The Mice Templar, Vol. 1: The Prophecy

Mice Templar #1

by Bryan J.L. Glass, Michael Avon Oeming

The young mouse Karic seeks to rescue his family from slavery and save his people from rat oppression by reuniting the legendary Mice Templar. But the Templar have been sundered by a vicious civil war, distrustful of one another, and despised by the very people they failed to protect. The fate of all creatures now rests in the paws of one small mouse, if only he can find the courage and strength to become one of the Templar knights himself.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure, Animals

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much better than the other Mouse warrior comic that I read recently. The art was better than that one and the use of legend. This kinda reminded me of The Secret of the Nimh, because it's mice vs rats.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a graphic novel that really wasn't for me, but it's just my own personal taste and no reflection on the true quality of work. If you are a hardcore high fantasy fan, you'll probably love this one. It's just a little too deep for me. There's dream sequences, lots of fictional history, some hard to pronounce names, and the other tropes that most fantasy readers love. There's also a ton of supplemental bonus material included.

To me, it was just too wordy, the art was hard to follow at times, and the story jumped around too much. However, as I said earlier, if you thrive on Lord of the Rings type stories, and even moreso some of Tolkien's more obscure work, this one is for you.

For clarification, the story does deal with talking animals such as mice, rats, weasels, spiders, etc. but the story itself is classic fantasy. Even though I didn't love this one, I would still recommend to fantasy readers.

[X · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the mythology and history of the world was fabulous, but the story itself was hard to follow. I was glad for the notes in back that explained some things.

[Madmortigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a delicious surprise. Ever since being a sucker of the Redwall series my thirst for mice and swords has run deep. This book has a pouch given from the Gods that gives as much water as is desired. My thirst has been slated.
The characters are real. They are flawed, they are kill able. The world of mice is not an easy one and the authors use this to make you feel very vulnerable and small. The art is amazing. For those of you that want an epic tale of fantasy and magic and faith and are sick of waiting for George RR Martin's next book, rejoice. This is not some cliched DnD adventure gone wrong. This is tale told from the heart in the pure form that comics were made for. Pick this sucker up, you will be glad you did.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your first mistake is thinking this is a kid's story/comic. It becomes apparent after the first page or so that this is anything but. This is nothing less than a deep, engrossing fantasy epic. Yes, the protagonists are anthropomorphic mice, so if that doesn't do anything for you I'd say stay away... but if you loved things like Mrs. Brisby and the Rats of NIMH as a kid, and enjoy Game of Thrones as an an adult... then give this a chance.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terrible not great but will read the next volume.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of this graphic novel encompassed some of the traits I love in tales told by the greats like Tolkien. I won't get into details to avoid being a spoiler alert, but bits and pieces of the general plot did bring up thoughts of other stories I've read in the past. The differences and true creativity were in the details though.

Although some of the main points in the plot were classic warrior and underdog themes, the author crafted his work in a way that made me almost not realize it while reading. It still mesmerized me into the fantasy of the tale while reading. It was an entertaining read.

[Lonnie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I REALLY wanted to love this, but I couldn't quite get there. The art was good, and the basic story was great, but the dialogue writing was painful. I believe the writer was going for dramatic to match the graphic nature of the violence and to juxtapose that the main characters were mice, but it came across as over-dramatic and extremely cliche.

[BellaGBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I the artwork is very, very pretty. I also am slightly curious were this story is going ( to see if it is going to be a generel epuic fantasy quest, but then with mice (which is fine for fun reading) or if it is going to become more)

I also love fantasy set in cities, which I hope is going to happen a lot of the action in the next volumes.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art in this was fantastic, but the story was so hard to follow. The mice just look to much alike and everything happens so fast with not a whole lotta reason. The snake did give me the heeby jeebies though.

[Meran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series from the moment I began reading. The lives of mice, as we've never thought of them; their challenges, wars, enemies, dreams, religions, families...

