Parody
I’ve talked about it on podcasts, I’ve talked about in our blogs and in our FAQ, but for the love of Lucas, we do not intentionally take anything from anyone else! We didn’t just show up last year, we’ve been doing this parody for four years now. Similarities happen because we are all working from the same source material. It’s called Star Wars. I probably shouldn’t be wasting my time with BMS, pouring the hours into it that apparently is not evident by the full color art, but I do it because Star Wars meant something to me in my childhood.
So, to spend five minutes on this page and make a snap judgment about us and voice those ill-formed thoughts without even investigating by, oh I don’t know, actually looking around a little longer at what we’re doing, is rude and makes you look like an idiot. This is why comments are moderated on this site. At least the spam bots aren’t accusing us of stealing.
Specifically, the backgrounds in this strip are either retouched and vectorized still images that I’ve taken from the movies themselves, or original pieces contributed by Thomas Gatto made from scratch with graphics software. To be told we’re taking Family Guy backgrounds is bizarre! I don’t even understand where that comes from?
I am fed up with being compared to Robot Chicken and Family Guy. BMS preceded Family Guy’s “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” by 11 months and Robot Chicken had only just brought out their Empire Strikes Back parody when we debuted. But I scripted 300+ strips before the first BMS strip was ever published in February 2009, all the way through to the end of Return of the Jedi. If I could have made all of those strips in a few months and published 1 per day, I still wouldn’t have finished our parody by the end of 2009 because I’ve expanded on those strips as we’ve progressed. I’ve fleshed out certain scenes as new ideas came to us. We are currently at 450+ strips and only just finishing Empire Strikes Back.
If you THINK we’re ripping people off, then just go somewhere else, but be content that you didn’t pay a single penny to read anything here on this site, and that it wasn’t done by a production studio. We’re just two people, a husband and wife and BMS is something we squeeze into our week because it’s usually a rewarding experience sharing our take on Star Wars with the world.
So I moderate comments, but I still see them all. Little know-it-alls who don’t understand comedy whose first reaction is “why is there a Sandcrawler on the ice?”, to people who have nothing better to do than to nitpick logic holes in a parody that is supposed to make as much sense as anything Monty Python or ZAZ have produced. I know some of our gags aren’t hilarious, and that some only work for the uber geek Star Wars fan, but we have to go with what makes US laugh first and foremost. If you like it then stay on board. The person who made the comment is a first time commenter, so relax, it’s not you! In this case we were also being accused of ripping off Darths & Droids, another Star Wars parody webcomic. Incidentally, I don’t read Darths & Droids, but I hear it is good.
It seems, I either get used to these comments, or I stop Blue Milk Special and do something else.
I should add that last Friday saw over 8000 unique IP address visits and 30,000+ page loads in a single day, which I believe is a record for Blue Milk Special. Perhaps it is inevitable that we will get the haters coming in when we have such a busy day. A big thank you to all the comments in support of BMS below. You guys perk Leanne and myself up. Thank you!
Just to add another one, I too love BMS, and await for it to show up in my feed each week. Keep up the good work. Maybe you need a Dewback cloak to ward off all the hate.
Haters gonna hate, no help for it. You know they are idiots, so forget ’em.
Black Betty made me chuckle. 🙂
I really enjoy BMS. I want you to keep doing it. I want you to complete it and then keep on doing it with JJ Abrams version comes out. It’s great.
Don’t listen to anybody that has no sense of humor.
For those that think Seth or Seth did it first, there is a pretty good chance that MAD or Cracked did it before they did – since their parodies came out concurrently with the movies.
I happen to enjoy SW parodies. However, I often find places where I would have used a different line, or gone a different direction. So the more the merrier as far as I’m concerned.
Rod, Leanne, please keep it coming. BMS is an essential part of my webcomic diet. (And better than any live-action SW in the last two decades).
Long-time reader, first-time commenter. I love BMS!!! Ignore the haters, uninitiated and the ignorant! Enough said?
Please don’t get discouraged by stupid people more excited to catch someone “stealing material” than taking a moment to understand that multiple people working from the same source material sometime arrive at the same joke and appreciating what the writer and artist accomplished.
