Wow, this story was really compelling after the first chapter. The first chapter was a little hard to follow because all of the young boys looked the same and it was hard to tell them apart and what was really going on. After the first chapter the initial set up was done and I was able to enjoy it more. The three Moriarty brothers are on a mission to destroy classist society. They aim to use their cleverness to do so though. I read an e-arc of this from NetGalley to get an idea if this manga would be good for my YA collection and I think it will fit in nicely. I was a little sad to see that Sherlock isn't a character, hopefully he will appear later but I enjoyed the characters that were introduced in this first volume.

For most fans of literature in general and Sherlock Holmes specifically, Moriarty is a mostly known quantity. So the idea of a story that looks into his origins and imagines where Holmes’ nemesis comes from is intriguing. And as far as Ryosuke Takeuchi’s first volume of Morirarty the Patriot goes, we are headed into a solid place. The first half of this volume is focused mainly on setting up characters and giving us a bit of depth, but it doesn’t take long to get at the heart of what this series is going for: Moriarty’s intelligence and ability to pull of anything from helping grow plants to murder and who the people are that Moriarty and his growing band of compatriots are targeting. The second half of the volume is primary focused on setting up Moriarty’s beliefs and the structure of how his “consulting” work goes. I don’t think it is a spoiler since it is communicated pretty much from the first page, but we are eating the rich here. And I am there for it. The first villains that we do run into are a bit over the top. There really isn’t much subtlety to their characterization. They are stock unredeemable bad guys. But this does allow for more depth and characterization of our title character. I feel confident that we will begin running into more complex motivations and characterizations of villains going forward to help build Moriarty as a character and I’m looking forward to that.

It is always a big ask for any manga or comic series to make the first volume of a new story something that can stand on its own, but also help propel the reader into picking up subsequent volumes. But it is something the Takeuchi has done effectively here.

Thanks to Netgalley and Viz for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting take on the Sherlock Holmes universe, in which (at least so far) Sherlock does not appear at all. The manga is an attempt to explain how Moriarty became a "consulting criminal" and tried to paint his life of crime in a positive light, as he is, here, a sort of Robin Hood - though he is not robbing from the rich, he's just killing them.

Prose (Story): In 19th-century Britain class division has never been more pronounced, with nobles making money from and feeding off of the working class to maintain their lifestyle, while treating those who work to the death for them worse than animals. But for once, a noble is noticing the injustices of his class; first-born son Albert James Moriarty is disgusted with his nobility - even more with his own family's penchant for greed, and cruelty for the sake of fun - and when he talks his parents into adopting a pair of orphan brothers, noticing the more-than-unique level of intelligence of one of them who shares Albert's hatred of the rich and desire to level the playing field of the rich and the poor, a plan is set in motion. A plan that includes the destruction of Albert's own family ... and gives rise to the birth of the manipulative and highly-intelligent sociopath who would eventually become the arch-enemy of none other than the one and only Sherlock Holmes.

Don's (Review): A beautifully-illustrated manga tracing the rise of a young orphan with a hatred for nobles and desire for equality for all, who would become a professor while still in his teens and a Crime Consultant not above murder (execution?) of members of the piggish upper class as a means to an end. Just the start of a new series, readers are treated to Professor Moriarty as a young boy, manipulating a young noble tired of his life into aiding in the slaughter of his entire family, only to claim the orphaned Moriarty and his brother as his own blood to authorities afterward, securing their futures. It's only the beginning of the now-Moriarty brothers rise to destroying the rich and elevating the poor, and while this volume feels as if it only gives readers a bare-bones beginner's view of what our young professor is capable of doing - in terms of serving his country and making a better future, no matter how - the underlying genesis of the mad genius he would become before coming across Sherlock Holmes is there. Side characters and other villains - including Sebastian Moran - add dimension to the story, and by the end as a reader you really have a flavor for just how creepy one skinny like blond guy can be - and why he commands respect and fear from those who serve him. Wonderfully done, darkly funny at times, violent and edgy, and a delicious treat for anyone who ever wanted to see the one-percenters get what they deserve - even in 19th-century England. 4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I love reimaginings of popular literary characters, especially ones as rich and nuanced as Moriarty. Stories that speak about class divisions, family structure, and the power of individual will always fascinate me. Moriarty as the underdog certainly was a new take on the character, though I admit at times the characterizations seemed a little one-sided and overbearing.

