Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard

Creator Petersen turns to the tested and reliable bar story as a framing device to allow other writers and artists to play in his Mouse Guard universe, where heroic mice heroes are set in a world of epic fantasy. The June Alley Inn attracts a colorful and varied clientele. One night barkeep June decides to take advantage of this and stages a story-telling contest. What follows are thirteen tales of danger and adventure, as protagonists contend against the predators around them and the flaws that divide mouse from mouse. Armed with medieval technology but vulnerable due to their tiny size, the mice are as daring as any human, and as determined as any full sized protagonist. Petersen's selection is skillful and apt; each writer and artist brings skill and respect for the source material to the individual stories, illuminating Petersen's world rather than using it as a mere palimpsest on which to indulge their own obsessions. Legends is an example to other creators interested in shared worlds. (Dec.)