The Mice Templar #2 (Image – Glass / Oeming) – I’m giving this one one more issue… after three issue, huge flat sides are no longer quirks… they are patterns. Image’s summary – “Karic begins his studies in the martial disciplines of the legendary Templar under the tutelage of wandering knight Pilot the Tall, and experiences mystic dreams of the ancient battle between owls and bats for supremacy of the night sky. Stalking both is a vicious, scarred rival from Pilot’s past and the fall of the Templar. But neither hunter nor prey may possess the skills necessary to defeat the ravenous horde knows only as “The Many.” “. The overall story of this book is a good one, it is very epic and a huge undertaking. Brian J. L. Glass is not know for writing throw-away stories. But the storytelling devices used in Mice Templar (flashbacks, prophecy, visions, tales told to secondary characters, etc.) is rushed, there is layer upon layer of well-thought out plot but given to the reader all at once. This is almost as bad as having a whole issue go by and having nothing happen (yes, Ultimates… I’m looking right at you). The look of Templar saves it. Oeming’s art is downright beautiful, there isn’t a page in the book that isn’t fun to look at. He is able to show action, landscapes and overall setting in the most phenomenal way. But (and it’s a big one), you almost need a cheat sheet to be able to identify the characters, granted this pattern was less so in this issue than it was in issue #1. When I tie together characters that seem to blend with one another along side a sprinted narration, it just leaves me wishing Mouse Guard #3 was out already.
Grade: C+
