Reviews Moriarty #3

I have not read the preceding issues, so naturally I don't know exactly what's going on in Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #3, but writer Daniel Corey is good enough that I can guess. Moriarty is about James Moriarty -- Sherlock Holmes' foil -- and a female ninja named Jade, who are on some kind of quest involving the Black Hand and a diving suit. That's about all I can gather, but it's enough for me to tell that regular readers should enjoy the series.

Corey has a handle on the characters and portrays them faithfully, while simultaneously adding a new spin on both them and the world of Sherlock Holmes. I don't know that Moriarty will ever become canon for serious Holmes readers, but Corey's imaginative twists do not sully the mythology -- in fact, it would be interesting to reread some of the old stories just to see where and how Moriarty fits-in.

Corey's use of proper period English and artist Anthony Diecidue's chunky inks evoke a dark and somber mood that is reinforced by colorist Perry Freeze's drab, almost monochromatic, hues. Diecidue's clever use of toner drives the imagery home, though I found his sketching too much for a colored product. The entire comic book is a fair representation of Victorian England in all its squalor and poverty, and the design is perfect for a gaslight mystery.

I can't tell if Anthony Diecidue sketched the entire thing in pencil or ink, but there are no finished panels in this issue. It's obvious that Diecidue chose this style for the book, and it was a great choice, but the entirety of Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #3 looks more like breakdowns than finished work. (Note that I would have said the artist adopted this style, but I'm not familiar with his work, so I don't know this to be the case; Diecidue may have been chosen to render Moriarty specifically because his style is such a good fit.)

Anthony Diecidue's work is reminiscent of the art of Jorge Zaffino, though not as skilled. The thick lines and clunky, too-large hands also remind me of Frank Miller though, again, not as solid. But don't let the negative criticisms dissuade you; Anthony Diecidue is amply gifted and Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #3 has some great panels. He particularly excels in the splashes (entire page and double-page spreads) of which, in true Image fashion, there are plenty. He knows his anatomy, and I was also taken by the expressive close-ups.

Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #3 is not a good jumping-on point for new readers, but I was not entirely lost. The Dark Chamber is a graphic "adventure" of which (given industry trends and the Kickstarter synopsis) I assume the first four issues comprise the first chapter, so new readers might want to wait for issue #5 to get on-board, or until the series finishes its run and is collected into a TPB.

Moriarty: The Dark Chamber is a good read that regular comic book fans will enjoy, and fans of Sherlock Holmes should definitely give an eyeballin'!

© C Harris Lynn, 2011