GeekDad: Review — ‘Mouse Guard: The Owhlen Caregiver & Other Tales’

David Petersen (Author, Artist, Cover Artist)

Mouse Guard: The Owhlen Caregiver & Other Tales begins by assuming that you know everything there is to know about this universe. If not, you can check out Jonathan Liu′s introductory take. Of course, it can also be succinctly summed up as the following:

Which of life′s biggest lessons can be learned from the smallest amongst us?

I love what Petersen is doing here. By proudly presenting old tales set inside an expected frame of valiant and morally sound mice, he is, in fact, showing us his true beliefs about humankind.

Sometimes being brave and generous is not about fighting predators, it is about compassion, and “The Owlhen Caregiver” truly proves that point by talking about something we seldom discuss: the care of the dying.

Meanwhile, “Piper the Listener” is the tale of the truest diplomat: the one that patiently endeavors to understand the other types of speech out there, the visions and communication of the fowl, and how by accomplishing this feat, you can contribute a great deal towards mutual understanding and changing aggressive behavior.

And finally, a grizzled oldfur shares a lesson he has learned the hard way in “The Wild Wolf,” talking about the meaningless risk one can take if, by doing so, the lives of friends are endangered.

Even if you’ve never heard of these series, this is a great starting point. The imagery of cloaked, sword-wielding mice draws heavily from Nordic, Icelandic, and Old English lore and illustrations, but there is a hint of Russian fairytales in there as well. See them protect the common mouse against threats of predator, weather, and wilderness in these stories, and be awed by the art in the process.

The stories are released as a series of miniseries available as individual comic issues first, and then collected into hardcover volumes.

Mouse Guard: The Owhlen Caregiver & Other Tales was released July 14, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) and at the BOOM! Studios webstore.

Digital copies can be purchased from various content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

AVAILABLE: July 2021
IMPRINT: BOOM! Studios
PAGE COUNT: 36
COLOR: FC
Scoot Imprint

Featured image by David Petersen, all images belong to BOOM! Studios

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