Splinter of the Mind’s Eye – Part 25
New to Blue Milk Special? Start reading from the beginning!
Hmm… Vader is suddenly in an Imperial Shuttle instead of a TIE fighter? The explanation is simply that we honestly D.G.A.S. ;= This is an absurd webcomic after all? Do you really expect tight continuity? I mean, most of our gags derive from plot holes in the first place. Can’t we make our own? ;=
I had thought about a strip featuring Vader and a TIE pilot suddenly piloting the shuttle as it prepares its descent, and having Vader being silly in some way or other. It might have worked, but we are going to stick to the script and simply speed up its delivery instead of deviating any further. 🙂
Oh! But what is this? BMS on a Tuesday? Why… it’s been a while since we posted more than 3 per week… But what does that mean for tomorrow? Indeed, for the rest of the week? Is something happening at last?
You can’t help but notice the gorgeous Imperial Shuttle in the background of today’s strip. When we first started BMS we had to rely upon vectorized movie stills and such to provide the detail that we simply didn’t have the time (and often the skill) to illustrate ourselves. Then it struck me how useful just a few turnaround shots of the various Star Wars vehicles would improve this weak chink in our armor. Enter Geoffrey Padilla, BMS reader and fellow artist who was just delving into 3D art at the time. I told Geoffrey that we needed simple dumbed down cel-shaded renders to fit with the cartoon style of BMS and he delivered! We now have a library of Star Wars spacecraft and vehicles to help give the strip a flourish. With Empire Strikes Back on the horizon you can expect to see some new ships and vehicles popping up over the next few months, all courtesy of Geoffrey’s astounding work.
From 3D computer animation, to 3D paper modeling we are blessed with very creative readers. T. Gatto is our resident paper milk carton designer. Today we’re releasing the R2D2 milk carton with more to follow over the next few weeks. We’d love to see photos of the finished works. You can find more in our downloads section linked in the menu above the strip (along with helpful instructions). Thanks to T. Gatto for designing these great little fan made collectibles!
Download and make your own Blue Milk Special R2D2 milk carton!
dangit! I should’ve kept my mouth shut! :S
Just say the TIE Fighter is parked beside the shuttle.
It was actually our intention that this would be a deliberate continuity mistake, in that we wanted Vader to arrive inexplicably in a different vehicle to demonstrate how unimportant tight continuity really is to BMS. Heh heh! 🙂
Oh man, all of these renders make me want to see [i]my[/i] favorite ship, but it’d never happen. 😛
Which ship would that be? Chances are I already had Geoffrey apply his talents to it! 🙂
The Moldy Crow. The best ship EVER.
Well, at least in my opinion. I’m also real critical about remakes of it. :/ That ship has made quite the impression on me. It’s basically my Millennium Falcon, if you catch my drift.
This site is going so well now, and you have wonderful support!
Your Vader’s so lackadaisical. I was just thinking about the original Vader yesterday and about what an awful life he had. No fun whatsoever. Just work – work – work… all serious. Incredible work ethic. I mean we all like a bit of downtime in our working day. Chat in the canteen, quick facebook posts. What’s his life like? He’s like a really dedicated, selfless clergyman (except evil). Literally following a vocation. If he was truly, simply evil he’d be deriving some enjoyment from killing people at least. He must have been bloody delighted when he knew he was going to snuff it.
Boring Tech Query:
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Does Geoffrey export the 2D images from a 3D model to order – or do you have the 3D software and 3D files yourself?
The former. The only 3D modeling software I have is poser, if you can even call it that, and I don’t really know how to use it. I wish I had the time to learn, but I’m not sure I’d have the time to become good enough to really make money out of it. I had contemplated doing a webcomic in 3D (original idea, not Star Wars) and then rendering it in a cell-shaded cartoon style to make it look more 2D. What’s the point then, you ask? Because it would be a way of making a 2D comic with consistent anatomy and hopefully with a faster production time in the long term. But, as I’ve implied, don’t really have the time for it. Leanne and I are at a point in our lives where we really need to start finding a way to make actual money to support ourselves from our creative abilities. Comics is a shrinking, dying industry. You’d have to be amazing to be able to live off that medium alone. I have a childrens’ novel that has been going nowhere for 7 years, and Leanne and I have a illustrated childrens’ book series which is moving VERRRRRY slowly. Ramble ramble. Will shut up now.
