Oh Hell Yes: Mice With Swords With 20-Sided Dice

Mouse Guard scribe David Petersen was at GenCon this weekend, and he's posted this brilliant poster for the upcoming RPG on his blog...

I just wish Gary Gygax had lived to see this. Kenzie stabbing through a D20 is one of the nerdiest images I've ever seen, and it's my new desktop. This game was supposed to come out "Summer 2008", but Mouse Guard time always seems to move verrrry slowly, why, because quality takes time.

Historical Context: I'm particularly excited about this game because the first RPG I ever played was a homemade campaign based on the Brian Jacque's Redwall series. I loved those books all through grade school, and the chance to roleplay a mouse with sword still holds a great deal of allure. Although if I remember correctly, the last time I did it ended with our entire party being killed by a badger in the throes of Bloodwrath, who may or may not have actually been a member of said party. These things happen.

Choose Your Own Mouse-Venture

One of the most appealing qualities of the Mouse Guard comic is the level of detail author David Petersen gives his medieval mouse society. The lush and intricate world of the Guard is a perfect setting for adventuring, and a board game and RPG are already in the works. Petersen recently posted one of his sketching exercises for different playable mice characters on his website - each one of these little guys is packed with character, and seeing them all together in one page is a bit overwhelming. After the jump I've picked out a select few, in an attempt to guess which caste they might fit into...

Mouse in Shining Armor

Cartographer Mouse

Chef Mouse

Fashion Forward Mouse

Emperor's Royal Guard Mouse

Rice Paddy Mouse

Pan Mouse

Falstaff Mouse

Archbishop Mouse with Alter Bee

Gaston Mouse


Lil' Jon Mouse

Mouse Guard Eye Candy: New Print and Previews

David Petersen, you have sent me into a jealous rage. Just look at this beautiful new artwork that will be included in the German hardback edition of Mouse Guard. Talk about A-Material! Non-German countries, someone's been holding on us...

On his blog, Petersen says inspiration came from the Bilbo's Birthday scenes in LOTR, but I am reminded first and foremost of those wonderful banquet passages from the Redwall series, that would reliably appear in the third or fourth chapter of every book (Redwall is now a graphic novel as well, bringing the Mice with Swords comic count to a whopping three).

For even more Mouse Guard fun, check out the new seven preview pages of Winter 1152 Issue #2. Wind in the Willows fans rejoyce....weasels are on their way.

Snap Judgements - Halo: Uprising, Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, Blue Beetle, Thunderbolts, Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious

Video Games Make Bad Comics... Don't They? - Halo: Uprising #1

First, a Geekanerd confession. I've only played Halo once, for fifteen minutes, and I sucked at it. So I'm not sure exactly what was running through my head when I picked this book up. Well, I do know what was running through my head: "Either this will be great because it's Bendis/Maleev, who are a great team, or it will suck which won't be so bad because then I get to tell all those Xbiotches their precious series sucks Covenant Needlers." Well, I don't get to say anything to the Xboxers because their series has made its second transformation to the comic book format quite well.

The first issue is bookended with some slightly stale Master Chief action (Maleev has always been better with mood than with action), but the gooey center follows a hotel concierge and a hotel guest escaping from the alien invasion. The writing really reminded me of Bendis' old crime fiction stuff, like Goldfish or some of his short work for Negative Burn. There's a down on his luck nobody who's gotta step up and be somebody, and he's mixing it up with a sexy lady who can handle a gun. Except this time there's Covenant soldiers instead of hackney mobster types. And just when you start to think that the poor bastard is out of his element and should just hide under a table, it becomes apparent that he's about to get a lot more pivotal in the whole dealy-o.

That all being said, it's still a comic book based on a first person shooter, and that can't be good, right?

Great Characters + Bendis in Top Form - Some Silly Covenant Jokes = A-

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 #1, Blue Beetle #18, Thunderbolts #116, and Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #1 after the jump...


Mice-i-cles - Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 #1

Well, it's finally here - the second series of the little book that blew everyone away with its artistry, its epic action, and of course its formidable cuteness factor. Mice with swords! What's not to like? The beginning of the Guard's winter storyline takes a slow approach - after a minor scuffle with a predator, heavy-hitter Saxon remarks, "No swordplay?" Readers may share his disappointment, although that's not so say this book doesn't deliver on the other fronts that made his title so highly regarded.

