Global Frequency: Detonation Radio

Following hot on the tail of Planet Ablaze, this second volume in the collected edition of Warren Ellis's near-future international rescue series offers more hardcore heroics from the world's finest problem solvers.

If you haven't already read the first Global Frequency collection, check out our review. Although you could conceivably start almost anywhere due to the episodic nature of the series, it still makes sense to start from the beginning, as this volume expands on the original themes.

For starters, there's less schlock shock in this book and more plot. Now that we've got the gist of what the Global Frequency is and how it works, Ellis lifts the bar and starts introducing twists that might impact on the whole organisation, including an infiltration into GF headquarters and the kidnapping of key personnel. Having said this, there's one episode that almost entirely consists of a fight between two men capable of ripping each other apart, which gets a bit visceral in places - so fans of Ellis's violent side needn't feel like they're not going to get their money's worth.

As before, a raft of different artists take an episode each. This can have mixed effect, with some of the more stylised artists perhaps not towing the line of the series and turning out quite different looking chapters, where a single artist might add more coherency. However, it's still a pleasure to see some of the top names in comic art having the time and space to turn out an issue without the pressure of an entire series to drag them down.

So, while Ellis turns up the heat, the art still doesn't quite hit the spot. However, this is a greatly entertaining work and, with the pressure cranking up on the Global Frequency team, we're certainly looking forward to the next instalment.

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