Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Harpoon
Written by: Warren Ellis
Art by: Gene Ha
Colored by: Art Lyon
Lettered by: Michael Heisler
Cover by: Brian Wood
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Publisher: Wildstorm > DC Comics
If you‘re a fan of Warren Ellis, you must accept the utter-insanity that is the lateness of his work. If you can’t live with it you might as well give up reading his stuff. Still, lateness is one thing, but Global Frequency went too far! #12 originally should have shipped on September 24, 2003—the book finally hit stores June 9, 2004. Now it’s not the multi-year lateness that was Ministry of Space #3, but that’s more than a touch tardy. Shipping a comic nine months late is inexcusable!
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed Global Frequency, but I felt somewhat detached from this closing, and in reality, I’m happy the book’s over. That’s not to say that Ellis doesn’t deliver an exciting conclusion to the book. He does! Ellis pulls in a variety of the one-off characters from throughout the run and has the Global Frequency team tackle a monstrous menace. The return of numerous characters is blunted by the fact that I really don’t remember one from the other at this point.
Let me take a moment to mention Gene Ha’s fabulous contribution this month. The series has employed a different artist for each issue and Ha’s work may be my favorite. The entire concept of Global Frequency centers on a race against the clock to avoid catastrophe, and Ha’s artwork captures the fierce action and out-of-control situation perfectly.
David Baron has been the regular colorist for the series, but Art Lyon takes the reins this issue. He gives Ha’s art a vibrancy that set each locale apart. There’s a shadowy quality in the scenes with the decision makers, redness inherent in scenes with the strike team, and the cold, blue of outer space.
Ha and Baron certainly decrease my annoyance at the long wait for the conclusion and make this a wonderful book to look at!
Lateness aside, Global Frequency worked out better than anyone could have imagined. It will be showing up on your local WB station this coming television season sometime around mid-season. Back in my first review of the book I mentioned:
“GLOBAL FREQUENCY is one of those concepts that I expect will someday be optioned for television. The idea would make for as entertaining of a story on the boob tube as it does each month on the printed page. I hope to see Warren Ellis continue the series after the current twelve-issue mini-series has ended.â€
I don’t like to toot my own horn, but that was some pretty-fair prognostication on my part. Too bad it didn’t land me a job. Ah well. I’m just happy to see the final issue of the book ship at long last, and a potentially cool television show on the horizon! As for a new series, I still would like to see that, but I think I’ll wait for the trade.
