Four Color Comics

Are you a sucker for small, cute mammals wielding swords? If so, then you should check out David Petersen’s Mouse Guard. If not, well, you might want to give it a look anyway.

It’s published by Archaia Studios Press, which is Mark Smylie’s imprint for his fantasy drama series Artesia (which I’ve been reading since near the beginning). Archaia has published a few other titles which have looked interesting in Previews, but which I haven’t read. Mouse Guard is the one that got me to pick it up.

The Mouse Guard are the soldiers who protect the mouse nation against enemies internal and external. Yes, it’s an anthropomorphic comic book, but it’s a good one.

Each chapter of the to-be-6-issues mini-series (3 have been published) follows the unravelling of a conspiracy of traitors against the realm. In issue one, a trio of mice - Lieam, Kenzie and Saxon - discover the conspiracy, and in issue two another mouse - Sadie - learns of it from another avenue. In the third chapter, the original trio investigate the conspiracy in the town of Barkstone, and things take a turn for the worse.

While the set-up seems fairly prosaic, it does distinguish itself in some ways: Lieam, Kenzie and Saxon have difficulty working together: in particular Saxon is quite the loose cannon. Although the story is set in a fairly straightforward medieval world, the presence of other creatures which threaten the mice adds an unusual stripe to the tale’s brand of fantasy.

Petersen’s artwork is simple but appealing, focusing more on the dynamics of the characters than on lush backgrounds. The comic is in color and is in an odd 8×8 format (get out those magazine bags to store ‘em!), with large panels. The characters are differentiated mainly through their clothes and the color of their fur, so sometimes it’s a little confusing keeping track of who’s who. Reading several issues at once may make it easier to keep track of the cast.

Petersen’s art style overall strikes an interesting balance between large, lavish panels and minimalist layouts. Archaia’s products always seem to have some of the best coloring in the industry, which adds depth where the linework perhaps oversimplifies. There’s more detail there than it seems at first glance.

(click for larger image)

I’m a fan of nicely drawn, quirky comics which entertain while hinting at more depth beyond the immediate story in question, and Mouse Guard meets these criteria well enough. As with any mini-series, it’ll take all six issues to tell whether it’s truly a success, but the first half is promising. If it sounds like your cup of tea, then check it out.

ASP publishes short previews of many of their books, and you can find a preview for Mouse Guard there; scroll to the bottom for links to the sample pages.