Answering the call of fans and retailers clamoring for more Mouse Guard stories, Archaia Entertainment proudly announced the launch of a new anthology miniseries, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, featuring covers and chapter breaks written and drawn by creator David Petersen and contributions from popular comic writers and artists, including Gene Ha, Terry Moore, Ted Naifeh, Guy Davis, Sean Rubin, Mark Smylie, Craig Rousseau, Karl Kerschl, Katie Cook and Jeremy Bastian. Issue #1 (full color, 24 pages, 8” x 8”, $3.50, Diamond Order Code MAR10 0699) is available for pre-order now and will debut in comic book shops in May.

“It started with the excitement and pleasure I had when Jeremy Bastian and Mark Smylie did their pinups for Volume 1 of Mouse Guard,” explained Petersen about the genesis of Legends of the Guard. “Jeremy and Mark really got the feel of Mouse Guard, and knowing them and their storytelling work, I invited them to do a story anytime they liked. As more and more pinups came in and the series gained fans among professionals I admired, the list of people who I thought were a good fit and would be willing to do a Mouse Guard story grew. Archaia also liked the idea, so with list in hand, we started setting up the book.”

“I have such a deep admiration for Mouse Guard, which is why I decided to publish it in the first place several years ago,” expressed Archaia Publisher Mark Smylie (Artesia), whose contribution to the mini-series will appear in issue #4. “It’s an honor and a privilege for David to give me this opportunity to play in his sandbox.”

Click the images for a closer look:

Legends of the Guard is set in a tavern in the Mouse Guard world, where a group of Guard Mice each take turns trying to spin the tallest tale. Petersen writes and draws the scenes set in the tavern, while contributions from each of the hand-picked creators will serves as the “tales.”

“These are some of my favorite storytellers, and I’m lucky enough to have them telling Mouse Guard stories,” beamed Petersen. “The quality of work coming in is amazing! I’m glad to see the range in artistic styles.”

“Some dismiss Mouse Guard as a children’s book—they fault the art and story for its simplicity. They need to give it another look!” said Gene Ha (Top 10, The Authority: The Lost Year), who contributes to a story in issue #2 (full color, 24 pages, 8” x 8”, $3.50, Diamond Order Code APR10 0733). “There’s a depth one rarely finds in an action story. David Petersen’s heroes never descend to glib jokes and supernatural fighting prowess. The mice must think, and there’s great pleasure guessing their thoughts. It is not a wordy book—the clues are laid out in his artful combination of dialogue and pictures.”

“Mouse Guard is one of the best things ever. I love the story, I love the characters and I LOVE David’s art,” offered Katie Cook, who is a favorite artist amongst “Star Wars” fans and is contributing to the third issue. “What fan wouldn’t jump up at the chance to officially play around in the amazing Mouse Guard world that David has created?”

David Petersen also writes and draws an 11-page, original Mouse Guard story in Archaia’s Free Comic Book Day issue, the Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock flip book, available for free in comic book shops on May 1, 2010. In September, Petersen will launch Mouse Guard Vol. 3: The Black Axe, a six-issue series.

For more information on Archaia or any Archaia titles please visit www.Archaia.com.

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