CREATED by Michael Avon Oeming & Bryan J.L. Glass
STORY by Bryan J.L. Glass & Michael Avon Oeming
WRITTEN by Bryan J.L. Glass
ART by Michael Avon Oeming
Colors by Wil Quintana
Lettering by James H. Glass

MICHAEL AVON OEMING
Creator, Story Conception, Artist, Painter
The Creation of the Templar The Mice Templar was first conceived by Michael Avon Oeming in 1998. Amid the wee small hours of the night, appropriately enough—during what Mike likes to call his infamous stint as a nighttime security guard—he first set pen to paper to plot the course of his small nocturnal protagonists. This was a down point in his career that occurred between the initial recognition he received penciling DC’s version of Judge Dredd, and his later success co-creating Powers with partner and friend Brian Michael Bendis. The first short story that emerged was a 5-page tale of a mouse named Cassius, wandering the world following the fall of the once-noble Templar Order and accosted by his former brothers-in-arms. It painted a sad portrait of a lost nobility, yet provided hope that one day, somehow, restoration was possible. That short story was one of the earliest features to appear on Mike’s website. It was also the creation that sparked the greatest intrigue in his fans.
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BRYAN J.L. GLASS
Creator, Story Conception, Writer
Bryan J.L. Glass didn’t enter the universe of The Mice Templar until 2003. Mike had first met Bryan in 1989, when mutual friend Adam Hughes brought the pair together to play RPGs (Role-Playing Games)— this was the late 80s after all. Their resulting friendship led to their first collaboration in 1992 on a superhero parody title from small press publisher Comic Zone entitled Lycra-Woman & Spandex-Girl (later re-launched as Spandex Tights from Lost Cause Productions). Their creative partnership sparked again in 1996 when the duo launched Ship of Fools, the first six issues at Caliber Press, the latter four at Image Comics. Then came hard times, as the comic industry floundered amidst uncertain seas, and many industry insiders feared that the business of comics might not even survive into the new millennium. But following the resurgence of the industry, and Mike’s career with Powers and Bastard Samurai, the soon-tobe prolific creator offered his friend the opportunity in 2002 to return to their former collaboration on an old project they’d developed together, Quixote. Bryan transformed his original comic scripts into a prose novel that Mike would later illustrate. It was in March of 2003, however, when Mike asked Bryan to further develop his Mice Templar universe and come aboard as its scribe. The two were in NYC attending the phenomenal Robert McKee Story Writing Seminar, when the deal was struck. Bryan immediately took Mike’s various notes and original 6- issue outline and started fleshing out the world of the mice: their history, culture, mythology, the origin of the Templar Order as well as exactly how and why it fell. What soon emerged was a tapestry far too large to tell its story in a mere six issues, and thus began the process that has led to this first issue.
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THE RISE OF THE MICE TEMPLAR
The first printed appearance of The Mice Templar was in the August 2003 More Fund Comics Graphic Novel to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Bryan rewrote the earlier 1998 story to incorporate the new history and story elements. The Mice Templar saw print a second time in 2006 with the Actor Comics Presents Graphic Novel to benefit the Actor-Hero Initiative.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST...WAIT
Originally planned for release in 2006, the Templar were ultimately delayed by Mike’s work as alternating writer or artist on such titles as Blood River, Omega Flight, Powers, Red Sonja, the Red Sonja/ Spiderman crossover series, and Wings of Anansi. Bryan kept busy with the release of Quixote: A Novel, 86 Voltz: The Dead Girl, and the comic adaptation of Raymond E. Feist’s acclaimed Riftwar Saga Magician: Apprentice (each in collaboration with Oeming), as well as his theater work with mereBreath Drama.

SPECIAL THANKS DEPARTMENT
Bryan & Mike offer the following appreciation to the many industry professionals, fellow creators, publishers, webmasters, internet supporters, family and dear friends for their abundant encouragement throughout this arduous creative process…

INDUSTRY CREATORS
Paul Azaceta, Brian Michael Bendis, Dan Berman, Ivan Brandon, Nick Filardi, Miles Gunter, Mike Hawthorne, Adam Hughes, Andy MacDonald, David Mack, Sean McManus, Katie Mignola, Mike Mignola, Mark Millar, Chris Moreno, Jamar Nicholas, Len O’Grady, David Peterson, Brian Quinn, Wil Quintana, Rob Reilly, Mark Smiley, Taki Soma, Ryan Stegman, Robert Tinnel, Jose Torres, Neil Vokes, Scott Wegener…

JINXWORLD FORUM FOO
Ange-Face & Hunter, Dan Berger, Ziggy Blumenthal, John Broglia, Jeff “Boss Hogg” Brown, Shannon Chenoweth, Greg Donovan, Jacob Lyon Goddard, Jen Grunwald, Tommie Kelly, Dan Kiely, King Mungi, Sam Little, Pat Loika, Marc Lombardi, Thomas Mauer, Mikie, Musashi, Nicolas, Tom Schloendorn…

FAMILY, FRIENDS & SUPPORT
Mandy Amano, Anne-Cara Apple, Roger & Joy Converse, Kristyn Ferretti, Elizabeth Glass, James Yeager Glass, Jim & Sandy Glass, Judy Glass, Harry & Pat Glass, Elizabeth & Benjamin Grasso, Ken & Jean Hummel, Kristen & Douglas Hummel, Jim & Kristen Jones, Uncle Larry, Adam Levine. John McGready, Lisa Murray, Ethan Oeming, Melissa Oeming, Gabrielle Rineer, Isaac Skinner, Stacy Skinner, Will Swyer…

PROMOTION
David Engel for Circle of Confusion Cliff Biggers of Comic Shop News, Frank Link of Comic Universe Tim Daniel of HiddenRobot.com Eric Stephenson, Joe Keatinge & Allen Hui at Image Comics Matt Brady at Newsarama.com Mary E. Brickthrower of No Rest for the Wretched Alex Ness of PopThought.com Mike, Nick, the other Mike, Jenn, Kevin & Luis at VariantEdition.com

INTERACTIVE

Mike-Oeming.com

Jinxworld.com

Mice Templar Shop

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