Villard, a Random House imprint, is moving into graphic novels with several strong choices. They’re republishing the Flight series of anthologies, Elk’s Run is out very soon from them, and they’re also putting out the Postcards anthology.

Now comes the announcement that they’ll be publishing the Mouse Guard paperback (although the hardcover is still planned for the direct market). The book is scheduled for February 2008 at $19.95 US.

That’s a smart strategy. Get the deluxe collection out early (it’s due in two months) to capitalize on the series’ heat. Then, while the second series is concluding, the mass market book will presumably continue to drive reader interest and potentially attract new customers.