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A review by nenya_kanadka
Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines by John Barber, Bob Gale, Erik Burnham, Kelly Fitzpatrick
4.0
This was a lot of fun! It really felt like a return to the movie universe. There were so many little moments that made me go "awww yesss!" because they felt so much like what Doc or Marty would actually do.
It's more of an anthology of short comics than one long arc, and as such some of the stories worked better for me than others (this is always true of anthologies). There was a real variety to them, though, which I appreciated--everything from how Doc and Marty met, to Doc's adventures as a scientist pre-1955, to Biff vs the dinosaurs (LOL!), to George & Lorraine (the weakest entry, with a bit of unnecessary "women are so incomprehensible"), to how Doc funded his hover-conversion (hah!).
And the last entry was probably the strongest: Clara Clayton Brown's story, told from her point of view. I just adore how much of a 19th-century sci-fi (and science) nerd she is, and how that's actually canon and is expanded on so well in this comic. It's very clear that she's not just along for the ride--she really is actively interested in many of the same things Doc is. Very much a partnership of equals. I think I'd have liked being her friend.
Warning that the last 20% or so of the trade is fanart (alternate covers and so on) so there's less story than you initially expect.
Still I very much enjoyed this, and may have to go re-watch the movies on the strength of the affection it's stirred up. I do love this universe.
It's more of an anthology of short comics than one long arc, and as such some of the stories worked better for me than others (this is always true of anthologies). There was a real variety to them, though, which I appreciated--everything from how Doc and Marty met, to Doc's adventures as a scientist pre-1955, to Biff vs the dinosaurs (LOL!), to George & Lorraine (the weakest entry, with a bit of unnecessary "women are so incomprehensible"), to how Doc funded his hover-conversion (hah!).
And the last entry was probably the strongest: Clara Clayton Brown's story, told from her point of view. I just adore how much of a 19th-century sci-fi (and science) nerd she is, and how that's actually canon and is expanded on so well in this comic. It's very clear that she's not just along for the ride--she really is actively interested in many of the same things Doc is. Very much a partnership of equals. I think I'd have liked being her friend.
Warning that the last 20% or so of the trade is fanart (alternate covers and so on) so there's less story than you initially expect.
Still I very much enjoyed this, and may have to go re-watch the movies on the strength of the affection it's stirred up. I do love this universe.