24: Nightfall — Issue #1 & #2 (6-issue mini-series)

Writer: J.C. Vaughn
Artist: Mark L. Haynes
Publisher: IDW Publishing

24: Nightfall takes place two years, to the day, before Senator David Palmer becomes President of the United States. That makes this six-issue storyline a prequel to Season One of the hit television series starring Keifer Sutherland. In comic book terms, think of it as "Jack Bauer: Year One."

At Senator Palmer's orders, Special Forces leader Jack Bauer and his squad parachute into the former Yugoslavia, under cover of Nightfall (just like the title). Their first objective is to rendezvous with David and Anna Petrovic, a brother and sister.

A minor skirmish with armed soldiers ensues. Emerging victorious, Bauer's team heads for Kristen and their rendezvous with Agent Ellis, alias "Savoy Seven." Ellis is their guardian angel, watching over them via spy satellite and monitoring Serbian radio transmissions. Once his position is compromised, Bauer and the "Savoy" must fend for themselves behind enemy lines.

The previous 24 graphic novels have been one-issue stories, averaging 48-pages, and their pace is relentless. In Nightfall, however, J.C. Vaughn has settled comfortably into second gear. The plot doesn't hurdle forward -- it wades through the quagmire, much like the Special Forces team.

Issue #1 is largely devoted to their approach of the cabin. Vaughn delights in the code-speak over their radios.

"Savoy Seven, Savoy Six. Savoy One is down."
"Understood, Savoy Six."
"Savoy Two, Savoy Six. Anything?"
"Negative, Savoy Six."

I'm at a loss for a "Stompin' At the Savoy" punchline, but the codenames had my head spinning. Don't read Nightfall too quickly, or you'll leave the writer behind and become lost in the woods. Dialogue like this works on television, when voices distinguish themselves, but the Savoy-chatter grows tiresome after a few pages.

"Savoy Six, Savoy Eight, I can't keep track of anyone. Who are you? Who am I?" Thankfully, the team observes radio silence in issue #2. "Savoy Eight, out."

Upon reaching the cabin, the brother and sister superficially introduce themselves. Bauer, but not the reader, receives confirmation that they have inside information on a terrorist cell. Which terrorist organization? What kind of information? I must have missed something, but who are the Petrovics?

Most of the plot is disseminated through dialogue between terrorist-cell leader Victor Drazen and his offspring, Andre. Theirs is a father/son relationship that would warm Hitler's heart. Alerted to their approach, Drazen dispatches their guards into the night to sweep their compound. Judging from Mark L. Haynes' artwork, Dennis Hopper gets the role of Drazen.

Haynes does an admirable job of capturing Keifer Sutherland's likeness. Best of all, Jack Bauer's resemblance to Sutherland is consistent. Joe Corroney and Dave Bryant's covers, however, steal the show. Yeah, that's Dennis Hopper, all right.

According to an IDW press release, Bauer's mission is to take down mass murderer Victor Drazen. Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention, but this plot possibility is barely hinted at. Andre Drazen suggests this possibility to his proud papa -- but it doesn't go any further. There seems to be a pending arms deal in the wind with a Muslim leader.

I haven't seen a complete season of 24 yet, and perhaps therein lies the problem. This story is being touted as a prequel to Season One, but apparently you need to be a club member to comprehend Nightfall. Events in this storyline have a direct bearing on Season One, but there's no background info for the casual fan/reader to climb aboard. I didn't have this problem with 24: One Shot or 24: Midnight Sun. And I'm taking notes while I read.

Every 24 story seems to have an internal mole, and this time it's CIA Deputy Director Webster, European Monitoring Sector. He peers over the shoulder of his operatives, before making some mysterious phone calls, promising updates to an unknown conspirator. CTU seems rife with internal moles; it makes me wonder if they wouldn't be better off just firing everyone.

So, we have a "plot triangle" of sorts: we have Senator David Palmer at one point, terrorist Victor Drazen at another, and now Deputy Director Webster at the other. These three factions play off each other in a lethal game, with Bauer's squad in the middle. But plot specifics are still vague.

24: Nightfall is one of those storylines that prompts me to resolve, for the New Year, to follow current events more closely. Names and places are dropped so casually, that the reader could miss them. You'll want to bookmark your friendly neighborhood Wikipedia search engine.

You may want to construct a CTU character map, just like I did, and throw in some geographical notes. That should keep readers busy until issue #3 is released. By then, J.C. Vaughn may toss out a few more plot crumbs.

*Originally posted to Silver Bullet Comics (www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com) on Friday, December 22, 2006.