Hello Greedo
My thanks go out to Leanne for taking care of Friday’s blog and saying hello to you all. Now that I’m back I wanted to give a shout out to Hello Greedo. For those unaware, Hello Greedo is a YouTube channel giving candid opinions on Star Wars VII news as it breaks as well as Original Trilogy purist reviews of the Special Edition changes and the Prequel Trilogy.
I was won over, specifically, by Hello Greedo’s thoughts on the changes to Star Wars: A New Hope with the 1997 Special Edition. It is so nice to hear someone sticking up for cantina aliens that are cut out of the movie forever, special effects artists whose ground breaking work is now lost behind CGI retconning, or reminding us about the pointless inclusion of scenes that add nothing to the story.
Warning, the videos contain occasional NSFW language AND if you LOVE the prequels and Special Editions, then you probably won’t appreciate Hello Greedo’s perspective or cynical humor. I, however, have a lot of fun listening to rational criticism wrapped with a little creativity and humor. While I love Red Letter Media’s deconstructions of the Prequels, and Confused Matthew’s Prequel reviews, I think Hello Greedo manages it with brevity and a refreshing take that is not just another angry rant.
Hello Greedo is, of course, going to get a lot of hate mail, but as he’s pointed out, and as I too can relate, just because we don’t like something, does not mean we are part of some “Lucas raped my childhood” drama queen bandwagon. These days, Youtube channels from angry fans can spring up all the time, and I’m sure Prequel / Clone Wars and Lucas fans can justifiably feel there is a hipster bandwagon right now that has made it cool to attack the franchise that made us fans. Hello Greedo is not one of those people.
With Blue Milk Special, I’ve always tried to be respectful to Star Wars fans as a whole. Like it or not, the Prequels, the Clone Wars and the worst of the Expanded Universe, are a part of the Star Wars franchise and universe. I know what it’s like to have the things I love attacked or hated on. Rather than go to war about it, I choose to simply ignore them for the most part and focus THAT much harder on the elements of Star Wars that I love most.
One of the things that makes Blue Milk Special therapeutic is that we use humor to make our points and our love for Star Wars remains a driving force throughout the project. That’s why Red Letter Media, Confused Matthew and now Hello Greedo resonated so well with me. They package their opinions with a sense of humor, and in the case of Hello Greedo, it is an ongoing series of YouTube episodes that are short, sweet and not limited simply to reviews, but include news pieces and occasional gags. Hello Greedo is also on Facebook.
What benefits Hello Greedo more than most critics of the SEs and the Prequels is that his outrage is always overshadowed for his love of Star Wars. It’s a feeling I should be hitting on my own crusades, but seem to lack the patience to do it.
Also, the Stormtrooper helmet and Greedo masks are BAD ASS. 😀
It’s probably all dirty now. Better just get yourself a new one! 😀
hehe.
Sort of like the kinder, gentler, more PC “Greedo shot first”, eh?
That or it’s like Brockian Ultra Cricket where a player brains another player with a bludgeon, then apologizes.
“Rule Five: The players should now lay about themselves for all they are worth with whatever they find to hand. Whenever a player scored a “hit” on another player, he should immediately run away as fast as he can and apologize from a safe distance. Apologies should be concise, sincere, and, for maximum clarity and points, delivered through a megaphone. “
Hahaha! Oh, Vader! How I love you. First he throw his coffee mug at Luke (did it survive?), then he cut his hand off and apologize for it! Quick! If you hurry you might have a chance to save the hand and give it back to your son. 😉
(Btw. Vader’s lines get so much better if you read them in a british english accent).
Hahaha! Very good. I totally see Vader apologizing and gazing down after the hand. Well done, Leanne and Rod! 😀
Awesome strip today.
As a Greedo freak, I guess I should be all over Hello Greedo, but I really cannot watch or read anyone else bashing the saga, albeit lovingly and with humor.
I guess that makes me an asshole.
Come on now… what kind of talk is that? There are two flavors of Star Wars, and just like ice cream, not everyone will like both Vanilla and Chocolate. Hell, there’s even neopolitan, and soon to be Disney flavored, Lucas-free ice cream… er Star Wars. BMS has always been in a purist spirit so I’m always going to pimp out someone that shares many of my views, but all fans with a sense of humor are most welcome here so don’t feel turned off. I… I need you Neil. We’re only months away from Salacious Crumb making his official debut in BMS!
Sorry.
I’ll have another cup of coffee.
BTW – sorry for delay, xmas got in the way – figures boxed and ready to send.
Thanks, man! You’ll be the first to get the new BMS Cantina print when we finish it!
Ooh – now that’s got me smiling.
Ah hell – time to take the stick out of my arse and visit Hello Greedo. There’s a New years resolution right there 🙂
Well, the special edition changes and the news updates are probably safe. But given your tastes, I’d avoid his prequel vids.
I know how you feel. Opinions doesn’t matter. Look at me. I’ll (slightly) defend the prequels but I refuse to accept eu novels like the yuuzahn vong, legacy and all that as canon. In all the ridicilous underrating of prequels and overrating of originals, people get so heated up they forget that as a group of movies among many, the PT aren’t that much worse and the OT isn’t that much better. Never let anyone fool you into thinking the liking/disliking of either one is the “major fanbase” or “a fact”. I completely agree we can do without bullshit like that. I probably won’t watch this mentioned channel, but I hope he is this more of a humoristic constructive critisism than just a pure hater. I once stumbled across such a video on YT. the man’s argumant was, in a nutshell, giving the figner in every scene to a bunch of unopened PT/CW action figures. If you hate it, why the heck buy it? just so you can show ppl how much you hate them? messed I say…
I agree, we need to accept that Star Wars is what it has become. But let me make a comparison. To me, Star Wars is like a woman you fall in love with. Only, several years later she gets her boobs done and a lot of cosmetic surgery and her personality changes.
