Moriarty, Vol. 1: The Dark Chamber
Written by Daniel Corey
Art by Anthony Diecidue
Letters and Design by Dave Lanphear
Colors (Issues 3 and 4) by Perry Freeze
Image Comics
Release Date: September 14th, 2011
Cover Price: $14.99

In all of fiction, every classic hero has at least one villain who distinguishes themselves above all others. Victories over classic villains are what makes our heroes necessary in the first place, and in time, each character becomes defined by the other’s presence. One such landmark pairing, that of the detective Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, has survived several decades and has seen portrayal in many mediums. In Image Comics Moriarty Vol. 1: The Dark Chamber, writer Daniel Corey examines the world surrounding the erstwhile antagonist after his counterpart’s demise.

In the world of Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes has been dead for twenty years, and the seeds of World War I have been sewn. James Moriarty’s station in life has changed, feeling lost after Holmes’ death. He had thought he wanted the world, but without Holmes around to validate his scheming, he turns to a quieter, disaffected life on the fringe of the underground to pass the time. A man by the name of ‘Smith’ uncovers Moriarty and charges him with locating Mycroft Holmes, brother to Sherlock and lynchpin in a layered, fantastical mystery. On his journey, Moriarty must retread much of his past, make allies of old enemies, and decipher who and what it is that has everyone so scared of the name Tartarus.