Mouse Guard Legends of the guard Legends of the guard.

A slew of guest artists and storytellers tell brief yarns set in and around the grimly valiant Mouse Territories of Petersen's Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (2007) and Winter 1152 (2009). The foundation and connecting mortar are found in the form of an innkeeper who challenges her patrons to a storytelling contest, rewarding the winner with a cleared tab. The art styles of the ensuing stories are all over the map, from the elegant, tapestry-worthy The Battle of the Hawk's Mouse & the Fox's Mouse, by Jeremy Bastian, to the joltingly cartoony A Mouse Named Fox, from Katie Cook. In substance, the stories are equally varied, but all champion the heroism of the noble mouse warriors and even include a couple clever takes on classics, like The Lion and the Mouse, from Craig Rousseau, and The Raven, from Jason Shawn Alexander. More than just supplemental material, this book broadens Petersen's magnificently imagined miniature world and is a welcome addition for any collection that values quality, all-ages graphic novels.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist

Creator Petersen turns to the tested and reliable bar story as a framing device to allow other writers and artists to play in his Mouse Guard universe, where heroic mice heroes are set in a world of epic fantasy. The June Alley Inn attracts a colorful and varied clientele. One night barkeep June decides to take advantage of this and stages a story-telling contest. What follows are thirteen tales of danger and adventure, as protagonists contend against the predators around them and the flaws that divide mouse from mouse. Armed with medieval technology but vulnerable due to their tiny size, the mice are as daring as any human, and as determined as any full sized protagonist. Petersen's selection is skillful and apt; each writer and artist brings skill and respect for the source material to the individual stories, illuminating Petersen's world rather than using it as a mere palimpsest on which to indulge their own obsessions. Legends is an example to other creators interested in shared worlds. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.