Well at least you’re trying. All helps you move in the right direction.
Thanks for the tech info. I’ve never managerd to learn 3D stuff either.
I was actually looking at the beautiful background in this strip, but yes the ship is very nice.
O.M.G. You like the background? LOL. That’s quite a compliment considering how small of a component it is to the strip itself. It is nice and colorful. Perhaps its the transition from practically black cave backgrounds that is getting you?
I dont think so. I always liked the BMS backgrounds but this one seems particularly good.
I’ll have to agree, the background in this trip is gorgeous.
I like it also. Very leafy. I can’t remember seeing many other foresty backgrounds so far.
Woot! Woot! Vader in the strip!! Woot, Woot!! Yeah I haven’t really slept much so I’m going to blame that comment on that…….
He is fun, isn’t he? 🙂
That is a lovely ship. I can’t decide if leia or vader make this comic more; the way he basfully focuses on hid drink is adorable. I think the only thing missing for me is Biggs swinging in with a one-liner!
You just wait. Leia and Vader have a fight later. I guess it will be like a headliner at Wrestlemania or something.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
I think as punishment Neil Baker should hang a Doughnut from the ceiling of Capt. Grammel’s office and make him jump for it.
He’d give the fat kid in the motivational video a run for the money, and we already know he can jump.
Love the shuttle. There is a free paper model download for an expert card modeler that looks better than the plastic ones.
I would not even attempt it yet. I will try to find the link.
As always, Rod and Leanne, thanks for posting my cartons.
Thanks for contributing them! 🙂
Man, I am so under-using that fat kid…
I agree.
As funny as the video short was, I know at least a few kids (and more than a few adults) who could bennefit from such a vigerous and cruel workout program.
Interestingly, as an aside, the old president of my former college, Martha Kanter, loved the donut short and requested a copy for herself for her own diet motivation. She was then appointed by President Obama as U.S. Under Secretary of Education. Perhaps she will apply the message there – LOL.
I am eating a doughnut while reading your fabulous suggestion! lol
Found it!
Anyone interrested in building models (or who has a lot of free time) check this out.
16 Awsome Star Wars paper Craft models
(including; an Imperial Shuttle; R-D2; and The Falcon)
I Give it 5 stars and it’s free.
http://www.creativecloseup.com/16-awesome-star-wars-papercraft-models
Those are brilliant T. My son would them!
You had me laughing out loud at the abbreviation D.G.A.S. I’ve never seen it abbreviated before, and really, abbreviating it further underscores your stance. Not even enough energy to devote to writing out the actual words, that’s how much you D.G.A.S.
That Imperial shuttle is teh sexxay! BRAVO to Geoffrey Padilla and his great work on all those vehicles! Can’t wait to see what else he contributed!
I’ve used that abbreviation a couple of times. You’re right. It does help emphasize my general apathy, doesn’t it? ;=
Yes, that shuttle is something of a Maserati or Mercedes of spacecraft. Who wouldn’t want one? Just think, you could set up a hose pipe at the top of the landing ramp and make a water slide for the kids. 🙂
This is terrific – Geoffrey’s ship design is clean and tight and quite smashing, the backgrounds are gorgeous and the figures crack me up… inspiring stuff.
And was it just me, or did Vader deliver his lines in the voice of ED-209?
And my final round of kudos go to T.Gatto for a brilliant milk carton.
Ooh, I’m gushing.
Not to take anything away from Geoffrey, but he uses pre-existing models designed by other 3D modelers, and scales them down to the cell-shading rendering for me then supplies me with the poses / angles I need. Geoffrey is, as I understand, experimenting with his own original designs as a beginning 3D modeler.
R2-D2 milk carton? *squee* I love the fans of this comic. Of course, it’s a reflection of the awesomeness of BMS that the fans contribute such great stuff. I’m jealous of everyone’s artistic ability. 🙂
More is coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can neither confirm or deny that rumor.
Well that’s not true but I always wanted to say that.
I’ve made about a dozen, with 5 or 6 more in the works, but I would gladly take any suggestions.
