One of the titles I talked about months ago when covering Archaia Studios Press for the Buzz was Mouse Guard. This is a fun title about mice who live in a medieval time period. I was able to speak with the series’ creator, writer and illustrator David Petersen and ask him a few questions.
Matt Knicl: How did you come to Archaia?
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David Petersen: Back in 2002 I went to the Wizard World Comic con in Chicago. I was wandering artist alley and met Mark Smylie. He was self-publishing then and I showed him samples of my work for his opinion. Mark gave me a great portfolio review, very honest, very helpful. So in 2005 when I was at the San Diego comic con with my self-published Mouse Guard and a writer I know said that Mark Smylie’s looking for fantasy titles for his publishing company Archaia Studios Press, I didn’t mind showing him Mouse Guard. He was excited about it and offered to publish the series in color.
Matt: Have you read any other rat-lit or similar types of stories?
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David: Sure, I love Wind in the Willows! Redwall was one that pushed back Mouse Guard in terms of my production. I had started developing Mouse Guard an a friend said “oh, you’d like this book!” and he handed me the first Redwall book. I enjoyed it, but it made me feel like someone had already filled that niche and that I should find something else to do. But after nin years or so of the mice running around in my head I moved forward with their stories. I did make a few conscious decisions to make sure there were obvious differences between Mouse Guard and Redwall.
I figure if you are a fan of one, chances are you will like the other.
Matt: What do you like about talking animal stories?
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David: I love that with animal characters, you can instantly say something about a character just with the animal they are. Take Toad in Wind in the Willows for instance, You could take pages to describe the obnoxious, fat, overindulgent, and spoiled character he is, but just saying “Toad” sets that up from the very start in one word.
In Mouse Guard a very important part of the story is the size and survival aspect. With everything in the world being bigger than them and the effect weather has on them, they have to be small. If I tried to tell the story with humans instead, I would have to create lots of huge creatures and giants and make the landscape seem out of proportion for them. I couldn’t do the story justice unless they are talking mice.
Matt: What do you think the widespread appeal is of these types of stories?
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David: We have been using talking animal stories for a long long time. Kipling, Aesop, even the Native Americans used animal characters to describe their religious beliefs. In the first book of the Bible, Satan takes the form of a serpent. I think there is something ingrained in us that makes us relate to these stories in ways that non-animal stories can.
How did you choose the “time period” for Mouse Guard?
David: I wanted something medieval from the start. I like stories set then, I think they offer a stripped down society view that is fun to build in. The first date that picked came about from a game called Defender of the Crown I enjoyed when I was younger. It starts in 1149, so I used that as the start of the war the mice had with the weasels in Mouse Guard.
Matt: You also illustrate Mouse Guard. How long have you illustrated?
David: I have been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. In middle school I started taking art classes outside of school, and then I went on to major in Fine Arts in college. It was in high school that I knew I wanted to do something creative for a living, and that illustration would be a good fit for me.
Matt: If there were one thing you could tell a prospective reader, what would it be?
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David: “Mouse Guard is a fun comic that anyone can enjoy”
Matt Knicl: My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.
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Matt Knicl
My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.