We move from Sherlock Holmes to James Bond! (and then back to the Holmes universe). Another fun entry to a series that has competing (albeit shallowly characterized) masterminds, family bonds, and a good theme around the idea that power (especially inherited power) corrupts.

Even if you've seen the anime, this manga volume makes a good case for reading the books as well, because it brings us the second storyline in a row that was skipped over by the adaptation. This one is arguably a bit more important than the last (although I may still debate that; Louis is criminally underdeveloped) as it deals with both Sebastian Moran's past and the war in Afghanistan, which also informs John Watson as a character. (And has some alarming parallels to today. What was that about he who doesn't read history...?) It also leans into the MI6 subplot, which is both a bit silly and an awful lot of fun; Moniepenny is a decent addition to a cast largely lacking in female characters.

Moran's past is important in that it gives us a much firmer grasp of who he is as a person. His callous exterior is, it is implied, largely a cover for the hurt and anger he's carrying around, and in order to make full use of him, William needs that anger to be tempered by a shot of revenge. But Moran also deserves to be able to come to terms with the horrible things that happened during his deployment, and there's some debate to be had as to whether that factored into William's plans. The Lord of Crime needs to remain an enigma to be successful, but at times I think he might even be one to himself.

Moriarty the Patriot Vol 4 is more James Bond than Sherlock Holmes. It’s all very spy vs. spy. Moran steps up to lead the mission. There is even a Miss Moniepeny, a secretary, who joins Moran on his MI6 mission to stop the Afghan War. And there is Que, who hands over some cool weapons.

The main plot is completely different from the Robin Hood tales of the previous volumes. I enjoyed it with its twists and turns of plot. I did hate that only the first story is complete. The second story is a traditional Holmes story. Unfortunately, the book only contains part 1 and ends with a cliffhanger. Overall, 4 stars for Moriarty the Patriot Vol 4.

Thanks to VIZ Media and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my favourite new series to read. It is plot heavy and visually stunning.

In this volume the main story is side-lined in the beginning as we follow a mission for Moran, one of the team. There is a lot of James Bond references during this part of the story, including that Miss Moniepenny does on the mission with Moran. While it probably is my least favourite so far it was still interesting and certainly helped with character development. I hope that Miss Moniepenny will return in further stories.

The end of the book is back with Sherlock, who is bored because he hasn’t solved the master criminal mystery yet. It does end in a little bit of a cliff-hanger but even if that wasn’t the case, I would be picking up the next volume.

Definitely recommend this series.

Didn't love this volume as much as the previous ones, but still amazing none the less!
**Also not sure if this is because I got an ARC but the shading in this volume was very very messy, I made it quite difficult to see the pictures most the time. Hopefully this will be the fixed and the published volume

In this volume, Moran settles an old score and Sherlock longs for a new mystery to solve from the Lord of Crime. Sherlock happens upon Moriarty on a train where a murder occurs and it looks like Watson may be the killer!