Customer Reviews

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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. ^_^

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.

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.

My 2nd grader is reading at several grade levels above his age and has really outgrown standard picture books, yet he's not ready to give up illustrations entirely. He complains about chapter books that have few if any pictures. I've been searching for books with artwork that are age-appropriate (along the lines of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which he loved, by the way).

We found this book at our mall's comic store. I have to say we are both enjoying this book immensely and can't wait for the next series (Winter 1152) to come out as a collected volume. The artwork is amazing; he loves how the expressions on the characters change. We both enjoy the pages that have no words: trying to figure out what is going on, really using our imagination to build up the story.

As we read this book we are keeping a vocabulary journal and so far he's learned: "diversion", "suspect", "traitor", "subtle", "recruit", "cartographer". I am an SAT tutor and I know it's never too early to instill good vocabulary habits!

I highly recommend this series!

To be honest, the only reason I picked up David Petersen's Mouse Guard, Fall 1152 originally is because I've read the Redwall series by Brian Jacques for years, and since this dealt with mice as well, I thought that I'd give it a try. Happily, I wasn't disappointed.

Originally published as 6 separate comics, I initially felt that the story was played out better in that serial format. On my first reading of the collected edition, there didn't seem to be too much meat to the actual story. I thought that the collected edition actually hampered the story-telling process, as each individual issue would have had a month or 2 break to whet the appetites of those reading for the next installment. However, as I've gone back on several more occasions to revisit the lands of Mouse Guard, I can honestly say that the story has grown on me, and I can see the subtleties both in Petersen's story as well as his artwork.

The artwork on Mouse Guard Fall 1152 is stunning. Handling all art chores himself, Petersen has created a beautifully rendered and colored world, with an almost hand-painted yet organic feel to the entire story.

Taken as a whole, the entire book is quite an achievement. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of its sequel, Winter 1152.

David Petersen's Mouse Guard is one of the most engaging graphic novels I have seen in a long time. The graphic representation of the mice is as true-to-life as you can get while still having them act with humanlike goals and intelligence. His characters are interesting and ideosyncratic, and I feel he does an excellent job showing a world full of danger from the perspective of mice. I have not yet purchased Winter 1152, but this is on my short list for future purchases.

If you're looking at this book I'm going to assume you're familiar with the series, so I won't comment on it. Instead, there's a few things I'd like folks considering the purchase of this limited edition to know.

It's a quality item. The paper is nice, it has a decent weight to it. The black and white artwork really pops. It's a splendid, splendid edition.

But I'm giving it four out of five stars for what appears to be a printing defect.

First, you should know that I drove around to several comic shops looking for this book, and after several emails to various marketplace sellers I finally purchased it from Amazon. The aforementioned printing defect is on the front cover -- out of the three comic shops I went to -- the white ink was flaking off. One shop seemed to be crafty and painted the letters back in -- with a white paint that didn't quite match the original ink.

But what was worse is that none of these shops had their editions in slipcases. In fact, I was completely unaware it came in a slipcase until I received my copy. Granted, the case was fairly scuffed up, but it was better than nothing...

So, if you find yourself considering treating yourself to this edition I would say do it -- BUT FIRST -- email the buyer and find out about the flaking ink on the cover & the slipcase.

This book and the next (Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 (Mouse Guard Graphic Novels)) are both among the best books I have ever bought for my kids. I bought both together by chance, as the price was right and I wanted to add something for the kids in an Amazon order I was about to close.

I have a 6 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. They were both absolutely taken by the combination of me telling the story, and they looking at the drawings. They couldn't wait to have another chapter (six chapters in each book, 12 in total, if I recall). Bedtime became a very special moment. The kids were thrilled every night by the ritual of us three sitting in bed to be taken, together, through another chapter.

It's been 3 months since I read them the two books in sequence. Do you know what is interesting? They still recall the name of all major characters -- Kenzie, Saxon, Celanawe, Gwendolyn, Sadie... no small feat, considering that neither of my kids is a native English speaker, and that the names sounded just as random as Pokemon names to them. I read from the English edition, but did real time translation of the dialogues, while telling the story. That made it even more personal for all of us.

If you are the author reading this, many thanks for your work, congratulations for a great job. We can't wait for the next book.

When I first heard of Mouse Guard, I immediately thought of Brian Jacques' Redwall books. Like the Jacques books, David Petersen's series also features mice as heroes carrying swords and performing deeds of derring-do. One of the biggest differences is that Redwall is prose (except for the DVD adaptations) and most of the imagery is supplied by the reader. With Mouse Guard, Petersen provides the story and the pictures in graphic novel format.

The artwork is dark for the most part, as is much of the story, but it suits the tale extremely well. Petersen is a craftsman when it comes to telling and showing his story. Most of the images get the point across really well, but many of them are incredibly striking as well. I love how he draws the characters and the action, but I love the world-building he puts into the book most of all. I want to go visit the places he draws. I want to wander through those houses and buildings, and across the varied landscapes. He brings wonderful depth to his imaginary world.

This initial story, gathered from issues of Mouse Guard released as comics, is an old-fashioned swashbuckling tale. The main characters - Kenzie, Lieam, and Saxon - could well be the Three Musketeers. They have the same sense of honor, the same taste for adventure, and skills that make them fierce warriors.

The story feels a bit like a modern day espionage story with a bit of Indiana Jones thrown in. Our heroes have to track down a missing merchant and uncover a threat to their home, Lockhaven, as well as surrounding territories. As they follow up the clues they find, they stumble onto the mystery of the Black Axe, once a famed warrior that disappeared without warning some time ago.

I loved the enemies the mice had to fight, and the fact that they would be deadly to real mice. The fight with the crabs was a stroke of genius because I would have never thought of mice having to battle with crabs. The dialogue and narrative is sparse, and Petersen only puts what's needed on the page. Where he really excels, though, is in the art. I felt the towns all around me, and I could hear the slap of leather sandal on stone as the mice walked through the streets, and I could hear the murmur of other mice that saw them as strangers.

Petersen already has a second graphic novel on the shelves. I'm picking it up as well. I'd recommend this book to any reluctant young reader, or to a swashbuckler of any age that believes in the fight of good versus evil.

I heard a lot about this book from others so I gave it a try. I found the story well paced and fun with amazing artwork. The artist really pulls you into the mouse environment. The more I read the more I really dug into the developing characters. This is a great collected book. I immediately ordered Winter 1152 when I finished.