The artwork was lovely and the story interesting. I can't wait to see what comes next! Hopefully we will get the rest of the volumes in translation.

Everyone knows who Sherlock Holmes is. You have to be living under a rock to not know who he is, but when it comes to his equally infamous nemesis James Moriarty, there isn’t that much we know of him.

I was a bit hesitant to read this, because I adore the Sherlock Holmes stories, and with how popular Holmes retellings have become in the last few years, there is so much that from the original stories that has been changed or been lost to cultural osmosis. Just look at how much modern depictions of Irene Adler differs from her original progenitor. Original Irene was the only person who was able to outsmart Sherlock Holmes and he admired that so much he kept her portrait. Modern day Irene is always a love interest or the figure of sexual obsession. I don’t love it, but it is what it is and I can’t change that.

I was nervous about how Moriarty would be portrayed, because despite his popularity he doesn’t appear that much in the Holmes mythos. He only ever appears in one story, and he’s only mentioned a handful of times, and Doyle only used him as a narrative device to finally kill off Sherlock Holmes, so it was inevitable that his role would be expanded upon. And this can work. I’ve got some great Moriarty’s that needed expanding to become better characters, but this reimagining didn’t work for me.

Despite this being a backstory of Moriarty, how he became a criminal before he met Holmes, I just didn’t buy the setup. It was too over the top and melodramatic for me to believe. Making him a villain but for the justice of the lower classes didn’t really convince me all that much, but I like that he was still evil. It would’ve been too easy to switch it up, but then that would go against who Moriarty is, but making him a Robin Hood figure who helps the poor to spite the rich felt like trying to compromise on his villainy to make us root for him. Which is odd, since I think it would’ve benefited more if they went all the way and stuck it with him being a self-serving villain.

I wasn’t that invested in the cases he was involved in. I felt like there were a lot of leaps in logic that I didn’t buy. It might work for some, but you do have to suspend your disbelief most of the time.

The art style is really good, but also suffers from everyone looking too similar. If you changed the hairstyles and put them on different characters then you are not going to tell anyone apart.

Despite my criticism, this is a good manga series. It wasn’t for me. You do follow the origins of an interesting villain and you get the promise of an exciting story, and I have a feeling it’s going to take some very interesting directions. I would recommend this, and you don’t have to be a Holmes enthusiast to enjoy it.

Moriarty the Patriot is the story of Sherlock's biggest nemesis, how he became the villain most people have seen from adaptations. Personally, I'm a huge Sherlock story fan. From Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal even down to Basil the Great Mouse Detective. So when I saw this was going to be released I couldn't help but be excited for it.

The first volume is *just* three chapters but these are very long. The first chapter shows an extremely young Moriarty, living with a noble family although he himself is an orphan. It's set around a time of nobles being treated as having more worth than anyone else and that unkindness is seen multiple times, including in one situation when Moriarty is whipped for no reason. Naturally, he wants to change the world and as it happens he's already a genius with many things.

The heir to the noble house, Albert, is likewise disgusted at the way that the world is and wants to change it; so him, Moriarty and the other boy the family took in decide to start making the world a better place... starting with killing Albert's parents and younger brother. With Moriarty's advice, they make it look like the house just burned down due to an accident and chapter one ends with them all claiming to be the last of the Moriarty noble family.

After the first chapter, we get a time skip ahead to when Moriarty is 21, and he's already a professor in England's third established university by then (Durham). The family's intentions are still to make the world a "good" place, but their actions are just as twisted as before.

Moriarty is basically an anti-hero throughout the story. He helps the common people by giving as much advice as he can but helps them even more by attacking the rich and noble. I found it to be a great take on him as he's still very much doing villainous things but... it's for the greater good.

I'm really excited to see where the story takes us, and I think that this is one of those manga that you're best jumping into now when it's fresh because, even though there's only the three chapters, there's so much happening in them. He shows how cunning he is and it's easy to see how he could become a formidable opponent to Sherlock on the other side.

So, yep, check this out if you're into Sherlock especially. You'll probably love it as much as I did.

Will be updating this with a link in a couple of days :)

Love this version of the Moriarty story! I love a villain but this paints Moriarty in a brighter light, don't worry he's still our favourite fictional sociopath! I love the art style of these stories, bold lines, soft facial features. Great translation, very few errors!

