The Black Diamond Detective Agency

by Eddie Campbell

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.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Westerns, Mystery, Crime, Historical Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2007

About the author

Eddie Campbell is a British comics artist and cartoonist whose work has shaped the evolution of modern graphic storytelling. He is widely known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell, his long collaboration with Alan Moore that reimagines the Jack the Ripper case through an ambitious and meticulously researched narrative. Campbell is also the creator of the long-running semi-autobiographical Alec series, later collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and the satirical adventure cycle Bacchus, which follows a handful of Greek gods who have wandered into the contemporary world. His scratchy pen-and-ink technique draws on impressionist influences and early masters of expressive line art, while his writing blends humor, candor, and literary ambition in a manner that critics have compared to Jack Kerouac and Henry Miller.
Campbell began developing autobiographical comics in the late 1970s before expanding the Alec stories throughout the following decades, publishing early instalments through small press networks in London and later with major independent publishers. After moving to Australia in the mid-1980s, he continued to produce both Alec and Bacchus stories while contributing to a range of international anthologies. His partnership with Moore on From Hell, initially serialised in the anthology Taboo, became one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of its era and further cemented his reputation for grounded, character-driven illustration.
Across a varied career Campbell has worked as a creator, editor, publisher, and occasional court illustrator. His contributions to comics have earned him numerous industry awards, including the Eisner Award, the Harvey Award, the Ignatz Award, the Eagle Award, and the UK Comic Art Award. He continues to produce new work while maintaining a strong presence in both literary and comics circles.

Reviews

[Tina Haigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story. It started off quite exciting. I enjoyed the artwork but the characters were difficult to keep track of. I think ranks like Sgt. or Maj. instead of just Mr. This and Mr. That might've helped along with the agency they were with. I wasn't sure who was Black Diamond and who was with Secret Service. Other than that I enjoyed the story. I ended up reading it in one sitting.

[Dirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to know exactly what to say about Eddie Campbell's urban detective western that would explain how tempting it was to give it an extra star (that it really doesn't deserve on account of being too short) so lets leave at this ... It turns from interesting but rather baffling to fully engaging, wicked smart and visually arresting on a dime but not on a dime. But in a way where you're slow to realize the latter's what you've been reading all along.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

19th century America and a seemingly normal day is upended when a train full of passengers is blown up on the tracks. In the fallout, the Black Diamond Detective Agency is hired to hunt down the bomber and bring him to justice. But with a trail that leads them up and down the country and leads to a coal mine in the middle of nowhere, the chase will be deadly and fraught with enemies.

Eddie Campbell draws/paints the book beautifully and the artwork is of the highest anyone could hope for in comics but the story is what lets the book down. It's overcomplicated and thoroughly convoluted with new characters being introduced before old ones are properly established, and then the ones that are introduced end up putting on disguises, and... well it's hard to keep track of them after that.

The story lurches from plots and conspiracies from one group of bad guys to another to the point where I couldn't be bothered to pay attention and just waited until the book was over. Turns out someone they thought was good was actually bad. Ho hum. Boring story aside, the artwork is top notch and that's what the two stars are for. It's definitely not a must-read by any stretch and only fans of Eddie Campbell should seek this out.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this for a long time and just wasn't that interested in reading it, but I should have been. Great graphic storytelling - this book comes about as close as I've seen to a film on the page, in terms of having a cinematic feel to the overall visual style and the flow of the story.

The only complaint I might have is that there are points where the approach taken makes for a bit of a muddled presentation of action or events occurring though a span of time, so there are places where you're left not entirely clear on what's happening. Still, the story worked well in this format (it's a screenplay adapted as a graphic novel), and Campbell's style evokes the time period and the settings nicely.

[David Schwan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel has a confusing plot, so-so graphics, and poor calligraphy. The calligraphy is so bad in places it makes this a difficult to read book.

[David Kong · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A rousing tale of the hunt for a mysterious train bomber”, “orphans! Mayhem! Terror!”. Key phrases reminiscent of a mysterious and thrilling forensic tale.

