The Lord of the Cheese: 'Mouse Guard'

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SOME INDEPENDENT COMIC BOOK creators have to toil for years in anonymity, producing photocopied and hand-stapled minicomics that might sell 100 copies, waiting for a publisher and a fan base to discover them.

David Petersen doesn't have to worry about that anymore. His series "Mouse Guard" started in minicomic form, and then was quickly picked up by Archaia Studios Press, where it proceeded to sell out four print runs of the first issue alone.

The "Mouse Guard" miniseries "Fall 1152," now collected in a gorgeous hardcover book, is a medieval anthropomorphic story focusing on three mice in the illustrious mouse guard as they protect their homeland from a hidden menace. The series is set to continue in July in a series called "Winter 1152."

Petersen, who cites Disney's animated "Robin Hood" film as an inspiration for the book, started off wanting to do a book set in the medieval world using species of animals instead of races like elves, dwarves and other creatures found running around in "The Lord of the Rings."

"I wanted to keep the predator-prey relationships accurate, and I figured that the smallest thing I would draw that I would put into the story would be mice," Petersen said. "Then it was a challenge of how to keep them alive in the story. Once I came up with the idea of the Mouse Guard, the rest of the story didn't seem as important. The mice really became the focus."

With the main species chosen, Petersen spent considerable time ensuring that the mice had human characteristics and didn't look strange holding swords, goblets and other human elements.

Of course, it was most important that they still look like mice. Without a realistic depiction of the mice, which Petersen had been honing during a 10-year period, the dangers they faced in the comic would also seem less tangible.

"If they were too cartoony, it's not as impactful of a story," he said.

When it came time to draw "Mouse Guard," Petersen didn't have to do much to capture the mice. The villainous crabs that attack them were another story. To accurately depict the crustaceans, Petersen went shopping for frozen crabs at his local fish market.

"I kind of held them up as it was still dripping and moved some parts around," Petersen said. "My wife took pictures from different angles and I got a reference file going."

Despite his Disney influences, Petersen's artwork is photorealistic. His mice look like they could be crawling around your cupboard. Although that's not putting off any of his fans.

When Petersen set up at conventions to peddle the initial minicomic, he would get senior citizens, kids, women and guys who look like they liked hard-core zombie books. He thought that by going to the new publisher, the book would garner a small loyal following: "A little bit of everybody," Petersen said.

Things didn't turn out exactly as planned for him though. "It ended up being a lot of bit of everybody," he said.

Images courtesy David Petersen/Archaia Studios Press