Broken Frontier

A relatively new face to the world of comics, David Petersen seems poised to make a name for himself thanks to some very tiny friends. Mouse Guard (a 6-issue series published by Archaia Studios Press) is a comic that is quickly gaining momentum thanks to strong word of mouth and positive reviews (including  Broken Frontier’s Dave Baxter). With issue #1, subtitled Belly of the Beast, quickly disappearing from comic shelves, Petersen stopped by to discuss his comic and his diminutive heroes.

Broken Frontier - What is Mouse Guard and how did the book come to Archaia Studios Press?

David Petersen - Mouse Guard is a project that I have been toying with for some time. It was originally part of a much larger concept for a natural world without human interference and animals of all shapes and sizes. The goal was to develop characters that could interact, but use social reasoning to keep them all from just simply eating each other. The mice were the smallest creatures in the idea, so I took extra care in developing their portion of the story, which became Mouse Guard. I self published a first issue with the plot for a six issue arc in my mind. If the book were received well at my local convention, I would continue the series. But after issue #1 was done, I was advised at the San Diego convention to speak with Mark Smylie as Archaia was beginning to publish fantasy titles. I met with Mark a few years ago at a convention in Chicago, he was very kind and encouraging while looking at my portfolio, so taking the book to Archaia was an easy choice.

BF - How does this issue #1 differ from the self-published comic you did? 

DP - The only change is that I colored the Archaia release. Originally the black and white of the self published version had more to do with publishing costs than anything else. Color was a challenge for the new release because the artwork was all designed to work in black and white, but I am very pleased with the results and think it only gets better from here on out.

BF - Who are the Mouse Guard?

DP - The Guard is made up of brave mice whose sole purpose is allowing the mice to travel between their hidden mouse cities safely. They watch the weather, forge new paths, monitor migration of predators, and try to avoid conflict with those predators at all costs. They are not a military force or even the law, but essential to keeping the mouse society thriving.

BF - Which of the mice do you relate most to?

DP - I have favorites, but that's a bit unfair of me. I'm a fan of Saxon, the brazen mouse who solves problems with his sword. But he wouldn't work on his own. He's an enjoyable character because of the interaction with the other characters, especially Kenzie. Kenzie is more thoughtful and calculating. In some ways he plays Saxon’s conscience.

BF - How do you strike a balance between anthropomorphic and realistic animals?

DP - I try not to use their faces to show emotion. There are some cases where I have to, but I try and rely on body language and pose as much as possible to get the message across. If they become too athropomorphisized the reader could imagine them getting out of any situation without the inherent dangers of being mice.

BF - What are your inspirations?

DP - When it comes to graphic storytelling, I am a big fan of Mike Mignola. He's a subtle writer and an amazing artist. I have long been a fan of Arthur Adams as well and a recent admirer of Rick Geary, whose linework is great. I find the photographs and installations of Andy Goldsworthy compelling.

BF - What type of reader is the comic geared towards?

DP - Anyone who likes adventure stories. I think there is a little bit of something for everyone in Mouse Guard. I didn't dumb down the writing to make it easy for kids to read, but it also doesn't deal with themes that a kid who wanted some help reading it couldn't ask their folks for some help.

BF - In one interview you mentioned that you thought children's book illustrating was the direction you artistic career was going. Why did Mouse Guard end up as a comic and not a children's book?

DP - At one point I had the stories written in prose. I found that I had less control that way though. As a writer you get the advantage of letting a reader know what is going on inside someone's head, their motivations, subtle actions too hard to draw. The downfall was that I had a very visual understanding of the world and no amount of my writing could do the images in my head justice. It was a story that begged to be told panel by panel. I was also nervous about taking art that looked more like children's illustrations and try and get the comic world to accept the comic as anything more than a bedtime story book. I'm glad that there is room for unique artistic styles and unconventional stories to still be told in comics today.

Mouse Guard #1: Belly of the Beast is available now, with issue #2 (Shadows Within) scheduled for an April release.  Previews of both comics are available at  Archaia’s website. More on both David Petersen and Mouse Guard can be found at his website, www.davidpetersen.net.