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When David Petersen’s Mouse Guard hit comic store shelves in 2006, I remember thinking, in my very jaded, pessimistic way,“oh, there’s another furry animal gimmick book that probably won’t last more than a couple issues..”. So, now 8+ years later, and multiple volumes of Mouse Guard stories later, I realize how terribly wrong I was. David Petersen has proven that his little creator-owned book had the perseverance to make it against all odds, just like his little furry protagonists! Petersen accomplishes bringing a classic illustrated storybook aesthetic to his comics. His background in printmaking has helped him develop this style.

In addition to Mouse Guard, Petersen has done numerous cover illustrations, and poster art for big name clients like Marvel Comics, IDW, and Mondo posters.

David Petersen earned his degree in Fine Arts from Eastern Michigan University, after a short stint in community college.

You can see up to date news, and the latest artwork on David Petersen’s blog here.

For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com - Andy Yates

The final issue of Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #6 goes on sale next week, and it wraps up not only the origin of the legendary Black Axe but a series of pin-ups that run in each issue. #6 features a pin-up by the team of Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart. David Petersen's fantasy epic starring mice has always been equal parts cute and majestic and Mignola/Stewart have nailed the vibe.

Maria asked about the book Beanie was poring over in this photo. I replied in the comments, but in case you missed it: it’s the Mouse Guard role-playing game manual, a gorgeous hardcover, fully illustrated book by David Petersen, published by Archaia.

You may recall my gushing about the Mouse Guard graphic novels many times over the past several years; Petersen’s artwork is phenomenal and my children, especially Beanie, have thoroughly enjoyed the stories and have reread the books many times.

We’ve had the RPG manual for a couple of years and I know Beanie has put dozens of hours into creating characters and backstory. I’m not sure how many campaigns the kids have actually run but we’re planning to launch one soon. Beanie has been regaling me with her character’s family history…her young mouse soldier has apiary and insect-lore skills, and hails from a small village in the west.

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In other news: Big doings for GeekMom this week; we’ve moved to Wired.com! Here’s a piece I wrote earlier this week on German language apps for kids.

Well, day two turned into a lot of waiting in line for events I wound up missing. The baby and I dropped Scott off at the WildStorm booth for his morning shift and headed up to Ballroom 20, where the Caprica/BSG line was already hundreds deep. We joined the throng, but before long, word came that too few people were leaving the previous panel, and the Caprica panel was already at maximum capacity.

Ah, well. The baby was hungry anyway, so we found a nice bench and people-watched for a while—which really is one of the best parts of a con.

Think that backpack is full of Wonka bars?

Then we spent some time wandering the main exhibit hall. The display of Mouse Guard books at the Archaia booth reminded me I wanted to hit the Archaia panel—

—so we headed back upstairs and joined that line, which was nice and short because we were early. Alas, we had to slip out of the panel after only fifteen minutes because the baby was feeling chatty. Actually I had kind of a mortifying moment. I was standing in the back of the room with the baby in the sling, bouncing him a bit to keep him happy while simultaneously typing one-handed notes on the presentation into my Blackberry. And now and then the baby would make a little happy noise, but it really wasn’t loud enough to disturb anyone (yet). But suddenly I realized Mouse Guard author David Petersen was looking at me and what he saw would have been a woman with a wiggly baby, a woman staring intently at her cell phone, appearing not to be paying attention. Horrible. Probably looked like I was texting someone. How could he know that I was faithfully chronicling his own words? It was right about then that Sean’s soft-happy became edging-toward-loud happy, so I slipped out the side door.

But we were there long enough to hear from David Petersen about the publication, at last, of the second volume of his beautifully illustrated graphic novel series. My kids (especially Beanie) are big fans of the first Mouse Guard book, Fall 1152, and I’m looking forward to reading Winter 1152. Also full of promise: the Mouse Guard roleplaying game, the discovery of which inspired a couple of excited tweets yesterday. The rules are published in a gorgeous hardcover book. It’s thick. Possibly complicated? Might be fun to find out.