BMS on a Tuesday? Blessed Feces, what a treat! Does this mean a change in the schedule, or even updating more frequently? I will happily embrace either one.
Love the conitnuity error! Of course, the nerd in me knows that TIE fighters aren’t orbit-to-surface ships, so they had to transfer to a shuttle to get down to the planet., anyway (Do I get dork point for knowing this?).
No way! I like the idea of the TIE fighters just magically becoming a shuttle part way through the flight. It’s just stupid enough to work in BMS. 😀
deep down they’re really Robots in Disguse =P
Ha ha ha! That almost matches the inconsistancy between the Original Trilogy and the Prequels!
ok, I have seen you use this smiley a lot… ;=. What is this? Vader winking? lol Explain please, I’m curious.
You nailed it. It’s Vader winking!
Wow. I’m surprised I got that correct. lol. Here is Yoda.
for some reason it didn’t show up…
Pal, about this new voting, I know yu don’t really like the prequels but calling them “EU” is going too far. everyone knows there are officially 6 main and primary cannon stories
Also I am not familiar with that “Jedi Academy” one. So many EU’s with that name includen. which one are you exactly reffering to?
The Kevin J Anderson Jedi Academy Trilogy with Admiral Daala and the Maw Installation.
Prequel trilogy as EU made me laugh. Typical BMS anarchy.
In Michael’s defense, there is certainly a solid argument for the Prequels being EU. They “expanded” upon the “original trilogy”. Technically, anything outside of the OT is expanded material. You can take that anyway you want. I don’t think it’s listed here to offend anyone. If I wanted to call the PT crap, I would just do so in plain English.
I still doesn’t think the PT should be defined as “EU”, Since Lucas admitted he had plans for them while making the OT. It feels as if you say old ben’s stories about the old republic, clone wars, anakin skywalker etc can’t be regardes as cannon? Or do you just treat it as one of Ben’s “lies”, such as The Vader-ani relation story? It really doesn’t matter what any of us think, as long as Lucas himself says the PT is just as much main-story and canon as the OT, he has THE final say.
PS: I also agree with Lucas view that all the palp resurrection clonings, Luke marrying mara jade and much else in the legacy/yuuzan vong etc arcs which “kills off” many of the main characters isn’t his view of a canon SW. and what’s not Canon for Lucas, isn’t canon for me, or anyone else. yes I am that blind of loyalty :3
This probably isn’t the right neighborhood to follow anything blindly. I hope that BMS readers will “think” and attempt to be as objective as we often attempt to be with the commentary nature of the webcomic strips. I think there is also an ambiguous definition of what canon means. For a long time Lucas endorsed the Expanded Universe of the 90s as canon. He then made his prequels and largely ignored them. The Original Trilogy was made by a team and was not the sole vision of Lucas. It was evolving during its production and was influenced by multiple writers, directors and producer of ANH and TESB, Gary Kurtz. Even Harrison Ford had a lot of input in the direction of his character.
In Star Wars (1977) Obi-Wan refers to the past when talking to Luke. You have to understand that until the Prequels came along, Obi-Wan’s vague reference to the past was all anyone had to go on. When Lucas finally decided to write his Prequels and set things in stone as he now envisaged them, he was expanding upon those basic ideas by turning them into a complete film narrative for the first time. Before that, they were just a few scenes and ideas in his head. Look at the way Star Wars morphed and took shape from its original drafts and the Journal of the Whills.
My point is, just because Lucas made the Prequels, and oversees The Clone Wars, it doesn’t give them precendence in importance over the Original Trilogy which is what Star Wars originally was. That means, by the most simplistic and straight forward definition that all that lies outside of the Original Trilogy story is an expansion. The Prequels may have more of an official stamp because of Lucas’ direct involvement, but Blue Milk Special has always treated the OT as the defining core of Star Wars around which everything else revolves in some way.
Black mustache brown hair?
What made you think it was a mustache? Its a slug.
Do i Sense a Blackadder Referances there?
A la Balderic?
This video reminded me of what you all were talking about yesterday. http://io9.com/5691703/the-talk-when-is-it-time-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-star-wars#comments
Vader had to change ships because the magnetic field that brought Luke and Leia down would have done the same to his Tie fighter. 😉
This page made me laugh out loud.