‘Green Leader’ review
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
5/5
Green Leader is one of the finest examples of a fan-created narrative I have ever read. The fact that it was inspired by a short scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is just the icing on the cake.
Return of the Jedi is the last film in the original Star Wars trilogy. During the space fleet battle between the Empire and the Rebels, there is a particular scene that many fans have questioned: the Rebels’ kamikaze X-Wing pilot who crashes his ship into the bridge of the Empire’s much larger Star Destroyer. It’s basically the equivalent of a motorcycle driving into the windshield of a semi-truck. The reason this scene has puzzled people is because there’s no apparent cause for it since the X-Wing wasn’t shot down.
Apparently this sacrifice without a cause wasn’t enough for artist and writer Daniel Warren Johnson, who took it upon himself to create a tearjerker that he offers to the masses for free via his website Space-Mullet.com
Green Leader is a short, 11-page comic detailing the events for two Rebel pilots prior to and during the battle. Despite the fact that no dialogue appears throughout the entire thing, Johnson still manages to create an emotional, linear narrative that is enough to make readers cry. I honestly felt for these characters.
When I first encountered Green Leader I found the art to be a bit messy. Stylistically, it is fairly classical for a comic, but Johnson takes his detailing to the next level with high contrast and cross-hatching. As I read on, I found myself truly enjoying the aesthetic, especially when it got to the battle scenes.
Needless to say, I highly recommend this. Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, this is a shining example of the perfect way to do a short story.
