Mouse Guard 1152 #3 (of 6) (Archaia Studio Press – Petersen) – The Black Axe Celanawe and Young Mouse Guard Lieam dig into the snowy landscape for shelter during an ice storm, and the horrible weather leaves them with fewer supplies than before. The Guard mice Saxon, Kenzie, and Sadie – trapped below the surface in the weasel homeworld of Darkheather – upset the nocturnal inhabitants there. Saxon takes drastic measures and gets carried away!”
It really is hard to talk about the modern classic of Mouse Guard in blurbs, David Petersen has created such an wonderful epic tale. The vision of the Mouse Guard world has a rich history and complexity to it while still being accessible. The Winter 1152 arc is the second of three presently planned. If you haven’t picked up the trade of Fall 1152, this should be on your family must have list. It is fantastic family fantasy reading that is far from fluff.
The Winter story arc watches the revived Guard struggle to keep the kingdom in one piece. With enemies at the door, the elements against you and politics eating you from within, even the most valiant of heroes will have a rough time. With this second series, Mouse Guard has given me a struggle though. While it has to be one of the most beautiful books on the market, the time in between issues is a tad much. I had to go back and re-read issues #1 and #2 to feel up to par to follow our rodent protagonists. Sometimes that time element is cost of a gorgeous independent book. Watching the Mice as a race interact with other race-species is incredible, and it appears as if Petersen has taken his studies into both history and sociology to make sure it’s believable. In this issue the readers are introduced to the bat culture, a great amalgamation of scary and fantastical! I still can’t recommend this book more, I just wish it wouldn’t be a few more months before I get to read issue #4.
Issue Grade: A
