by Nick - 03.04.06
Our featured comic for last week was the great webcomic Dr. McNinja. This week we are going into the print realm with the newly released first issue of Mouse Guard.
Mouse Guard is an indie comic created by David Petersen and published by Archaia Studios Press. I previously spoke about the title, but now that I have the comic in hand, I’m even more enamored.
The artwork is absolutely beautiful. I never got a chance to check out the comic when it was first published and in black and white, but the coloring on Mouse Guard is so perfect that I can’t imagine it without it. Furthermore, the artwork really captures the sense of scale of the world from the perspective of a mouse.
If you’ve ever read any of the Redwall books you will have a good idea of the tone of this book. Noble mice taking on enormous challenges. The great thing is, the story could be equally well told using humans. It’s a very universal story and shouldn’t be avoided just because it features cute (yet fierce) mice. It is also surprisingly mature with excellent story telling.
Over on David Petersen’s site you can read a 9 page preview of the first two issues and look at some wonderful character art. Try it, I bet you’ll be captivated. Then call up your local comic shop and tell them to reserve you a copy, as they are already selling out. This is one that shouldn’t be missed. This is what comics are all about.
