24: The Comic Strip

Wall•E-- The Review.

2008-06-29T04:09:25Z

NeoSquirrel's review of Wall•E just went up! Big things do come in small packages.

Hot and Cold

2008-06-05T02:26:47Z

Spoilers? Nah. More like a prequel lead-in.

Well, we're back! And by we, I mean me. And if you didn't already know, Jason Blaine, aka "The Rookie" is back as well in an all-new, much lengthier adeventure this time around. As you've just read, he's now a four-year veteran with CTU, and he's helping his old boss Alton Maxwell take down the last of the Salazar brothers. You remember them, don't you? The ones back in Day three? There was Ramon Salazar, drug kingpin and his little brother Hector who wasn't right in the head.

Well guess what. There was a third brother. Esteban. That's right-- The Rookie truly becomes canon in the world of 24, and Day 3 will have an ultimate conclusion in Mexico City.

I've seen all of the chapters now (about 5 minutes apiece) and speaking from a production standpoint, it's like watching 24 itself. They actually filmed in Mexico City, used the actual crew from the show, and this time it's twice as long-- six chapters-- that means a full half hour of CTU goodness.

So do yourself a favor-- click the comic above and check it out. It's top-shelf entertainment.

Millionaires, free time, and Dirty men. Sounds like a good time for the ladies.

2008-05-28T00:59:50Z

In case you missed it yesterday, there's a special Memorial Day strip posted yesterday.

In other news, my last day on The Secret Millionaire (a big secret show I couldn't talk about until a few weeks ago) wrapped up, so now I finally have some serious free time to work on more strips.

You can check out the full-blown trailer here and see a lot of what goes on during the episodes, or get a quick taste below. For the record, the longer video is infinitely more entertaining.

That said, I'm just glad that I can work on some strips unabated. I will say that when your source material disappears for 1.5 years, it really takes the air out of your sails. The nice thing is I have three strips sketched out already, so i'll be back on track next week.
I apparently also have a thing for using transportation metaphors. Boats, trains... um... love lifts us up where we belong?

Anyways, if you're also a fan of Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs, he's hawking an HP tablet computer (which in all honesty looks pretty sweet), and they created five short films that deal with the aftermath of filming an episode. Think of it as a Dirty Jobs webisode sitcom. And Barsky is even in them! They're roughly almost 5 minutes apiece. I cannot recommend enough watching them. Good times.

Anyways, see you back here next week, in addition to the triumphant return of planetxthecomic strip!

Memorial Day

2008-05-27T04:12:09Z

Although Memorial Day is an American holiday, it is one that I personally believe is applicable to all those around the world that committed the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country, their freedom, and those that they held dear, both man and woman alike.

War is undesired by anyone-- but it is a course of action that has continued throughout our existence on this planet. Whether or not you're for or against war, it is still a behavior that will continue long after we are gone... but a sacrifice that we should remember for those that are gone for having fought in one.

If I may, I'd recommend the following movies in honor of today:

•Paths of Glory, starring Kirk Douglas
•The Longest Day, starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, et al...
•The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, et al..
•The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946's Best Picture starring Harold Russell, a real WWII vet.
•Hell to Eternity, the true story of one lone U.S. soldier who captured 900+ Japanese soldiers without firing a shot (but skip the unnecessary drinking scenes)

There are so many more, but these immediately jump out when I think of such things.
More 24:TCS regular business tomorrow.

What do you give for No. 2? Cotton? P90? M-16?

2008-04-01T21:58:05Z

Thanks again to all my readers, fans, and haters for supporting (and motivating) me to draw more and more. Granted, this past year I fell off the past few months. Working in television will do that to you.

I also must admit not having the show around since the strike also didn't exactly keep me in the groove. I'm not mad or blaming the writers-- heck, I was out there walking with 'em for Jack's sake-- but I will say this:

My art has definitely improved from when I started this two years ago, I've learned from mistakes, my coloring has become better and faster (3 out of the 4 panels today were colored in just under an hour-- the 4th took almost an hour), and I keep experimenting with new angles of comedy and layout.

I'm really glad you're all here.

Oh, one final thing-- I do have some new icons, but they're not all done-- so those surprises I mentioned yesterday will be up tomorrow instead. ^_^

Thanks very much everyone, and special thanks to Real Time Productions, Imagine Entertainment, and Fox for having a sense of humor. Here's to the third year!

Still plugging away 730 days later.

