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(This review was originally published by GraphicNovelReporter.com on Oct. 20, 2010)
Spinning off from David Petersen's popular, Eisner Award-winning Mouse Guard series comes LEGENDS OF THE GUARD. A collection of short stories written and illustrated by a group of artists hand-picked by Petersen, LEGENDS expands upon the world of the Guard and tells tales of ancient mouse history.
With a rising number of bar tabs going unpaid, June issues a challenge to her patrons --- tell a tale she's never heard before. Whoever can tell the best story will have their debt erased, while the losers must settle their accounts within seven days.
It is in this fashion that Petersen constructs a framed narrative for other storytellers to come and play with the world he has created, without impacting the overall narrative and continuity of his main series. Such writers and illustrators as Guy Davis (perhaps best known for his work on the Hellboy spinoff series B.P.R.D.) and Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo) make contributions, while Petersen bridges the stories with brief barroom interludes.
As with any collection of numerous collaborators, quality can vary. In Legends, the bar is set high amidst the accolades Petersen has garnered for his central Mouse Guard series, and, by and large, those invited to contribute are more than up to the task, and each firmly embraces the world that has been created.
Each story differs enough to be unique, although several are too brief to carry through with the proper amount of weight they seem entitled to. One story that does exceptionally well is actually an adaptation of another literary work: Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Jason Shawn Alexander casts the story in an entertaining way and manages to create a wonderfully tense dynamic between Poe's titular raven and a heartbroken mouse. In a few short pages, it becomes a terrific, memorable tale of loss and grief.
Guy Davis makes a contribution that strays from the traditional route of comic storytelling, relying solely on visuals to craft his short piece. Even the brief moments of dialogue are told only through pictograms. His work in gothic horror provides an interesting dynamic when pitted against the sometimes scary world of Mouse Guard, and the visuals of a lone mouse pitted against a parliament of owls is strikingly effective.
Visually, Petersen has established a naturalistic style in designing his world and his guests tend not to stray far from that aesthetic. Unfortunately, while the illustrations by Katie Cook are energetic and fun, her cartoony styling immediately puts her at odds with the naturalistic efforts of the other artists, which dominate the book. That is not to say, however, that she is a bad artist --- far from it. Her portfolio is filled with terrific imagery, and she is certainly a skilled illustrator. However, Petersen has very carefully and deliberately created a story of heroic mice that are decidedly not cartoony. As such, Cook's work here is simply an odd aberration, which disturbs the visual flow of the book by being so cheerily different from the art that precedes and follows her story.
LEGENDS OF THE GUARD works well as a collection of short stories, even if the overall narrative construct of the story is weaker than Petersen's central Mouse Guard series. The barroom bet to see which mouse can tell the best story provides little in the way of narrative conflict for readers to invest themselves in, and exists solely to tie the short stories into a cohesive whole. It works out well enough in the end, and the stories told are entertaining. Perhaps more importantly, the stories are authored and illustrated by people who actually care about and enjoy the world they've been invited to briefly play in. They had a fun time contributing to the book, and it's an infectious enjoyment. While established fans may find Legends to be an interesting detour, it's certainly a suitable jumping on point for new readers ready to embrace a mousy epic.
Spinning off from David Petersen's popular, Eisner Award-winning Mouse Guard series comes LEGENDS OF THE GUARD. A collection of short stories written and illustrated by a group of artists hand-picked by Petersen, LEGENDS expands upon the world of the Guard and tells tales of ancient mouse history.
With a rising number of bar tabs going unpaid, June issues a challenge to her patrons --- tell a tale she's never heard before. Whoever can tell the best story will have their debt erased, while the losers must settle their accounts within seven days.
It is in this fashion that Petersen constructs a framed narrative for other storytellers to come and play with the world he has created, without impacting the overall narrative and continuity of his main series. Such writers and illustrators as Guy Davis (perhaps best known for his work on the Hellboy spinoff series B.P.R.D.) and Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo) make contributions, while Petersen bridges the stories with brief barroom interludes.
As with any collection of numerous collaborators, quality can vary. In Legends, the bar is set high amidst the accolades Petersen has garnered for his central Mouse Guard series, and, by and large, those invited to contribute are more than up to the task, and each firmly embraces the world that has been created.
Each story differs enough to be unique, although several are too brief to carry through with the proper amount of weight they seem entitled to. One story that does exceptionally well is actually an adaptation of another literary work: Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Jason Shawn Alexander casts the story in an entertaining way and manages to create a wonderfully tense dynamic between Poe's titular raven and a heartbroken mouse. In a few short pages, it becomes a terrific, memorable tale of loss and grief.
Guy Davis makes a contribution that strays from the traditional route of comic storytelling, relying solely on visuals to craft his short piece. Even the brief moments of dialogue are told only through pictograms. His work in gothic horror provides an interesting dynamic when pitted against the sometimes scary world of Mouse Guard, and the visuals of a lone mouse pitted against a parliament of owls is strikingly effective.
Visually, Petersen has established a naturalistic style in designing his world and his guests tend not to stray far from that aesthetic. Unfortunately, while the illustrations by Katie Cook are energetic and fun, her cartoony styling immediately puts her at odds with the naturalistic efforts of the other artists, which dominate the book. That is not to say, however, that she is a bad artist --- far from it. Her portfolio is filled with terrific imagery, and she is certainly a skilled illustrator. However, Petersen has very carefully and deliberately created a story of heroic mice that are decidedly not cartoony. As such, Cook's work here is simply an odd aberration, which disturbs the visual flow of the book by being so cheerily different from the art that precedes and follows her story.
