Customer Reviews

Global Frequency Vol. 1: Planet Ablaze

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In case you haven't read the plot synopsis or the other reviews, here's the deal. The Global Frequency is a worldwide network of experts, geniouses, military and police officers brought together by Miranda Zero to save the world from itself. This is a science fiction comic with wormhole singularities and cyborgs, but there are no superheroes. These people are as ordinary as they can get given the world they live in.

It used to be that stories in comic books were largely confined to a single issue and that multiple issue stories were big events. Now multiple issue stories are the norm, designed to fill out collections.

Instead of breaking new ground, Warren Ellis is taking us back to old ground and reminding us that a good story can be told concisely.

Each issue of Global Frequency is a different story by a different artist. When this is done right it can be excellent, as in the second story in this collection which is illustrated by Glenn Fabry. In it Ellis posits what it would actually take to build a cyborg. Human skin and bones and muscle can't support 2 tons of machinery, so Ellis comes up with a vaguely human looking mass of muscle and machine, and Fabry illustration is beautifully horrific. Unfortunately there's the downside of when an artist and story don't blend. The final story in the collection is illustrated by David Lloyd of V for Vendetta fame. In the story a woman runs across rooftops, leaping from building to building, gymnastically scaling scaling fire escapes and jumping across traffic. It should be thrilling, but only about half of the pictures really have the energy of the story. This was disappointing, especially from such a classic artist.

I felt like there was something lacking in Planetary, especially in the beginning. I didn't see why the main characters mattered. They were window dressing to the story. Any character could have been inserted and the story would have been exactly the same. But here, in Global Frequency, it's quite clear why each operative is selected. Sometimes they're a specialist in the problem, sometimes they just happen to be the person physically closest to the crisis, but whatever the reason the characters in each story is always the right person for the job.

This is a great collection of short stories. The stories are smart and concise, and overall the art is good and right for each story.

The Global Frequency is an organization of one-thousand specialists headed by Miranda Zero. Their task is to handle threats that conventional forces are unequipped to handle. At first we get the impression that the Frequency is secret when a character remarks that they do exist (like the M&Ms in the Santa commercial). But members of the Frequency can leave their jobs at a moments notice by saying they are on the Frequency as if everyone knows about them.

Specialists are contacted by a special portable phone. They also seem to all have a "special case" that is never explained (although one character is asked if he got weapons from his case). Members are top in their field, whatever it happens to be.

I felt the Frequency was not grounded well enough, like the author wanted to tell the story before working out the details. One-thousand unique agents doesn't seem like it could be terribly effective but it seems that the right agent is always close at hand. There is very little repetition of character (mostly just Miranda Zero and Aleph) but you may spot a cameo or two. Each story is also drawn by a different artist thus weakening the feeling of continuity.

The threats in this volume include a man who is a walking nuclear bomb, a rogue bionic man, a memetic invasion, a cult hostage situation, a town that may have seen an angel, and bioterrorists using ebola. Very interesting stories but I am not sure why the Frequency was needed for the hostage story.

Global frequency is easily my favorite comic/graphic novel series of all time. I've read all 12 issues and they are pretty amazing. I'm not saying this lightly. I've read most of Alan Moore's stuff, most of Frank Miller's stuff, most things by Bendis, Kirkman and Waid.

This is the only series where I have forced myself to stop reading in mid story because the effect was so powerful.

I guess this stuff isn't for everyone. If you're into series dealing with the "mythology" of superheroes then this might not be for you. However, if you enjoy powerful stories that don't require previous knowledge of existing universes, then this series is for you. Warren Ellis is at the top of his game here. Any fans of William Gibson or Neal Stephenson should love this series as well.

It's really top notch and well worth buying the entire series.

The premise of Global Frequency is of a group of 1001 volunteers who have been tapped for their particular talents to respond to emergancy situations the globe over. They could be anyone from an S&M MIT Physics professor to an ex Army sniper to a helicopter pilot. They're always on call so that whoever is closest to the situation can count on all of their combined experience at any time. The premise is obviously cool, but the real question is whether it can be pulled off. Luckily Warren Ellis whips out his mad comic writing mojo and delivers a stunning series of stories. The artwork is also nothing to scoff at. Overall well worth my money, and quite a bit of fun to boot.

