The second volume of Moriarty the Patriot continues to follow the exploits of the mastermind opponent of Sherlock Holmes, but this installment introduces Sherlock as an antagonist to the title character’s antihero schemes. The narrative delves more deeply into the exceptional intellectual ability of  both men, and introduces a few other familiar characters to the reader. The mystery that takes place in this novel is interesting and entertaining, and the characters’ banter is fun to read. The illustrations continue the series’ trend of beautiful artwork. This book is a must read for Sherlock Holmes and mystery fans.

Note: This is not a stand-alone graphic novel, and readers should therefore begin with Volume 1.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 1 religious exclamation; 11 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory name. Note: Many instances of the British “bloody” that are not tallied.

Violence/Gore: A fight without injury; a few verbal threats; characters plot a murder; a few reports of a murders; report of arson; report of an assassination; report of a suicide; man threatens a child verbally; report of a man hunting humans for sport; a character is beaten; characters punch each other a few times; a fight with minor injury; a character uses animal blood in experiments; a message is written in blood; a fight with guns and melee in which characters are killed; a character is stabbed to death; a character jumps to his death.

Sex/Nudity: Characters flirt verbally; a man harassingly flirts with a woman; it’s implied that a woman is a prostitute; a character delivers a written proposition of sex to another; a man grabs a woman’s clothed breast.

Mature Subject Matter:

Suicide (reported, carried out); drug smuggling; a character is an orphan; murder (reported); arson (reported); assassination (reported); government corruption; kidnapping; gambling; class discrimination; prostitution (implied).

Drug/Alcohol Use:

Opium (mentioned); adults drink alcohol; it’s implied that a character uses illegal drugs.