LEGENDS OF THE GUARD works well as a collection of short stories, even if the overall narrative construct of the story is weaker than Petersen's central Mouse Guard series. The barroom bet to see which mouse can tell the best story provides little in the way of narrative conflict for readers to invest themselves in, and exists solely to tie the short stories into a cohesive whole. It works out well enough in the end, and the stories told are entertaining. Perhaps more importantly, the stories are authored and illustrated by people who actually care about and enjoy the world they've been invited to briefly play in. They had a fun time contributing to the book, and it's an infectious enjoyment. While established fans may find Legends to be an interesting detour, it's certainly a suitable jumping on point for new readers ready to embrace a mousy epic.
Another wonderful installment of Mouse Guard. I don't usually like anthology volumes; I typically dislike the art and find the stories boring. This volume, however, has great art (different then Peterson's but still beautiful) and some truly excellent stories. The frame story works well, and fits easily into the world of the Mouse Territories. Great volume.
Yeesh. Nice art, flat storytelling. I didn't care for any of these, as stories.
Absolutely gorgeous, and a clever idea, too! Reminds me of Redwall.
A collection of shorts in the Mouse Guard universe with a ton of special guest artists. I liked the variety of style here (all of which fit with the general mood of the series, although the Fox story was pretty jarring at first with the super cartoony style), and it was fun to get a different look into the world that isn't the ongoing story. I'm biased and my favorite guest artist was Sean Rubin's work. I was excited back when I first heard he'd been featured in here!
The framework of these stories was a neat idea, but unfortunately there are so many names and stories that it didn't work too well for me. When June announced her top three favorites and the ultimate winner, I had to flip back and it turned out the winner was the least memorable story for me. Still, good stuff.
The framework of these stories was a neat idea, but unfortunately there are so many names and stories that it didn't work too well for me. When June announced her top three favorites and the ultimate winner, I had to flip back and it turned out the winner was the least memorable story for me. Still, good stuff.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Many mini stories (such as Poe’s Nevermore and the Mouse and the Lion) told as a competition to pay off a bar tab. Each mini story was a different artist/author.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
A lovely collection of stories and artwork that remind me of classic tales of heroism all told through the point of view through brave woodland critters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Interesting back history of the Mouse Guard universe. A nice opportunity to see some mouse fantasy drawn by some of my favorite artists from other series.
This was far cuter, more imaginative and varied, and just plain fun, than I had anticipated.
Full review to follow but suffice to say I have discovered some excellent new illustrators through reading this and will be looking up some of their other works.
I also fully intend to pick up all the rest of the Mouse Guard books very soon! 4*s
__________________
Full Review:-
So, this was my first venture into the world of the Mouse Guard, a world originally created by David Peterson. I wanted to try this book out right from the first time I saw it in a shop, becuase the cover and interior art was stunning to look at and it's about cute mice! (what more could you want). However, with that said I didn't really know what sort of stories it would be or the tone of the writing and so I was just hoping it would be something I'd at least enjoy.
Luckily for me this story is super diverse and easy to follow and we see that it\s introduced by David Peterson in a little tavern where the patrons are challenged to come up with interesting stories and win the day. These smaller stories are then illustrated, written and coloured by a whole variety of different artists and writers with Peterson just filling in the in-between moments with his own illustrations.
I think that the short story format worked very well becuase it doesn't spoil anything about the general Mouse Guard universe, but it certainly makes you want to see more of the mice. I found myself absorbed in their adventures right from the first story, and I was pretty hooked through to the end.
Each of the creators within this have been specially picked by David Peterson which means that you have a great mix of styles, but they're all top quality. I would honestly say that there were no styles I disliked, although there were certainly some that really stood out, and so this is a great way to see some work by some wonderful talent.
Some of the stories I most enjoyed were:
The Battle of the Hawk's Mouse and the Fox's Mouse - Jeremy Bastian
Potential - Sean Rubin & Alex Kain
Bowen's Tale - Karl Kerschl
There were lots of other fun ones, but the art styles and stories of these three were my favourites and the most memorable ones for me :)
On the whole a great entry point and it's made me want to keep discovering more of the cute little mice. I also loved the page showing each of them and their roles in the world! 4*s
Full review to follow but suffice to say I have discovered some excellent new illustrators through reading this and will be looking up some of their other works.
I also fully intend to pick up all the rest of the Mouse Guard books very soon! 4*s
__________________
Full Review:-
So, this was my first venture into the world of the Mouse Guard, a world originally created by David Peterson. I wanted to try this book out right from the first time I saw it in a shop, becuase the cover and interior art was stunning to look at and it's about cute mice! (what more could you want). However, with that said I didn't really know what sort of stories it would be or the tone of the writing and so I was just hoping it would be something I'd at least enjoy.
Luckily for me this story is super diverse and easy to follow and we see that it\s introduced by David Peterson in a little tavern where the patrons are challenged to come up with interesting stories and win the day. These smaller stories are then illustrated, written and coloured by a whole variety of different artists and writers with Peterson just filling in the in-between moments with his own illustrations.
I think that the short story format worked very well becuase it doesn't spoil anything about the general Mouse Guard universe, but it certainly makes you want to see more of the mice. I found myself absorbed in their adventures right from the first story, and I was pretty hooked through to the end.
Each of the creators within this have been specially picked by David Peterson which means that you have a great mix of styles, but they're all top quality. I would honestly say that there were no styles I disliked, although there were certainly some that really stood out, and so this is a great way to see some work by some wonderful talent.
Some of the stories I most enjoyed were:
The Battle of the Hawk's Mouse and the Fox's Mouse - Jeremy Bastian
Potential - Sean Rubin & Alex Kain
Bowen's Tale - Karl Kerschl
There were lots of other fun ones, but the art styles and stories of these three were my favourites and the most memorable ones for me :)
On the whole a great entry point and it's made me want to keep discovering more of the cute little mice. I also loved the page showing each of them and their roles in the world! 4*s