Even your strip on its worst day is better than anything in the local paper on its best one.
Besides, you guys aren’t Greg Land or Tim B^Uckley.
I’ve been following BMS for some time now, have gotten my wife on board who is addicted as well, and a few friends on top of that. We all love the strip and will continue to read it as long as you keep posting it.
It brings us all smiles every day, and often, a vast hearty laugh. Each us have our “favorites” and look forward to new strips.
Star Wars has been a part of my life since I saw the first movie in the theater so many years ago. I’ve seen most parodies (going back to Hardware Wars) and yours is by far my favorite.
Cheers.
Hah! Like all of the Family Guy/Robot Chicken jokes were 100% original to begin with…
BMS forever.
Yeah. You should totally read Darths & Droids
Ah yes…gotta love the stupid. It’s everywhere. It’s times like this I give thought to the belief that people should be IQ tested before being allowed to own a computer.
Or have children, get driver’s licenses, etc.
Sorry you’re having to deal with the mentally deficient. It’s a plague to us all.
Some people just like to be jerks and try to ruin your day. Don’t let it get to you. BMS is awesome and I look forward to every new strip. Makes me laugh everytime.
What makes it even better is I can’t watch the movies now with out laughing about things you have parodied when the scene comes up.
So this is not only my first post on the site, but my first post of this type on any site ever – just saying. I’m a budding artist of sorts, and beyond anything to do with the comedy or originality of any of the strips, i can tell to some degree how much effort goes into all this – me and a friend tried a web-comic a few years back – even with black and white strips we just couldn’t pull it off! You guys are an inspiration and i wish you all the best!
Now add to that that you have one of the best star wars parodies around and i hope you guys can give yourselves a pat on the back! 🙂
Best of luck and happiness from a fan who keeps you constantly pinned to his tab bar!
I love BMS.
Have to say I don’t find Robot Chicken funny, and you’re funnier than Family Guy.
Think if you are doing anything on the Internet you have to grow a thick skin just because it give the idiots the idea they can say any crap that pops into their heads because there is no person to person contact / consequence to the comment that there would be in real life.
Well, I guess it’s better than…
“Over here! No, over here. Not there, I’m right here!
I love BMS and if I had half the drawing talent, I’d be tempted to draw SW too. There have been some totally hilarious strips. And my sketchcard is completely awesome. Thanks for all the hard work, ignore the haters, and please keep it coming!
I don’t know how anybody can resist loving this site and your great work!! I love the heck out if it!! It made me laugh out loud when I was having trouble finding a smile. The artwork is great and the writing toally funny. You are wonderful and I hope you keep going and going and going and….well, you know what I mean.
People should get an IQ check before commenting.
I seriously get excited whenever I see that you guys have updated and honestly? There’s really nothing new under the sun. So to accuse you of stealing from other people, apart from being blatantly false, is stupid. Especially when you’re working with such a large, often parodied and quoted universe. It’s bound to happen, and people need to gtfo if they don’t like it.
Meanwhile, I think y’all are hilarious.
I’m also a long time reader, first time commentator. I look forward to reading BMS and reread from the beginning on slow days at home.
I also follow Darths and Droids, to say they are rip offs of each other is not only absurd, it also misses the point of parody. The only similarity is they are humourous take offs of SW. BMS is a parody ‘alternate SW universe’ if you like, whilst Darths and Droids is a parody of Dungeons and Dragons based on the SW characters and the movies’ visual sequences.
Rod and Leanne you make a sometimes dull week shine for a great moment. Please don’t take the idiots and declaimers seriously – you have a lot of supportive, appreciative followers.
BMS is one of my favorite comics on the internet, I stumbled upon it from a link and I’ve been keeping up ever since.
It’s a shame that people have to be so negative about stuff, just ignore them, know that we all enjoy the comic and eagerly await the next addition to the continuing parody arc! the drawing is really well done, and the story alterations are absolutely hilarious! keep up the great work!
Long-time reader, very rare commenter here. I saw “Blue Harvest” and hated it. I also hate Robot Chicken. But I love your strip, and I never would have dreamed of comparing either of the two to your strip.
