Global Frequency was a 2002 series by Warren Ellis and a collection of great artists–a new one every issue.  

It was about a 1,001 scientists, former soldiers, computer hackers, etc. joined by a (never really explained) global phone network that seems at times to speak inside their heads.  It’s a great idea: Private citizens saving the world from threats that no single government seems to be able to handle–partly because many of the threats were caused by governments….The book was nominated for an Eisner, and was actually turned into a pilot but wasn’t picked up.

Volume one collects the first six issues of this 12-issue mini.  One of the things I like best about Warren Ellis’ brand of science fiction is how well he thinks it all through.  You can’t just bionic-ify someone: You have to prepare their whole body for the adaptation.  And what does that do to a person?

Taking “The Ring” concept to a new level: What if there were a computer virus that affected people, and if you tried to crack it by reading it, you’d get affected too?  He also tackles cults, the military industrial complex, the meaning and power of love, and throws in all those classic Ellis headscratchers that keep you thinking long after you’re done reading…

The second half of Warren Ellis and 12 great artists’ Global Frequency focuses more on the organization than the first six issues did.  

There’s an issue where the boss is kidnapped (above), one where their base is attacked, and generally more information about the way the outfit works.

If DC really wants to revive WildStorm, this is a comic that is ripe for a revisit.  I’d love to see it used as a launch pad for up-and-coming artists, and written by someone with a good sense of humor and continuity.  Maybe Gail Simone?  Or Greg Pak, now that he’s over at DC?

But there’s still the charm of each issue being self-contained and telling a kind of “genre” story.  There’s horror here, and some really, really hardcore violence.

More proof that when Warren Ellis is on the money, he’s one of the greatest comic book writers of all time.