For Your Consideration: DC/Vertigo’s Global Frequency

Global Frequency

Global Frequency


by Robert Greenberger

“You’re on the Global Frequency.”

With that call, Miranda Zero summoned some of the 1001 people in her network to crowdsource a rescue operation when all other options had been exhausted. The worldwide collection of operatives included people who were the top of their specific fields, from bio-weapon engineering to scientific researchers to academics, athletes, and even former criminals. She summons them via a unique mobile vid-phone and begins the countdown to success.

This science fiction series was one of the most unique offerings from WildStorm when the maxiseries was published between 2002-2004 and spawned a failed television pilot. The entire dozen issues of Global Frequency are finally being collected in a single softcover volume. If you missed this before, the package is ideal.

Written by Warren Ellis, this near-science fiction tale features art from a stellar array, including Steve Dillon, Glenn Fabry, Garry Leach, David Lloyd, Jon J. Muth, Brian Wood, Liam McCormack-Sharp, Liam Sharp, Lee Bermejo, Simon Bisley, Tomm Coker, Gene Ha, Jason Pearson, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story. David Baron’s colors unify the package. No wonder this was nominated for “Best Limited Series” Eisner Award in 2004.

Over the course of the series, we learn more about the operation along with the background of the enigmatic Zero and her dispatcher, Aleph. What we do know about the business is that many of the world’s leading governments help fund the expensive operation. In exchange, their dirtiest secrets are kept in the dark. Global Frequency, therefore, is sometimes summoned, but they are often proactively at work as secrets start to emerge into the light.

Of course, the concept was devised to allow Ellis to explore issues that struck his fancy, allowing him to go from high tech all the way to the paranormal. Each emergency mission allows him to introduce a wide variety of characters, letting him put his writing prowess on display and he rarely disappoints. Until they recognize the GF symbol, worn inconspicuously on their person, fellow agents don’t know one another. Obviously, when you bring strangers or mere acquaintances together, start the countdown and unleash them, there are sure to be sparks. Given the nature of such missions, no one was guaranteed to survive, adding an element of danger usually missing from most ongoing series. After all, if an agent died on a case, another specialist could always be recruited.

Best, Ellis writes to each artist’s strength so visually, the world of Global Frequency is stunning in its variety and detail.

If there was ever a concept tailor-made for a long running television series, this was it. Ellis was deeply involved as a producer and Mark Rogers, who once wrote Blue Beetle and today masterminds Leverage, wrote the pilot for Warner Bros. Michelle Forbes was cast as Zero and the pilot has been circulating around the web and showed its potential. In 2009, a new pilot was mentioned but nothing ever became of it, more’s the pity.

Looking back, one could argue that this was one of the first series exploring such territory, which has been steadily mined by creators ever since. You can catch a whiff of Global Frequency in many of the current wave of Image titles so its imprint is subtle, but evident. We can still enjoy these adventures, which are well worth your time and attention.

Purchase

Global Frequency SC

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