Moriarty is an upcoming series from Image Comics. According to the creators, it is a science-fiction, noir story about a world without Sherlock Holmes. Writer Daniel Corey took some time to talk to me and answer a few questions about this new series and what sort of work goes into crafting something like this.
Chris: First off, tell us your name and a bit about you.My name is Daniel Corey. I originally hail from Central Florida, the Orlando area. My wife and I have lived in Los Angeles for the past 7.5 years. We're in the Valley, in the NoHo Arts District. We have three cats. I love music. I prefer to stay busy. I guess those are the basics.
As far as my upbringing in the arts goes, I have background in theater: acting, writing, directing. The theater is where I learned to love storytelling. I started off as an actor, and figured out that learning a script meant making up your own internal story, your own through-line. I studied with a great teacher named Ken Eulo, who is widely experienced in all mediums of storytelling. That's where I learned how to transmit knowledge of character and story across stage plays, screenplays, novels, etc.
Chris: Is Moriarty your first published work?It's my first book to be published at this level, with a major company like Image. But I did self-publish a graphic novel called
PROPHET. That was my first collaboration with artist Anthony Diecidue.
PROPHET is what I call a supernatural Spaghetti Western. It's definitely a love letter to the work of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone.
Working on
PROPHET with Anthony was a good experience that I think we both benefitted from (you'd have to ask him to be sure, but he's stuck around, so I think that's a good sign). It was the first full-length comic project that either of us had ever worked on. We learned about the discipline involved in assembling an entire project from scratch, and all the things that go beyond just the basic craft of writing and drawing. We spent about a year and a half putting that together, stuck with it, and still came out swinging to create
MORIARTY together.
By the way,
PROPHET is available as a print volume at
ComiXpress.com, and as digital downloads at
WOWIO.com. Sorry, had to throw in a plug.
Chris: Tell us a bit about Moriarty. What are readers in for when they buy this book?Excitement, adventure, life-changing catharsis!
Really, though, I think it's a smart book, but also entertaining. I love the Doyle/Holmes mythos, as many do. So it has the earmarks of a good Holmes story: deductive reasoning and complex mystery, intellectual banter, foggy London streets, British melancholy and dry humor. But you'll also get the epic excitement of a James Bond movie.
There are components of science fiction and espionage in this story. You'll get to see fantastic technology 50 years ahead of its time, as well as secret messages and clandestine meetings, fisticuffs and sword fights, ninja assassins (if you can believe it). Every decision that Moriarty is faced with is life-and-death. The fate of the entire world (and his place in it) hangs in the balance.
Chris: You could have built on a number of different elements within the Holmes mythology. Why Professor Moriarty?Well, he's the one character we know the least about, really, so he was the most interesting to me. What makes a super-villain like him tick? Why does he have this aching need to control the world? Vast ambition like that always stems from basic human wants and needs.
That's where all story comes from: character. What does this guy want? Why does he want it? What will he do to get it? That's what I learned in the New York Acting Ensemble acting workshop with Ken Eulo. Character=story. So figuring out the character precipitates the story, and Moriarty's character/story is a fascinating one for me.
On character building, think about
Death of a Salesman. What does Willie Loman want? I think he wants respect, a sense of legacy. He wants to feel that he is a great man that is passing on a great sense of worth and identity to his son.
What will he do to get it? He's going to go out and be the best darn salesman ever, and everyone is going to love him for it.
Why is being the best darn salesman ever the key to greatness, respect, legacy? Ask Lee J. Cobb or Dustin Hoffman about that. That's up to the individual actor.
Anyway, this gives you an idea of how I like to build characters. Building Moriarty in this way was too good an idea to pass over.
Chris: Moriarty was only featured in two of Doyle’s stories. Did this lack of established character history make it easier or harder to write your story?Easier!
Popular culture has defined Moriarty as Holmes' ever-present arch nemesis, but he's barely present in the original canon. Really, Doyle just created Moriarty as an excuse to kill Holmes.
So the playing field is wide in dealing with Moriarty as a person. But there are parameters in place that Doyle has established with the time period, tone, supporting cast. So you get freedom, with some prescribed boundaries.
Chris: In later literature, authors have taken on Moriarty and expanded his role within the universe. Did you take any of these works into consideration or is your story imagined solely from the brief mentions in Doyle’s work?
