bibliophilia: Global Frequency: Planet Ablaze by Warren Ellis et. al.
Just read the trade paperback, courtesy of my darling husband and, of, course, Vin.


Here's the premise-- the mysterious Miranda Zero has assembled 1,001 individuals around the globe to respond to threats and disasters that other entities are unable or unwilling to handle. Said threats include such funkiness as: an alien invasion via memetic virus, a nuclear-powered renegade government cyborg, and a town-wide incidence of traumatic catatonia caused by the possible earthly manifestation of an angel. It's a little bit like Ellis' Planetary and The Authority put together, except that (a) Global Frequency is set in an apparently superhero-free continuum, and (b) the disasters here are not worldwide, or even nationwide. (They don't need to be; here, Ellis proves that he can make intimate scenarios every bit as affecting as his famed cinematic catastrophes.) Finally, (c), aside from Miranda Zero and command central operator Aleph (Think Batman's Oracle on steroids.), none of the characters recur throughout the collection. This neatly showcases Ellis' often-overlooked ability to paint compelling character portraits in the space of a single comic book issue. It also highlights the Global Frequency as an intriguing idea and entity unto itself, rather than a collection of costumed caricatures.


This is the kind of thing at which Ellis excels: unmitigated weirdness and unapologetic attitude. I was extremely unimpressed with his Stranger Kisses and Switchblade Honey, which struck me as perfect exercises in sound and fury that any testosterone-filled would-be writer could have executed. But I'd venture to say that no one else could have pulled off Global Frequency with such panache and unerring accuracy. I really, really liked it.


I want to be part of the Global Frequency!

Since people seem to enjoy my little trivia entries, I've decided to turn 'em into a sort of value-added service (O, 'di ba?) by featuring a regular trivia quiz. Answers to the questions will be included in the succeeding post, and if you get 'em right... Well, no prizes, but won't everyone think you're cool?


TRIVIA QUIZ


today's question:
What did Trinidad Tecson, Valeriana Elises y Palma, Agueda Kahabagan, and Teresa Magbanua have in common?