Love the idea of this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis as an (anti-)hero, btu the execution is a bit one note and over the top. Moriarty in this retelling is a champion of equality and a scourge of the English nobles whose class-based oppression keeps most lives in the UK nasty, brutish, and short. By seeking to overthrow the system he and his companions set themselves up as outsiders and (to those whose systematic crimes he punishes) criminals. I love the theme, but the dialog and plot are just too melodramtic for me to read much more of this series.

This has to be the most interesting take I have ever read on a Sherlock Holmes character. We get to see Moriarty not as an evil villain, but as someone who wants to make the world better and bring societies to live as one. He uses dastardly ways to do it, but his heart is in the right place. This is supposed to take place at the same times as Sherlock Holmes stories which would be turn of the century 1890s. But one character uses a gun way too modern for that, even though the rest of the story does fit. I thoroughly enjoyed this manga, and I really want to keep reading the adventures of Moriarty, just to see what he does next. How does he come in contact with Holmes, and as he calls himself a consulting detective, what will Holmes think of Moriarty’s use of his term. Vol. 2 can not get here soon enough.

An exciting new manga about Sherlock Holmes' nemesis, Moriarty! I loved the invented background by the author, the art, and the direction the series is headed. A fun new manga series.

I liked this spin on the latest craze of adapting classic literature into manga, it was nice to see a different approach. I also liked the motivations that were applied to moriarty’s character. I probably would have given a slightly higher rating if. Or for the copyright images making it a little hard to read at times. And I think the casual take all characters had on murder bothered me a little at times, it worked for moriarty himself but I felt like we needed a conscious for the group maybe. Otherwise a good read.

I love coming across anything Sherlock related so when I heard about this I jumped right onto this. I would love to see Moriarty's story and this book did not disappoint. I loved getting a back story and seeing how things worked in this book. Seeing the mystery unfold and seeing the end result because unlike Sherlock, Moriarty wasn't much for the cops and getting the law to do their job and I was fascinated but the end results. Overall I'm defiantly going to be looking for this series and seeing more.

Going into this, I had no idea what the story would be.
It's dark. It's a twist on the Moriarty legends like you've never seen. It's Black Butler meets Sherlock.

Moriarty, or I should say William, checks all the classic Moriarty boxes. He's clever beyond normalcy. He's highly intelligent for a young child and man. He's got a cruel streak a mile wide. His idea of justice is insanely skewed. He's one of those people that thinks liberation comes in death, blackmail, and poison. He's perfect.

The story in this beautifully builds up William's character, showing you EXACTLY what type of person he is. I wish we got to see more of his brothers, but I guess that'll happen in the later volumes (I hope). I also can't wait to see how Sherlock gets introduced, if he does at all.

Right now, Moriarty's character isn't super complex or nuanced, but he's dark and will justify anything if it means it fits his world view, and that makes him interesting.

Sherlock Holmes and his associates have been reinterpreted and reappropriated in many creative contexts over the years. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s savvy sleuth is an icon of pop culture and even if you’ve never read one of Doyle’s original 56 Sherlock adventures, you’ve probably seen the character reproduced over numerous other adaptations and media. Interestingly, those decades of reinterpretations have shaped what people consider essential elements of a Sherlock Holmes story, including his iconic catchphrase “Elementary, my dear Watson,” which was never once uttered in Doyle’s stories.

This is similarly true of the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes’ archnemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Moriarty was meant to be a one-off character, the end-all antagonist that would serve as Sherlock’s greatest foil for “The Final Problem,” the last Sherlock adventure. Of course, fans demanded Sherlock’s return and have helped keep his stories alive even decades after Doyle stopped writing him, and Moriarty lived on alongside him. “The Final Problem” established Moriarty as a criminal mastermind with an intellect to rival Sherlock’s, one whose genius even the great detective couldn’t help but admire and respect. More importantly, Sherlock and Moriarty’s duel at Reichenbach Falls and mutual demise cemented him as a character whose very fate was intertwined with Sherlock’s. As such, Moriarty has become the de facto antagonist of modern Sherlock Holmes stories, usually portrayed as the master schemer of all things criminal Doyle hyped him up as. What makes the eponymous Moriarty the Patriot stand out is that it manages to breathe new life into this well-trodden character by flipping him from an elite criminal to a folk hero punishing criminal elites.

