Synopses & Reviews
John Hardin is a desperate man. When a train carrying official US currency paper explodes in his town, he's the prodigious Black Diamond Detective Agency's sole suspect. John is innocent, but his wife is missing, his old friends are coming back to haunt him--with guns and explosives--and he's on the run through rural Missouri. THE BLACK DIAMOND DETECTIVE AGENCY is based on the historical journals of Arthur James Quindlen, the agency's founder. Adapted and illustrated with watercolor art by Eddie Campbell, this graphic novel brings a new perspective to that time in America when small farmers were the backbone of the country, graft was rampant, and railroads thundered through western towns.
Review
"A visually stunning graphic narrative with all sorts of complicated plot twists....The veteran artist rises to a new challenge." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] complex visual experience that weaves in interesting historical supposition...and highlights the staccato bursts of violence (including an exciting, well-choreographed gunfight in a train station) with stinging red accents." Booklist
Review
"Despite Campbell's loose, evocative brushstrokes, the story (from C. Gaby Mitchell's unshot screenplay) is awkward and bumpy. (Grade: B-)" Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
Train Bombing strikes terror in the Heartland!
John Hardin is a desperate man. He is the sole suspect of the renowned Black Diamond Detective Agency, a private operation determined to solve the mystery and bring its perpetrators to justice at any cost. Once a quiet Missouri corn farmer, Hardin now finds himself on the run in turn-of-the-century Chicago.
Adapted from a Wonderland Films screenplay and graced with vivid and striking art by Eddie Campbell, this tale delves deep into the American era when small farmers were the backbone of the country, graft was rampant, and railroads unfurled through western towns.
About the Author
Eddie Campbell is the acclaimed artist behind FROM HELL, for which he won the Ignatz award for Outstanding Graphic Novel and the Eisner award for Best Graphic Album. In 2001, FROM HELL was made into a major motion picture starring Johnny Depp. Campbell is also the creator of the series BACCHUS and ALEC: THE KING CANUTE CROWD. His most recent work is THE FATE OF THE ARTIST, an autobiographical thriller.