As the title of the series suggests, we are in the universe of Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty being Sherlock's nemesis. Yet he died in a previous adventure. But then who steals ocean liners in the open sea?
An unprecedented investigation by the greatest detective
True to the detective world, this new volume of Moriarty offers two parallel investigations. Sherlock and Watson search for the person responsible for thefts perpetrated during a round-the-world balloon flight. Unfortunately, the event is postponed because of the weather. To kill the wait (and avoid sinking into boredom), the English detective receives insurers from Lloyd's who have come to hire him. Indeed, seven of their ships were attacked. British maritime trade was therefore threatened. The shipowners listened to the testimony of the only survivor but the poor delirium about a giant monster, the Kraken. Despite his curiosity and already precise leads, Holmes refuses. To everyone's surprise, the detective prefers, in this state affair, to devote himself to that of simple thefts.
The fan of Conan Doyle's novels finds with pleasure new adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the codes of the novels. The detective impresses everyone with his sense of deduction and confusing choices that are only understood during the resolution. He plays – very badly – the violin to help him think. Other well-known characters such as the sidekick Watson. The duo met Mycroft Holmes at the Diogenes Club. It is here more massive and strong than in the novel. The title shows that it is Holmes' long-time enemy who is at the center. You might think it's a classic cover of Conan Doyle. But, since the beginnings of Moriarty edited by Delcourt, screenwriters Fred Duval and Jean-Pierre Pécau blur the tracks. The series completes the canon narrative with new leads such as Holmes' past. In addition, the two writers have fun with the codes. The two unmarried detectives live with Sigmund Freud. This life together gives rise to hilarious lines. The father of psychoanalysis cannot help but spot disorders in everyone he meets. In particular, it focuses on Watson's problems with women.
When the great detective disappears, Watson and Freud must continue the investigation alone. The sequel to Moriarty then offers many twists and turns to a story as dishevelled as a train launched at full steam.
Sherlock in steampunk cosplay
The Holmes specialist, however, will be lost. Moriarty shows metal airships, new weapons and even monsters. Indeed, this series imagines that the famous detective lives in a futuristic vision of the past, a world where steam has supplanted electricity and oil. As with the investigative novel, Duval and Pécau use the rules of steampunk. Carriages run on a coal engine, but that's not the most important thing. Going back to the past is a way to propose impossible encounters by mixing literature and historical truth. The screenwriters show the darkness of this era: Freud suffers an anti-Semitic insult. Moriarty also offers another past. The urban landscape is that of Haussmann's Paris but with antennas to accommodate airships. This is not just a change of scenery because this recomposed past is part of the investigation. A calculating machine, imagined in the real world but never manufactured, becomes in Moriarty a first step in creating the first computers and new weapons.
Gess combines the worlds of investigation and steampunk in his boxes. He transcribes very well the architecture the outfits of the time and invents credible vehicles. Very expressive, Gess has a lively side as evidenced by the attack of a ship. Its dirty side is perfect for a polluted world and for a series about evil. He even managed to keep his graphic personality in this style supposing a great realism. In addition, the designer with colorist Scarlett plays with the color of the gutter even if the layout is classic. Visual jokes contribute to the sometimes comical tone. Watson, still in his underwear, wakes up with a start. However, we can find the drawing more relaxed at the end of the volume.
In this new episode of Moriarty, we find all the ingredients of an action comic. A gripping investigation gives rise to the search for clues but also to chases and exchanges of gunfire. The finale brings a dark revelation about Holmes' past explaining his obsession with crime.
Find the cartoonist in a close universe with the Heart of Vendrezanne and Zombie World.
