Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson

[meganbmoore]

The Mouse Guard graphic novel series, of which this is the first, is based on the fairly simple(and, I admit, not completely original) idea that mice have formed their own civilization. In this case, the mice live in isolated cities very similar to those of human cities in medieval Europe, with a group of warriors called the Mouse Guard creating trails and providing protection between cities. When three members of the Mouse Guard-Lieam, Kenzie, and Saxon-are sent out to find a merchant who went missing between cities, they learn he was part of a planned rebellion against their queen, Gwendolyn, and go to find out who’s behind the rebellion, and try to cut it down before it can get going. Meanwhile, another guard, Sadie, goes to look for a fellow guard who hasn’t been heard from in some time, and also learns of the plot and rushes back to the capital, Lockhaven, to warn Gwendolyn.

This is, I think, very much a YMMV book. While the overall plot, right down to the discovery of a legendary hero and the final battle, are typical fantasy fare, the application of the story to graphical form, including changing the dangers to things that we view as dangerous, but avoidable, and certainly not catastrophic, to the equivalents of monsters and dragons. Then there’s the art. On the one hand, it’s detailed and rather pretty, and sets the tone quite well. On the other, Petersen can’t help but draw his characters as being exceptionally cute. Even when Kenzie is being wise and thoughtful, Saxon is being bloodthirsty, the characters are fighting other mice, snakes, crabs, and other life threatening things…THEY’RE JUST CUTE!!! It depends on whether or not your reaction to "OMG! Cute!" + "DANGER!"= "cute but gripping," or whether it keeps you from taking the danger too seriously.

For me, it worked well and I very much liked it. I hesitate, though, to blindly recommend it. Not due to a lack of quality, but because of whether or not the approach will pull you in, or throw you out.