MANGA REVIEW | "Moriarty the Patriot" - Volume Eighteen
Reading the eighteenth volume of Moriarty the Patriot had me reminiscing about an old video game I played as a child: 1994’s Billy the Kid Returns. In it, you play the infamous outlaw as you escaped from jail, took out bandits, and squared off against Sheriff Pat Garrett to reclaim your glory. It was a fun piece of alternative history, and it got me hooked on the legend of that young gunslinger. Just as that game did, the latest Moriarty the Patriot had me looking at Billy the Kid in a different light.
“The Valley of Fellows” continues to be told, with the flashback of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty in America. A new quest is sent in to Holmes, and it has Billy the Kid interested. His reasons go all the way back to his childhood, where he and Pat Garrett swore to become heroes of justice and rid the world of outlaws. But their paths took them in different directions, with Billy traveling the country to protect the weak, and Garrett becoming the town sheriff.
However, when bandits threaten his hometown, Billy returns to his stomping ground. But he’s left shocked when he sees Garrett a changed man, and not in a good way. A duel near a canyon in front of the townsfolk puts the final nail into their friendship, with the overall reason for its end not revealed until later on in Billy’s life. Those bandits that destroyed his home are still at it, and they’re the ones Sherlock has been tasked to put an end to their debauchery.
As he’s still recovering from injuries, our titular anti-hero of Moriarty the Patriot takes a back seat from this adventure. Instead, Sherlock and Billy head out west to deal with the bandits and help the townsfolk earn back its courage and land. Funny enough, it reminds me of how Black Bart takes the task of rescuing Rock Ridge in Blazing Saddles, albeit with less silliness and more cunning strategy. But it does go for some big laughs, especially when it comes to the way the duo surprise the locals and baddies with their words and skills.
That doesn’t mean that Moriarty is sitting around doing nothing. In fact, he has his own little adventure trying to aid a little girl find a lost gift to her mother. It’s a scenario that shows the sweet side of Liam, even when we’ve seen the diabolical lengths he’s gone to ridding London of the worst of the worst. However, after his little adventure, he stumbles upon a letter, one that could spell trouble for Billy and Sherlock.
Since this is a flashback, we all know that everyone is going to be okay in the long run. The question is, how did they get out of this mess? And what of Billy the Kid? Is he still kicking it, or is he now pushing up the daisies? Moriarty the Patriot finds its step again in its eighteenth volume, as it delivers the humor, intrigue, and smarts that has made this a welcoming adaptation of one of fiction’s most iconic characters.
Now if I could just find a way to replay that old Billy the Kid game from thirty years ago…
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