‘The Black Diamond Detective Agency’ aims to present a world of forensic and crime investigation, but from the perspective of late 19th century technology and technique. A classic CSI tale, but one with its uniqueness and uncertainty.

Brief Plot Summary

Set in the late 19th century, ‘The Black Diamond Detective Agency’ aims to investigate an incident of a train bomber, who appear to have sabotaged a train carrying high value goods en-route to its destination. The graphic novel begins with striking and dramatic illustration and imagery, really capturing the reader’s attention. Immediately, the hunt for the culprit has begun. The private investigator agency already has its agents on site to assess the magnitude of the crime. Shortly after, evidence is being analysed. Through a large collection of intertwining events, the case will be solved.

Themes

Many of the main themes exhibited within this novel was to do with crime and forensic investigation. I truly believe that this novel really captured the essence of what a crime investigation would look like, especially from the point of view and perspective from a late 19th century investigator. The novel demonstrated the old techniques of chemical analysis and evidence checking. The imagery and the characters’ behaviour showed some insight into 19th century technology, and how it was applied to solve the crime. From watching many crime scene investigation (CSI) television shows in the 21st century, I can draw various links in the way they analyse evidence, but at the same time, the new technology that has been developed to analyse these sorts of material.

The way that the investigators analysed the crime and its evidence was a realistic and plausible approach to solving this mystery. I felt, while reading through the story, the plot unfolds realistically, and reaches a climax very effectively. The storyline progressed with a good pace, and the climax was reached with some mystery and uncertainty, which is excellent storytelling. The novel also showed the lives of the investigators behind the scenes at work, while trying to solve the crime and mystery. Aside from office work and interrogations, the novel also included several ‘action-packed’ scenes filled with shooting and fighting.

The scenery and imagery also draws on aspects from the 19th century, such as mine shafts next to the city and the use of old-fashioned vehicles and tools. Every aspect, from the text style to the illustrations of the scenery in the novel, have high resemblance to what the 19th century was and what it is believed to be in the present century. The novel effectively presents the 19th century in a way that is realistic and applicable.

In summary, ‘The Black Diamond Detective Agency’ combines the outstanding world of forensic investigation literature, with an old 19th century perspective to the genre. It has captured the timeframe perfectly, and presented a forensic story in a realistic and very entertaining matter. I believe that anyone who is into crime scene investigation or would just be up for some history, would greatly enjoy this graphic novel.

I recommend this book!

[Finn Weichard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The black diamond detective agency is a very good quality book and I can imagine why it is rated so highly. I don’t know if it’s just that it’s the first graphic novel I’ve read and I’m bad at reading them but I found it difficult to follow and I would get confused at some parts. The art style in the book is beautiful and so much attention to detail has been taken by the illustrator of this book. From what I understood from the story line there was a train explosion and parts of the debris have a man’s name on it and he says it’s got nothing to do with him and he has been stitched up. This book is pretty good at telling the story implicitly and you must be a good reader to be able to get the gist of what is going on. The author of this book has a lot of talent in the art style and the way they tell the story. You can really feel the emotions that the characters are feeling I feel like maybe if I read this book through again I would be able to understand and appreciate this book completely. Overall this book was enjoyable to read.