In his author’s comment, writer Ryosuke Takeuchi comments that he came to empathize with villains wanting to change an irrational world. He describes how fun it is to fantasize about the motivations of enigmatic villains, Moriarty being one of them. This philosophy is at the core of the manga’s perspective on the character; Takeuchi is not fascinated with Moriarty as he was written by Doyle so much as the rebellious force he represents to the status quo. Takeuchi takes that quintessential appeal of the character and redirects his defiance from the moral good towards systemic injustices, thereby reframing Moriarty as heroic in the face of greater villainy.

Rather than the “organizer of all that is evil,” Takeuchi’s Moriarty is a class act. His perspective is shaped by the classism he witnessed and experienced during the height of the British Empire’s imperialism in the late 19th century. In a society stratified into hierarchical classes “placing different values on people’s lives,” the discrimination and exploitation of the lower classes by the rich elite went on unabated and unpunished. Moriarty came to realize that the law wouldn’t hold the rich accountable for any crimes they callously inflicted on the poor. As such, even when he attains wealth and becomes a noble, Moriarty is charitable. He offers a helping hand to those in need, is generous with his wealth, and demands only the happiness of his clients as compensation. Despite his resentment towards elites, Moriarty doesn’t discriminate against individual aristocrats who demonstrate empathy. He becomes a professor at the elite Durham University to help impart the right moral lessons upon his noble-born students so that they may not grow up to become as corrupt and complacent as their parents. In contrast to other versions, this Moriarty is a selfless character; he works not in his self-interest so much as in the interest of helping others.

This isn’t to say this Moriarty isn’t still a criminal genius in his own right. While he doesn’t have a spider-web of shady operations serving his own interests, he is a master criminal. He gets away with committing the perfect crime every time, which so far has mostly been murders. Interestingly, this Moriarty adopts qualities one would ascribe to Sherlock Holmes in terms of his investigation efforts and perceptiveness, and it makes for a fun twist on the formula to make Moriarty a detective in his own right, trying to deduce clandestine crimes and entrap his victims. Of course, Moriarty isn’t presented as a detective but as a “crime consultant” (which seems like a copyright-safe appropriation of the BBC Sherlock Moriarty’s occupation of “consulting criminal”), helping his clients seek justice against those who wronged them. Through this framing, the manga gets away with the perfect crime of showing Moriarty as having a murderous edge while still keeping him likable and endearing.

There’s never any question of whether Moriarty’s murders are morally justified. Moriarty himself sees them as a righteous, even logical, means to an end. It makes sense why this manga is titled Moriarty the Patriot; Moriarty sees ridding the country of the evil people corrupting it as his civic duty and the right thing to do. Even as a child, he gleefully espouses the virtues of killing corrupt nobles to create a better world, which is disturbing in contrast with his otherwise benevolent demeanor. However, this philosophy is made palatable and justifiable when contrasted with his victims, who are always portrayed as unrepentantly corrupt and cruel aristocrats that have already gotten away with committing crimes and murder themselves. Moriarty also never takes justice into his own hands by himself; his services are always requested by his client, a victim of his target’s crimes. So it’s cathartic when Moriarty successfully murders one of his targets, because the extent of the suffering they’ve caused and would continue to cause is clear, as is the emotional closure the proceedings give to Moriarty’s clients, allowing them to rebuild their lives. Meanwhile, while Moriarty indulges in the revenge fantasies of his clients and gladly dishes out karmic retribution to the cruel, his true goal is to destroy the classist society that oppresses the people of his country, and his endeavors as a crime consultant are a stopgap to realize that dream one person at a time. While this Moriarty is still a criminal mastermind in the sense he gets away with murdering the elites who’ve defined what’s considered justice in his society, through the lens of the people he helps and the reader, he is heroic.

