Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 - David Petersen
I'd seen Mouse Guard several times in bookstores and flipped through it some. When it rotated through our library I decided to take a closer look. The premise is a sort of medieval mouse society: obviously, as mice, they are in danger of all sorts of predators. Their cities are hidden and camouflaged, and the Mouse Guard does its best to protect merchants and travelers in between cities.
But in the fall of 1152, there is a plot. Three of the guard, Lieam, Kenzie, and Saxon, discover a map of the city Lockhaven on a dead merchant mouse, and realize that somebody is selling secrets. Their investigations lead them to The Axe, an army led by a mysterious figure who wants to overthrow the mouse ruler Gwendolyn.
The illustrations are wonderful, with the Mouse Guard wearing cloaks that make them look a bit like they're playing Hobbit. Some of the most striking images are of some crabs by the seashore clambering over a mouse's house and attacking them: the scale turns them into enormous monsters. The story itself is engaging, though thin on details. What is The Axe's motivation and what exactly is their plan? The visuals do a lot to make the story interesting; there's a lot less dialogue than in most comics, but it doesn't feel sparse.
I'd like to see where Petersen goes from here, and how big the world he created actually is.
Fed to jonathan's brain | January 15, 2010
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