Mouse Guard: Belly of the Beast #1

Genre fantasy Author David Petersen Publisher Archaia Studios Press External Links Archaia Studios Press

It's not often that a comic surfaces that can appeal to readers of all ages. More often than not, it comes from the ranks of independent publishers. Mouse Guard is such a comic, and it's a wonder to read. Contained in a storybook-as opposed to the regular [dimension] comic book-Mouse Guard is a wonderful, art-driven comic with a fresh take on an old genre. David Petersen, writer and artist of the miniseries, deserves every ounce of praise he can get for the first issue of Mouse Guard.

As the Star Wars-style introduction text explains, the Mouse Guard is a group of anthropomorphic mouse warriors who protect other mice from larger predators. The first introduces us to three members of the Mouse Guard investigating the disappearance of a grain seller. They are identified by captions and the colors of their cloaks. Some quality writing gets characterization across through the mice's actions and words without getting in the way of the story.

The art is nothing short of beautiful. Much of the story is told visually, and Peterson not only understands panel-to-panel storytelling, but also visual aestheticism. The first issue is set in a forest, and Petersen gives the forest mood with ink lines like scrimshaw peppered in the background. The mice themselves are enormously cute, adorable larger than life heroes despite their diminutive size.

Certainly there have been stories of anthropomorphic rodents before-Brian Jacques' Redwall series comes to mind-but I can't think of the last time it's been done in comic book form before, and certainly not this good. Petersen is able, with just a few panels, to make us both fall in love with his characters and feel the presence of their duty.

Perhaps the greatest thing about Mouse Guard is that, while its material is both safe for and appealing to children, the story and art are good enough that adults can enjoy the book just as much. To call this a family comic book would not be a stretch. Mouse Guard is truly a rare surprise.