I can visualize why you’re angry, but please, don’t let it get to you. You have many, many fans who appreciate your fresh and truly funny take on Star Wars, and who are enormously thankful that you two pour so much time into your labor of love!
Grr! I hate idiots! It is so easy to hide behind a keyboard and snipe. BMS rocks. Trust me, as an author I know all bout the few jerks out there who love to mouth off. Just keep making the magic that you do. I used to get angry at people who compared my funny webpages to The Onion. Um… I probably should have thanked them. But if people think you are ripping off a show that is KNOWN FOR blatantly ripping off and spoofing pop culture you should laugh. The person who is brainwashed by the corporations who feed them tripe cannot imagine that it might be YOU who was the original, that you might be stolen from, or that two people out of 7 billion just might have a similar idea at the same time.
(It has been known to happen). Keep the faith.
Just for me and my point of view, I’m really enjoying BMS and definitely look forward to each update. Hopefully you can put the negative people aside and focus on the positive ones.
I know how hard it can be to ignore the people that hate on things you create (I’m a published writer myself, so I’ve had my share of criticism and hate directed at my work), but keep up the great work you’re doing.
And just bear this thought in mind: for each positive comment, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people that like what you are doing but not saying anything.
GOT GOD’S SAKE, MAN, DON’T READ THE COMMENTS!
Seriously, though. You guys have been great for 4 years. Haters gotta hate, don’t let them get you down. For every piece of crap mail you get, there are 10 people who read and like your strip and just keep to themselves. Those page hits tell that tale nicely.
Keep on keeping on, and continue performing admirably. 😉
If I could shove my fist through my screen holding a lit bic lighter, I would, hoping that it would pop out of your big screen tv on the wall over there. No, that wall. YEAH. YOU GUYS ROCK!!! I have loved you guys since Leia smoked. And that can be either in the metal bikini on the screen, or when she started smoking in the strip here. I’ll take both, but more thank likely, I’ll end up reading “Shockaholic.”
I can’t remember whether or not I’ve commented in the past. If I did, I hope it was supportive because you deserve it.
I haven’t bothered watching “Robot Chicken”, found “Spaceballs” boring and think that the Family Guy spoofs were clever and mildly amusing.
While the humor here isn’t always to my taste, I can see and appreciate the amount of work you put into this strip and I’d definitely be disappointed if I didn’t get my bi-weekly dose of BMS. 🙂
Full speed ahead, and (err) darn the torpedoes!
I found your strip thanks to topwebcomics just a few months ago and from the first read I was hooked. I’ve spent many late nights going back to read from the beginning rather than sleeping (like now…2am). I’m one of those who reads and never comments, but after reading your blog tonight you deserve to hear from all of us non-commentors: YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!
I have the greatest respect for all webcomic creators who selflessly give all of us your hard work, humor, and creativity and make us smile.
I’m not a fan of Robot Chicken, and I have seen the Family Guy SW parody (which I did find funny), but I must say not only is BMS funnier, especially with the great twist on the characters’ personalities (Vader: “Looks like it went all the way down”) and the fun side tangents (Go Biggs!), but Leanne’s art work is infinitely more appealing to look at. I mean come on, who wants to see a fat guy with testicles for a chin? I also love the blog entries and the trivia they contain. I find them extremely interesting backstory to something I grew up with but never really knew.
I’ve told many folks to read your strip and am constantly quoting parts to people all the time. I certainly hope you keep on trucking. You guys make my day! Thank you!
As you can see, there are many, many people who agree that this webcomic is a something very funny and worth defending. To me, this strip is just a little something that adds bit more humour and fun to whatever day I turn out to be reading it. So while some people will be idiots no matter what, I want to Thank You for your efforts, and I think most of the other people reading this webcomic will agree.
I for one love the comic and would be quite happy to see it continue. I read both Darths and Droids AND BMS and thoroughly enjoy the different takes on Star Wars. Thank you for putting the time and effort into it.
Please, for your Dutch fans, do not listen to that type of people we love your work over here!
I have a novel idea for you. You could kindly point out that you appreciate that people take enough notice of your work and success in life that they feel the need to express their jealousy publicly through self-humiliation. Nothing like salting the wounds to make the trolls slither back into their caves of shame.