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nb_leftist's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I thought it was interesting. They art was definitely quite cool but the actual writing is not the best, especially considering how many times the author has been called out for misogyny/SA/etc. The art is definitely cool though.
rebus's review
5.0
I worked in the industry during the entirety of the 80s, and I largely began to see the mainstream super hero genre as utterly corrupt propaganda in support of our fascist state. I had run out of underground stuff to read, had left the business, and focused more on non-fiction and true literature after that.
I missed out on this brilliant series, one that evoked the best of Alan Moore and 2000 A.D. from the UK. It's a brilliant, accurate, anarchist depiction of the reality of our society, one becoming increasingly more fascist as it is further monitored. It's one of the most chilling and prescient graphic novels ever produced, and I was deeply amused that the main character at one point wore a tee shirt with Brooklyn Bound written on it (I'm sure no one then saw this irony, as Brooklyn has become one of the worst places on earth, a bland, boring, homogenized version of reality inhabited only by Millenials of wealth and white privilege who basically all suck).
A masterpiece (sadly, the author also became as gentrified and boring as Brooklyn and never produced any good work again).
I missed out on this brilliant series, one that evoked the best of Alan Moore and 2000 A.D. from the UK. It's a brilliant, accurate, anarchist depiction of the reality of our society, one becoming increasingly more fascist as it is further monitored. It's one of the most chilling and prescient graphic novels ever produced, and I was deeply amused that the main character at one point wore a tee shirt with Brooklyn Bound written on it (I'm sure no one then saw this irony, as Brooklyn has become one of the worst places on earth, a bland, boring, homogenized version of reality inhabited only by Millenials of wealth and white privilege who basically all suck).
A masterpiece (sadly, the author also became as gentrified and boring as Brooklyn and never produced any good work again).
tansy's review
adventurous
dark
3.0
Fifth entry in my 2021 unread books project and one I felt very conflicted about; since I bought this book Brian Wood has acquired an "allegations of sexual misconduct" section on his Wikipedia page, (as has Warren Ellis, who wrote the introduction to this edition). This edition contains "Channel Zero", written and drawn by Wood, and "Jennie One", a prequel written by Wood and drawn by Becky Cloonan. Cloonan's art is much better, (all of Wood's female characters have the same face), and "Jennie One" is a traditional comic; "Channel Zero" has a zine aesthetic with words and images collaged together.
So is "Channel Zero" any good? Well, it's interesting. Originally published in the late 90s, the technology in it feels very dated now. The political commentary has fared slightly better. Giuliani's "broken windows" policing policy during his time as mayor of New York is the starting point for the dystopian future of "Channel Zero", a future in which America's right-wing, evangelical Christian government censors all media and employs squads of "cleaners" to execute people for committing crimes against "cleanliness". Opposing them is hacker Jennie 2.5. Overall it's angry and punk and a bit silly. The original "Channel Zero" comic ends with a whimper rather than a bang, and sadly the writing is not compelling enough to overcome my current feelings on Wood and Ellis.
So is "Channel Zero" any good? Well, it's interesting. Originally published in the late 90s, the technology in it feels very dated now. The political commentary has fared slightly better. Giuliani's "broken windows" policing policy during his time as mayor of New York is the starting point for the dystopian future of "Channel Zero", a future in which America's right-wing, evangelical Christian government censors all media and employs squads of "cleaners" to execute people for committing crimes against "cleanliness". Opposing them is hacker Jennie 2.5. Overall it's angry and punk and a bit silly. The original "Channel Zero" comic ends with a whimper rather than a bang, and sadly the writing is not compelling enough to overcome my current feelings on Wood and Ellis.
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