World Famous Comics: Global Frequency Vol. 1: Planet Ablaze
Global Frequency Vol. 1: Planet Ablaze
By: Warren Ellis Publisher: Wildstorm Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Wildstorm Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: February 01, 2004 Release Date: February 01, 2004
Great! 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 ALEPH, AND YOU'RE ON THE GLOBAL FREQUENCY!" 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!
My favorite comic series. 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 return of great single issue stories 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.
Back to Planetary (7/10) 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).*
Anything Goes Trivia
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