I'm On the Global Frequency, and You're Not

I remember the day that Global Frequency #1 came out because I sped to the local comic shop on my lunch hour to get my weekly comics fix, and then immediately drove back to work where I sat and read the issue in my car. Warren Ellis' new science fiction series was one of the most intriguing and thought-provoking things I'd read in a long time, which naturally made it more important than food.

I picked up all of the subsequent issues as they were released, but even if you weren't quite so fortunate, fear not, the series is available in a couple of trade paperbacks (Planet Ablaze and Detonation Radio) which you can pick up at any bookstore.

If you want to see the pilot of the Global Frequency TV series, however, it's a little more complicated (read: less legal). But if you happen to have BitTorrent installed on your computer, try searching at isoHunt. You won't be disappointed. Like its source material, Global Frequency boasts intelligent and compelling storytelling, and stars a number of talented actresses, perfectly cast in strong female roles (I'm talking to you, wydah), who bring the comics' main characters to life in expert fashion. (And they're hot).

If you aren't already on the Global Frequency, you should be. In the world Ellis created, the GF is a worldwide independent intelligence network that uses the combined resources of its members to save the planet from secret horrors. Similarly, in our world the GF is a worldwide independent intelligence network trying to rescue an awesome television series from the not-so-secret horrors of Warner Brothers Entertainment, who decided not to add Global Frequency to the WB's fall schedule. Find out what you can do at the FrequencySite. Also, Wired News has an article on the P2P distribution of the GF pilot and Warner's reaction.

Other good sources of behind-the-scenes Global Frequency info include the Assistant/Atlas blog, the Kung Fu Monkey blog of series writer and producer John Rogers, and All the Rage has an excellent collection of screen shots from the pilot. Oh, and of course there's the obligatory global frequency Technorati tags.

Did I mention that Global Frequency stars Michelle Forbes, who I've had a crush on ever since she first appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation, where she played Ensign Ro, arguably the only realistic crewmember on the entire Starship Enterprise? She plays Miranda Zero, the enigmatic and ultracool founder of the GF. Aimee Garcia is also excellent as Aleph, the multilingual GF communications officer. As mission coordinator, she's the one who calls people to tell them "You're on the Global Frequency" whenever their particular skills are required for saving the world.

If we're lucky, the WB will realize what a good thing they have with this unprecedented buzz for an unaired pilot, and change their minds, at which point Global Frequency would be added to the very short list of "television shows worth watching."