while.
Greedo’s cousins were a lot of fun to write. I came up with this next series of strips early this year and they would have concluded our Interquel material between Star Wars and the Holiday Special. We sat on these strips for a while but finally they’re making their debut. Without them there would simply be no new strips for the rest of this month. Life has caught up to us again and that means putting together the necessary strips for Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and, inevitably, The Empire Strikes Back is going to take significant time to prepare. Thus, “Greedo’s Cousins” is a story arc that we hope will keep our most devoted readers happy for the meantime.
This new story arc and its direction will become clearer next week when the other key players are introduced to the story: Boba Fett, Han and Chewie.
Star Wars: Celebration V has begun. Although we couldn’t make the show, both Joshua (Shadow Stormtrooper) and Paul (Smoking Jawa) are there with the Rebel Legion and the 501st Legion doing their part to hand out our exclusive FREE promo cards. If you are attending the show PLEASE look for them and say hi. It’s not easy wandering around in a costume and a mask for long periods at a time and being stopped for photographs every few feet. Let them know you’re a BMS reader and pick up a free promo card.
Paul: I’ll be at the Rebel Legion booth twice each day (thurs and fri). The “Smoking Jawa” will be the 5:30-7 pm appearances. Will have both on me as far as Postcards/Flyers….Bring family and friends and get some. Cameras if you have them. I’m also gonna be all over (LFL family room, RL/501 pool party,RL photo shoot, The wretched Hive Photo shoot, R2 builders room throughout CV I’m sure, etc.)
If you will be attending Celebration V please don’t forget to share your photos with our Facebook fan page.
Still want to get your hands on a promo BMS card? A second batch of will be on hand at Baltimore Comic Con on Sat-Sun August 28-29 and New York Comic Con on Fri-Sun October 8-10. We will be at both shows and may have a few other Blue Milk Special goodies for those who don’t want us to feel lonely and dejected. 😉
Is the Biggs swash buckling going to be in this series of strips or is that much later ?
Greedo’s 25 cousins: Areedo, Breedo, Creedo, Dreedo, Ereedo, Freedo, Hreedo, Ireedo, Jreedo, Kreedo etc etc …
The only way to tell any of them apart is by the different colour waistcoat / vest they’re wearing 🙂
Will you be doing the Bounty Hunters Solo runs into on Ord Mandell, as mentioned in ESB?
In ESB – the film itself? I don’t remember that.
It was when Leia was tying to get Han to stay, she says something like
“I thought you decided to stay?!”
then Han says “Ya well that bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mandell changed my mind!”
Oh! I never heard that bit. Perhaps Ford mumbled it.
Yeah, Ford did deliver the line in passing, but it was enough for Archie Baldwin and Marvel Comics to turn into a flashback story. This was then adapted into an audio adventure in 1983 with an altered storyline and antagonist.
What about Doc, Dopy, Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Itchy, Scratchy, Sam, Frodo, Pippin, Marry, Flotsum, Jetsum, and the Rodian formerly known as Prince?
I have an old 1970 vinal album with a track of Hans Encounter with the Bounty Hunter at Orb Mandell. If you have not had the pleasure of listening to it you are not missing much!
I like these “just off camera” segments, they should include some of kenner’s mini rigs that were made to appear like they should have been in the film, but did not make the final cut. Any plans on referencing the action figures, or vintage collectables?
I listened to the audio book of the Ord Mantell adventure (a retelling that completely rewrites the comic version… both by Archie Goodwin) from 1983 just a couple of weeks ago. It’s pretty dull. Too much talking about what the heroes are planning to do and not much actually “doing”. Plus the way Han overcomes the bounty hunter is a bit of a joke considering his supposed reputation. I guess, judging by this audio book version of the Ord Mantell bounty hunter AS WELL AS Boba Fett, it doesn’t take much to make a good reputation in the Star Wars universe.