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling fusion of history, noir, and visual storytelling. Based on real events—drawn from the memoirs of the agency’s founder—The Black Diamond Detective Agency captures the raw energy of late 19th-century America, where railroads, corruption, and violence intertwine.
Eddie Campbell, best known as the illustrator of From Hell, brings his trademark watercolours to the story, infusing every page with atmosphere: smoke, dust, rain, and the bruised tones of a nation in transition. The result is both cinematic and painterly, a graphic novel that feels like a forgotten film newly unearthed.
It’s a taut, intelligent noir, populated by haunted characters and driven by moral ambiguity. The blend of historical realism and stylized art makes it an exceptional work—elegant, immersive, and surprisingly humane beneath its hard-boiled surface.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves noir fiction, historical thrillers, or graphic novels that aspire to more than just illustration—they embody the story.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel Eddie Campbell is at his best when dealing with esoteric subject matters or philosophy or mythological topics. Stories where his style and unique characters aid the plot. A straight up crime drama, even one in a historical setting, is not one of those stories. While the art and painting is phenomenal, I think the story of exploding trains, revenge, and a falsely accused man is harmed by artistic choices. There are interesting characters whose development is hampered by the author's choices. And while not a bad book, I don't really see myself reading it again.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts with a bang and the villain escapes, but returns to clear his name. Perhaps he was set up by his former associates? There are some engaging characters I would like to know more about, like the talented sketch artist and the ginger-headed Carl who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes it’s hard to follow all the different characters as drawn, and keep straight the twists of the story. But I enjoyed watching it spin to the end.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eddie Campbell adapts an unfilmed screenplay for a mystery set during the Old West, throwing his own spin on the pacing and characters. The art is lovely, but the story is muddled, and not nearly as good as the work he writes himself. The title is certainly one of the mysteries involved, as the Detective Agency of the title plays very little role in the tale, and certainly nothing that couldn't have been played by any other generic agency.

[Brendan]

Rating: 3 1/2

The concept was better than the execution of it.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five star Eddie Campbell art. Two star script (written as a movie script by someone else.)

That averages to 3.5 stars, but I rounded down to three stars because I doubt I'll ever read it again.

[Benji Tomlinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole thing was a mess. Eddie Campbell's art was its normal solid stuff but it seemed like even he had a problem trying to make heads or tails of what the hell was going on.

[Janie Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good graphics…poorly written narrative…blah

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

REALLY interesting to me how twenty years changes how a reader perceives a book. In 2007, I gave this book four stars and a very nice write-up. Reading it again in 2025, I didn't even finish it. Certainly in 2007, I was reading a lot more Eddie Campbell, so perhaps I had more sensitivity to his storytelling quirks. Perhaps I just had more attention to give to the story. Perhaps I, being in a phase of reading Campbell regularly, gave the book some extra credit that it didn't really deserve.

I don't know. But I've knocked two whole stars off my rating.

In 2025, I just found it a slow, tedious story with dry and unmemorable characters. I don't particularly care who blew up the train and I don't particularly care how these people are connected to the case. Campbell remains a strong artist.
++++++++
1899, Missouri, and almost the entire citizenry of Lebanon has gathered at the trainyard to protest increased cost of shipping corn. Then, the train explodes, killing nearly everyone.

The prime suspect: John Hardin, whose name is found on a box of nitroglycerine. Investigating: The Black Diamond Detective Agency.

This book is a terrific whodunit, with plenty of great twists, believable, engaging characters, and Campbell's incredible eye for period architecture and dress. Hardin turns out to be an alias, and he has more than a few skeletons in his closet - however, he's still not an explosives expert. It follows Hardin's attempt to clear his name and find his wife, missing in the aftermath of the explosion (though she was home, miles away when it occurred), and has him joining up with the very agency that is trying to find him.

There's some ongoing commentary about the coming dawn of the cynical, technologically-exploding 20th century. All of the detective work is logical and makes sense, with no lame deus ex machina twists - in fact, they determine about 1/2 way through the book that Hardin isn't the bomber and figure out that he's posing as one of their detectives too!

Campbell's got a great sense of page composition and eye for color, and his dialogue is clear and easy. It's a really fun mystery, with some great characters. The ending is a little too Hollywood (it was inspired by an unproduced screenplay, but Campbell did add his own twists - he considers it a "re-write" ), but it works.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Orphans! Terror! Mayhem!" scream out large font on the front cover. Perhaps a bit over-the-top, but the nineteenth-century newspaper-style cover definitely sets the scene for this latest visual feast by one of my favorite “sketchy” illustrators, Eddie Campbell – who won my heard with his work on From Hell (with maestro Alan Moore of "Watchmen" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" fame) and, perhaps more obscurely, the meandering modern adventures of the god "Bacchus". (If you’ve never heard of this, I’m not surprised. Then again, it is just likely his best work as writer and illustrator.)

