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Published by: IDW Publishing
Released on: May 23, 2014
Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Cover artist: Davide Furno
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In part 2 to the prequel to the new season of the television show 24, Jack Bauer is in Russia hiding out under an assumed name, dating a woman, working for her brother, and unintentionally putting them in harm's way. Self-righteous bastard. Last issue Petro, his girlfriend Sofiya's brother, got pressured into stealing a shipment of methylamine for the local crime syndicate, and Jack stuck his nose in it. His years of killing bad guys makes him easily identifiable, and he's put Petro in the cross fire.
There is NO way Jack will go down without fighting for his life, and this issue kicks off in the thick of a fire fight. He and Petro make a getaway, but only temporarily. They need to get to Petro's house before the bad guys figure out who Petro is, which won't be tough. And they need to go get Sofiya too, as the crime committers will no doubt go after her to get to Jack. Meanwhile, the Feds are onto Jack as well, looking to bring him in for treasonous and terrorist activity. Jack? Must be a mistake. They are one step behind him and it's only a matter of time before they confront the killing machine. If the comic goes like the show, he'll probably need to use them as a means to an end.
Petro's wife Eugen won't shut up and just go with Petro and Jack. She has to do the control freak thing and question, question, question EVERYTHING. Guess what? If she had just gone when they said so, maybe the Russians wouldn't get there in time. Nope. Nice job, Eugen. Way to cause Jack to kill more people. And Sofiya…what about her? Will Jack make it to her in time? Or will the Russians nab her and make things more complicated for the American fugitive?
Following the tried and true formula of the show, the comic maintains the same frantic pace and things are non-stop in this issue. There's some great gunplay and car chase action and the art of Michael Gaydos captures the mood of the script with some zest, but the colors are once again the hero in the art department. Josh Burcham is to thank for that. His use of various colors to imply mood, different action, and different settings makes the book both attractive and easier to follow. His work really elevates the book's appeal. So far, this series is typical of the 24 storyline technique, and that's not a bad thing. You know what you'll get with a comic about Jack Bauer and Underground has delivered so far in spades.