We join the characters immersed in a bitter winter, and Petersen's familiar small-scale woodland is now rendered in white, purple and blue. A sunrise towards the end of the issue is the visual high point; the sun shines through the frozen thicket in thin splashes of orange, the contrast against the snow is masterful. The scenes featuring the familiar guardsmice works better than the expositionary conversation delivered by the governing characters, but small touches (such seeing the mice keep beetles as trained pets) make every scene worth a second reading. The issue ends with a bang, and indicates why Petersen has frequently referred this second series as a "survival story". It's gonna be a long winter.

Beautiful Snowscapes + An Expanding Universe - A Slightly Slow Start = B+


In With The In-Crowd - Blue Beetle #18

Writer John Rogers is the best at what he does. And what he does is write quickly-paced comics packed with snappy teen dialogue that should impress even the most discriminating Whedon fan. In Blue Beetle #18, Rogers gets to introduce his greenhorn hero to the popular kids - the Teen Titans. Rogers' take on Robin & Co has them sounding smarter and more distinctive than they do on the pages of their own book, and the dynamic between the hardcore Titan heroes and the easily overwhelmed Beetle Bunch offers up more than it's fair share of LOLs.

The story sticks to the standard team-up format - first the heroes fight each other (Jaimie doesn't recognize the Teen Titans?! They live like four states away from Texas!) , then they band together to fight a big baddie. The bad guy is pretty much inconsequential, since the story is in the team-up. Unfortunately, the bad guy is Lobo, and Fans of the Man may be disappointed to see his antics are upstaged by the wonderful chemistry between the two bands of very different heroes. Jaimie and his friends look at the Titans with outsider's eyes, and can't resist asking a few very meta questions, such as why Supergirl would choose to fly around in a skirt.

The only thing that keeps this ish from getting a full fledged A+ is the first few pages. Drawn by David Baldeon and San Davis, the art suffers from a serious case of clonitis - you'd think that between two artists they'd be able to give each character a different face, but sadly it didn't work out that way. Still, this is just an early bump in the road on a trip to Funsville.

Cracklin' Dialogue - Tim Drake and Jaime Are Twins + Mexican Space Launch = A


It's Not Easy Being Mean - Thunderbolts #116

Yaawn. It seems like this book is only exciting every other issue. Last week we saw an amazing fight where Venom ate someone's arm and Bullseye got his ass handed to him. This week we just get some leftover, heated-up plot rehash. Artist Mike Deodato Jr. makes an admirable attempt to distract from the tedium by constantly drawing Moonstone in a sultry close-up, but that doesn't change the fact that all these conversations in Osbourne's office are boring. Or maybe it changes the fact a little. But not enough.

Speedball fans may be interested/horrified to see how low the former hero has been brought, and he has the issue's "big moment" - but even that seems like a lot of noise without much punch. The only part of this book that really got my attention was a surprisingly angsty Venom - nothing brings on the existential torment like the realizing everyone now thinks of you as a cannibalistic space monster.

Office Conversation - Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing + Venom Angst = C


The Title Is So Bad - Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #1

Ask me if I love Lobo...
Yes! I adore Lobo, thanks for asking!
Ask me what my favorite Lobo story is...
Lobo's Back! Thanks for asking!
Ask me what my least favorite Lobo story is...
Any of the one-trillion crossover stories that all suck because every single one of them [that I've ever read -ed.] loses sight of the absurdity that makes Lobo a fun character. I'll even go one step further and say that if Keith Giffen ain't writin' it and Simon Bisley ain't drawin' it then it's taking place in the normal DC Universe and it isn't worth reading. Lobo's world is pulsating and alive and disgusting and perverse and violent and colorful. The DC Universe is... Well, it is what it is. Part of what makes Lobo Lobo is he truly is The Main Man of his universe. Everyone cowers in fear from the notorious bastich, and those that don't soon get their insides fed to them. Thanks for asking!

Now, after years of pretending the character was dead to me, I allowed myself to hope that Sam Keith could capture Lobo as well as the Holy Giffen/Bisley team. And he does! Visually. In other respects, not so much. As I mentioned before, the trouble with a Lobo/Superhero crossover story is that they come from two different worlds and it's very hard to be true to both. This story has Batman being his moody self but also trying to be a little silly, and Lobo being his silly self but also trying to be a little moody. The result is a muddy middleground where nobody's anything. Least of all interesting. Which is a goddamn shame because this book looks SO GOOD! Keith has the cartoony grit that Lobo's world demands, and there are some truly killer pages in here.