Lots of violence, wars, grown up topics. This is NOT for young children.

Highly recommended.

[Aaron Arellano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely was afraid this would be a moue guard ripoff but it is anything but that. Where Mouse Guard excelled in Valiance and honorable codes and memorable tales as well a world and characters, Mice Templar excells in going in it's own direction. I wouldn't say it's "dark" or "darker" than mouse guard as both were...brutal. Neither shied away from showing blunt harsh deaths which I appreciate given these are animal characters and it's also just how death goes. What I feel truly sets Mice Templar apart is the magic and fantastical elements brought in that was just the perfect layer on top. The story was engaging to me and the journey the main character goes on is a bitter one. Look forward to reading more of the series.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mice Templar is an epic series based on the hero's journey but with a rodent cast. Now when I first saw this I was skeptical how this could work. Reading the whole series it is one of the most amazingly written versions of the struggle between good and evil. The characters are believable and behave realistically (for mice) with motives, passions, and actions that match and surpass other epics.
The first volume presents the setting and the basic characters. It is only at the begging that one can find it hard to understand who is who since the art style makes difficult to tell the characters apart.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this one from the Library. Figured I might enjoy it from the cover...was letdown.

What I like: The idea and the art. The art is pretty great at times. Especially the areas and such. Also the idea of this is cool, something different and unique.

What I didn't like: The story was dull. The one "death" was easy to see coming and felt lifeless (no pun intended). The dialog was okay, average at best. Also as much as I enjoyed the art a lot of characters (mice) looked very similar.

I dunno, this didn't do much for me. A good 20 minute read tho.

[Judith Groen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the story. However... the phrasing of sentences and the artwork were sometimes confusing. In the artwork it was hard to know which mice was which and the phrasing of words were sometimes too vague. Also there were a lot of names of peoples and places to remember. I have a bad memory, so half the time I have no idea who they were talking about. The basic gist of the story however is very lovely. About a boy who wants to save his family from rat oppressors and becomes a Templar. I am very excited for the second volume

[Daniel Parsons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean. I see what they're trying to do, but this book fell flat for me. It felt like some of the connective tissue was rushed in each issue, the art is well done but the characters aren't easy to distinguish and the story is a bit all over the place without having the compelling interest to keep me invested. I had heard good things about this series but pushing through these 6 issues was a labor for me. Gunna pass on the other volumes.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The illustrations are angular, and it is a bit difficult to distinguish the different characters. Interesting premise. Still unsure of how things devolved to the point that they are, or why the king is so evil. Will likely get more info in later volumes. The world is quite bleak and graphic, but not beyond what I can stomach.

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good idea hampered by some cliched dialogue, some very thinly written characters and art that’s fantastically kinetic and atmospheric but kind of adds to the thinly written characterisation problem by being almost entirely impossible to tell one cross sword wielding rodent from another

[Dylan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not actually bad, but for the life of me I cannot get into graphic novels.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully done fantasy tale. I will probably add it to my middle school library.

[Max.A]

oof

[Richard Burley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Ooemjng’s art is marvelous and fits the story well. I enjoyed the story though it was a bit hard to follow at times.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bien, como única pega, al principio es muy difícil seguir quién es cada ratón, luego la cosa mejora. Deseando leer los siguientes números

[Nicholas Kotar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS STORY.

The children of Reepicheep by way of Secret of NIHM and the mystical parts of Watershed Down.

What is it about warrior mice that is so compelling?

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I just finished Glass and Oeming's 13 year epic (all 7 volumes). While not all the pieces are perfect, as a whole, it is one of the better fantasy stories I have read. Very vivid characters, who develop gradually and evolve as the narrative progresses. The story is bursting with characters and even the minor ones have their own motivations and arcs. If you like fantasy at all, this is well worth your time.

[Harriet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the art, although at times it was tricky to sell who was who. The first page was stunning. The colouring on those three panels was beautiful. It was never quite that good again, but I enjoyed it throughout.

