Mouse Guard by David Petersen

Buy it now: at your local comic shop or bookstore.

Description: Life is hard for mice. Predators lurk outside the safety of town and the war with the weasels is still a recent memory. The Mouse Guard are a group of brave and adventurous mice who patrol the borders of the mouse territory, escort commoners between towns and fight to keep predators and other intruders out. Now a threat has come from within which threatens all they hold dear. It falls to brave Guardsmice Lieam, Kenzie and Saxon and their allies to uncover the plot that might destroy the Guard’s stronghold of Lockhaven.

This review was based on purchased comics (not the hardcover collections.)

WereGeek’s Rating:

Traitorous mice storm Lockhaven

WereGeek’s Review: I managed to pick up the first issue of the first series (Fall 1152) by chance in my local comic book shop. When I found it, it was already on its second printing. After one read, I was sure I’d never get a second printing issue again. It was love at first sight! The world in which these anthropomorphized mice live has a very early medieval feel and the Guardsmice themselves remind me of classic knights: strong, brave, skilled, maybe a little foolhardy and willing to die for their ideals. The artwork is absolutely beautiful and the storytelling has a depth and a pace that will hook you and not let go. Petersen’s artwork is so detailed, some backgrounds almost look traced (in the best sense of the word). One of the covers from the second miniseries (Winter 1152) shows Guardsmouse Saxon lying on a pile of mouse skeletons so detailed Petersen must have spent hours drawing mousie long bones and vertebrae.

There are currently twelve comic issues out, two series of six issues each (and a hardcover version of each series). A new anthology miniseries, Legends of the Guard, is due to begin in May 2010. Another series, The Black Axe, is due in September 2010. I can’t wait! When I collect my comics, I’m always disappointed if there’s not a Mouse Guard waiting for me and its always the first I read as soon as I get home. I really do love them that much. In fact, my only complaint is that the wait is so long between issues and even worse between series. If those long waits are what it takes to keep the quality as high as it has been though, I will more than gladly wait until the next installment. Just don’t begrudge me my antsiness waiting for the next chapter.

If you’re new to the world of Mouse Guard, you don’t have long to wait for a free introduction! There’s a special two-sided Mouse Guard comic paired with Fraggle Rock coming out for Free Comic Book Day May 1st! Visit www.freecomicbookday.com to find your local participating retailer!

Lenore: Noogies by Roman Dirge

Buy It Now: or on Amazon.com

Description: Take a trip into the dark, surreal world of a little dead girl with a knack for (often) unintentional mayhem in this remastered, gothic classic, newly-coloured and presented in glorious hardcover!

Lenore might only be small, but her talent for mischief — and occasional wanton destruction — is anything but. Featuring stories about limbless cannibals, clock monsters, cursed vampire dolls, taxidermied friends, an obssesed would-be lover and more fuzzy animal mutilations than should be legal, never has the term ‘something for everyone’ seemed more sinister and bizarre.

A massive cult hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Lenore is one of the funniest, darkest, cutest, creepiest characters on the marketplace today.

This review is based on a free, review copy received from the publisher.

TDF Pamela’s Review: B+

Lenore is adorably sick and twisted. This completely recolored reprint of the first Lenore collection is a great book, full of funny, creepy stories and very nicely colored artwork.

Some of the first stories in the collection are a bit rough around the edges. It’s obvious that Roman Dirge hadn’t quite hit his stride yet in the first two or three stories, but he quickly settles into the black humor that’s the trademark of the Lenore series.

Some of my favorite stories are “A Walk in the City,” in which a lady plays got-your-nose with Lenore, with gruesome results; “Ragamuffin,” in which Lenore accidentally resurrects a vampire who was cursed and turned into a cute doll; and “Leap Froggie,” where a game of leapfrog goes… well, horribly wrong. Leapfrog with gruesome results. :D It was pretty tough to narrow it down to three faves, though. Lots of the stories are hilariously macabre.

Lenore isn’t for everyone. Like I said, it’s sick and twisted, and if you’re easily grossed out or find dead baby jokes highly offensive, you might want to skip. But if you appreciate black humor in the form of a cute little dead girl, you should definitely pick up this collection.