Mouse Guard: Autumn 1152 Book

Mouseguard Autumn 1152.
This fantasy tale is one of the most exciting, dramatic and beautiful graphic novels I have come across in the last ten years.
I say that as neither an unreservedly enthusiastic fan of the fantasy genre, nor of graphic novels.
For me, fantasy all too often follows the "ho-hum there is this dark lord, and if he gets the *dingus*, all will become not-very-nice. Luckily our farmboy/small person/ragamuffin turn out to be a hero of unlikely but stern stuff and is "the chosen one" (who is taught much by a mentor)  and by great fortitude defeats Evil." Many of the works held up as classics of the genre follow this pattern rather too closely and unsurprisingly end up as (most often terribly executed) rewrites of Lord of The Rings. It almost seems that the genre itself bsets an extraordinarily low benchmark that only a few authors bother to rise above.
On the other hand; many Graphic novels seem to rely on the fact they are a visual medium to provide their cool-kudos, (in the way that action movies also do), as if just by being a comic book, they must be cool. Unfortunately many of them are neither good story telling, OR good art. That said, some go far beyond the low average standard, and Mouseguard is one which excels.

Mousegaurd tells a tale of high adventure in which the heroes are mice, heroic mice, the sort of heroic mice who wear cloaks and wield swords or quarterstaffs. This might sound cute, or funny, but Mouseguard is neither. Our heroes have to fight for survival against predators, and enemies from outside and within their own society. The book is complex, rich and rewarding. The main characters are interesting, and diverse, the story is not straightforward, but is full of mystery and reversals of fortune. The full colour artwork is stunning.
What an exceptional piece of sequential narrative art this collection is. It is only the first volume in what one will surely hope, is going to be a long series.