That's an interesting question. On first thought, I'd say no. I didn't borrow any elements from non-canon stories that depict Moriarty.
But there's a caveat to that: There are so many great actors that have played Moriarty. There's Sir Laurence Olivier in
The Seven-Percent Solution, Paul Freeman in
Without a Clue (he also played Belloq in
Raiders of the Lost Ark!), and Daniel Davis in
Star Trek: The Next Generation. The thought of bringing a unique face to the character as these guys did, that was what inspired me. It was the story those actors brought to the character that acted as my chief inspiration, and that's what really informs this work.
By the way, I would be remiss if I didn't give major props to Daniel Davis. That episode of
Star Trek: TNG brought Moriarty to a whole new audience. Many fans tell me that's where they first learned about him.
Chris: Moriarty takes place in a world where Sherlock Holmes died on Reichenbach Falls, while Moriarty survived. Why did you choose this alternate reality to set your story, and how does this affect Moriarty and the world around him?First of all, I wanted this to be Moriarty's story. Sherlock is the leading man people are used to, and the minute he shows up, it becomes his story. Early on, I had a conversation with Anthony about this, and he was the one that made me really think in these terms. He said: "If you want to do a Robin story, how much can Batman show up before it becomes a Batman story?" Don't tell Anthony I said that. He already has ego problems (not really).
Secondly, part of the goal in storytelling is to get the character into "the belly of the beast." We want to see a person on their worst day ever, not their best day. Moments are always first times and last times, never in-between. The best way to see Moriarty at his worst is to remove the greatest thing from his life: his rivalry with Sherlock Holmes.
I thought Stallone made a great choice in taking Adrian out of the picture in the last
Rocky movie. It hurts to say that! But think about it: When would Rocky be at his lowest? At Adrian's graveside, of course.
Chris: Sherlock Holmes is viewed by many to be some of the greatest detective fiction in history. Did writing a story set in this universe ever seem like a daunting task?You better believe it! I gotta think up all this complicated, difficult stuff!
Problem: Moriarty has to be able to look at a guy and figure out in a glance that said guy has spent seven years in outer Mongolia, and loves Italian food.
Solution: I'm still trying to figure that one out.
Also, just the period research is a killer. You have to know the style, customs, attitudes, politics, geography - all that stuff. Every time Moriarty walks into a room, Anthony and I have to know what the room looks like, what everyone is wearing. Long tie? Short tie? Wearing hat, or hat in hand?
Research is a double-edged sword: It can stifle creativity in that it is a good excuse to delay actual writing. But if you already have a solid story developed, research can augment your storytelling. I think that's why people love a yarn like
The King's Speech. The filmmakers used the authenticity of period as a character in the story: the attitudes of class and what it's really like for a royal to mix with a commoner, depicting ignorance in the medical establishment ("Breath deep, Your Majesty, let the smoke fill your lungs!"), the intricacies and rules of the monarchy, etc.
Chris: How much of Doyle’s work figures into your story? Will fans of Sherlock Holmes stories see any familiar elements?Yes, there are many winks and nods to the original stories. I don't want to say what, exactly. You'll need to read the comics.
Chris: Were you ever worried about negative fan reaction to your treatment of the Holmes universe?I can't say that factored into my thinking when I was first putting this together, but it has crossed my mind lately that some folks may not like this idea. It's not an item of great concern for me. I think most people have seen Sherlock and co. in many different forms now, and most people will probably be okay with it. The most recent adaptations of Sherlock attest to people's willingness for a fresh take.
Someone out there will probably decide ahead of time that they don't like what we're doing here. I'd challenge those folks to go ahead and give it a shot. If you read it and still don't like it, fair enough. But I think most people will like. I'm biased.
Chris: Say I’m a literature fan, who doesn’t read comic books, and I’m in my local book store browsing their wares. I look across the store and see your book sitting on the comic spinning rack. Will this title appeal to me?I hope so! I mean, if they're willing give it a chance, I think non-comic readers will really enjoy
MORIARTY. I think more people should read comics. Anyone who enjoys good film and television would also enjoy good comics.
Chris: Is there anything you’d like to add?I'm just thrilled to have the opportunity to create an on-going comic series for
Image. Thanks to
Image Comics for giving us a shot.
And thanks to you guys. These were great questions. This was fun.
Thanks to Daniel Corey for answering my questions. The first issue of Moriarty will be released in May from Image Comics. Thanks for reading.