2008-04-01T00:22:28Z

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of 24: The Comic Strip! 2 years strong and no lawsuits-- hey, even the show writers like it now! (Thanks Fox! I don't care what anyone says, you're all right.)

Come on back tomorrow-- new strip and maybe a few surprises!

24thecomicstrip @ 2008-03-13T11:30:00

2008-03-13T15:44:19Z

Hey, just in case you didn't delve into your friend's list and hit "back 20" (and I know Americans, we're just that lazy), there's a new strip that went up yesterday!

Nappin' on the job, dock him a day's pay!

2008-03-13T03:08:29Z

Hey, real quick-- I don't know if any of you saw this, but the upcoming Forbidden Kingdom starring one of my favorites-- Jackie Chan and some other guy named Jet Li or...something also co-stars a familiar face to Day 6: Michael Angarano--

better known as Scott "I don't take no crap from Harold or Kumar or whoever he was" Wallace!

Lucky duck.

Moving on, big surprise for me--I didn't know this was happening so soon, but my first TV production (and by my I mean "I worked on") is hitting the air Thursday night!

And what is that show, pray tell?

Now don't go rolling your eyes. I'll be the first to admit that I despise 95% of "reality" TV out there. But, if you know TV, you know that Dustin Diamond nearly got his head ripped off last season for challenging Harvey Walden, former Marine drill instructor, and that made for some goooood TV.

Well guess what:

He's Baaaaaaaaaaack!

YES, true believers. I won't tell you what happens, but forget Season 5. Seriously. Just put it out of your mind. Season 6 will blow your freakin' mind with his antics.

Lined up with him this season is:

Brian Dunkleman, former co-host of American Idol (yes, it wasn't exclusively Seacrest's show, just so you know)-- a riot to listen to crack jokes,

Sommore, one of the Queens of Comedy,

Erin Moran, aka Joanie Cunningham from Happy Days and the ill-fated Joanie Loves Chachi,

A.J. Benza, best known for Hollywood Mysteries and Scandals and host of High Stakes Poker, a real Italian if there ever was one.

Then, you have a few others returning like good ol' Dustin:

Tina Yothers, whipsmart lil' sis to Michael J. Fox on Family Ties-- she's back to lose some baby weight-- a result of winning her season (woo woo!) and one hell of a singing voice,

supermodel and reigning diva Toccara-- ooh, she's got an attitude on her, I guarantee you right now--

and finally (and my personal favorite from the show),

Willie Aames, best known to the younger crowd, Charles in Charge and for the Gen X'ers Eight is Enough--

not to be mistaken for Sammy Hagar. He had the biggest blow-up until Dustin, but he's back to win you over.

Set your DVR/TiVo's for THURSDAY on VH1 (probably around 9pm-- check your listings) and subscribe to it all season (there's only 8 eps, so it's not a big investment, kay? ^_^),
and keep an eye out in the credits for post-production for my name. You'll probably have to slo-mo it-- they'll likely whiz by too fast to read.

However, if you don't have cable or can't wait long enough,
you can watch Episode 1 right here NOW.

Here's Part 1 to lure you in.

video.vh1.com

The only problem with that is
1. it's in 6 parts and
2. you won't get to see my name (for lack of credits online. >:P)

Anyways, this isn't Flavor of Love nonsense, or anything that E! puts out (except The Soup-- Joel McHale, you rock!)-- there's some real comedy, real drama, and really awesome results at the end of this. I was shocked to find out who won it, I really was.

...Like I'm gonna tell you! :P

Seriously-- tape it. It's fun, it's got some really sweet editing, and I had a lot of fun working on it.

Celebrity Fit Club 6: Boot Camp. GET ON-LINE, MAGGOTS!

I also worked on the Bravo show "Workout", about lesbian fitness trainer Jackie Warner and her drama-laden staff this season, and the "preview episode" will air tonight at 12:30... am. That's Thursday...morning. Not evening. Definitely set the VCR for that one. I'll be in bed too.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. But the season starts April 15, so it'll be on at a more reasonable time, I promise.

See ya later!

Hard to wonder who'd Jack would vote for.

2008-02-28T05:29:17Z

Presidental Brawl: Part 2 is up in Planet X!

They'll do anything these days to win your vote. ^^

Fight for the White House: 162 years in the making

2008-02-26T11:33:27Z

A new planetxthecomic is up today!

And it's not the fight you think it is-- guaranteed.

