Black Diamond Western #39

Black Diamond, the newly appointed sheriff of Yavapi City, faces a test of mercy when the dangerous outlaw Dapper Dundee arrives in town disguised and desperate—but then a surprising act of redemption forces the lawman to gamble on whether a hardened criminal truly wants to change his ways. With his young deputy Red Fire watching closely and the townspeople demanding justice, Black Diamond must decide if giving a killer a second chance is justice or foolishness. Written and illustrated by the creative team behind this 1952 western tale, "Judas of the Plains" explores what separates the law from compassion.

When Laughin' Fat Blackie and his gang rob a bank of Army payroll currency right under the noses of Black Diamond and his deputy Bumper, the marshal pursues the outlaw into the rocky hills at sundown. Desperate and cunning, Blackie sets a deadly trap at an abandoned mine shaft, hoping to finish off his pursuers for good. But in the dark and confusion of the rocky terrain, neither man can be sure who will emerge victorious—or if anyone will at all.

When Spoofer, a spirited palomino colt, is born on the Lazy Valley Ranch, Mr. Conner's resentment begins immediately—his prized mare nearly doesn't survive the birth—while his son Curly instantly bonds with the young horse and dreams of breaking him as his own. As Spoofer grows wild and his mother struggles to recover, Mr. Conner's determination to sell the colt clashes with Curly's deepening attachment, leaving the boy desperately trying to change his father's mind even as the headstrong colt seems determined to prove difficult at every turn.

When a tyrannical con man named Bixie Craven muscles his way into power in Tulsa City through intimidation and forged confessions, the Black Diamond and his partner Bumper arrive as U.S. Marshals to investigate—only to find the local mayor already in Craven's pocket. With the "King" ruling through fear and his hired guns, the Diamond must outmaneuver Craven's schemes and crush his operation before the self-proclaimed despot tightens his grip on the whole territory.