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jmitschke's review
4.0
A fun sci-fi serial by Warren Ellis with a consistent premise and different cast of characters each issue. The Global Frequency is a worldwide network of 1001 specialized experts who step in when needed to overcome different threats to public safety. The series includes problems like a cyborg warrior gone insane, germ warfare, etc. Not much continuity/character arc but it allows for exploration of an interesting sci-fi premise in each issue. VERY gory sometimes.
clarks_dad's review
4.0
Review for Volumes 1 and 2
What do you get when you cross the superhero genre with the X-Files? Global Frequency. There were some parts of this that felt so cheesy that they virtually melted on top of your nachos as you were reading, but overall the episodic nature of the story-telling and the "case-work" engaged in by Miranda Zero's team of agents were compelling and interesting. With 1001 agents, the cast of characters never gets boring and Ellis manages a remarkable degree of character development in just a few short pages. Relying on the constant appearances of Zero as administrator and Aleph (the GF dispatcher) to orient the reader in vastly different situations with new casts of characters, Ellis is able to experiment with his storytelling in brilliant ways. Sure, it's a bit "freak-of-the-week," but so were the X-Files and there are about the same proportionality of gems and coal. In the end, most of it shines.
GF is a rescue organization that is called in during special circumstances: bioterrorism, paranormal and fringe science experiments gone wrong, and high-tech satellites run amok. The series runs pretty much like a television show would. Problem is introduced, team is recruited, problem is solved somehow. I think one of the disappointing aspects of the series is that while there were some profound sacrifices made by team members, you don't feel it because of the constantly changing cast of characters and there are no real "team" failures that put the organization as a whole in jeopardy (although there are two plot-lines that portray nemesis organizations attempting to infiltrate or destroy GF that were probably the least interesting to me in the lot). The best stories were ones dealing with the misapplication of new technology and the consequences of rapidly evolving and cheap technologies can pose a danger to us all. These stories were gritty, realistic and beg larger questions that are interesting to ponder even after you set the book down.
I was a bit surprised at the abruptness of the ending. Each of the issues was pretty much self-contained, but I expected the last few to build a bit of an arc that would give some overall resolution to the series that would enable you to walk away from it with some definitiveness, but nothing really developed. The stories stay episodic till the end and you're left with the impression that GF will continue on its merry way. Not a bad thing, but I would have liked a little more complexity.
What do you get when you cross the superhero genre with the X-Files? Global Frequency. There were some parts of this that felt so cheesy that they virtually melted on top of your nachos as you were reading, but overall the episodic nature of the story-telling and the "case-work" engaged in by Miranda Zero's team of agents were compelling and interesting. With 1001 agents, the cast of characters never gets boring and Ellis manages a remarkable degree of character development in just a few short pages. Relying on the constant appearances of Zero as administrator and Aleph (the GF dispatcher) to orient the reader in vastly different situations with new casts of characters, Ellis is able to experiment with his storytelling in brilliant ways. Sure, it's a bit "freak-of-the-week," but so were the X-Files and there are about the same proportionality of gems and coal. In the end, most of it shines.
GF is a rescue organization that is called in during special circumstances: bioterrorism, paranormal and fringe science experiments gone wrong, and high-tech satellites run amok. The series runs pretty much like a television show would. Problem is introduced, team is recruited, problem is solved somehow. I think one of the disappointing aspects of the series is that while there were some profound sacrifices made by team members, you don't feel it because of the constantly changing cast of characters and there are no real "team" failures that put the organization as a whole in jeopardy (although there are two plot-lines that portray nemesis organizations attempting to infiltrate or destroy GF that were probably the least interesting to me in the lot). The best stories were ones dealing with the misapplication of new technology and the consequences of rapidly evolving and cheap technologies can pose a danger to us all. These stories were gritty, realistic and beg larger questions that are interesting to ponder even after you set the book down.
I was a bit surprised at the abruptness of the ending. Each of the issues was pretty much self-contained, but I expected the last few to build a bit of an arc that would give some overall resolution to the series that would enable you to walk away from it with some definitiveness, but nothing really developed. The stories stay episodic till the end and you're left with the impression that GF will continue on its merry way. Not a bad thing, but I would have liked a little more complexity.
helpfulsnowman's review
4.0
A good read. Warren Ellis' roots come from reading serials that changed things up every issue, and this was a nice way to explore that style.
Uh, have to say, I nominate parkour as the cultural reference that aged before its time. It's like the attractive 40-something who did too much tanning and too much makeup and somehow became old at a time when it's really not.
Uh, have to say, I nominate parkour as the cultural reference that aged before its time. It's like the attractive 40-something who did too much tanning and too much makeup and somehow became old at a time when it's really not.
ninj's review
4.0
Really enjoyable collection of stories set around a Global Frequencies agency that deals with calamities, different places around the world, different types of emergencies and personnel involved, with some core characters.
rosarachel's review
3.0
I didn't really get this, kept waiting for things to get started. The art is great though.
justiceofkalr's review
3.0
Pretty entertaining, but nothing particularly special. The characters and stories are fun though, and it's got the feel of Ellis' work. Each issue in the volume is a standalone story with no major story arcs to connect them, which is convenient for quick reads. Global Frequency is an organization consisting of 1,001 agents of various specialties who save the world and stop disasters. Superheroes without the super. The only recurring characters are the founder, Miranda Zero, and the operator that organizes everyone, Aleph. Several of the stories have a slight sci-fi feel to them. My favorite was probably "Big Wheel", in which a cyborg goes on a rampage after seeing what he'd become.
ladynigelia's review
4.0
I picked this up as part of a pile of free comics. I've read several other Warren Ellis books and he certainly does have interesting premises. This volume is 3 discrete stories with only a couple reoccurring characters.
They did a good job matching the feel of the story to the artist and throwing in nice bits of acknowledgement that traditional comics aren't very good at being diverse. These characters are diverse and skilled and excellent at being part of the global rescue efforts.
It is apparent that it was written in 2004 because some of the tech didn't age well- like who still builds nuclear powered anything??
They did a good job matching the feel of the story to the artist and throwing in nice bits of acknowledgement that traditional comics aren't very good at being diverse. These characters are diverse and skilled and excellent at being part of the global rescue efforts.
It is apparent that it was written in 2004 because some of the tech didn't age well- like who still builds nuclear powered anything??
laralibrarian's review
5.0
Absolutely brilliant, beautiful, and disturbing. Personally I was reminded of the works of William Gibson and some of the darker story arcs from the Ghost in the Shell series. Well worth the read.