Global Frequency
Global Frequency is a comic book published by Wildstorm Productions, created and written by Warren Ellis. It is a science fiction series set in the present day, in the genre of "rescue fiction", consisting of single-issue, standalone stories. The first series of twelve issues was published between October 2002 and September 2003. Each issue was drawn by a different artist.
Overview
The Global Frequency is an independent, covert intelligence organization headed by a former intelligence agent who uses the alias of Miranda Zero. There are reportedly 1001 people on the Global Frequency, forming an active smart mob communicating by specially modified video mobile phones and a central dispatch system coordinated by a young woman code-named Aleph.
The purpose of the organization is to protect and rescue the world from the consequences of the various secret projects that the governments of the world have established, which are unknown to the public at large. The people on the Global Frequency are chosen and called on for their specialized skills in a variety of areas, from military personnel, intelligence agents, police detectives to scientific researchers, academics, athletes, former criminals and assassins. These threats that the organization deals with are equally varied and usually world-threatening, ranging from rogue military operations and paranormal phenomena to terrorist attacks and religious cults.
The existence of the organization is an open secret, but its membership list is anonymous, the identities of its field agents unknown to even each other before they meet on a mission. Often the only way to tell a member of the Global Frequency is by the phones that they wear or the Global Frequency symbol — a circle overlaying a square — that they sport somewhere on their person.
Who exactly funds the Global Frequency is not known. Zero has said that at least some of the money comes from the G8 governments who pay the Frequency for not revealing the various secret horrors they deal with. Although the presence of an independent, unaccountable agency with strike capability makes some authorities nervous, they also recognize the fact that the Frequency has the skills, the reach and, more importantly, the will to act where they cannot. As a result, the organization gets tacit approval for its activities, and is sometimes called on by governments to deal with extraordinary crises. Mostly, however, the organization acts proactively as it discovers such threats.
Television pilot
Mark Burnett prepared a Global Frequency television series for 2005 with Michelle Forbes as Miranda Zero, Josh Hopkins as Sean Flynn, Jenni Baird as Dr Katarina Finch and Aimee Garcia as Aleph.
A pilot episode, based heavily on the first issue of the comic book, was produced but WB, the original intended network, did not pick up the series. John Rogers was the principal creative force behind the television incarnation, writing the pilot episode, with Ellis credited as producer and creator. Other writers waiting to come on board included David Slack, Ben Edlund and Diego Gutierrez. The pilot was directed by Nelson McCormick.
The unaired pilot was leaked onto the Internet in June 2005 and continues to be downloaded and shared, primarily via BitTorrent and other P2P networks. Its popularity and critical acclaim has led some to hope that there may yet be a small chance for the show to continue. Some fans are also attempting to organize campaigns to get the series produced, or to have the pilot released on DVD.
References
- Global Frequency: Planet Ablaze (collecting issues 1-6) - ISBN 1401202748
- Global Frequency: Detonation Radio (collecting issues 7-12) - ISBN 1401202918