Moriarty:
The Dark Chamber #1 was a deeply intellectual piece of work with its fair
share of flaws keeping it from being a classic. This issue of Moriarty seems to expand the flaws but still
leaves some material that is very good. Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #2 is mostly one step away
from being bad and fails to stand out when compared to its predecessor – but it does
manage to have some enjoyable things, even though they could have been utilized
better.Moriarty is now on the run after the police and Black Hand
discover he has returned and he has been framed for two murders. He meets up with the Jade Serpent who
has been betrayed by her people and the two team-up to find the box holding the
secrets of the Dark Chamber.Daniel Corey is by no means lazy with this issue. The story is extremely complex and he
took a lot of time to develop Moriarty’s character. Unfortunately, the story becomes a little too complex. If you have not read the last issue you
will be lost and there is no quick summary at the beginning to help you. To read the second issue the first is also a must. Seeing how it sold
out though, I’m sure a ton of people fit that quota. But even with the knowledge of the
first issue on your side, the many Greek myths explored in this issue can make
your head spin. Maybe I am lacking
the intellect to comprehend everything going on in this issue, but there was
just way too much.Moriarty still remains a fascinating character. His ego is still huge but his character
has more depth than just that of a big ego.
He’s given dialogue in this issue that makes him sound cruel and cool like, “This had better be the end of this nonsense, or I’ll cut your throat
while you sleep.” Other characters
are not given as much attention.
The series is about Moriarty, but none of the supporting characters
interest me very much. It feels
like Corey is trying to make the
Jade Serpent the “femme fatale” of the series, but she still feels sometimes like the
classic damsel in distress with Moriarty saving her often. She is still somewhat independent, but
not enough to make her very different from other female characters. It comes across as if she's just there
to be a love interest for Moriarty and if Corey can put as much depth into her
as he has with Moriarty in future issues, then she will become a true femme
fatale until then not so much.Another problem with this issue is some of the art from
Anthony Diecidue. Sometimes
Moriarty looks like a fine gentlemen and in other panels he looks like a
haggard old man – this effect may be a comment on his age, but the art seemed
very inconsistent. The eyes of
many of the characters were varied and unique in the first issue but here only
a few of those varied eyes show up with mixed results. The best part of the art is the
color. The issue starts out with a
subtle blue and as daybreak comes closer and closer the colors steadily grow
brighter and brighter until Moriarty and the Jade Serpent go to the Royal Opera
House where the colors are a beautiful bright gold – and the story follows a
similar route, steadily getting better and better while taking its time to get
there.This issue isn’t bad; it just fails to shine, not reaching a
high until the end of the issue.
The art is a bit of a mess, but the colors are a nice subtle touch. The story is just a very complex tale
with an intriguing character at the helm of it. Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #2 is a decent addition to the
series, but still feels like it’s
missing many of the elements that made the first issue great.Overall – 6.8/10
*Satisfactory - A title that's not for everyone, but has a few standout moments. Maybe if you have a few extra bucks it's worth picking it up.*
An all-around nerdette, I’m a comic book connoisseur, horror aficionado, video game addict, anime enthusiast and an aspiring novelist/comic book writer. I am the head of the comic book department and the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Fuse. I also write and edit articles for Comic Frontline. I am also an intern at Action Lab Entertainment, a comic book publisher at which I edit comic book scripts, help work on images in solicitations and help with other comic book related project. My own personal website is comicmaven.com.
Daniel Corey is by no means lazy with this issue. The story is extremely complex and he
took a lot of time to develop Moriarty’s character. Unfortunately, the story becomes a little too complex. If you have not read the last issue you
will be lost and there is no quick summary at the beginning to help you. To read the second issue the first is also a must. Seeing how it sold
out though, I’m sure a ton of people fit that quota. But even with the knowledge of the
first issue on your side, the many Greek myths explored in this issue can make
your head spin. Maybe I am lacking
the intellect to comprehend everything going on in this issue, but there was
just way too much.
Moriarty still remains a fascinating character. His ego is still huge but his character
has more depth than just that of a big ego.
He’s given dialogue in this issue that makes him sound cruel and cool like, “This had better be the end of this nonsense, or I’ll cut your throat
while you sleep.” Other characters
are not given as much attention.
The series is about Moriarty, but none of the supporting characters
interest me very much. It feels
like Corey is trying to make the
Jade Serpent the “femme fatale” of the series, but she still feels sometimes like the
classic damsel in distress with Moriarty saving her often. She is still somewhat independent, but
not enough to make her very different from other female characters. It comes across as if she's just there
to be a love interest for Moriarty and if Corey can put as much depth into her
as he has with Moriarty in future issues, then she will become a true femme
fatale until then not so much.
Another problem with this issue is some of the art from
Anthony Diecidue. Sometimes
Moriarty looks like a fine gentlemen and in other panels he looks like a
haggard old man – this effect may be a comment on his age, but the art seemed
very inconsistent. The eyes of
many of the characters were varied and unique in the first issue but here only
a few of those varied eyes show up with mixed results. The best part of the art is the
color. The issue starts out with a
subtle blue and as daybreak comes closer and closer the colors steadily grow
brighter and brighter until Moriarty and the Jade Serpent go to the Royal Opera
House where the colors are a beautiful bright gold – and the story follows a
similar route, steadily getting better and better while taking its time to get
there.
This issue isn’t bad; it just fails to shine, not reaching a
high until the end of the issue.
The art is a bit of a mess, but the colors are a nice subtle touch. The story is just a very complex tale
with an intriguing character at the helm of it. Moriarty: The Dark Chamber #2 is a decent addition to the
series, but still feels like it’s
missing many of the elements that made the first issue great.
Overall – 6.8/10
*Satisfactory - A title that's not for everyone, but has a few standout moments. Maybe if you have a few extra bucks it's worth picking it up.* 
