matt4hire's review against another edition
2.0
It's very...eh. Cloonan's art is great, but Wood's writing is so incredibly knee-jerk and adolescent here that I simply couldn't enjoy it.
chwaters's review
4.0
Channel Zero is a very early work by Brian Wood (of DMZ fame). How I managed to read two books in a row regarding pirate media (I just read Cory Doctorow's excellent "Pirate Cinema") is beyond me, but I regret nothing. This graphic novel was written in the '90's, but still feels fresh and relevant today. Perhaps even more so. In the world of Channel Zero, the US has passed "The Clean Bill", which restricts all media to that which is deemed "appropriate" by the US government. Everything is censored and filtered through approved outlets, which means that the American public is not only denied perspective, they are denied their first amendment rights. Jennie 2.5 is pissed off. She's mad enough to commandeer the equipment and security necessary to interrupt state-sponsored broadcasts with her own incendiary pirate broadcasts. She quickly becomes a cult hero to the people and the state's biggest enemy.
Stylistically, this is one of the more original graphic novels I've come across. The solid black and white makes for a jarring and stark narrative. Jennie's story is interspersed with government propaganda and bios of her successors. The story is not entirely linear, but it works in this context. It also makes me want to go finish reading the rest of DMZ. I swear Brian Wood might just be a touch psychic and I feel as though I ought to be prepared.
Stylistically, this is one of the more original graphic novels I've come across. The solid black and white makes for a jarring and stark narrative. Jennie's story is interspersed with government propaganda and bios of her successors. The story is not entirely linear, but it works in this context. It also makes me want to go finish reading the rest of DMZ. I swear Brian Wood might just be a touch psychic and I feel as though I ought to be prepared.
tanekaberi's review
4.0
Striking artwork combined with a story that is still relevant more than 20 years after it was conceived. Powerful stuff about oppression, complicity, and 'Murica (spoiler alert - not a pretty picture about 'Murica).
noysh's review
3.0
In spite of the fact at Chanel Zero is a little confused and a uncertain about what it's doing, it is raw and alive. Now that I'm done reading it, I have the overwhelming urge to get a barcode tattoo.
cemo's review against another edition
5.0
I read Jennie One as a part of Channel Zero and immediately fell in love with Becky Cloonan's style. The message behind this graphic novel was powerful and meaningful to me. It focused around a young revolutionary who wished to protest the implementation of "The Clean Act". Basically, it's set in an America where the entirety of the media is controlled by the government, and even street artists are killed by the "Cleaners". It shows how powerful the media is in making people think certain ways, and also how it teaches people to reject what isn't "normal". Jennie One is a must read after, or even before reading Channel Zero.
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