mouse guard

We have good news for fans of Matt Reeves, Gary Whitta, Mouse Guard or all of the above: The War For the Planet of the Apes director is teaming up with the former screenwriter of Rogue One to bring the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series to the big screen. Sadly, Reeves won’t be directing the project himself, but given his experience working with mo-cap on the Apes films, he’ll make for one heck of a producer.

Adult coloring books are all the rage, and appropriately comics publishers have taken notice and are capitalizing on the trend. Recently DC Comics had a month long coloring book-themed variant cover initiative, and now Archaia is going one step further, publishing the Mouse Guard Coloring Book --- and we’ve got an exclusive preview of some of the illustrations by series creator David Petersen.

Zootopia is currently rocking theaters around the world with its mix of charming animal comedy, classic buddy movie tropes, and a level of rich social allegory not usually seen in a big-budget Disney Animation feature. If you loved Zootopia and want to read comics with similar smart humor and all-ages appeal, the medium has a rich history of funny animal comics going right the way back to the genesis of the newspaper comic strip; Jimmy Swinnerton's Mr. Jack, about a caddish young tiger, debuted all the way back in 1890. We're currently enjoying a new golden age for all-ages comics, so we've compiled a list of some of the best books available today for you to check out if Zootopia left you hungry for more.

Last year at Emerald City Comic Con, toy brick artisan Alice Finch and her incredibly detail-oriented team put together an awe-inspiring display of David Petersen’s Mouse Guard dioramas built entirely out of toy bricks. At the time, we referred to it as one of the standouts of ECCC, and now Archaia is releasing a full-color hardcover packed with photos of the team’s incredible work.

Last weekend at Baltimore Comic-Con, the 27th annual Harvey Awards were held, and in one of the least surprising developments in the history of the Harveys, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' Saga took home a few more awards to add to a shelf that I'm sure is already collapsing under the weight of its many honors. Named for MAD Magazine editor and cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman (who, interestingly enough, did not win the award he was nominated for this year), the Harveys are voted on by industry professionals, and this year's winners represent a pretty interesting crop of current comics, including CA favorites like Lumberjanes, Hellboy In Hell, and even Dick Tracy. Check out a full roster of winners and nominees below!

David Petersen's Mouse Guard has long been a favorite fantasy adventure book of mine. On top of having some really tremendous art, the world, characters and mythology he's created and developed over the years have kept me engaged and interested, and eager to learn more. Part of what makes Mouse Guard such a fascinating universe is the lore tied to the weapons and armaments the Guard use to defend their home. As Mouse Guard is a bit of a niche title, I never expected anyone to license the series for collectibles. A few years ago however, Skelton Crew, who you may know as the company behind all those Locke and Key replica keys or those BPRD artifacts, released the first in a continually expanding line of Mouse Guard weapon replicas. To make things even more impressive, the goods were to scale for the actual mice in the Guard. This year, Skelton Crew is again returning to the world of Mouse Guard with two new recreations, both of which should be welcome additions for fans' armories.

Earlier this week we ran an exclusive preview of Legends of the Guard #4, the final installment of the latest collection of short stories told by amazing creators in the world of David Petersen's Mouse Guard. One of the standouts among the many stories told through the three volumes of the anthology is Ryan Lang's "The Watcher's Stone," a moving and inventive ten-page story. Lang is completely new to comics, but he's an accomplished freelance illustrator and animator whose credits include work on last year's Disney animated movie Big Hero 6. ComicsAlliance spoke briefly to Lang about his artistic process and how he came to Legends of the Guard.

One of the highlights of last weekend's Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle for me was a secluded spot in the basement of the convention center that was absolutely packed with Lego. Not just people selling Lego, but some extraordinary structural works built entirely out of Lego, including giant superhero heads and an entire city overrun with heroes and villains. But the standout, spread across several tables, was a Lego tribute to David Petersen's Mouse Guard, with little custom mouse minifigs going on quests, setting off to sea, and sneaking around a terrifying giant owl. It's easy to see how David Petersen's wonderful world of tiny epic adventures could inspire such a vast undertaking. Petersen's work is gorgeous, and the wonder that infuses it carries through into the work being done by other authors in Archaia's Legends of the Guard stories. We have a preview of the second issue, featuring contributions from Kyla Vanderklugt, Dustin Nguyen, C.M. Galdre, and Nicole Gustafsson. These are stories that can delight young minds just as easily as a room full of Lego!

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of David Petersen's beloved series Mouse Guard, a new collection of short stories set in the Mouse Guard world is about to debut. With stories from creators as varied as Mark Buckingham, Becky Cloonan, and Dustin Nguyen, the four part Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Vol. 3 begins in March.

Boom Studios has a reputation in the comics industry for publishing an increasingly diverse group of books and creators. This commitment to diversity in genre and people is reflected in an all-new initiative the publisher announced today in Previews with a letter from founder Ross Richie. While 2015 is the 10th anniversary of Boom, the publisher wants to talk about what's next rather than what's come before. They call this discussion of the future Push Comics Forward and they don't want it to be only about Boom. Push Comics Forward is Boom's way of focusing on the ongoing conversation about diversity and the future of the industry. To learn more about this initiative and what to expect from Boom for the next ten years and beyond, we spoke with Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon.