REVIEW: Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 #2 (of 6)

Written and Illustrated by David Petersen
Review: Will Dubbeld

Comics about animal people are as old as the medium itself and have always been present. From Hoppy the Marvel Bunny to Captain Carrot, from The Spectacular Spider-Ham to Albedo, Fish Police to Omaha the Cat Dancer, these furrybooks don’t hold a large portion of the market but a loyal one nevertheless.
Walt Disney’s motley crew an obvious exception...

Perhaps childhood exposure to The Secret of NIMH sparked my interest in anthropomorphism and, short of going full-blown furry, I’ve maintained my enthusiasm throughout my life.
These days the comics don’t seem to offer as many titles centered around animal-folk, perhaps the 1980s boom can be attributed to the rise of TMNT, but there’s still some gems to be found.
Amongst them is Mouse Guard.

I picked up a handful of Mouse Guard comics 3 or so years ago for dirt cheap at a Hastings and hadn’t read many of them. Through no fault of the comic, simply the fact it’s far easier to buy comics than find time to read.
Everything comes around in due time, however, and today is Mouse Guard’s lucky day. 

I purposefully didn’t do much homework or research on the title, preferring to jump right into the deep end. Unfortunately, I discovered I haven’t got anything from the first series, Fall 1152, nor have I the first part of its follow-up.
So without context or any frame of reference we head into the dead of Winter: 1152.
...With mice.

Thankfully the inside cover has a brief recap, informing the reader that teams of Guardmice have been dispatched from a place named Lockhaven in the hopes of gathering supplies and entreating potentates.
Presumably mouse village potentates.
Our stalwart adventuring party runs afoul of an owl and most of the group falls in a hole.

Not the most glorious of preludes.

In any case, our stalwart mouse warriors persevere. The group trapped in an underground weasel lair follows the tunnels as the pair above ground sally forth to complete the mission.
The stalwart Guardmice, Leiam and Celanawe, traverse the ruthless overland terrain, braving snow and frozen brook, while Saxon, Kenzie and Sadie bicker and navigate what appears to the ruined weasel territory of Darkheather.

Although I was unfamiliar with the book and characters, Petersen does a fine job detailing traits and quirks. Leiam is a new Guardsman, unsure and eager, Celanawe a grizzled veteran wielding a Black Axe, Kenzie a levelheaded tactician and Saxon, who plays the part of the brash and impulsive swordsmouse.
Sadie, in this issue anyway, has nothing to do and is either underutilized or earnestly a background character.
Everyone is a stock character and no one seems particularly layered or nuanced, but that’s just fine considering the book revolves around sword-wielding mice. It’s a fun, distracting tale.

The book’s only confounding aspect may have to do with my general unfamiliarity with the comic. I’m not sure if this takes place on our earth and these are human-sized mousefolk, or if this world exists underfoot our own. The scale seems to suggest the environment is large and perhaps there’s no humans at all, but I couldn’t say for certain. It does, however, give off a vibe reminiscent of Redwall or Squarriors.
A minor point of confusion, but nothing deal-breaking.

There’s very few funny animal comics I won’t check out, and Mouse Guard certainly makes the cut. It doesn’t have the storied history of Usagi Yojimbo or the Ninja Turtle fan base, but Mouse Guard has a great foothold. Petersen does a fine job invoking the Middle Ages and the desolate, somewhat doomed, atmosphere I’ve grown to associate with the time period.
Granted, if you’re not interested in little mouse-people this, out of the gate, is not for you.

I, for one, love little mouse-people and look forward to following the further adventures of the Mouse Guard.
At least to the tune of the 16-odd issues I’ve collected this far...