Mouse Guard author David Petersen (left) and Archaia Studios Press editorial director Stephen Christy

We had to leave before I got to hear about Archaia’s recently announced partnership with the Jim Henson Company, but I gather there are plans to publish comics based on such Henson classics as (oh boy oh boy!!) Fraggle Rock and The Dark Crystal. (Unabashed Fraggle Rock fan here.)

Loads more to tell, of course (for starters, there’s the smashing karaoke performance of “If I Had a Million Dollars” by writer Mike Costa and my very own husband), but the kids are waking up and it’s about to be busy-Saturday-morning around here. Friday summary is:

Having a ball—

Wish you were here.

Mouse Guard, Fall 1152

Author: David Petersen

Publisher: Archaia Studios Press

ISBN 10: 1-932386-57-2

ISBN 13: 978-1-932386-57-8

This little gem of an art-book was serialized last year in the form of six small bimonthly “comic books” of 24 8” x 8” pages each. Each page is painted in a detailed realistic art style reminiscent of Arthur Rackham or Brian Froud. The collected complete work, plus bonus artwork, is a squarish hardcover of 192 pages; more of a fine-art graphic novel than an illustrated picture book.

The story is an adventure fantasy set in a medieval world of anthropomorphized mice, although they are drawn realistically, without clothes. (It is hard to tell the main characters apart except for the colors of their fur: red, gray, and brown.) Lieam, Kenzie, and Saxon, three young Guardsmice whose duties include the protecting of mice from the predators of northern European forests, are assigned to find out what happened to a peddler-mouse traveling between the towns of Rootwallow and Barkstone. They learn that he was eaten by a giant (to mice) snake, which they track down and kill in the first of the six chapters. But hidden in the peddler’s wares is a map showing the secret defenses of the Mouse Guard’s headquarters, indicating that the peddler was a traitor. The three Guardsmice set out to learn to whom the peddler was going to deliver the map. They discover a full-sized plot to take over the forest mouse nation, which leads to a civil war and the dramatic siege of the Mouse Guard’s castle in Lockhaven.

Mouse Guard has been receiving rave reviews throughout last year and this from critics ranging from comics-shop owners to librarians and Publishers Weekly. There have many comparisons of the story with the animated fantasy movie The Secret of NIMH, and Mouse Guard would make an excellent movie of the same type. The adventure, although rather shallow and stereotypical, is suitable for young fans of Tolkienish heroic fantasy, with lots of swordplay against huge predatory beasts and mouse traitors. The quality of Petersen’s artwork and the adult art-book presentation elevate Mouse Guard from a children’s book to one suitable for all ages. The appurtances of a media hit are already being planned; a first sequel, Mouse Guard, Winter 1152, will begin serialization this July, and PVC action figures of Lieam, Kenzie and Saxon will follow a month later. Read the first story now in what is sure to become a successful series.

So many of my kidlitosphere friends point me towards books I love.

Fuse#8 found a copy of Mouse Guard at Comic.con. She talks about them here. I r-e-a-l-l-y want to see these graphic novels!

Mouse Guard website

I was under the distinct impression that I already mentioned this at some point. Apparently not.

All right then, Mouse Guard. Y'all are familiar with Mouse Guard, no? No? This is a case of the graphic novel world failing to make the necessary crossover into the kidlit/librarianship universe. You see, in the graphic novel world Mouse Guard is getting a fair amount of pre-publication press. In the kidlit world, however, few of us have heard so much as a peep about this pup. Though it bears more than a faint resemblance to Redwall, Mouse Guard is a graphic novel series that appears to be appropriate for children. The hope is that if it is good it could be used by new fans to introduce them TO the world of Redwall. However, I haven't seen any issues of this series yet, so reviews will have to wait until I get me a copy or two. Stay tuned.