Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen
Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez
Cover Artists: Gabriel Rodriguez, David Petersen & Matt Smith
Editors: David Mariotte & Bryce Carlson
Publisher: Boom!
Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 18, 2025
After quarreling with his ghostly guide, Bardrick endures several years alone without another victory. To be sure, he slays many snakes. But Bardrick fails to kill the four remaining great serpents that menace Lockhaven. Nearly four years pass until Bardrick finds Skalaknute sleeping in his lair. After his second conquest, the ghostly Elk reappears. It leads Bardrick to Dødfare. This time, the small warrior with a big heart does not leave the battle unscathed.
After slaying three of the great snakes, Bardrick lies dying. How will Lockhaven fare in his absence? Or can Bardrick defy the venom flowing through his veins? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3, and see!
Story
Matriarch Siobhan and her captains dismissed Bardrick’s claims about the ghostly Elk. She refused to send a Guard captain or patrol leader to avenge Farrer’s family. But the Matriarch trained as a healer before she became responsible for her nation. In David Petersen’s story, the Matriarch must decide whether to aid the Guard she exiled.
Like the Matriarch, the Elk abandoned Bardrick after their quarrel. Instead of watching Bardrick provoke the snakes to ravage Lockhaven, the specter watched Farrer remarry and father more children. After rejoining Bardrick, the Elk told him he could relinquish the Black Axe after the former Guard killed Langtspyd. But in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3, Bardrick is dying. Even if he survives, he will never recover his former strength. So, the spirit must decide how best to defend Lockhaven from Langtspyd and Streikrask.
David Petersen’s story demonstrates how our roles change as we age. Bardrick must accept that he can no longer continue as before. The solitary soldier must also decide to abide by the Elk’s strategy or follow his inclinations. Yet Bardrick knows what his four years alone cost him and the toll his actions took on his beloved people.
Art
The Matriarch gazes up at the towering Elk from her castle balcony. The spirit glows with a pale blue light, while the Matriarch shines in her purple hat and robe of office. Yellow and orange creep through the grass as the Matriarch nears Dødfare’s corpse in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3. Beige smoke rises from a black and gray cauldron as she concocts a remedy in Bardrick’s hand-stitched beige and tan tent.
David Petersen lavishes a palette of subdued colors on this tale about accepting our limitations. While Bardrick has not recovered his former strength, Gabriel Rodriguez shows the former Guard captain undertake another journey. Adorned in his ragged cape, Bardrick still carries the weapon Farrer found too heavy to wield. He scrambles over rocks and paddles across a pond on an autumn leaf. After years of seeing how the serpents devastated communities, Bardrick beholds how his selfless service has benefitted Lockhaven.
David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3 with another medieval frontispiece. This time, snakes intertwine, but not as a caduceus or the Rod of Asclepius. The Black Axe lurks between lines of elaborate letters while a tiny mouse peers out at the reader. The Elk speaks words of wisdom into blue balloons while mice use beige balloons. Sound effects slither through the air as Bardrick makes another difficult decision on behalf of his people. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Fighting for the values we believe in and the people we love can be an isolating experience. Sometimes, it may feel as though no one watches or cares about our struggles. But Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3 reminds us that we are never alone. In our darkest moments, others may offer their aid if we're not too proud to let them.
Rating 9.6/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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