Mouse Guard, Volume 1: Fall 1152

Library Journal

First-time graphic novelist Petersen scores right away with this anthropomorphic medieval fantasy. After the war with the weasels, the Mouse Guard, headquartered at the fortress of Lockhaven, turned their energies to protecting travelers from predators in between the mice's hidden villages. When three of the Guard-Lieam, Kenzie, and the brash, young Saxon-are sent to find a missing rice merchant, they uncover a plot to overthrow Lockhaven's mistress, Gwendolyn, and replace the aid and support she provides to the villages with tyranny. Worse, they discover that rebellion's leader is himself a Guard member. The key to victory or defeat for the Guard rests in the legend of an ancient mouse hero, the Black Axe. Petersen's characterizations could be more fleshed out, but his world-building is impressive. His greatest strength is his gritty, gorgeously colored renderings of local flora and the animals themselves, including a fearsome snake and attacking crabs. His mice can be considered cute, but they're fierce warriors. Some blood in the battle scenes will keep this out of the hands of the youngest children, but audiences ages ten to adult will likely be drawn in and eagerly await future volumes. Recommended for all collections.
—S.R.