Writer/Artist: David Petersen
Publisher: Archaia Studios Press
Price: $3.50
The first issue of Mouse Guard was a fresh, fun story told through quaint images and sparse wording. It introduced readers to a world where mice have their own hidden cities, and soldiers to protect mice travelling in between those cities—the Mouse Guard. Also, at its very end, it introduced readers to a plot: some mice are betraying the secrets of the hidden cities. The issue worked fine as its own story and introduced readers to a much larger world. The question remained if the second issue could compare to the first.
It does. It’s every bit as good.
The second issue of Mouse Guard departs from the first in setting and characters. We are introduced to Sadie, a mouse travelling to the ocean shore to investigate a Mouse Guard post. She meets a peg legged mouse named Conrad there, and the plot of the traitor thickens.
Frankly, as important as it will probably be down the road, the traitor conspiracy has yet to get interesting. That’s not what makes this book great. The strength of Mouse Guard is its visual storytelling. While Petersen’s dialogue is often flat, he rarely needs it to tell his story. In the first few pages, he sets up the issue with a minimum of dialogue.
Moreover, Petersen’s visuals are fun to look at. There are plenty of comic book artists who are adept at storytelling. There are many who can make a single image interesting and dramatic. But Petersen can keep you staring at even the most mundane panel for a few minutes, due in no small part to his adorable mice.
While the plot has yet to kick into high gear—so far, all we’ve been given is set-up—Mouse Guard doesn’t really need acceleration. Both issues so far have told small, contained stories—like an episode in a television miniseries—which will lead into a grander plot. Until we need one, Mouse Guard can squeak by with cute, well-drawn mice and fun, self-contained episodes.
Casey Cosker lives, reads, writes, and occasionally studies at Pratt Institute in New York City. He spends his free time and money buying comic books and novels he can’t afford. He has been a self-proclaimed geek for several months now, and has no intention of changing his ways. He also has a hat.