Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #1 (of 4)
Words and Pictures: Jeremy Bastin (The Battle of Hawk’s Mouse & The Fox’s Mouse), Ted Naifeh (A Bargain In The Dark), Alex Sheikman (Oleg The Wise), David Petersen
Additional Colors: Scott Keating (Oleg The Wise)
[rating:5/5]
David Petersen’s Mouse Guard has always been in kind of a weird place for me.
It’s not that I don’t like it; in fact, I think it’s a really cool concept, with fantastic writing and gorgeous art. It’s just that I’ve not been able to read them until recently. I always worry about picking up a book halfway through for review purposes, because I don’t know what I’m missing before hand.
Fortunately, this isn’t a problem with Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard. Somewhat echoing the classic Canterbury Tales, Legends of the Guard is an anthology collection of sorts, as a group of mice tell stories, with the best story earning that mouse a full repayment of his debt to the bar they’re in. It’s a great introduction to a critically acclaimed series, with three short, fun stories. The art in the book remains gorgeous and, though it’s by three different artists, is never jarring or off putting.
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard is the first in a new four issue mini-series from Archaia, and promises to be a lot of fun. As someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience with the titles, I found this one easy to pick up and highly enjoyable, with fun, emotional stories that stick with you even after you’ve read it.