Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 [Paperback]

David Petersen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mouse Guard | Publication Date: March 25, 2008

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.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Villard (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345496868
• ISBN-13: 978-0345496867
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite comics in a long time., June 2, 2007

By 

Jessica Ellenberger (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (v. 1) (Hardcover)

After reading only the first issue, I splurged and bought this hardcover in my local comic shop. I couldn't be happier with my purchase!

The artwork is amazing. Simply stunning. The characters are all well done and charming, and it is very easy to see their role in the story without a lot of explanation.

The only complaint I could see people having is the lack of story - Peterson tells much more through his drawings than he does the actual text. Don't expect this to be a deep meaningful comic. It is instead a very well done adventure story without all the fuss and extra details.

And the book is quite lovely as well. The binding seems pretty strong and it looks nice even without the dustjacket. It also includes maps of the mouse territories and of Barkstone. It also includes more details on Lockhaven, and "common mouse trades". There is also additional artwork in the back of the book.

I'll definitely be recommending Mouse Guard to everyone I know. Even if they don't care much for comics, I have a feeling they'll be drawn in by the extremely cute mice. ^_^

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars See how they run. See how they run., July 18, 2007

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (v. 1) (Hardcover)

The quest to locate child-friendly graphic novels is amusingly difficult. You wouldn't think finding quality comics would be so hard. The public perception is that comics are just made for kids anyway, so shouldn't this lead to an abundance of riches? Hardly. You're lucky if you can find three new books a season that aren't parts of already existing series. Now, I had heard of "Mouse Guard" before. While drifting about the most recent Comic Con I took some free samples of the "Mouse Guard" comic books. They were nice items, but too short and shoddy to stand up to serious library circulation. A friend told me they'd be bound together at some point, but I never really believed it and "Mouse Guard" fell out of my thoughts. Months later, I received this in the mail: a beautifully bound edition of six or seven of those comic books, now in a handsome edition. More than library-worthy, "Mouse Guard" is bound to remind kids of Redwall and the like. The feel and the art, however, is vastly different.

Author/illustrator David Petersen puts it like this; Over the years he'd scribble little ideas about this miniscule world. One of the first read, "Mice have a culture all their own; too small to integrate with other animals." The result is a story that would fit right into England circa 1152. An elite guard of mice is trained to protect the travelers in their realm from natural predators. Three of these guards, Kenzie, Lieam, and Saxon, are dispatched to discover why a local merchant went missing not too long ago. In their search for his remains they discover the seeds of a plot to overthrow not only their home of Lockhaven but also the entirety of the guard itself. A mouse claiming to carry the legendary Black Axe is certain that the guard is outdated and plans an uprising to control all the towns and villages. Only by working together can the guards defeat this scourge, finding an unlikely ally to aid them along the way. End matter consists of maps, guides to residences and professions, and (in a very interesting twist) different takes on the characters by fellow artists and illustrators.

First off, I should tell you that the language here has a stilted awkward nature to it. Unlike some other graphic novelists, like Neil Gaiman or Jeff Smith, Petersen's language is brief and to the point. Each chapter of the book begins with a synopsis and encapsulation that brings readers up to speed, even if the action and names become confusing. What the book really feels like, oddly enough, is an English translation. As for the plot, it jumps about a bit but is understandable. Petersen enmeshes you so thoroughly in this world that he sees little reason to fill you in on some of the background details. You never hear of the legend of the Black Axe until you're meeting the mouse who claims that title himself. Similarly, characters are mentioned briefly in passing long before they appear in the book. The result is that you begin to wonder if this is the middle of the saga rather than the beginning. The words are serviceable, but they aren't the lure you're looking for here.

The real draw to the series, as I see it, is the art. Author/illustrator David Petersen received his BFA in Printmaking from Eastern Michigan University, making him the first children's graphic novelist I've seen to utilize that particular art form. This means that everything from the mice to the predators to the pockmarks in a castle's stone is rendered exquisitely beautiful on the page. Petersen constantly shifts his perspective too, sometimes looking up as three mice have a council of war, and sometimes down, as in a fight. The panels themselves expand and contract according to the scene in question. Petersen's very adept at the breathtaking view of an overwhelming enemy. And the colors... oh, the colors. Orange-red autumnal rains and the dusky purples of the woods at dusk are just some of the scenes that grace this book. With great skill Petersen even plays with light, simulating night and the bright blue sky of a day at the beach.

A very interesting blurb graces the book flap of this title. According to a Mr. Matthew Price of "The Oklahoman," this title is, "An anthropomorphized adventure that will appeal to fans of Bone and The Secret of NIMH." An interesting idea. As I said before, this book is far closer to Redwall in its idea of little mousies with big heavy swords. Yet the series that I was reminded of the most, over and over with this book, was Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge tales like, Summer Story. Obviously the tone is very different, but the visuals have some distinct similarities. In both cases we get intense views of enormously details mouse societies. Barklem was more concerned with bizarre Rube Goldberglike layouts, but both Petersen and Barklem create meticulously details miniature worlds.

"Mouse Guard" falls into that odd little category of books that are appropriate for kids, but that haven't yet made the leap from the graphic novel geeks to the children's book geeks. I mean, the comic community has truly embraced these stories. The children's librarian community? Not so much. This is the problem small presses like ASP Comics face when attempting to break into the library market. However people find it, "Mouse Guard: Fall 1152" may actually serve a new purpose in the future. Kids that like this series could easily be turned onto "Redwall" as well, if they're not already familiar with it. Whatever the case, Petersen's created a lovely little graphic novel here. Let's hope people give it its proper due.

26 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rather Disappointing..., June 3, 2007

By 

Adron Buske "Designer, writer, musician" (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (v. 1) (Hardcover)

I'd heard a lot of buzz on this book online and at my local comic shop, so I gave it a chance. I don't believe it lives up to the hype.

Mouse Guard is a very thin story. If you replaced the mice characters with humans, I doubt anybody would be interested. The art is striking, but sometimes confusing as many of the characters look similar, and Peterson's sequential art storytelling leaves a lot to be desired. The action is often muddled, particularly because the author avoids the use of sound effects most of the time. Some well placed sound effects text would have clarified many of the scenes. I'm a veteran comics fan, and I still had to review pages several times to get a solid idea of what had happened.

The chapters open with brief prose sections, sometimes explaining what happened at the end of the last chapter (very helpful, in one confusing instance) or detailing a piece of action that took place between chapters. One very important character makes his first appearance in the prose, violating the general rule of "show, don't tell" in comics (and in all writing, for that matter). It highlights the weakness in the storytelling.

Speaking of characters, don't look for much in the way of development here. The individual characters are generalizations at best. There are several moments of intended pathos that just don't work because we know so little about these violent little mice.

The hardcover is well bound and designed, though the jacket is thin and tends to ride up (on mine anyway). At the end there are some guest artist pin-ups, and an "extras" section which includes a few maps of mice towns and a thoroughly unnecessary list of mouse vocations - very generic mideval-ish kinds of things. The coloring and paper are high quality, and service the art well. I was bothered by the use of the Lord of the Rings "Ringbearer" font in several sections of the book - but, I'm a web designer, and we tend to notice those things.

The bottom line: a very, very pretty book with "Redwall"/"Rats of Nimh"/"D&D" feel, but lacks anything but the skimpiest of plots and the most minimal characters. Okay if you dig mice with swords fighting snakes and evil black-suited mice, not so good if you interested in good storytelling. If you must have it, wait till there's a trade paperback at a cheaper price.