Graphic SF Reader | Global Frequency Vol. 2: Detonation Radio

Upping the ante | Global Frequency Vol. 2: Detonation Radio | Warren Ellis

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	• Global Frequency Vol. 2: Detonation Radio Warren Ellis Wildstorm, 2004 - 144 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

good but not great.

I really loved the first graphic novel (issues 1 - 6 of the series) and had high hopes for this one (issues 7 - 12). Unfortunately (and this is my review so take it with a small grain of salt) I feel it suffers from a lack of ideas or inspiration. Maybe it was just rushed. The first half of the series was interesting and diverse, treating the audience like adults, dropping us in a world with minimum of explanation and inferring knowledge. This series uses the old chestnut of "how part of us came to be" and shows us inside the belly of the Frequency. It feels a little tired. Warren Ellis is amazing (the Transmetropolitan series is my favourite) and this screams a little of him phoning ideas in. Still, it's better than a lot of the detritus about these days.

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Graphic SF Reader

Detonation Radio takes a slightly different approach. Firstly, Miranda Zero is kidnapped, and Aleph and others must organise an operation to get her back.

Then, Global Frequency operations is penetrated, and Aleph herself must perform some fieldwork to get out of the situation, with some advice fromt he outside.

Upping the ante

The format is still good: one book in the original comic format held one complete episode. That's good for beginners and for the patience-challenged. It also allows for frequent changes of artist, since each story has a different mood, script, site, and cast. Only Miranda Zero, the lady behind the 1001 specialists, and Aleph, coordinator and hacker supreme, hold continuity across the series.

The stories are varied and generally enjoyable. This time, the "super-secret" aspect of the orgnization is played down - everyone and their dog seems to know who the group is. As a result, there are two direct attacks: one on Miranda herself, one on Aleph's control center. There's a bit of plot inflation under way, too. The final story takes on the U.S military and, of course, wins. The losers include "credibility", since this particular plot involves top-secret satellites so big that any kid with a telescope could pick them out. And, if I read between lines correctly, those satellites are in geosynchronous over their targets. The problem is that geosync orbit is prime real estate, and already well developed. Heck, there are already so many residents in that one little orbit that overcrowding is a real problem. Adding a few dozen big, secret satellites would be like holding a big, secret parade of elephants down the only street in a small town - people would tend to notice.

If you want exciting stories where people keep their clothes on, you've come to a good place. The artwork is skilled and varied, and there's nothing here to overwork a weak attention span. You could do worse - but you can do better, too.

//wiredweird

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A Truly Inventive Series by one of the Best Comic Writers

This is the second graphic novel in a series of two, both written by Warren Ellis who is one of the top comic book writers today (Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Bill Willingham also get a nod). What I love so much about this series is the concept (there are 1001 agents in the world who at a moment's notice can get called for a mission) which allows each story to stand alone and each story to have a completely different atmosphere and format than the previous story. This series is also strongly rooted in reality, with the idea that all the science is "possible" and none of the agents are super powered.
This second volume is just as strong as the first one and also focuses on the only two recurring characters in a couple of stories. There is some great art - each style suited for the story - and top notch story telling. A must for any fan of Ellis or of comics.

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Ellis develops his idea more fully in this second trb.

"You're on the Global Frequency." After reading the first trade, Planet Ablaze, that line becomes real familiar. The setting is in the present with an alternate reality. There exists an organization called the Global Frequency that contains 1001 members. Their mission? To solve humanity's problems when no other agency will.

This trade is much better than the first. Ellis got the opportunity to take his idea further and offer some better stories. This trade is just like the first in that each issue has a different illustrator. You have a gruesome ultra-violent tale illustrated by Simon Bisley; my favorite story drawn by Lee Bermejo all in pencils; and a beautifully painted story by Gene Ha. You also get more background information on Aleph and how she came into the organization. I didn't care for the first six issues nearly as much as I have enjoyed the majority of this trade. There were a few stories that could have been better with different illustrators, but I was so ecstatic about the ones I loved that I was able to overlook them. If you have the first trade, then this is a must have.

If you don't want to buy the first trade, you don't really need to. Each issue is self contained and you can read them randomly if you wish and still follow the storyline.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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