Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Moriarty #6
Image Comics
Corey, Vosburg, Diecidue, Freeze & Lanphear
The second issue of the Lazarus Tree arc brings more Sherlock Holmes-like actions into this series than ever before. Moriarty uses a wide range of knowledge and detective skills but the mystery doesn't seem to be any closer to getting solved. Although, the body count continues to rise. Overall, I think this issue will cater more towards the fan of the classic Sherlock Holmes interpretation but it does hold on to the darkness that the lead character is known for. This was a very good read.
Moriarty is still working under an assumed name as he tries to figure out the whereabouts of one through the cause of death of others. This leads to an extended scene in the morgue where Moriarty shows off his Sherlock Holmes skills in epic fashion.
Moriarty works his way through the bodies as he tosses his observations about fingernails and teeth as Officer Blair takes his shots at Moriarty's tone and line of questioning. It's clear Blair could care less about the actual whereabouts of the missing Mr. Morely and even less about the bodies in the morgue but Moriarty has no problem embarrassing him with his overwhelming skills and conclusions from his observations.
This level of detail is the charm of this book. The first arc allowed the reader to discover a lot of the hidden gems and if they missed them then it was revealed at the end of the arc. I have no doubt that this arc will follow a similar path but this issue Moriarty walks the reader through his intellect as if it were a process not unlike getting ready in the morning. The morgue scene is only one of three such sequences where Moriarty shows he is every bit the perfect match to Sherlock Holmes.
The story seems to take a couple of turns for the worse for Moriarty in this issue as he is not only getting blamed for all of the bodies but also for the general unrest among the town. The issue ends with Moriarty in some hot water and it also seems he is not so anonymous any more either.
The artwork excels with the confrontations at both the beginning and the end of the book. The action sequences have a lively feel to them that is not necessarily something you would expect to see in a detective book. However, the book doesn't hold to the same level when Moriarty is discussing matters with others. At times, Moriarty almost appears to be a vampire, which I would think based on the fact that he is under guise that those around him shouldn't suspect he is a villain.
Moriarty is hitting a great stride with this issue. It's fast-paced, entertaining and extremely clever. This issue makes it very difficult not to want to watch Moriarty go all- out villain on several of these shady characters. I definitely recommend checking out this issue.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
