David Peterson is a recent addition to the "comic book creator club" with the publication of Mouse Guard, a 6-issue series published by Archaia Studio Press. The book has been growing in popularity and issue #1 actually sold out.

Name: David Petersen
Hometown: Ferndale, MI
Favorite Food: My Mom makes Almond Chicken that isn’t a breaded dish like you get at a Chinese restaurant but rather like a stir-fry with lots of almond slivers.
Favorite TV Shows: Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, I’ll tend to stop on Sienfeld if channel surfing.
Favorite Movies: While the classic Star Wars trilogy is wonderful, my favorite is the Empire Strikes Back, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Dark Crystal, The Big Lebowski, Momento
Favorite Superpower: When I was a kid, I tended to like characters with heightened agility…now I’m more attracted to the laid back Jedi powers.

Basically, what is Mouse Guard about?

Because mice are at the bottom of the food chain, they build their towns and villages hidden away and spread out. To allow the Mice to not be prisoners of their own design, they have the Mouse Guard to act as escort, weather watcher, pathfinders, and guides between the cities in the mouse territories. The book follows the adventures of the Guard as they deal with the landscape, predators and internal conflicts that threaten them.

What inspired you to do a series about mice?

The original concept was for a natural world with no human interference. It had all sizes of animals keeping their predator/prey relationships. I needed to find ways for the main characters not to eat each other in the first few minutes. The concept of the mouse cities and the Guard were by far the most interesting part of that concept and I focused on them. The idea of rooting for an underdog is something everyone can relate to.

Who are the main characters in the series?

The three most prominent in this series are Saxon, Kenzie, and Lieam. Saxon is a little mouse with a big sword. He has a quick temper and doesn’t always think things through before drawing his weapon. Kenzie keeps him in check. He is an older mouse who acts as the conscience for the trio. Lieam is a younger recruit who is anxious to be of aide, but will not lose his head. He has some growing to do in the Guard and he has two interesting mentors at the moment.

Originally, you self-published Mouse Guard as a black & white. Why did you do that versus joining a publisher?

I didn’t think that I could get a publisher at the time. I had very little sequential experience, the story was about mice, and was an unusual size. I just wanted to have a book for the upcoming convention and figured it was time to introduce Mouse Guard.

What is the difference between that version and the Archaia Studios version?

I did digital colors for the Archaia version. Mark Smylie of Archaia, told me he would like to have the book in color. I was reluctant. The inkwork was designed for black and white, and I was hesitant to try and apply color. It took a few tries before I came up with samples I liked to show Mark and ever since I have liked the book in color better than the black and white.

Why & how did you join Archaia Studios and do you still retain all rights to your work?

I had done fairly well at a small local convention with the black and white Mouse Guard. I took copies for trade or for friends I would see in San Diego last year. I bumped into Bill Baker, a writer I know from Michigan, who suggested I show it to Archaia. They offered to publish Mouse Guard, but I retain all rights to the characters.

What type of audience is this series geared toward?

Anyone who likes a good adventure story. We recommend it for ages ten and up, but I think there are kids younger who will do fine with it. I make sure while I keep the content rather safe, I don’t write down to a certain grade’s reading level. The book has gotten some wonderful feedback from all age of comic reader even from the retiree level.

Surprisingly, you do everything on Mouse Guard (writing & art). What sort of process do you go through when creating an issue and how long does it take for you to make an issue?

I work from an outline that I work up for each issue. I will figure how many pages each outline point should take me to depict. I start penciling, sometimes on separate paper and then transfer it to bristol. I tend to work on pages in twos so facing pages have some flow. Then I’ll ink pages almost immediately after penciling them. I don’t have a pile of penciled pages waiting for ink, only a few. After I have all the pages inked, I scan and color and add dialogue. It takes about two months to do an issue.

Do you have a day job, besides your one man show with Mouse Guard?

I do. I do advertising and web maintenance for an antique architectural store.

How did you learn to draw and was drawing for the comic book industry always your plan?

I have been drawing since I was able to hold a crayon. After high school I went to a community college with a great art program and later got my degree from Eastern Michigan University in Printmaking. I had entertained the idea of being a comic book artist, but figured early on that since my work didn’t look like the comics of the day, I would need to do something else and started working on a portfolio for children’s book illustration.

Have you done any other comics before Mouse Guard?

I was invited to do a 4 page story for a free comic that was to be handed out at a comic art gallery showing put on by a former professor of mine at EMU. One of the other artists on that book (titled Voices), Jeremy Bastian, and I decided to work on a book together which would reprint our ‘Voices’ stories with new material. We called it ‘Ye Old Lore of Yore’ and has two Petersen stories, two Bastian stories and then a prose story I wrote and Jeremy illustrated. As soon as my art duties were done on that book, I started on Mouse Guard.

Will there be any collected editions of Mouse Guard?

Yes. It will be available in hardcover and we are looking into a soft cover. They will contain some extra material as well.

Do you plan on targeting markets outside the traditional comic book industry?

Perhaps. Mouse Guard is a book that crosses a lot of boundaries. I have heard from lots of guys saying this is the only book they have been able to get their wife/girlfriend to read. I hear a similar with parents getting their kids into comics and adult children getting their parents into comics. It’s really nice to have that diverse an audience.

Will Mouse Guard continue after the six issues are completed?

Yes. I have the ideas for several more Mouse Guard mini series. They will take you forward from this story as well as some of the history that happened before it.

Do you have any other future projects in the works?

I will have a story from Lore of Yore reprinted in Legendary which is being published by Image. Other than that, I’m committed to Mouse Guard.

Perhaps a spin-off…Bunny Guard?

I doubt we will see that from my hand…..although I do have a seedling of an idea for a spin off that I might do a decade from now. It also will not have bunnies

Will we ever see a Mouse Guard vs. the Smurfs mini-series?

Wouldn’t it all be for naught when Azreal just gobbles up the winner of the battle?

All kidding aside, thank you for the interview and good luck with Mouse Guard.

Mouse Guard #1: Belly of the Beast and #2: Shadows Within are available now. Previews can be found at Archaia’s website. David Petersen and Mouse Guard can also be found at David’s website, www.davidpetersen.net. PBR has also reviewed Mouse Guard #2.