While Moriarty is the character most compellingly intertwined with the series’ thematic explorations of classism and morality, he is supported by an equally fascinating entourage. So far I’ve been referring to a singular Moriarty, William, but another interesting facet of this manga’s reinterpretation of the character is that there isn’t a singular James Moriarty. Instead, there are three Moriarty brothers – William, Albert, and Louis – working together to achieve their dream of abolishing the social hierarchy. This idea itself is a fun recontextualization of previous reinterpretations of Moriarty from other authors where he had brothers sharing the same name. In the manga, dividing Moriarty into three characters serves a few different functional roles. While William and Louis were poor orphans adopted into the Moriarty family, Albert is a noble from birth. Despite the rest of his biological family being utterly selfish sociopaths, Albert grew to have a firm moral compass and sense of duty, believing in noblesse oblige. As such, Albert as a character symbolically embodies that same ideal, using your wealth and privilege to uplift and improve the lives of the disadvantaged. He recruits William and Louis into his family so that they use his wealth and privilege to achieve their dream. While William takes charge of the crime consulting gig, Albert assists him behind the scenes by gathering information and making connections to help advance William’s plans. By intentionally relinquishing the authority to make decisions to William and contentful playing a supporting role, Albert lives up to the egalitarian ideals he espouses and has a thematically satisfying presence in the narrative.

Louis, meanwhile, is not quite as fleshed out yet and has a more limited role in the story. However, there are still interesting implications for his social status and role in the family business. Even after William and Louis were adopted into the Moriarty family as kids, they were still seen as lower in class than the servants and unrespected. William was able to claim full rights as a noble by stealing the name and rank of the brother he murdered, which allowed him to go on to earn an education and ingratiate himself among the elite. Louis, however, wasn’t able to change his identity nor his status, so his opportunities were limited. While William and Albert have professions, Louis is seen mostly as a housekeeper to the Moriarty estate, rarely venturing from it. So far, Louis seems to serve as the Watson to Moriarty’s Holmes, an everyman of sorts that Moriarty can exposit his deductions to while still offering a constructive perspective. I’m curious to see how the addition of Moran and Fred to the estate may change his dynamic in the group since he’ll be overseeing their services as housekeepers in the downtime between their assignments from William. Louis is honestly the most enigmatic character of the principal cast, but I think him demanding Moran work at the house and telling him that “those who do not work, are not to be treated like people” are telling of his philosophy. The elites who idly indulge themselves in the wealth they’ve created through exploiting others are considered inhuman and evil by the Moriartys, but they respect people who’ve worked hard and earned their successes. Whereas Doyle’s Moriarty was known for doing little himself, only planning, the Moriarty family of Patriot are active participants in making the changes they want to see in the world, contributing their talents in whatever way they can to the common good.

Moriarty’s fascinating characters and stories are truly given life by Hikaru Miyoshi’s immaculate art. In their author’s comment, they said they studied the British Empire for a full year, and it really shows. There’s a lot of the attention to detail placed on the architecture and backgrounds, with both the exteriors and interiors of the gigantic estate houses looking impressively ornate. Obviously, I’ve never been to late-19th century London, but the fashion choices and locations evoke the time period well, at least in the way it’s been remembered and romanticized in pop culture. Miyoshi also excels in capturing a great sense of ambiance through his use of tones and gradients, with both the incineration of the Moriarty estate and the nighttime confrontation on the riverside bridge both having really striking, moody visuals and dramatic tension. While there isn’t a ton of action, violent beats like Wiliam stabbing his brother of the same name through the mouth with a broken chair leg, Michelle rushing at the Baron with a knife, or Moran shooting at Bale’s feet to make him dance his way to the top of the bridge are all superbly communicated with a visceral sense of speed and impact. Of course, the manga’s greatest strength is its character designs and character art. The protagonists are ridiculously handsome boys with sharp eyes and great hair, and the antagonists, while not hideous, all have snickering eyes, contemptuous sneers, and punchable faces. Facial expressions are the manga’s strong suit in general, some of the most particularly striking ones coming from the despondent and desperate victims Moriarty helps, like Michelle’s ferociously malicious glare and creepy stare and smirk, or the lifeless emptiness in Frida’s eyes. Miyoshi’s characters and artwork are effectively evocative, perfectly complementing Moriarty’s compelling story.

Much like the character himself, Moriarty’s theme of classism and the wealth gap between the rich and poor is an evergreen conflict. The righteous indignation it vents are more relevant than ever in an age of multi-billionaires using their wealth to shape national policy to serve their interests, conscripting their workers into virtual slavery while owning and hoarding essential resources. Moriarty doesn’t have any thoughtful solutions to resolving systemic injustices outside of, well, murdering the rich and redistributing their wealth, but it serves as a very cathartic revenge story and comforting escapism in these very frustrating times. While there may not be a Robin Hood-esque class traitor among the rich like Moriarty working to redistribute wealth in real life, it makes for a compelling hook for a story in which you want “the villain” to succeed.

