COMICS PORTAL: ‘Mouse Guard’ Is Back!

One of my all-time favorite comics is on the shelves once again, and boy, am I happy!

As of this past Wednesday, March 19, the world of Mouse Guard is back on the stands! This time, the mini-series is called Mouse Guard: The Dawn of the Black Axe!”

Here’s the description, as found here at MajorSpoilers.com:

The origins of the legendary Black Axe are revealed for the very first time!

In celebration of its 20th Anniversary, experience the earliest tale in Mouse Guard history…

Adventure with the ancient weapon’s first mouse wielder and champion, Bardrick, as he sets off on an epic quest in the newest installment of the Harvey Award-winning series by Mouse Guard creator David Petersen and Eisner-nominated artist Gabriel Rodriguez (Locke & Key)!

On that same page, you’ll find some previews of covers and early parts of the story, which I really enjoyed! Sadly, the book hasn’t arrived at my local comics shop yet (they come through Diamond there, and things seem to be on a bi-weekly schedule for now). I did get to read a digital version of it, though, and it rocks!

There’s an interesting paragraph on the BOOM! Studios website, and I think it sums up my feelings for this particular franchise very well: “There are few series as lauded and beloved as David Petersen’s Eisner Award-winning and New York Times bestselling Mouse Guard. Now, in celebration of the 20th anniversaries of both Mouse Guard and BOOM! Studios, David Petersen, along with Eisner-nominated artist Gabriel Rodríguez (Locke & Key), bring a brand new chapter to life in this sprawling saga with MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE.”

Petersen also mentions the following: ““I’ll continue to work on the next volume in the main Mouse Guard series: The Weasel War of 1149, but I also hope this is first of many more Mouse Guard books like this one, where I get to explore the other past wielders of the Black Axe with exciting and extremely talented collaborators like Gabe.”

I do have to say, though, that I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I first saw Mouse Guard in the monthly PREVIEWS. I always have gone through that publication in search of cool stuff I hadn’t know about previously. Well, when I turned one of the pages, I saw something that immediately caught my attention: Mouse Guard!

The first thing I noticed was the unusual page size. It wasn’t the standard comic size, but was something more closely resembling a square shape instead of taller than it was wide. Of course, some shops have really found that size tough to work with since it doesn’t quite match the other books on their stands. But this book is so worth what inconvenience a shop may experience!

I was thrilled when that first issue came, and I’ve been following it ever since!

In fact, the first interview I ever conducted for my weekly podcast was with creator David Petersen!

I had decided I was going to interview creators I wanted to get the word out about, so I went to the nearby Baltimore Comic Con with my recorder and microphone in hand. I literally spent hours walking the Artist Alley, talking with comics pros there, but none of them agreed to an interview… until I came across David!

As much as I love Mouse Guard, I was surprised at that time when I came across his booth there that there wasn’t a long line wanting his autograph (that would come later!). I walked up to his booth and introduced myself, then expressed my love for his work. At that point, I was discouraged with all the people who had turned down an interview with me, so I just said to him that I would try to reach him another time to talk with him.

“Let’s do it now!” he cheerfully said! I was stunned, but thrilled! Granted, I had to pause things when people approached him, wanting to buy his wares, but it was so worth the time!

Since then, of course, I’ve interviewed David several other times, always a fun conversation. I did get a kick out of something he told me once, something to the effect of: “I feel the need to do these interviews just to let people know I haven’t died!” Because he did the entire book (except for the printing), he seemed to disappear for extended periods of time, working on Mouse Guard. (Since then, he’s been doing a lot more online shows as he works on the book, something I also enjoy watching!)

I’ve come across other projects he’s worked on as well, including Jim Henson’s Storytelling, Star Wars, TMNT (a favorite of his), and Usagi Yojimbo, just to mention a few.

I’ve always been intrigued that David has his mice standing on their back legs but shaped as if a mouse in the real world was able to do that somehow. While he doesn’t seem to mind it, I never like the anthropomorphic mice like Mighty Mouse and others. It just looks fake to me!

Because David is very particular about his art, he has spent a long time perfecting it so the fans can enjoy it. Maybe it’s because of that he’s turned the art duties over to Gabriel Rodriguez, best known previously for Locke & Key. It says a lot about Gabe’s art that David trusts him with it. Also, David continues to provide the colors, which really does keep it largely consistent with previous issues.

I’ve often joked with writers that they can outpace an artist very easily. For instance, if a scripter puts down they want a full-page explosion, well, their job is done, but the artist has just begun something that will likely take him days to portray. It’s not fair sometimes! But if it helps David get more product out to local comics shops, I’m all for it!

My hope is that this will breathe new life into Mouse Guard and any Petersen-related projects! If you haven’t read any of this franchise’s excellent offerings, please dive right in! The mice don’t bite, but they are great storytellers, believe me!

What do you think? Does Mouse Guard continue to have a significant following? Do fantasy stories like this one still appeal to all ages? What else would you like to see featuring the mice in this tale? Feel free to share your opinions below!

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