Superbowl 42: The Ads in Review

2008-02-05T00:31:54Z

Just updated at Neosquirrel.com! A rundown on the great and eye-covering-- or in the case of SalesGenie.com--ear-pluggingingly bad spots of the game.

Stop on by, let's hear what you thought of them.

I hope there's a new MacGyver commercial!

2008-02-03T23:06:36Z

Hey everyone!

SPECIAL PLANET X SUPERBOWL STRIP UP TODAY!

Enjoy!

24thecomicstrip @ 2008-01-30T11:46:00

2008-01-30T17:50:21Z

Ah vacation. It's nice-- I too am on a hiatus. A holiday, if you will. Three weeks until I start my next T.V. show.

So, in the meantime, I have something to ask, as I said I would last week. I have scored some blank T-shirts, in three colors I feel would appeal to the majority of you all. This means I can get them printed myself, and save you guys quite a few bucks if you wanted one, unlike what other "we'll make them for you" sites I've tried in the past rake you over the coals for a color T-shirt print. I found an excellent printer, and the quality of the print is choice-- I know, I bought a shirt from them.

The shirts themselves are your average standard T-shirt, nice and thick (yet still very breatheable and light), and I got them in sizes M-XL.

What I need to know is a few things:

What color would you wear, and what's the ceiling for your willingness to pay for one (plus shipping? (Polls underneath the image, and this is not one of the designs BTW, just an example)

View Poll: #1130043

Thanks guys, let me know! Meanwhile, I'm getting back to drawing. Have a good rest of the week.

Clockin' in

2008-01-24T19:22:38Z

So I know I promised a strip this week-- and actually, there is a strip done, or "banked" as I like to say-- but I'm not entirely happy with it-- I want to improve it a little. Thusly, I want to wait until Monday to put it up.

And-- here's the best surprise: I'm in-between TV show productions for the next three weeks, which means that I've got plennnnnnty of time to start drawing new strips, along with new Planet X strips-- you know, that one most of you still need to subcribe to? (wink wink)

My goal is to have about two months worth of material so that I don't get behind again. Working in television can really monopolize your time!

And, I also have a question to ask you all Monday, which in turn will benefit you all, so c'mon back then.

That said, what's everyone watching now that Jack's on "vacation"?

2008! 2008. 2008?!

2008-01-09T06:55:24Z

Spoilers? Ha. I wish. I really, really wish.

So... yeah. The deadline has come and gone. We, the fans, will be left to watch reality television and sub-par movie-adapted television series until our intrepid hero returns sometime before Dick Clark has his teeth fall out on national television and Ryan Seacrest picks them up for him when the ball drops in NYC.

Oh yeah, by the way, I have to admit that I was slightly miffed that Mary Lynn (aka Chloe) appeared for last year's Season 7 trailer there in Time's Square. I was there in 2006, as you may recall, and all I got was a crappy little radio that didn't work. And that cool cap that runs $19.99 on the site.

Oh well. I still got a picture with her. ^_^

The Writer's Guild strike, if it continues any longer, is going to cause so many permutations of reality TV that it might very well cause a regression like we had years ago during the "Who Wants to Be Millionaire" era, a glut of "reality tv", tamping down any new scripted shows. Remember that? Sure you do. We all watched it. It also caused Survivor knockoffs in the dozens, and pretty much caused the revamp of VH-1, for better or worse. (Still, at least all those "I Love the ___'s" came out of it, giving birth to Best Week Ever). In doing that, we all got so hooked on watching real people doing real things, we didn't watch any of the scripted stuff out there. Even worse, everybody on these shows thought it was a backdoor to stardom, and started acting out to get what they thought was a bigger slice of the limelight, but really all they were doing was sifting through the ether. Has anyone outside of American Idol become truly famous? Notice I said famous, not infamous. I'm looking at you, Richard Hatch.

Oh sure, shows like Heroes, 24, Ugly Betty, The Office and LOST will get their fans back, but what about those fair weather shows that haven't even found an audience yet? The break from them could go so long that they can't even hang on to the audience they had, leaving-- you guessed it-- more time slots for poor-concept reality and wacky home movie clip shows to fill in the void.

That said, please to enjoy the replacement show they have on in place of the Jack Bauer Power Hour.

I give it three weeks, and then "Wildest Cop Videos" will probably pop right in once that's cancelled.

Meanwhile, I'll be back next week.