The story was very political-fantasy, which I don't personally enjoy, but I'm sure that if it was someone's thing they'd really enjoy it because it all seemed well done.

Didn't hate it by any means. It dragged a bit. Probably just not for me.

[Louel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The majority of this will be under a spoiler tag, as I discuss things at different points of the book and I'm not entirely sure what will qualify as a spoiler.


I want to start out by saying that I really love animal fantasy type books, and have been a huge fan of Redwall and the Deptford Mice books since I was a kid. I read MouseGuard (fall) a while ago and enjoyed it, and picked this up thinking it was similar. In a way it is, but it ends up feeling off in the same way that knock-off toys from the dollar store are.

Let's start with the art. The cover and title page art for this comic are gorgeous. The style and heavy, dramatic inks lend well to illustration. To 200+ pages of comic storytelling, though? Not so much. Fight scenes become repetitive, and the narrative told through the art becomes stiff and awkward. There are one or two sequences that made me stop and go "oh, that's good", and are very cinematic. The rest of the book is littered with poorly organized text bubbles, large panels of scenery that are put in very odd places (like, I KNOW they are meant as establishing shots, but they do nothing to place where the characters are in relation to the scenery or what the point of that particular place is. This happens more than once), and towards the end of the book, hard to read fonts. The organization of information becomes especially terrible in the final chapter when the story constantly flickers back to a moment five minutes before the present scene. I mean holy hell, between two pages there are about 3 time transitions, "Moments ago" followed by "Now.." and then "Before.." two panels later.

Composition problems aside, the color work is a combination of flat color and very sloppy watercolor. The work on the cover of the book is the best watercolor work of the book, so enjoy it while you can. As the book moves on, more of the watercolor is incorporated and it comes off as tacky. Overall the art in the book is tolerable, but boring.

Despite my gripes about the art, the book itself is very handsome (my edition has a matte softcover with spot gloss and a tri-fold page during a certain scene). The pages are glossy and have a great weight to them. The actual comic pages are not numbered, though any pages with commentary and additional lore are.

Now for the story itself. It is run-of-the-mill fantasy fare. The runty male main character becomes chosen by whatever divine power reigns in the world and has to stop the evil that is spreading throughout the land. All the female characters presented exist to further the male characters around them, and the male characters go through the motions of character development; discovery, betrayal, murder, all that fulfilling stuff.

The world building in Mice Templar is pretty solid. Most of the in-world lore is told through oral stories by various characters throughout the book. At the back of the book is a hefty section going further into the lore and accompanied by gorgeous woodcut style illustrations. I did not read this part as once I finished the comic, I wasn't interested in delving any deeper into Mice Templar. The first book sets up the series pretty well but only makes the most minor effort to move the plot forward.

If thinking about buying this for someone younger, know that there are considerable amounts of cartoon gore and death. There are themes of faith, justice, and what you would normally expect from a sword-swinging fantasy romp. It is worth a look if you can pick it up from a local library or borrow it from a friend.

[Joshum Harpy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the artist of this book makes a big deal out of saying that this book was something he had wanted to do for 30 years or 10 years or some b.s., but this book is without a doubt a massive ripoff of mouse guard and only got made because of mouse guard's success. He prints a short story he allegedly did years ago, but what fucking ever. Mouse guard is the same concept to the T and is just a better story, so do yourself a favor and read that instead. Obviously though, as a fan of Mouse Guard, I went into this read thinking it was a ripoff, so that might have colored my experience to say the least...

Having said that, this wasn't an awful read. The world that it takes place in is pretty fleshed out and has a delightful amount of black magic central to the story, which mouse guard so far does not. In fact, the most likable part of the book is that it is steeped in quirky mouse mysticism, which is not presented in a way that makes one feel that it is superstition, but rather that it is a real everyday part of mouse life. This has the effect of putting the mice in their own reality, rather than the impression that they have this little world going on under our noses. At times it is visually effective, the owls especially look pretty sweet, and the pacing is pretty well done too.