Moriarty the Patriot’s reinterpretation of the eponymous character to examine themes of class and privilege serves as a really refreshing recontextualization of the Sherlock mythos, and there’s still so much left to explore. The opening page foreshadows Moriarty’s fated confrontation with Sherlock at Reichenbach Falls as a flash-forward, but Sherlock himself is absent from the first volume. This volume is really just Moriarty’s origin story, showing how he came to inherit his estate, establish his reputation, and gather his crew. Now we just need to meet his destined rival, and the game is afoot. It can be a challenge to completely reimagine iconic characters like Moriarty and Holmes from a novel, refreshing perspective, but Moriarty the Patriot makes it seem elementary.

So good! I was excited to get a chance to read and review this and I can one hundred percent honestly say it’s awesome!

I was given this book on netgalley for and honest review.

There is no shortage of Sherlock Holmes content in the world right now. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary deductive detective has his own manga out from Titan Comics based on the BBC series and Netflix has adapted a young adult novel that adds a sister to the mix with Enola Holmes. In perfect timing, VIZ Media is also releasing a take on the timeless detective world with Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1, written by Ryosuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi. The pair behind this new series which is published in English under VIZ Media’s Signature imprint are switching perspectives from Sherlock, to his greatest rival, Moriarty.

Presented as an untold story, Takeuchi and Miyoshi show us this renowned literary villain before he became the rival we know today. Set in the late 19th century, Great Britain rules over a quarter of the world. Nobles sit in their fancy homes in comfort and luxury, while the working class slaves away at their jobs. When young Albert James Moriarty’s upper-class family adopts two lower-class orphans, the cruelty the boys’ experience at his family’s hands cements Albert’s hatred of the nobility he was born into. He asks the older of the two boys—who has a genius mind and a killer instinct—to help him rid the world of evil, starting with Albert’s own family. In Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1, which covers chapters one through three of the series, we see how the titular character fought against the unfair class caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. That said, even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control—and over the course of this series we get to walk the fine line between hero and villain with him.

While I’ve always loved Sherlock Holmes, I’ve always been pulled to Moriarty. Like any medium, a complex and dynamic rivalry between characters is a way to automatically hook me – just take a look at all the amazing shonen series. That said, deep dives into character backgrounds like what’s done in Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 doesn’t always hit home because they ignore the sinister personality traits to paint a hero. Luckily, Takeuchi avoids this pitfall and instead builds out who Moriarty is, not to absolve him of his villainous deeds but to present his life as the journey that got him there. Moriarty’s unique sense of morality and the lengths he’ll go to achieve it is the anchor of the story.

By centering Moriarty’s ability to kill in the story, we’re given his ability to cause pain even if he does it from empathizing with the oppressed. The fact that Takeuchi is able to do this by showcasing childhood and adulthood shows the mangaka’s storytelling skill. Additionally, there a couple of twists that happen just in these three debut chapters that are exciting, specifically as the scenes in the book transition from childhood to adulthood. It also does not take long for you to understand the hole of darkness Moriarty must crawl out of to take his place as Sherlock’s rival and once the story heats up, it doesn’t cool down.

Additionally, Miyoshi’s artwork is beautiful – and that’s the only word I can come up with to describe it. Moriarty is equal parts bishonen beauty and edgy protagonist. There is an innocence he draws both in the young and adult James Moriarty that is both sinister and sweet. Balanced with the beautifully illustrated period clothing, Miyoshi offers up a look in 19th century Great Britain to great effect.

Overall, the theme of the series is classism and how James Moriarty is aiming to cure his country of it. He’s a patriot to himself, but a scourge to the upper-class. Additionally, the balance between Moriarty’s charisma and ability to move through the world of elites with his disdain for the rich is done in such a way that it never feels forces or contrived. Truthfully, Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 is a must-buy for fans of the Sherlock Holmes’ literary universe and those looking to eat the rich alike.

