Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #3 Review

 

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. 

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2 Review

 

Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

Cover Artists: Kevin Eastman & David Petersen; Gabriel Rodriguez; David Petersen

Editors: David Mariotte & Bryce Carlson

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 7, 2025

 

Bardrick enjoyed his life as a Guardmouse in Lockhaven. But he and his fellow guard captains never saw eye to eye. Nor did he agree with Matriarch Siobhan's defensive strategy to protect All That Is. Instead of safeguarding the merchants and field workers, Bardrick thought the Guardmice should seek out the snakes that enclose their lands.

 

When Blacksmith Farrer brought the Black Axe to Lockhaven, Bardrick exchanged one way of life for another. He left his home and pledged to eradicate the great snakes and their kin. The spirit of a dead elk helped him find Gammeltann. But after battling the great snake of the north, Bardrick and his guide parted company. Can Bardrick fulfill his ambitions without the ghostly elk’s help? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2, and find out!

 

Story

The regions controlled by the snakes far outstrip All That Is. Those lands are far too vast to search. So Bardrick patrols the shrinking borders of All That Is. He engages in battles. He kills many offspring of the four great snakes. He even wounds them. Yet the great serpents always escape to fight another day. But then, they are not blind. And, after quarreling with the dead elk, Bardrick lacks a guide to lead him to the next sleeping serpent.

 

Bardrick may have left Lockhaven, but Matriarch Siobhan has not forgotten him. The Guardmouse she struck from the rolls has caused no end of trouble. Angered that a mouse killed one of their elders, all the snakes target all the mice in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2. They attack the mice harvesting the fields. And they cut off supply routes, preventing convoys from delivering food to towns.

 

The years are not kind to Bardrick in David Petersen’s story. The exile travels alone, knowing many mice have died because of him. Bardrick wonders if, in swearing genocide on the snakes, he has signed the death warrant on Mousekind. Perhaps his fellow Guardmice were right about him. Or maybe Blacksmith Farrer created something evil when he poured his anger and loss into forging the Black Axe.

 

In Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2, Bardrick yearns for help. He misses the only person who aided his quest. He also doubts his abilities. But then, the great snakes dwarf Bardrick. And, unlike the exiled Guardmouse, Skalaknute, Streikrask, Dodfare, and Langtspyd have a vast network of agents to monitor the crusader’s movements.

 

Art

Gabriel Rodriguez shows snakes slithering through the grass like shark fins rising from the waves. In the barren fields, workers gather the harvest. The snakes wash through the workers like a tidal wave, overturning bags, barrels, and wagons. Little moves in their wake. In Lockhaven, Matriarch Siobhan confers with her Guardmice. While she still looks regal in her purple robes, a scar on the captain who called Farrer’s plea a fool’s errand glows.

 

In Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2, Bardrick strains to pull up his tattered russet-and-ivory tent. Yet the russet fabric looks faded, and the ivory sections have yellowed. The encroaching lavender-gray night awakens the lonely mouse's memories of the elk spirit. But when Bardrick hears movement and looks away from the yellow and orange campfire, he sees only a firefly, its bioluminescence ivory like the crescent moon.

 

David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2 with a medieval frontispiece. The fire-breathing green snake, streaked with gold and maroon, crawls atop the similarly colored capital G. Large white letters locate us in space, and black, typed uppercase letters fill beige balloons and boxes. No sound effects accompany Bardrick as he battles green snakes amid brown leaves or as dark shadows against gray earth. Instead, punctuation marks convey hope, fright, and an existence stripped of meaning. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Years pass while Bardrick searches for the great snakes in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #2. After achieving his first great victory, Bardrick wonders if he overestimated his abilities. The elk spirit warned Bardrick that it would not fight his battles for him. And the oversized axe, forged from all of Farrer’s sorrow and malice, weighs as heavily in Bardrick’s hands as it did in the Blacksmith’s.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 Review

 

Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

Cover Artists: David Petersen, Gabriel Rodriguez, Goñi Montes, Derek Laufman, Walter Simonson & David Petersen

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 19, 2025

 

Farrer served the residents of Shorestone. He enjoyed a happy life with a loving family. Now, Farrer braves a storm, crossing All-That-Is to reach the castle at Lockhaven. As he pushes through the rain and wind, he drags a heavy burden tied and wrapped in cloth. Why has the blacksmith abandoned his town to visit the Mouse Guard keep? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1, and find out!

 

Story

Farrer interrupts a meeting of the Mouse Guard with a tale of woe. He explains that a great snake and its kin have slain his wife and three daughters. The blacksmith poured his mourning into his craft, fashioning a new weapon to avenge his family. But the guards argue that his black axe is too heavy to wield effectively. Matriarch Siobhan explains that she can not spare any guard mice to champion his cause.

 

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 transpires in 915 AD. These are dark times for civilization, made all the darker by the snakes that enclose All-That-Is. The serpents’ continual incursions leave survivors like Farrer in mourning. Yet Matriarch Siobhan cares for her people as best she can. She assigns her captains to guard the workers when they harvest the fields. Siobhan also provides escorts for merchants transporting food and goods to towns like Shorestone.

 

In David Petersen’s story, one Guard Captain disagrees with the matriarch’s decision. But then, Bardrick already feels like he doesn’t belong in Lockhaven. The others are so focused on protecting the necessities that they have forgotten how to live. They only believe in what they can see, while Bardrick dares to believe in things he cannot prove. As they fail to understand what Farrer offers them, Bardrick accepts the gift they thoughtlessly reject. In so doing, Bardrick leaves his old life behind to embark on an adventure of discovery.

 

Art

While Ferrer braves the elements in a tunic and traveling cloak, the Guard Captains cover their chests in armor. They sit at a wooden table, illuminated by a candle and the nearby fireplace, and study a map of mouse-held territory. Gabriel Rodriguez shows tears fall from Bardrick’s eyes when Farrer kneels before them in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1.

 

Among his fellow captains, Bardrick’s lowered hood rises higher toward his mouth. When Farrer leaves the room, Bardrick pursues the blacksmith down the dark halls supported by rings of voussoirs and roof bosses. Bardrick touches the metal ball at the end of the twisted metal handle. Then Bardrick kneels as Farrer lowers the axe onto the captain's shoulder with the inscribed blade pointing toward the ceiling.

 

David Petersen portrays the shadow that hangs over this land with muted browns, grays, and greens. Yellow and orange flames roar in fireplaces while candles burn in alcoves and make metal lanterns glow. The guards' armor and cloaks shine compared to Ferrer's gray cape and muted green and brown tunic. Matriarch Siobhan glows in her elegant purple, blue, and gold finery. When Bardrick embarks on his new mission, orange, peach, and brown threaten the dominance of the gray clouds.

 

While large white letters locate us in space, colored boxes fix events in time. Printed black text inhabits yellow and blue balloons. David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 with a frontispiece containing a symbol and colored lettering evoking illuminated manuscripts. Sound effects enhance a final battle as Bardrick struggles to wield the heavy weapon against an angry titan. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Farrer forged the Black Axe through a desire for revenge. In Bardrick’s hands, it embodies the hope for a better future, one not ruled by their serpentine enemies. Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 is about faith and sacrificing everything to protect the endangered and oppressed.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside and view more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.