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24: Underground #1

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    Todd Jordan
    Smut is good.

  • 24: Underground #1



    Published by: IDW Publishing
    Released on: Apr. 23, 2014
    Writer: Ed Brisson
    Artist: Michael Gaydos
    Cover artist: David Furno
    Purchase at Amazon

    This series is a bridge in the chronology of Jack Bauer's escapades occurring between the “final” season eight of the show and the new season 24: Live Another Day, putting the fugitive Jack overseas saving the day and the world once again. The might sound cynical, but it's not really. Every single episode other than the newest has played at this viewer's house, and it's tough to deny its entertainment value, even if it has almost become a parody of itself. “We haven't got any time!” is said so often they have a drinking game for it. Let's see how many times they say it in this series.

    Jack lives in Russia under an assumed name (Borys…is that supposed to be a Rocky & Bullwinkle nod?), shacking up with a young lady named Sofiya. He lands a job either through Sofiya, or lands Sofiya as a result of the job, but either way, score for Jack/Borys. And his boss(?) at work is Sofiya's brother, a nice fella named Petro. Not sure if Petro owns the shipping outfit they work in, but Jack has to wear a hard hat and he doesn't.

    Petro gets a visit from the Russian mafia who come looking for his brother Roman, as Roman owes them a substantial bit of money. The loser can't be found anywhere because they killed him, and they expect Petro to pay up what is owed their boss Mishka. They'll call things square though, as they are reasonable people, if only Petro steal a shipment with something in it their boss wants. Something called methylamine, and it's not just for making crystal meth. Jack catches wind of this demand on Petro and wants to help him. But Jack may have gone through one too many seasons dealing with terrorists to be able to go underground without being recognized, and he's about to find that out the hard way.

    Most people who pay attention to such things know what the show 24 is, either through watching it themselves or through poking fun at it whether they've actually seen it or not, and the comic book certainly follows the tried and true formula of the show. Other than the real-time element, that is, as this book does not happen over a visibly timed 24-hour period. But its good entertainment, the artwork is solid, and the use of color stands out. Entire scenes and sometimes individual panels are colored in a particular hue to reflect mood and atmosphere, and it's quite effective. Kudos to the often-ignored colorist, in this case named Josh Burcham.

    A fun book so far, but will it get grueling and go on forever like each season does? Well, no since it's a five-issue series. But one thing is for certain: 24 the television show translate well to comic format, and this series looks like it will deliver the expected Jack Bauer goods. Number of times Jack Bauer bitches about not having enough time: 1.





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