Moriarty the Patriot is a manga series based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Moriarty The Patriot Volume One
Written by: Ryosuke Takeuchi
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: October 6, 2020

This volume of Moriarty the Patriot establishes the character of James Moriarty, who we know from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories is the arch-enemy of Sherlock Holmes. This volume is split into three sections, with the first section focusing on James’ childhood. We see that he’s a smart kid, but is treated horribly by most of the members of the noble family who took him and his younger brother, Louis, in. The only family member to truly be nice to the brothers is Albert, the oldest son of the Moriarty family. Not only are they treated horribly by most of the family, but James also comes to develop a hatred for the class structure in England and the society that he lives in. By the end of this first section, though, the reader already sees James executing his first “perfect crime,” and utilizing Louis and Albert as his accomplices. Here, we can see that even when he was young, James was not only bright, he was also deadly. Killing off most of a family and burning down a house would certainly qualify as evil.

Thirteen years later, James moves to the city of Durham, and at the age of 21 is already a professor of mathematics at Durham University. At this point, he also has a side business as a private consultant. James and his brothers have bought a manor in the city for what would have been considered cheap at the time. After hearing about how Baron Dublin, the owner of the other manor in town, is treating the townspeople who rent his lands, James and his brothers decide to starting doing things to improve the lives of the townspeople who rent their lands… much to this dismay of Baron Dublin. In this section, we get to see James pulling off a “perfect crime” to help someone else instead of improving his own situation. As we see in this story, as well as in the last section of this volume, Takeuchi tries to make James a sympathetic character and to make his motivations appear to be honorable. In other words, he’s trying to “humanize” a character who is normally viewed as a villain.

The third and final story in this volume lets the reader see James at his job at the university, but he discovers something is happening to one of his students. After piecing things together, he pulls off another “perfect crime” even though no one requested his services. Here, Takeuchi is trying to show that James is someone who cares about other people, although in the middle of the crime in this story, he seems to be taking a little too much delight in what’s going on.

It seems to me that Moriarty the Patriot is aiming to take a well-known villain and attempts to make him look more like a “good guy.” I think it’s a fascinating idea to take a character such as James Moriarty and try to portray him in a different light. Instead of simply looking like a villain, he is given depth and motivation for why he pulls off his “perfect crimes.” A lot of what he does isn’t necessarily good, but Takeuchi tries to make these morally questionable actions feel more justified with the character development and motivation that have been included in the story for this version of James Moriarty.

This volume is a prequel to what readers would be familiar with from the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I wonder if this entire manga series will serve as a prequel, or if Takeuchi will eventually progress to stories that feature Sherlock Holmes.

I thought that Moriarty the Patriot Volume One does a great job of establishing the characters and the world that they inhabit. Having some explanations of the history and structure of life in this time period were helpful. It feels like a strong beginning for a manga series, and I can’t wait to be able to read the next volume of Moriarty the Patriot in order to find out how James’ story will continue to evolve.

“Moriarty The Patriot” ignites the sparks of change (Opinions Portion of Article)

“Moriarty The Patriot” is sure to intrigue fans of Detective Sherlock Holmes as Takeuchi and Miyoshi give their own take of the iconic villain’s past. While many are familiar with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, it is interesting to see a visualized one that will make it more accessible to readers. Both Takeuchi and Miyoshi have experience adapting dark and psychological stories into manga. Takeuchi storyboarded the manga adaptation of “All You Need Is Kill” and Miyoshi drew the “Psycho-Pass” spin-off manga “Inspector Akane Tsunemori”. Compared to their previous works, “Moriarty” differs as it is set in the 19th century, far from the science fiction series. Mentioned in the afterword in Volume One, Miyoshi researched the British Empire for about a year after finishing “Akane” and getting the pitch from his editor. While he said he’s still learning, it seems that the studying paid off with the detailed illustrations of the locations that give a feel of the past. The manga has a level of complexity and mystery that one wants from anything relating to Holmes. While it is the nemesis taking the stage, it is interesting to see the more heroic deeds accomplished as it blurs the line between good and evil and question good and bad intentions.

Though this book took a little longer in the beginning to get into the story, and introducing the character of moriarty as more of the personality that we all know and love from the original story, I really enjoyed following along with the story. It had some very interesting character developments that some may say are lacking in the original sherlock Holmes stories, and i especially loved the additional extract at the end that acknowledges its inspiration. It almost depicts Moriarty as a sort of robin hood character, which is an aspect that I had not considered when reading the books prior. Overall I think this is a fantastic interpretation of an old character which i would recommend to fans not just of manga, but of sherlock's stories to.