Thrilling Keith Art - Underwhelming Keith Story - Not My Lobo = C+

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 Comes Out TODAY!?

Whadahuh? So after several weeks of wondering what the heck happened to the second series of Mouse Guard (it recently premiered at Comic-Con, but has been M.I.A. in stores) author David Petersen had this to say on his blog:

"Winter 1152 Issue #1 *UPDATE* Due to a mix-up at Diamond, the books didn't ship out and have been at Diamond's warehouse for weeks. (The books were set to go out for the 25th of July!!!) Now it looks like the release date will be August 15th barring an unforseen incident."

Why, that's today! Winter 1152 isn't on the Diamond shipping list nor my local comic shop's in-store list for tomorrow, but I'm still going to expect that upon showing up for my comics, I'll be greeted with a big celebratory sales display adorned with adorable yet honorable sword-wielding mice. If this is not the case, there's going to be trouble. And by trouble, I mean tears.

Related: Geekanerd's musings as to which of the Guard will die in during Winter 1152...

UPDATE!!! David Petersen just updated his site - he meant to say August 22nd. It's still not on the Diamond Shipping list. I can't take the suspense....

Comic Artists Blog Their Way Through the San Diego Comic Con

Can't make it to San Diego for the Comic Con? Check out the blogs of some of Geekanerd's favorite writers and artists for an inside look at what they'll be premiering at the Con.

Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Stardust, 1602)

• Neil has been actively blogging his experiences at Comic Con, including when he presented the new Beowulf footage with Roger Avary, and the subsequent rooftop reception. The entry is tagged "Why I Am Crap At Parties", which reminds me of Why I Am In Love With Neil Gaiman.

Brian Wood (DMZ, Supermarket, the upcoming Dogs Day End)

• Today's entry links to some just-released preview art of Wood's new viking story, Northlanders. Plus a recent post titled "Things To Look Out For" indicates some information about Brian's "unnaounced" original graphic novel will drop during the Con.
  

David Petersen (Mouse Guard)

• Check out this post for a peek at the Mouse Guard sketchbook that will make it's debut at Comic Con. Petersen's art never fails to amaze.
  

Humberto Ramos (Wolverine, currently on X-Men)

• I'm a big fan of Ramos' art - you can buy his sketchbook online through his blog, plus he's got a scan up of the stickers he'll be premiering at Comic Con (wait, stickers? Is that it?!)

Mouseguard 1152: Who's Gonna Die?!

Yesterday we posted a link to IGN's preview of Mouse Guard 2: Winter 1152 #1. IGN's write-up includes the cryptic phrase, "It's a winter not every Guard may survive." This would coincide with something author David Petersen told me way back in March, during the New York Comic Con - "I can't promise everyone's gonna survive this time." Eek! He wouldn't really kill one of our three heroes, would he? Surely it will be Sadie, the girl-mouse who the IGN preview indicates will become a more important player in the second series. Important enough....to die?

*cold wind blows*

But I don't want Sadie to die either, as she's the strongest and coolest of the two female characters in the book. Let's hope Winter 1152 doesn't yield another case of women-mice in refrigerators.

In other David Petersen news, fans should check out his new blog where he posts tons of never-before-seen original artwork, both from Mouse Guard and his personal collection, such as this awesome Han and Chewie watercolor.


Finally, after the jump, check out the super-short video interview I did with David Petersen where he drops the aforementioned death-quote, plus a few other tidbits of info on the second series of Mouse Guard.



The Mouse Guard segment starts at 1:19...the interview was part of the late great Pulp Secret Report.

Sneak Peek at Mouse Guard 2

IGN has some scans from the upcoming second book in the Mouse Guard epic, Winter 1152. They are, unsuprisingly, drop dead gorgeous. Please check them out at IGN. The first issue hits stores next week. Oh, and if you haven't read the first Mouse Guard book, you have to buy it right now. It's one of the most beautiful graphic novels you'll ever read, hands down bar none without a doubt insert cliche here. But seriously folks.