Set your clocks back to 1982 – that”s where the upcoming “Back to the Future” comic series is taking us.
The series, subtitled “Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines” will fill in the blanks of the “Back to the Future” trilogy with stories of characters that fans already know and love. This isn't “Back to the Future Part IV.” The comic's stories will take place before and between the events of the trilogy and in alternate realities.
In the first issue, readers will witness the very first meeting of Marty McFly and Doc Brown in 1982. (“Back to the Future” writer-producer Bob Gale has told at least part of this story once before.) The second chapter of that issue jumps back to 1943 and tells the story of how Doc got himself mixed up in the Manhattan Project.
That first issue will arrive in comic book shops on October 21, 2015 (the real date Doc and Marty travel to in “Back to the Future Part II” – don”t let Tumblr fool you).
Gale said that the series will be an opportunity to answer fans questions in comic book form. “There”s all these things that people speculate about,” Gale told HitFix. “What happened when Doc first arrived in 1885? How did he set himself up as a blacksmith? How did Biff actually engineer George”s murder? How did Goldie Wilson decide to run for mayor [in the original timeline]? You start thinking about it, and we can use any timeline we want to explore that stuff.”
“Back to the Future” previously had a 7-issue comic series that was published by Harvey Comics from 1991 to 1993. The comic was a tie-in with “Back to the Future: The Animated Series.”
This new comic will be released by IDW Publishing and is written by Gale and two IDW alums, John Barber (“Transformers”) and Erik Burnham (“Ghostbusters”). This won”t be Gale”s first foray into writing for comics – he”s written for such titles as Marvel Comics” “Daredevil” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.” The first issue of the “Back to the Future” comic features art by Brent Schoonover (“Batman “66”) and Burnham”s long-time collaborator, Dan Schoening (“Ghostbusters”).
There will be three standard covers for the first issue: one by Schoonover, one four-part cover by Schoening (a portion of which is in the image above) and one by Amy Mebberson (“My Little Pony”).
HitFix has your exclusive first look at the cover by Mebberson, which features a pretty darn adorable Einstein, Doc, Marty and Jennifer. Check it out below.
What untold stories about Marty, Doc, Lorraine, et al. would you want to read in this comic series? The tale of how George proposed to Lorraine? The details of how Marty”s pants ended up on Lorraine”s hope chest? The truth about how Doc's house burned down? The story of the Pinheads” first big gig? Accounts of Marty“s Switzerland boarding school days? Tell us in the comments below.
For more of HitFix”s coverage commemorating the 30th anniversary of “Back to the Future,” set your time circuits to right on over here.