Global Frequency

Absolutely phenomenal series, and obviously Ellis' baby, being that each of the twelve episodes are by a different, yet phenomenal artist(s). I have to say, stepping into this series with absolutely no expectations at all was a fun way to do it. I found this collection in a $5 trade bin at a comic shop, and bought it on the Warren Ellis name alone. No additional thinking about it.

With the exception of one of the twelve, these stories are set up in a similar fashion: Something's happened. Nearest GF (Global Frequency) operative(s) are contacted and dispatched. Fast. On the fly, we're given the basic problem. Over 22 pages, the GF team first struggles with the issue, then deals with it. Often, but now always, violently. Within that show more framework, the pace, depending on the story is Fast!, or Do it! Do it now!, or HolyshitnotimetoexplaingogoGO!.

This series highlights Ellis' unbelieveable imagination, and creative brilliance at putting seemingly innocuous events and tech together into potential weaponized disasters.

I get why some people are slagging this, it's definitely not a series built for everyone, but hot damn, it's likely my favourite thing by Ellis.

I totally loved this. I'm on the Global Frequency. show less

This was pretty damn good, but that's kind of expected of anything from Warren Ellis. His standard approach is to write gritty, brutal, technological, action-packed stories and this was exactly that. The main idea - that a civilian group has taken on the responsibility of policing a cold, heartless government - is very slick, and having a multi-tasking, mohawked, "Aleph" was the icing. The format is a little different in that there really isn't an overarching plot, it's more like a bunch of short stories that could be read in any order. Each story has a little funny/surprise ending (as is common for short stories) and each story is drawn by a different artist. The reoccurring characters are almost never the main protagonists.

The only show more problem I had with it was that 3 of the 12 stories ended the same way. show less

1001 people around the world are on the global frequency. They are all experts on something, specialists on nearly anything in the human experience. And when something goes horribly wrong, they're usually there to stop it.

The comic is an anthology of 12 issues, each telling a different story. The only major recurring characters are the enigmatic leader of the organization, and the cheeky human switchboard who coordinates them all, and the genres vary from hyper-violent horror via action thriller to mystery and suspense. Even though the quality of the storytelling is quite high, it's therefore slightly difficult to know who would and wouldn't enjoy the collection as a whole.

Overall, I really liked this book, but I came short of loving show more it, the episodic nature of the concept being both its main selling point and, as I kept reading, its main flaw. There is next to no continuity or mythology being built here, each story would work nearly as well in isolation as it does in the collection. There's thus also no real sense of closure, the final story not feeling inherently more important the rest (if anything, the penultimate story is the one that stands out as pleasantly mythology-serving), but I suppose that is to leave the door open to further stories down the line. All in all, though, it was a solid reading experience, and I would definitely buy it should Ellis ever make more. show less

Some of Ellis's best writing and an assortment of artists make this a must have for his fans. Superb mix of big ideas, great character sketches (sketches more than full development due to the large cast) and the usual Ellis wise-assery... characters die and even though you may have just met them, you feel the loss intensely.

Well-written, with an assortment of artists (some better than others). The Frequency is a quiet organization that deals with various problems that require unusual solutions and odd skill sets. Some very good stories, even with Ellis' political diatribes that creep in.