Re: references the vintage action figures, sure. I regret having not used the term Walrus Man for Ponda Baba instead. Perhaps I can GL Special Edition that. 😉
Well in a galaxy where everybody has a gun and old men shoot lightning from there fingertips surviving for more that 20 years is and accomplishment.
Thanks for today’s strip folks.
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Well, I finally steeled myself – took courage and watched the last bit of the ‘Holiday Special’. Actually – it’s probably the best of the live action bits. Or is it just that it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared?
Didn’t see Billy dee. Carrie’s voice is pretty decent. Isn’t it amazing though, the depths human beings will bring themselves in order to make a living? And that roll of shame at the end. The director, producer and the team – yes TEAM – of ‘writers’ must be scouring the planet with portable incinerators…
Still, it was a nice time-jump back to childhood. I really can see myself aged 10, sat in the dark living room squirming uncomfortably through it all.
So, that said of its saving graces: was the Bacca family suicide pact at the end really necessary?
John, the Billy Dee appearance was in the YouTube music video link that Sam posted… not the Holiday Special.
Okee-dokee
and that link was awesome…
I can only suppose that Chewie was reminiscing over the best parts of his life near the end – you know, when the production team had given up trying to find a way of concluding the monstrosity.
He even fondly remembers the 3D ‘chess’ game. I was half expecting to see a bottle of beer or a squeaking rubber dog-bone fade in and out.
Lime-flavored gummies. you sir, have given the next money-sucking idea from star wars! star wars gummies!
Getting ready to suit up and head back to the con, should be there until around 5 or so. You can usually find me hanging somewhere close to the 501st room. I will be patrolling the floor a little though.
Looking forward to the photos! A Shadow Stormtrooper must be hard to miss. Unless you keep to the shadows!
DJV live from CV……Ran into a few BMS fans and having a blast. Joshua has great pics….Got a few…Had a few BMS people take a photo with the Smoking Jawa Himself!!!!!! FOLKS LOVED THE CARDS. BMS definitely needs to hit the next big SW bash live and in person. Love Peace and Ewok Grease!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Speaking of the Jawa when is he coming back ?
Lucas just announced a Blue-Ray Box with a deleted seen where Luke makes his lightsaber !
Woohoo! That clip we posted on the FaceBook page looks awesome! That would have been a great way to have begun ROTJ.
I wish I could order a “Special Special Edition” of Star Wars movies so I can pick and choose what parts I want. I like some of the special edition seen of the movies like the new Death Star explosion and the Jaba seen (its that the correct spelling ?) but I don’t like most of the others like the introduction to Mos-Isley or the new Ewok song and I love this seen (hopefully there are more like it).
My only problem with this seen is that it still dose not tell me where he got it.
What software do you two use to draw BMS ?
The linework (inks) are down by pen and paper by Leanne. We then scan it and use Photoshop to tidy the lineart and color it using multiple layers. Sometimes I’ll draw something directly in photoshop… usually the art that looks a bit sloppy will be mine. I did create Thalassa Tarkin myself entirely in photoshop. She’s one of the few original pieces not drawn by Leanne, but by myself, that I’m proud of.
Yeah, what a babe 😉
Maybe Biggs and Jabba Declan should have some kind of side adventure together.
It’s always possible, but the question is how committed our readership is. We are very much aware that much of our popularity is owed to our direct parodying, scene-by-scene of the movies that everyone knows. There are a few more Jabba strips coming up in the next three weeks, but no Biggs or Smoking Jawa for a while. Depending on how well Jabba is received I will give more thought to the idea of Jabba and Biggs.
That sounds ilk the best side comic/tv show idea ever.
There is just no way Lucas intended to replace Jabba Declan with sfx, because it would not have been shot the way it was if that was the case. If he’s claimed as much, that was only to justify the work in the SE, I’m sure. I mean, even the SE replacements are only barely passable, and that only became possible more than a quarter decade after the release of the original movie.
I think the scene was simply cut for time/pacing, and then the new Jabba was created a few years later. I think your decision to stick with the original guy is great.