By Anthony Biondi (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: February 29, 2012
Relatively unknown, yet remarkably brilliant, David Petersen’s world of Mouse Guard is an entertaining read for graphic novel enthusiasts and fantasy readers alike. Previously there have been two other books in the series of comics (compiled collections of bi-monthly comic publications). Mouse Guard takes place within a pseudo-medieval setting, with a league of mice, known as the Mouse Guard, that protect the kingdom from predators and invaders. The mice themselves live as they do in our own world, within hollowed trees or among the grasses of fields, and suffer their natural predators, such as birds, snakes, owls and so on. Their daily struggles have been the continuing theme of previous iterations of the series. However, in this most recent hardbound publications Petersen has decided to let other artists and writers take up the pen and continue his world – he personally hand-picked a series of authors and artists to write him a number of tales to compile into a comic series. Petersen has his hand, though, and cameos his beautiful art and writing in this book as he introduces each of the stories told by the other authors.
This tale takes place in the June Alley Inn, as mice from different walks of life compete to tell the most provocative or entertaining tale for nothing more than a relief on their accumulating drinking tabs. Drunks, soldiers and bards come together to tell their tales and best the others. Each of their stories is told by a different writer and artist, bringing a unique and fun feel to the reader. There is a little bit of everything for everyone, from serious tales to comedy and just plain silliness. They touch on survival and glory, where mice fight against birds and outsmart weasels. Each is told from a unique style, ranging from moody and heavy in writing to no writing at all. It had been released previously as individual bi-weekly comic books before coming together into one hardbound volume, but for the amount of money it costs (and for graphic novels it is generally a bit more) it is definitely worth the read.
Upon first read through, experiencing such varying art styles throughout the book can be a bit different. It can be hard to move from one style that is well-rendered in deep blacks and heavy mood to one that is overly cartoony with a light-hearted theme. The inn scenes try to bridge the gaps in stories together, and for the most part it does the job quite effectively. However, in a book that carries such a varying array of storytelling styles and artwork, you are bound to run into one or two stories you don’t like.
In the end, the only large disappointment with this inclusion of the Mouse Guard series is the fact that it does not continue the story of the series. In fact, none of the chief characters make any sort of appearance. In the end, this book builds the world of Mouse Guard from something great to the level of excellence it deserves.
