'He cries more than I expected,' says Petersen, adding that the sixth issue will explain more of how the axe is meant to be handled, extra info about the secret society that watched over it, and a view of new mouse cities. However, while editing and honing the story, Petersen found himself leaning toward a more tragic life for this mouse, who shows a softer side in dealing with some terrible events, including the deaths of those close to him. 'This volume is the tale of how Celanawe first came to wield the axe, more history of the axe's forging, and the weight of what it means towield that weapon.'īefore delving into The Black Axe, Petersen had a lot of different ideas about where it could go, what kind of misadventures Celanawe would get into into and a preconceived idea of how he would act. 'His past is a juggle of fact and legend, and I never give the main characters or the reader quite enough information to sort them out,' Petersen says. This mouse champion has taken the name of the weapon he wields, a mighty black axe. The books also introduced a mythic character known as the Black Axe, who just happens to be an older mouse named Celanawe. The first two Mouse Guard chapters, Fall 1152 and Winter 1152, introduced young and heroic Lieam and other members of the Mouse Guard, brave medieval-era warriors who protect their fellow mice from predators and other threats. The hardcover collection of the volume is out in March, and the sixth and final issue of The Black Axe releases in December in comic shops.

Celanawe is the little mouse with the very sharp and dangerous name.Īnd he's the star of David Petersen's latest Mouse Guard volume, Mouse Guard: The Black Axe, which acts as a prequel to his previous comics in the Archaia series.

Mouse guard black axe