Skip to main content

FROM NOVELS TO COMICS: 'Cold Hard Cash: A Martha Chainey Escapade' by Gary Phillips, Adriana Melo, and John Kalisz

Comixology Originals Presents the First-Ever Comic Book Appearance of Crime Novelist Gary Phillips' Heroine Martha Chainey


Debuts Digitally Today, February 20, 2024 

Comixology Originals presents the first-ever comic appearance of Martha Chainey, spinning out of the pages of crime novelist Gary Phillips’ acclaimed prose novels High Hand and Shooter’s Point. Featuring art by Adriana Melo, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Tom Napolitano, and edits by Greg Lockard, Cold Hard Cash: A Martha Chainey Escapade is a 5-part series starring Martha Chainey, a former showgirl-turned-mob-courier who heads from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. In the all-new story, Chainey assembles a new crew to solve a high-tech crime. The debut issue drops on February 20, 2024, from Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line.

"I'm thrilled to bring my tough-as-nails protagonist Martha Chainey to the pages of a comic," says writer Phillips. "Seeing her navigate the gritty streets of LA and the high-end tech world in this fast-paced crime thriller illustrated by Adriana is surreal and I hope people dig it."

Martha is a six-foot woman of color adept at martial arts. With no intention of winding up arm candy for some whale when she quit wearing forty-pound headdresses, she makes a living as a courier of off-the-books money—cold, hard cash. When her old friend, Rena Solomon, also an ex-Vegas showgirl, asks her in on a hush-hush job to find ten million dollars in stolen funds, Martha takes the gig.

Rena heads the Urban Collaborative, a nonprofit organization working to better conditions in South Central, which has recently partnered with Zentech, a Silicon Beach firm. Unfortunately, the Collaborative is computer hacked, and ten million dollars granted to the nonprofit for a cutting-edge center aimed at tech training and job placement goes missing.

As Martha delves into the theft, the evidence indicates the funds were converted to cash. The trail leads her throughout California from the seedy Salton Sea’s Slab city to the tony Zentech campus. Through the investigation’s twists and turns she encounters ski-masked hacktivists and the alt-right Reclaimers also on the hunt for the swag—as she seeks to uncover the truth.

Will Martha's head slammin’ sleuth skills be enough to recover the missing cash?







About the Creators:

Gary Phillips has written comics for the likes of DC Comics (Angeltown and Vigilante: Southland) and Boom! Studios (High Rollers and The Rinse) and edited several anthologies including the Anthony award-winning The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy NoirThe Washington Post named his novel One-Shot Harry as one of the best mysteries of 2022. Phillips was a staff writer and co-producer on FX’s Snowfall, streaming on Hulu about crack and the CIA in 1980s South Central. He also co-conceived and co-edited the linked anthology Culprits: The Heist Was Just the Beginning which served as the source material for the miniseries Culprits, also streaming on Hulu. For more head over to: https://gdphillips.com/

 

Adriana Melo is a comic book artist, who has worked for DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse and Image Comics. Some of the books she worked on as a penciler include: Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Star Wars: Empire, Rose & Thorn, Witchblade, Miss Marvel, Birds of Prey, Catwoman. She recently had a 15-issue run on the monthly series New Adventures of the Ninth Doctor. Other miniseries her work has appeared in include Harley & Ivy meets Betty & Veronica, Plastic Man, Female Furies and Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy and she was the cover artist for the Comixology Originals series Beatrix Rose: Vigilante.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

REVIEW: 'Little Monsters' #1 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

  LITTLE MONSTERS #1 Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Dustin Nguyen Publisher: Image Comics Release Date: March 9, 2022 Cover Price: $3.99 They are the last children on Earth... who also happen to be vampires. For longer than they can remember, these child vampires have lived a life of eternal wonder amongst the ruins of humanity. But shocking events fracture the group and set them on a path of discovery that will shatter their innocence forever. Score: ★★★★1/2 (4.5/5) There are certain comic book creators whose books I'll pick up without hesitation. One of those creators is Jeff Lemire. He instills confidence knowing that his stories will be thoughtful and engaging. You add a talented artist like Dustin Nguyen on another collaborative effort and well, 'Little Monsters,' is a must-buy. I know, shocking.   They team up again with an intriguing post-apocalyptic vampire tale featuring "the last children on Earth" who've been left to their own devices among the ruin...

Aliens & Humans Make Forbidden Contact In Graphic Novel STAR-CROSSED

 First Contact Evolves Into An Interstellar Romance In An Epic Sci-Fi Adventure This February 2024 Internationally renowned publisher Humanoids announced today STAR-CROSSED , a brand new original sci-fi graphic novel from highly acclaimed writer Jerry Frissen and artist Roberto Zaghi, about an impossible interstellar romance set in the near future where humanity has made contact with an alien civilization. Landing in stores February 2024.  The dawn of a new era for humanity has arrived. First contact has been made with an advanced alien species known as the Eo’Tarx, and the two civilizations begin the path toward understanding. CIA linguist Danko Orton is dispatched, tasked with studying communication with the Eo’Tarx alongside his alien counterpart No’mi.  But their work is quickly disrupted when it becomes clear that the two are attracted to one another, despite all barriers and obstacles. Will No’mi and Danko’s blossoming love compromise everything they’ve...

PREVIEW: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Omnibus, Vol. 1

Explore never-before-seen adventures of the hit Paramount+ show in this graphic novel omnibus! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Omnibus, Vol. 1 Writers: Mike Johnson, Kristen Beyer, Ryan Parrot Artists: Megan Levens, Angel Hernandez Publisher: IDW Publishing Trade Paperback: August 20, 2025, $24.99 First, in The Illyrian Enigma, set between seasons one and two, Una is accused of unlawful genetic modification by Starfleet and Captain Pike sets out in search of evidence that could prove her innocence. But when Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise get caught in the Pryllia colony, home to the elusive Illyrians, the mission objective quickly shifts from gathering evidence to exonerate Una to…breaking out. Then, in The Scorpius Run, set course with Captain Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the Scorpius Constellation as they become the first Federation vessel to explore this uncharted region of space! In this romp across the stars, the Enterprise crew learn what i...