Next week: Working Vacation

24thecomicstrip @ 2007-12-25T17:27:00

2007-12-25T23:31:15Z

All right, realistically, I should have known between presents, Christmas dinner and playing with/watching said gifts I'd never get back to the drawing pad today for my other Christmas strip.

....However, the great thing about this one is that it doesn't have to be Christmas themed-- it's able to be modifed, so i'm going to move it back to New Years Eve, next Monday. And it's a humdinger.

Anyways, enjoy the holiday, whatever yours may be, and I'll see you on the last day of the year!

All the best,

NeoSquirrel Productions

1992

2007-12-25T07:08:53Z

Well! That was fun. I spent nearly the past hour trying to remember my password (not for LJ) for my photo account. I guess that's a good indication I've been away too long for posting a new strip.

Well anyways, here's the first of two strips (albeit a little late), but nontheless finished.

And what holiday would be complete without that time-honored, beloved Christmas film we all love so much...?

The second strip is coming. Hopefully today as promised. My trip via bus, plane, AND train proved... taxing. I did work on it, rest assured. But man, crying kids, heavy bags, and long waits really suck the life out of you.

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, may your stockings be jammed full of box sets, Jack Bauer figures, and CTU t-shirts.
...just not Season 6.

It's back!... sort of.

2007-12-21T01:58:53Z

In case you've been wondering where the strip has been the past few months (and who hasn't?) I'd like to say I'm protesting along with the Writer's Guild since they put our favorite show on hiatus... but I've been busy with a new job. Television. Wow. What a ride this is. Really sucks the free time up though.

However, there will be a new strip Christmas Eve (this Monday the 24th) and hopefully one for Christmas Day (Tuesday the 25th). Just a plethora of ideas I've had for it. I'll probably be finishing the second one at 30,024 feet. That'd be a first.

Stop on back, say hello, and most of all enjoy the holiday season.

Good Grief!

2007-11-01T02:24:11Z

Good evening, fellow CTU agents!

In celebration of this momentous "holiday",
a new Planet X is up!

Check it out!

or a certain WWI flying ace in his Sopwith Camel will come gunning for you...

So what did everyone think of the new trailer, incidentally? Personally, I think it's an interesting angle they're taking with the bad guy this year. One I'm hoping will really put the show into a whole new spin, and still have our agonized hero Jack on his toes.

Anyways, don't eat too much of the leftover candy-- you'll get a gut-ache!

...sorry, Tony and Jack not included.

2007-10-17T07:48:46Z

If you're into yaoi or at least know the word yaoi, or just wanted those two cute guys on your favorite show to make out, then you can't deny wanting to check out planetxthecomic strip this week:

Slashfic!

See, Jack's not the only one getting his hands dirty in SoCal!

2007-10-15T17:27:29Z

Good morning CTU Agents!

I just thought I'd let you know there won't be a strip this week...
HOWEVER, there will be a Planet X strip Wednesday(it's already done!)
and in lieu of not having a funny strip for you today, I do have something else:

A new video!

I present to you:

Maybe for once I could crack that Youtube "most viewed" list now. :P
Feel free to ask any questions about it, I don't mind.
Except for things like "do you realize how much you suck" and the like-- I'll just get security to escort you out of the building. :P

Anyways, enjoy, and c'mon back bright and early Wednesday to planetxthecomic for a new laugh!

Veto Power

2007-10-04T21:48:55Z

No spoilers... because they've all been erased!

Well, there won't be any planetxthecomic this week, because I'm working on a movie poster... and there may only be one strip up next week due to an extended workload with my new job, but after that, NeoSquirrel Productions should be back to the usual two strips a week.

Until then, be sure to hug your regular DVR box today, and thank your lucky stars you don't have a TiVo... er, I mean, a VeTo. ;)

The final countdown!

2007-09-25T17:34:41Z

So, will my story become true? Maybe, maybe not... we'll see...

Thanks for reading it. Oh, and for the lighter side (and better-rendered) of my comic art, check out planetxthecomic in addition to this one (which resumes its normal 24 hour broadcast day next week. ^_^)

Heroes: Brothers in Arms- Part 2, Page 2

2007-09-25T06:04:51Z

click this page to be taken to the final chapter!

Tuesday: Heroes: Brothers in Arms: Fall From Grace

Up, up....

2007-09-25T04:29:59Z

Click this page to turn to Part 2, Page 2!