Mouse Guard: Fall 1152
Ever wonder how mice travel from place to place without getting eaten or lost? In David Petersen’s vibrant Eisner Award winning graphic novel, the first in a series based on the comic book with the same name (and fame), we are introduced to the Mouse Guard. An organized band of fearless warrior mice, the Guard is made up of “escorts, pathfinders, weather watchers, scouts and body guards” intent on protecting their charges from danger. The detailed endpapers present a map of the Mouse Territories (circa 1150) so that the reader can follow along as the cloaked heroes Kenzie, Saxon, Sadie and Lieam protect the town of Lockhaven from a megalomaniac mouse determined to commit treason. Along the way they battle the shifting elements, as well as fearsome snakes, carnivorous crabs, and a (mouse) house-destroying fire.
A variety of exciting extras follow the story, including histories of the main towns and a list of common mouse trades. Appealing to any child or adult with an interest in history (Medieval or otherwise), anthropomorphic animals, fantasy role-playing games or comic books, this beautifully illustrated hardcover is an essential addition to any graphic novel or contemporary book-art collection.
Mouse Guard’s only drawback is that Petersen’s intaglio and relief prints, highlighted with fantastic autumnal colors, tend to overshadow the sometimes awkward storyline. The reader feels as if Petersen spent much more time developing the meticulous images and Mouse Guard world and less time on formulating a plot that does his imaginings justice. Mouse Guard is so visually compelling that it is required to be presented in a graphic format (it would also make a terrific movie). Very young readers might find the physically almost-indistinguishable multiple characters and limited dialogue difficult to follow and would be advised to pay close attention to the fur and cape colors of the mice, so as to not get them confused. The text’s “old-timey” vocabulary may alienate some juvenile readers: “The axe itself was forged into being by the blacksmith Farrer. His family having been slain by predators whilst weaponless.” Most unfamiliar terms, such as “parapets” and “portcullis,” are discernible through their visual representations, if one knows where to look. For these reasons, as well as the violent nature of the storyline, recommended for ages 9 and up.
