''Channel Zero'' is a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan set in a near-future

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The character Jennie 2.5 also appears in Wood's '' The Couriers''.

Publication history

''Channel Zero'' was first published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

in 1997 as a serial before being collected as a standalone work by AiT/Planet Lar in 2000. In 2002, ''Public Domain: A Channel Zero design book'' was released, and a sequel, ''Channel Zero: Jennie One'', appeared a year later. The book is currently published by Dark Horse Comics in omnibus format.

Synopsis

The story focuses on Jennie 2.5, a hacker who uses an illegal television channel to urge viewers to fight back against New York and America's violent theocracy.

Reception

Matthew Shaer of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' described the work as reminiscent of

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

, while Keith Giles of

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

declared that the novel "established

ood The Ood are an alien species with telepathic abilities from the long-running science fiction series '' Doctor Who''. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future (circa 42nd century). The Ood are portrayed as a slave race, natura ...

early on as a talented artist and writer to keep an eye on".

References

External links

''Channel Zero''
at Brianwood.com Cyberpunk comics Image Comics graphic novels Comics by Brian Wood (comics) Comics set in New York City {{Image-comics-stub