I’m back at it with another comic review. This week I’m going back once again to the indie publishing scene with Image Comics’ Mice Templar. This series is written by Brian J. Glass. The first volume features art from co-creator Michael Avon Oeming and collects issues 1-6 of the 39 issue run. The story was originally published from 2007 to 2015.

The story of Mice Templar is set within the mouse kingdom of The Dark Lands. Many years ago the mice of The Dark Lands were protected by an ancient order of religious warriors known as the Templar. However, due to civil war, the order eventually dissolved with the surviving members now living in exile. The tale begins in the small village of Cricket’s Glen. Our hero is a young mouse named Karic who wants nothing more than to become a Templar. After tragedy strikes his home he embarks upon that very quest with the guidance of an aged member of the order.

While the story of Mice Templar certainly sounds rather generic from a glance I assure you that isn’t the case. It uses the standard quest narrative in order to get the plot moving but it takes some surprising turns. Major themes include: faith, corruption of both church and state, persecution and more that I’m sure will continue to take shape as the story advances.

The world manages to capture the charm of the popular children’s novel series Redwall by Brian Jacques. Mice Templar manages to stand on its own, but I could understand if the lack of true originality is a detractor for some. There are clearly some strong similarities between both works, but I found this world to be a lot grimmer in overall tone. The story is filled to the brim with strong world-building though.

The religious zealotry of the mice combined with the beautifully stylized art gives the entire narrative a mythological feel. The story is incredibly grand in scope with many distinct factions and characters introduced over the six issues. Though there is a lot of background lore, I think Glass does a solid job of interweaving exposition naturally into the story. I never felt completely lost while reading and always had just enough context to appreciate more intricate story beats.

The artwork as a whole is fantastic with a wonderfully distinct style and excellent scene composition. The action scenes in particular stand out as almost cinematic while still maintaining the feel of gazing at a painted mural you might find in a museum. My biggest issue with the art is that a few of the mice characters have the tendency to look too similar, especially in the early parts. As a result, it can be easy to confuse characters and this takes you out of the story for a moment.

Overall, though I would certainly recommend The Mice Templar. The first volume ends on an extremely interesting cliffhanger that expands the world to a cosmic level. This has me very excited to continue the series. It also helps the story further distance itself from its main inspiration. If you love epic fantasy, nature, and Redwall I would highly recommend this series.

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Mice Templar Volume 1: The Prophecy

29.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Wonderful, stylized art
• Epic, nuanced story
• Great worldbuilding

Cons

• Characters can look too similar
• Wears influences on sleeve