Although I’m used to his pen-and-ink style – rarely colored, mind you – I was surprised to find that Campbell tried something new (for him) by painting full-color this 100-some-plus-page graphic novel recounting a 19th-century crime noir tale of train sabotage, murder, and corruption. (I confess to preferring his pen-and-ink style more. But, Shhh. Don’t let Eddie know I said that.) As newcomer Mitchell adapted this from a screenplay that he wrote, it’s easy to picture this becoming translated to the screen a la "Road to Perdition" or "From Hell."

[Cesar Gerardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Con todo el respeto que tengo por Eddie Campbell, tengo que admitir que este libro no es genial. Los dibujos me gustaron mucho pero frecuentemente no cumple con su cometido de contar la historia. Me parece que la técnica que usó es una arma de doble filo ya que de lejos se ven muy bien las imágenes pero de cerca no se distingue ningún detalle de lo que pasa en la historia.
La historia es bien, nada del otro mundo, pero es confusa, casi nunca sabes lo que está pasando y a los personajes casi no tienen personalidad por lo cual es difícil aprenderte los nombres. Lo de los nombres es un problema por que muy seguido mencionan el nombre de un personaje y tienes que regresar a páginas anteriores para checar de quien están hablando.
Como ya dije la historia no es nada especial, el personaje principal tiene unos cuantos momentos de gloria pero no se ganó su paso al salón de la fama de los comics.
Ahora después de haber criticado severamente el trabajo de Campbell, tengo que aplaudir el de Astiberri por su excelente edición. El papel, formato, traducción y edición están muy bien asi que este libro es otro que confirma el magnifico trabajo que hace esa editorial.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eddie Campbell who is a great contributor to the genre and this edition is such a great example of a genre (crime/noir) that graphic novels are a perfect medium for. (see the recent Stumptownto prove it) I like classic film noir but usually in small increments (i.e. "Brick" is a fabulous out-of-the-ordinary noirish film with just enough of a light touch, whereas "The Maltese Falcon" is formulaic) and the same goes for novels (Mickey Spillane is a from-time-to-time escape but easy to overdose on). In graphic novels you get the heights of the Look and Feel of classic noir along with the expected doses of the formula: femme fatales, red herrings, hard-boiled PI's and gritty dialogue. And it doesn't bore you with its familiarity. I've seen better as a representation but couldn't remember or uncover the title despite my huntings. So this'll do and it has the added bonus of the shout-out to Mr. Campbell. :)

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think stories like Monsieur Leotard, The Death Of The Artist or even Alan Moore's From Hell suit Campbell's style better; he's so good at conveying the inward focus of these kinds of tales that the relentlessly extrovert, action-packed ambit of this story about violence, retribution and conspiracies in the wild west seem like small beer in comparison. This may be a step or two better than A History Of Violence, a graphic novel and movie I find terribly overrated, and certainly the stuff about the birth of the twentieth century makes a nice parallel to From Hell. Still, it's hard keeping track of the action at times and I couldn't help but wish that Campbell's art had been given more moments of character interaction like the brief exchanges between the former gangster and the police sketch artist, or the two detectives drinking, sardonically, to the new century at the end. This is ultimately too direct a story, too much itself and little else, to exploit Campbell's technique to its fullest.

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was named "The Black Diamond Detective Agency" by Eddie Campbell. This book grabbed my attention because when i was looking through it the drawings were dramatically realistic. They looked like if every drawing was a picture and not a drawing. This book was also in form of a comic book. I also like reading mystery books and this book is one.

This book is about a men named John who is really happy with his wife, then something unexpected happens and she goes missing. Him looking for her and other people looking for him. As time is running the search for her seems hopeless.

This book was succesful on keeping the mystery a mystery, it made you think a lot and review everthing that had already happened before. It was realy easy to viasualize what was happening and how things happen because of the amazing drawing done. It gives you a feeling that most books dont.

