Mouse Guard Volume 1: Fall 1152 (Mouse Guard Graphic Novels) (v. 1)
In the world of Mouse Guard, mice struggle to live safely and prosper amongst harsh conditions and a host of predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed: more than just soldiers that fight off intruders, they are guides for common mice looking to journey without confrontation from one hidden village to another. The Guard patrol borders, find safeways and paths through dangerous territories and treacherous terrain, watch weather patterns, and keep the mouse territories free of predatory infestation. They do so with fearless dedication so that they might not just exist, but truly live. Saxon, Kenzie and Lieam, three such Guardsmice, are dispatched to find a missing merchant mouse that never arrived at his destination. Their search for the missing mouse reveals much more than they expect, as they stumble across a traitor in the Guard's own ranks.Product Details
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Here's a distinct comic book image: mice with capes and swords defending themselves against their predators as if they were the Knights of the Round Table. It's a gimmick, but one that Petersen plays completely straight. His art is a perfect mix of the realistic and the fantastic: the mice and other animals always look realistic no matter how adventurous the situations get, including facing snakes and crabs in the first two chapters. Petersen doesn't let things get overly cute, either. These mice are fierce, dedicated fighters, and the violence their job entails is not forgotten. While the book always looks good, the story is pretty thin. The action is never boring but in the beginning it never moves the plot forward. Soon a plot about a traitor in the guard kicks in, leading to some exciting moments covered too briefly, and the character development is thin as well. Luckily, the art makes up for the storytelling shortcomings—Petersen's character designs are enormously appealing, and the book is hard to put down for that reason. The story is suitable for all ages, and kids in particular should enjoy this adventure. (Apr.)
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From Booklist
The Mouse Guard protects its fellow creatures and patrols the passageways used between the villages of the Mouse Territories. In this tale, three members of the guard investigate the disappearance of a traveling grain merchant. During their quest for the truth, the three uncover a plot to attack Lockhaven, the home of the guard; fight hungry snakes; escape a fiery death; and find a long-lost hero. Petersen has crafted an involving graphic-novel fantasy, populated with realistic-looking mice wearing colorful capes and wielding wicked weaponry. His lush colors and vivid settings give the story a majestic quality fit for a large canvas (or, perhaps, even a movie screen), and the characters are as bold as the brush strokes. The story line is, however, weaker than the art, which keeps the book from being truly great. Even so, this will probably circulate well among graphic-novel fans and may even attract readers who enjoy the Redwall books. King, Kevin
Customer Reviews
A great sequential art experience
Every once in a while you pick up a comic and it makes you feel like you're actually there, with the characters, on their adventure. Mouse Guard is one of these rare experiences.
The artwork in this volume is just beautiful. It really does transport you into seeing the world from the eyes of a mouse. There is a lot of love and care in this world that David Petersen has created and it shines through.
The mice themselves are cute, but not too cute. They do actually use those swords! One of them in particular is actually quite dark in his personality.
The story is a simple one, but I think that serves the comic very well. The characters, though, have a surprising bit of depth that I personally didn't expect!
This comic does a great job of appealing to all ages. I suspect that children especially will relate to the small and cute, but powerful and capable mice, but anyone who's felt like "the little guy" at one point or another will also appreciate them.
If you like comics, I consider this one a must read. Even if it doesn't sound like something you would like, give it a try - you'll be impressed!
A decent if unremarkable story.
The key word that comes to mind when describing David Peterson's "Mouse Guard" is 'cute'. This property was a surprising new success upon its release, which is not often seen with wholly originally made work. In terms of inspiration, the obvious source here would seem to be Brian Jacques' "Redwall" series of books, which is very good, since said series was one of the signature features of my childhood.
The plot is set in a world of anthropamorphized mice (other animals, such as snakes and crabs exhibit no intelligence), who live in a series of hidden towns, guarded by the titular Mouse Guard, a patrol of mice who keep law and order in the paths between the towns (but lack the authority to act within said towns). The main plot follows a trio of Guardsmen, two veterans and a novice, who find themselves on the trail of a conspiracy against the whole Guard. Elsewhere, another member of the Guard finds himself in possession of critical information on the same subject. It is not an especially innovative plot or setting, but it is competently executed; likewise, the characters are fairly rudimentary. The true strength of the project is to be found in the art by Peterson, which is wonderfully atmospheric; as well as in the general feel of the world, which has been created with a great deal of thought put into developing the culture and history of the mice.
Overall, I would give this a positive recommendation, for people who enjoy works like "Redwall" and "Watership Down" (and children, in general, I imagine would enjoy this).
An exciting read for older children (and not so bad for their parents either)
I read this book to my daughter before bed frequently. She loves it. It's just something about the combination of adorable mice and perilous danger that kids latch onto. There is some mild violence in it, so I wouldn't recommend it for young children.
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