Thematically the story explores corrupted power and a single mouse' journey through the constant attempts at manipulation and control that other mice heap on him, supposedly to find his own way or some shit. The overall effect is that all these characters who the reader barely gets to know are constantly alternating between looking like good guys and bad guys and who really gives a shit when you barely even know any of these characters anyway.

The artist does a mediocre job at mimicking Mike Mignola's style (Hellboy) and Mike Mignola is even quoted on the back saying the book is a thing of beauty or some such nonsense. To be honest, if they hadn't quoted Mignola as approving I would've passed it up in a second as the blatant ripoff that it is. I just don't understand what Mignola's fascination is with artists aping his style. He's got a whole team of artists he works with that all do 3rd rate impersonations of his style and not even in a subtle way, now he's going around giving his seal of approval all willy-nilly to every hack in the industry cranking out this drivel. WTF?

There's a bunch of bonus material with the book, similar to the general info at the end of each mouse guard volume, but I didn't bother reading it because I wanted passive aggressive revenge for being suckered into reading the book in the first place.

[Chris Jamison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading the graphic novel The Mice Templar (#1 The Prophecy) by Bryan J.L. Glass and Michael Avon Oeming. I enjoyed it, and I recognize, admire and respect the effort underlying it. As I read the book, I picked up on Christian themes of humility, submission to a higher power, and similar. Explicitly the authors point out that a weak creation is chosen to be the vessel of God’s power precisely because he is a weak creation. This echoes exactly the reason God chooses the weak to humble the strong, and how the nation of Israel was chosen not because they were already a great nation.

In the back of the GN is a set of backstory essays – clearly there is more to the world than a simple tale. This echoes the world building of JRR Tolkien, for example.

Also, a personal experience from last night: I was at Celebrate Recovery, but hadn’t yet gone into the group meeting. The group was singing a song while I sat outside reading the last few pages of The Mice Templar. The song was “Your Grace is Enough”, which we sing often at CR since the motto of CR is “My Grace is Enough for You” (or “My Grace is Sufficient”). So while the group was singing the chorus of “Your Grace is Enough”, at that exact moment I was reading these words: “Yet my Grace is sufficient…” from the book. I read the word ‘Grace’ at exactly the same time the chorus sang ‘Grace’. It was quite a powerful moment!

[El Templo]

"Con algo de retraso, como ya es habitual en nuestro país, llega esta serie de aventuras protagonizadas por ratones antropomórficos. Aunque a primera vista la suma de estos dos términos: Ratones + Templarios puede recordarnos a otros productos del tipo Tortugas + Ninjas, no es ésa la línea abordada por sus autores. No estamos ante un cómic cachondo, que parodia géneros clásicos. De hecho el guionista ha confesado que si esta historia está protagonizada por ratoncillos es por culpa de la influencia tanto de la película de animación como de la novela de La Sra. Brisby y las ratas de Nimh. Otra influencia posterior fue La colina de Watership. Aunque esta historia la protagonizan entrañables ratoncitos, en ella hay drama y combates (muchos combates) con sangre derramada y miembros amputados. Pero ante todo hay épica, con ecos que van desde El señor de los anillos hasta otro cómic como Bone. Como en toda épica hay un joven protagonista, Karic, un ratoncillo que anhela convertirse en caballero templario, y las circunstancias adversas (el asalto a su poblado) le llevarán por ese camino, obligándole a sacar el héroe que llevaba dentro. El camino del aprendizaje es duro y lleno de dudas como nos muestra este cómic. Pero esa trama sencilla, el camino del héroe elegido, se ve amplificada por otros factores, a modo de una tarta con muchas capas, con elementos tomados de la tradición celta, nórdica y medieval europea que conforman una mitología propia, dotando así de mayor profundidad a todo el conjunto. ---> Sigue leyendo en http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.com"