[Mark]

Eddie Campbell is one of my favorite cartoonists of all time, and without question one of the most interesting, so I never thought I'd come across a Campbell book I didn't enjoy (well, OK, the Alan Moore SNAKES AND LADDERS stuff was borderline unreadable). THE BLACK DIAMOND DETECTIVE AGENCY was a complete disappointment. The plot is hard to follow (and not in a good, "literary" way--halfway through I really stopped caring) and while Campbell's occasional forays into painted comics are usually delightful (I still love that crazy Batman story with the bad-guys-in-animal-head-costume-dinner-party) here the paintings just drag the story down. This graphic novel is based on a script for a film that was never made--perhaps that should have been a warning. Now I want to go back and re-read BACCHUS to remind myself of what Campbell is capable of

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recently I got in a bunch of new graphic novels that I took home to read. One of them is The Black Diamond Detective Agency by Eddie Campbell. It's an odd story because it's adapted from a movie screenplay. The author is known for the artwork he contributed to Alan Moore's From Hell, the gripping story of Jack the Ripper.

Unfortunately this story is a bit uneven and the artwork isn't captivating. It was a bit of a disappointment to me because I bought it for the collection and I don't know if it will ever go out!

Of course students of the graphic novel will take an interest in it, I'm guessing. We'll see.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Black Diamond Detective Agency is a graphic novel set in the Old West. I've always been fascinated by the work of early detectives such as the Pinkerton Detectives and Texas Rangers, so I knew I'd enjoy the theme. Set in 1899, the story follows a man accused of causing a train wreck. Although the characters are sometimes difficult to follow, the story is an exciting mystery that begins in small town Missouri and ends with gangs in Chicago. The illustrations and muted colors reflect the time period. Intended for mature readers because of the violence, language, and brief nudity, I'd recommend this graphic novel for anyone who likes an Old West detective mystery.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eddie Campbell creates comics as if he's never read comics before. Or as if he's studied them all and abandoned them to forge his own way in the medium. This lushly painted book tells a rather simple story of a train robbery and the attempt (by a detective agency and by a man framed by the actual robbers) to hunt down those responsible. But in Campbell's hands, it sings. His characterizations are spot-on, the plot moves along briskly without losing the reader, and the art is beautiful. I've been a fan of Campbell's since back in his Deadface days, and this book reminds me why.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

After re-reading From Hell I realised I should really read some more Campbell graphic novels. This one was only 50p on Amazon so I bought it. After reading it I felt badly that it was selling so cheap! It is worth so much more!!! First of all it's not black and white, it's glorious colour paintings for every panel, some of which are truly stunning. The story itself is a nice little pulp detective story set at the turn of the century. Definitely one I'd recommend and convinced me to buy more of Eddie's books.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd graphic novel. It is clearly not Eddie Campbell's story. Where his storytelling is discursive and rambling, this is tightly plotted with minimal character work. His ramshackle layouts seem ill fitted to it. His painted art is beautiful, as usual. But the book is considerably less sophisticated than his usual work.

I like the idea of a story about a lesser Pinkerton-style agency chasing a gang of master criminals. But the plot falls apart at the end. Disappointing.

[Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deeply mysterious mystery, not to be thwarted by a clear ending. Campbell's style is always a pleasure, and his wry sense of humor appears sporadically while working through someone else's script. Some scenes are laid out across two pages in a confusing, non-traditional manner, and a shoot-out at the train station is particularly confusing (a man with a mustache is shot by a man with a mustache who is then killed by a man in a mustache)

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sterling Wild West mystery in graphic novel form.

Eddie Campbell's a good artist in general, but I think this is some of his best work. Fun story, good characters, and painted pages that really blow me away. It puts me in mind of Angi Shearstone and Scott Hampton, who are both extraordinary. Go read.

For more on comics, horror, humanity, morality and the world check out The Stupid Philosopher, aka a place where I put my words.

[Marc Weidenbaum]

Probably my least favorite Eddie Campbell book. Not much to say: it's an adaptation of someone else's script, which tells the tale of sleuthing into the explosion of a train. There's a lot of exposition, which crams panels with text. The action sequences don't particularly suit Campbell's drawing style, though he does make an interesting go at it, using a spread of tiny panels that suggest the spray of gunfire.