Moriarty: The Patriot…..Is he Wrong? A Review of the Newest Anti-Hero
Moriarty and Crew: (L to R) Fred, Colonel Moran, Albert and Louis James Moriarty.
A genius level intellect, highly creative, yet meticulous in nature, acute narcissism followed by a complete lack of empathy; this would describe the illicit nature of Sherlock Holmes scholarly nemesis Prof. William James Moriarty. Just released on Viz Media, on October 6, 2020, Moriarty: The Patriot, written by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi, is a certified classic as we see a different side of the genius supervillain; his coming of age story as a certified crime consultant in 19th century’s Great Britain.
If you peruse the internet and explore the soon to be “classic manga title”, many will describe it, as I am doing, his comeuppance from being an orphan with his ‘ill brother’, Louis James Moriarty, to becoming formally adopted by their “noble brother”, Albert James Moriarty and sharing with the adoption, the gifts of a noble, having wealth and honor at his side, and the ability to rid the world of the nefarious social classes that exists in Great Britain’s High Society.
After reading the first 3 chapters of volume one in a twelve-volume set, I’m very impressed with the new take on Holmes’ nemesis. Takeuchi and Miyoshi took the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s supervillain and turned him into a 21 year-old professor of mathematics who uses his analytical abilities, family, friends and wealth to dismiss the social standing of the haves and the have nots. The shear diabolical horror of his “consulting services” is matched by the admiration I have for reading how he attacks the unjust and achieves his goal. In a way, they have redesigned the genius killer into a rich vigilante who only wants to see a world that is equal for all…..and by killing the ‘unjustly rich’ to get it….
But is Moriarty justifiable in his actions?
His love for his adopted family, after all they went through, is the sapling for the lack of empathy he has for his wealthy and privileged victims. I understand where he is coming as he has played both the prince and the pauper and prefers the former more than anything. This manga best resembles, to me, an intellectual composite of the ARROW and Punisher series. The killers, in this case, are the disadvantaged-rich who have held on to their roots of humility, and the victims are the ones who simply forgot what it was like to be deprived or never knew the meaning of the word. People thrive on the unjust getting their due rights for crimes blindly observed and ignored by those who can take them down, but as rules and regulations favor the unjustly rich, Moriarty and his band of “Merry Men” are there to even the score.
Moriarty’s genius is what kept me reading as he works as both a professor at one of Great Britain’s prestigious universities, Durham University and as a crime consultant. This is a genius move as he has created a net position for himself as both a teacher and a learner. As a teacher, he inspires the next generation of nobles to not look down on those who do not have noble birth and as a learner, he engages in the customs and ways of nobility, scouting the unjust and serving them justice at a phenomenal rate as he leaves ‘no loose ends’ to his crimes. Additionally, as he is the age of his students, he’s well-regarded as a leader as he advices his students, and as being one of the universities foremost intellectuals, he has positioned himself brilliantly as a man who can gain further information from his academic peers.
Sherlock Holmes
I can truly understand why this was a necessary release for October, the psychotic smile behind his childlike appearance is all that was necessary to fall in love with the charismatic killer who picks his cases as though they were “findings in a newspaper”. Hidden within his subconscious is the insatiable desire for conflict. As he fights for his own version of equality, he’s also taking the fight to the classroom as he’s fighting the bad guys by reversing the human condition of classism and as he finds the most creative of endings for his enemies, I personally look forward to the fight, if it exists, between him and Sherlock Holmes.
Ryōsuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi have created a gem of a story and I look forward to reading how the rest of the series will play out for Moriarty, his family and the “Merry Men” he called on in chapter 3.
Moriarty is one manga you will never forget or regret….Long live the Bad Guy!!!