Now, I loved Star Wars, but it is no longer recognizable as the thing I fell for. It has hints… faint shades at best… but it’s impossible for me to have the same feelings for it in the present. This is true for me with a lot of franchises. I like the principal and concept of Spider-Man, Doctor Who, etc, but over the years these franchises have gone through so many changes of hands and changes of direction that continuity is either a joke, or the franchise is no longer the thing I fell in love with.
So I accept that this is now the fate of all famous brands / franchises due to the world of merchandising and big business entertainment. I accept that that there are going to be versions and iterations of the thing that captured my heart which I can no longer relate to. I don’t like it, but am I going to waste a lot of energy going on a metaphorical march, waving a placard and channeling that disappointment into something melodramatic like a sense of betrayal? No. I have a life and not enough time to cry about Star Wars or any other work of fiction.
I disagree with you that the OT isn’t that great, however. We would never have made Blue Milk Special if we, for even a second, thought that the original Star Wars films weren’t classics that were incredibly special and wonderfully made films. It inspired us to care as much as we do about its characters and story and resulted in 450+ strips over 4 years. That is a LOT of hours of personal time devoted simply to celebrating anything.
The bottom line for any film, is the story. In this regard, the OT is a brilliant fairy tale set in space and follows the mythic patterns espoused by Joseph Campbell with a skill and intimacy that has yet to be repeated. So, don’t expect to make that case that the ground that separates the PT and OT is not quite so wide while in this neck of the woods! 🙂 They are VERY differently told stories and that is what happens when one trilogy is the result of a collaborative creative effort, while the other is not.
What I do, out of respect to readers who are fans of the PT or CW, is to simply not talk about them as much as possible. I’d ask the same in return. You don’t come to BMS for PT references, after all. You come to BMS because the OT is the common ground you share with it’s creators. 🙂
I didn’t mean they’re bad in the way you mean when you enjoy watching a movie I’m talking how they’re techincally was made, the OT wasn’t given much quality. here read this http://ie.ign.com/articles/2012/02/10/in-defense-of-star-wars-episode-i it’s true the story is a classic, and like this article say, if the OT didn’t have it’s story, no one would really think it was great. in fact, the PT pulls through more unscathed “without a story” than if the OT didn’t have a story. I agree with what this guy says, people bitch so much, they fail to see the many good points of the PT and how many errors there actually were in the OT. I like what one of the comments on this article said “a true sw fan watches all 6 movies and enjoys them”. I’m not talking sides in the OT vs PT war, because, in my exoierence, they are both wrong :p
also remember that i have said i grew up with my dad’s vsh-taped OT as much as my special edition vsh of ep1. it is true that the generation gap isn’t the only or biggest reason in the issue.
I hate that line: “true Star Wars fans enjoy ALL Star Wars”. That’s just shit. It’s as divisive as people attacking the PT or the OT. It’s the mentality that “I am right, you are wrong”. I prefer to accept I like what I like, and you (meaning whoever) likes what they like, but that we have common ground where our interests crossover and I respect that without trying to beat my chest and say “I must be a true fan!”
Like I said, I LOVE the Original Trilogy, but I don’t love ALL Star Wars just because it has the brand on it. That doesn’t make my level of love for the OT any less or greater than a fan of “all Star Wars”, because who can judge that? It’s tiring listening to fandom, sometimes.
It is so hard to think of BMS Vader as the bad guy, he is so awesome!
As for the reviews, I welcome them, even if they don’t agree with my overall sentiments, as long as they use reason and not drama to make their points.
“So nice to hear” *some* people sticking up for the original trilogy? Man, I can barely find anyone at all who prefers the updated Special Editions to the original unaltered trilogy. Curious where you’ve seen people who defend them over the Original editions. 🙂
I was looking forward to these strips! Can’t wait for the Big Reveal…..
cheers,
Phil
Just check the Youtube comments on Hello Greedo’s videos about the Special Edition changes. Some people even say they prefer them. It’s amazing. As younger generations grow older, the balance shifts.
I grew up with the original versions of Empire and Jedi, but overall I prefer the ’97 SE of them. 🙂 I just like the clearer colors and such, while they have avoided making too many changes to the actual scenes. (I’ll disregard the Han – Greedo ANH scene here).
Wasn’t quite as fond of the ’04 changes. Hayden in Jedi? Just no. But I don’t hate the changes. I just see them as one option among many when it comes to viewing the movies.
Is Hello Greedo Dave Dameshek?
“Ultimately, I didn’t put you on this podcast, you put you on this podcast, let it begin!” Shame!
I don’t know who you’re talking about, but I’m pretty sure his name isn’t Dave.
Guess you’d have to be a football fan to know..
Anyhew… “Oh my god! I’m so sorry son.. Erm I mean Luke..” 😉
Poor Luke – that really hurt!
Hello to the other Phil C. on BMS!
Whoa! 2 Phil C’s I can only take 1!
Welcome other Phil C!
It’s going to get confusing around here!
The original Phil C will hereforth be known as Phil C1, and the new one is Phil C2. A third one will be Phil C3PO.
Will a Phil C4 blow up?
PhilC2shiningC
Please tell me your last name isn’t Carter. 🙂
cheers,
Phil
LOL!! Thanks for the Monday morning laugh… for some reason I hear Stewie’s voice from Family Guy as Darth Vader on this strip… still hilarious though! 😀
Just found your site the other day and finished your ANH comics. Fantastic job. You all are doing wonderful things with your comics! Shared your website with all my friends.
I’ve reread this strip every day this week and I still laugh every time at “all the way down!”
hello, newman
..er. Greedo