Just like the first issue of Global Frequency, this is a "done in one" story based on theoretical technology and action storytelling without the spandex and super-hero trappings that would normally accompany such a story in comics. Unlike the first issue, I wasn't quite as taken with the artwork, and a larger number of characters means that the characterization is not terribly effective. While I could have wished for more character definition, however, Ellis does have a flair for sarcastic dialogue and scary technological advances, and this is a fun story that packs a pretty impressive amount of entertainment into a single issue.
Where the first issue was a chase sequence played out across one issue, this issue takes the form of a "bug hunt" like that seen in Aliens, Predator or other ensemble combat movies. The characters in the squad aren't really given enough of a definition so that the reader can care about their fates, although Ellis does get across the basics of who they are and what function they serve in the story. Ellis also conveys the cool aspects of Global Frequency, their technology and their seemingly endless supply of knowledge, through a few key sequences, such as using an eyeprint to open a door or the revelation that one of the team has a pretty close-in knowledge of the thing they're hunting.
Global Frequency is reminiscent in many ways of Planetary, except that instead of exploring super-hero and pulp archetypes, Ellis is exploring cutting edge technology. While the antagonist this issue is in fact based on some pop culture himself in some respects, it's mostly an examination of bionics technology taken to a logical and horrific extreme. The description of what has been done to the "Enhancile" is creepy and effective, and some of the best work that Fabry and Sharp do in the issue is in their depiction of the cyborg anatomy or weapons in use.
However, overall I wasn't as impressed with the artwork in this issue as I was in the first, which is a danger when using rotating artists. Fabry's work is fantastic on covers, but I find his interior work to be a little too rough and uneven, and Liam Sharp's inks didn't really help in that regard. The story is clear enough, and the gristle and gore is effective, but the humanity of the characters isn't really conveyed effectively enough, and so the emotional part of the story doesn't really connect for me.
Even though the cast in this issue wasn't effectively fleshed out for me, I still enjoyed the issue. Global Frequency is a rarity in that it seems to be approachable on the basis of either any given issue or as a twelve issue mini-series, and I'm glad to see Ellis once again working in a less decompressed storytelling style, showing off the potential of the 22 page format.