To me that's the question that this bok answers.
See, there are 1,001 people on the Global Frequency. You may not know who hey are, they may even be as close to you as possible without you even suspecting it.
Then one day, they receive a call and they may end up being mankind's last hope against something so big, secret or fast that there's no other conventional mean of intervention.
A worldwide cadre of super-experts, from sportsmen to physicists, from soldiers to magicians, from astronauts to historians.
There for us when we need them.
Broght together by the mysterious Miranda Zero and coordinated by young genius Aleph, they face suicide cults, ghosts, terrorists, aliens, government plans gone wrong, dangerous cold war sleeping threats.
Warren Ellis took a relatively simple idea (but so was Columbus' legendary egg, after all) and stretches it over 12 self-contained issues, drawn by 12 different artists, detailing 12 different Global Frequency adventures - the first 6 of which are collected here for your reading pleasure.
No wonder this has twice been optoned as a TV series and you should do yourself a favor and hunt down the beautiful leaked pilot of the first, while you're at it.
The stories are mostly fast paced and sometimes really skinned down to the action, but overall you have little atom bombs of information that takes along time to properly sink and digest and thoroughly enjoy. There's really so much here for you to drool over and ponder!
For comic freaks, there is also the unparelleled joy of having some very rare and very beautiful Glenn Fabry pen-and-ink work, Steve Dillon's very clean art and unmatched storytelling in service of Ellis' very tight scripts, Miracleman's Garry Leach turning in some fantastic pages, The Wicked's incredibly underrated artist Roy Martinez back to work for US comics, Jon J Muth's ink work (as beatiful and crafty as the painted workhe's most famous for), and V For Vendetta's David Lloyd proving he can do some mean action sequences too.
This is an absolutely great pacakge, ot to be missed!

It's so damn good! Every sub-story/plot is original and stylish. The different artists collectively capture Warren Ellis's vision in a way that's complete and cohesive. "Tight" is the word I guess. And the idea of an extra-governmental global organization of freaks and geeks bent on saving the world is very romantic in a weird way.

This is an enjoyable action comic with a premise that will keep it from getting stale. 'Global Frequency' is a shadowy, wordwide group of trouble-shooters. When some problem comes up too fast, in too sensitive a way, or in some manner that the normal forces can't handle, GF activates one or more of its 1001 agents. No superheroes in tights here, but good action based on unusual premises and people.

This book collects the first few issues of the comic. Each of the original comics seemed to be a self-contained story with separate characters and situations. Although the writing is consistent, the artists also changed book by book. The artwork is always good, but won't have collectors stampedin any time soon.

This is the start of a readable, interesting action comic series. It's off to a very good start. I'll read more in the future, but this hasn't turned me into an instant fan. There are lots of other good ones to read, too.

//wiredweird

Known more for his revamp of Stormwatch and the creation of the Authority, Warren Ellis managed to create an exciting comic about non-superheroes. Consisting of 1001 agents of different skills and backgrounds, Miranda Zero has various tools at her disposal. The fun of the book is finding out what kind of agent Miranda will use to solve a particular emergency with effects that are global in scale. Each story is self-contained, you can read it in short bursts. But it is so compelling, you'll be hard-pressed to do just that.

I'VE BEEN A BIG FAN OF ELLIS' OTHER WORK AND STUMBLED UPON THIS TITLE. I FEEL THIS IS SOME OF HIS FINEST WORK! WHAT A GREAT STORY.
I LOVED IT!

Another worldwide secret organization that specializes in obscure events. Why doesn't he just go back to planetary and give the series the attention it deserves.......
I always get so excited everytime I see a new Warren Ellis novel, but I have to say, few and far between are worth it in my opinion. Not consistent.


Re-readability: 7/10

*I always put re-readability in my reviews for people who like to keep their TPB to re-read. Something can be awesome, but not something I am going to frequenty re-read (Maus), or it can be horrible, but I might still re-read it (Global Frequency).*