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Interview:
David Petersen
Tales from Lockhaven: David Petersen discusses Mouse Guard
By Adam White
Published: 2006-08-09
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In today’s cluttered marketplace full of mega-crossovers and T&A nonsense, very few independent books find their
way to the forefront of readers’ pull lists. However, David Petersen has beaten the odds and produced a consistent
sell-out in Mouse Guard, a square-shaped small press series about a group of warrior mice and their struggle to save
their home and way of life. Petersen fills every issue with lush visuals and dynamic storytelling, two things I find vital
to a good series yet two things that the majority of the reading public ignores. So why does Mouse Guard succeed
where so many other independent series fail? I had the good fortune to chat with creator David Petersen and find out a
little about what goes into this great series.
ADAM WHITE: What first interested you in writing/drawing? Were you inherently predisposed towards comicbooks or
was it something you discovered and worked towards?
DAVID PETERSEN: I loved drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon. And I love stories. I
like reading stories,
“I think the themes that make any story good are accessible to children.”
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hearing stories, watching stories. So the idea of me
putting them together wasn’t a stretch. I wanted to do superhero comics
when I was in high school, but knew I didn’t have the drawing chops to keep
up with those stories.
AW: Is Mouse Guard your first professional comicbook work? If not, what else have you worked on?
DP: It is. I am really lucky that it has been received so well. I had done
a few short stories that were printed in anthologies that were self-published,
but Mouse Guard was my first book that was all me.
AW: I first discovered Mouse Guard through comiXpress — what drew you to print Mouse Guard
through them?
DP: They had printed one of the anthologies I mentioned, called Voices. I was
familiar with them and the prices were reasonable for my needs. I was
going to print a very small run and then set up at the Motor City convention.
They also printed custom sizes at no extra charge.
AW: What inspired you to create Mouse Guard?
DP: Adventure stories!
AW: I have found that Mouse Guard is one of the very few truly “all ages” story, meaning that it
is entertaining for children and has deeper themes adults can enjoy as well. Was this a conscious decision from the
beginning or did it naturally go in that direction? [Because you succeed here in something that very few people do well]
DP: I did want it to be read by adults and kids. I think the themes that
make any story good are accessible to children. There is a line to walk
where I don’t write down to them, but I also don’t go over their heads. I know
that some of the blood and the idea of a sentient mouse inside a snake will
be too much for a young child, so it does have some limits.
AW: How did you hook up with Archaia Studios Press? Did they contact you or did you approach them with Mouse
Guard?
DP: I had a successful Motor City convention and decided to go to San Diego
to meet up with some friends and see what a bigger con is like. I was just
wandering as a spectator when Bill Baker, a writer I know
“I am still taken by surprise at the auctions for the early
printings — who would want a square comic about mice!?”
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from the
Motor City show, bumped into me. He asked if I was trying to find a publisher
or if I had a table. I laughed. I didn’t have a table and what publisher
would want a square book about mice? He encouraged me to approach Archaia. I
had a long chat and portfolio review with Mark Smylie several years earlier
and felt comfortable enough with the idea of him looking at my book that I
went over to their booth as soon as I walked away from Bill.
AW: Every issue of Mouse Guard is selling out and going for tremendous prices on the secondary market
— did you expect this success or did it take you by surprise?
DP: No! I am still taken by surprise at the auctions for the early
printings. Like I said before, who would want a square comic about mice!? I get at
least one e-mail per week to see if I still have a black and white
issue for sale or a sketchbook. I’m glad that people are responding to the book
so well, but the ebay stuff blows my mind.
AW: Mouse Guard has taken off despite the current “crossover” climate in the marketplace —
what do you think accounts for this success?
DP: It does have an appeal that I knew would attract women, kids, and older
readers. I didn’t anticipate the traditional comic lovers to
jump on
board as well. The idea of mice with swords seems to draw in a wide audience.
Lots of fans have thanked me for making a comic their wife or girlfriend can read. That is
something I am proud of. I have been the boyfriend and husband
to the woman who would wait in the car if I needed to go to the comic
shop. I try and do the best book that I can and incorporate time-honored themes.
AW: What writers and artists inspire you as a creator? Are they mainly comic creators, or are there people from
other fields such as literature, film, television, etc., that influence your desire to create?
DP: In comics I really enjoy the work of Mike Mignola, Guy Davis, Gary
Gianni, Rick Geary, Art Adams, Tim Sale, Frank Miller, and many more. I am
really starting to see Dave Stewart’s colors on multiple proijects and seeing
how he tailors his color for the artist and project. Beautiful work.
Outside of the comic field I enjoy Tim Burton’s work, illustrators like Maurice
Sendak, Edward Gorey, John Tenniel, and E. H. Shepard. I draw influences from
movies, books, life experience — as long as it helps tell a story, it
fits in comics.
AW: What, if anything, do you think is currently great work in comicbooks? What writers, artists, and/or series
inspire you as a creator? Do you have any particular favorites you would recommend to others?
DP: B.P.R.D. just finished its best miniseries yet! Guy Davis has taken
hold of the characters. And Dave Stewart’s colors are meshing with Guy’s work
better and better. I just finished Polly and the Pirates, that was a fun read.
I buy anything that Mike Mignola does. His design sense is killer, but he
is the king of pacing a story. I’m catching up on trades I missed like The
Treasury of Victorian Murder and some Sin City stuff.
AW: With the Big Two companies focusing their marketing on gargantuan crossovers, do you think self-contained and
small press books that focus on quality storytelling are getting lost in the shuffle? How can we get readers to spend their
money on original series instead of ones they’ve been “hyped” into buying? [Since you have succeeded in that
department]
DP: I don’t know the answer to that. Diamond was kind to us and selected
Mouse Guard #1 as a featured item. Wizard caught on did an article on it
around the time issue #3 came out. I do know that the online communities I am
a part of have been very supportive. Getting a fanbase from people online
is a great start.
AW: Are there any particular characters or titles you would like to try your hand at? Any particular creators you
would like to work with? Or do you prefer to do your own thing?
DP: For the most part, I would prefer to do my own thing. I never saw
myself as the guy who wanted to take
“Lots of fans have thanked me for making a comic their wife or girlfriend can
read.”
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over on a run of drawing the Hulk. However,
I wouldn’t mind a short stab at TMNT, the Giant Sized X-Men team, or the
Fafhrd & Grey Mouser ongoing that I heard is upcoming from Dark Horse.
Mouse Guard will always come first, though.
AW: Finally, any advice you can bequeath to aspiring creators out there (beyond perseverance)?
DP: I think there is a raw talent and desire that needs to be there. And
beyond the typical good storytelling/drawing tips everyone knows
are
important, polishing up your work for presentation is a big key. Being aware of
the type, texture, and variety in your ink lines, cleaning up your pages,
and making sure your story is readable. I think self-publishing through a
print-on-demand printer is a great option. Even if the end goal is to
get hired by a publisher to work on their properties, having a completed
book that you can leave with the editors and art directors you deal with
really says a lot about your desire and work ethic.
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Good advice, and all you aspiring creators out there should take note.
In the mean time, do your best to find issue of Mouse Guard (if you can) and enjoy this fantastic series that
virtually anyone can read and enjoy. I’ll definitely keep reading, and sincerely hope that Petersen is able to
continue the story past this first six issue miniseries, because I guarantee the six issues will not be enough to contain
this grand epic he has created.
—CCdC— Images are often used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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