Hey, future fans!  Guess what?

It’s that time of the month for the next release of IDW Publishing’s ongoing Back to the Future series. It just occurred to me that I’ve been reviewing these issues from the very beginning.  Writers John Barber and Bob Gale began these “alternate timelines” by filling in some of the gaps and questions left unanswered by the best trilogy of all time—both figuratively and literally.  But now, things have gotten interesting with new characters, and we’re even starting to see some popular secondary relatives that were briefly mentioned in the films. 

Which brings us to our latest storyline, “Hard Time,” in which Marty’s Uncle “Jailbird” Joey is finally out of jail.  Back in May, Marty discovered that this particular uncle used to be a favorite of his.  But after all his travels to the past, the future, and back again, Marty can’t seem to recall why he liked his Uncle Joey so much in the first place. 

This month, in Back to the Future #20 (a.k.a. “Hard Time, Part 2”), Marty tries to confide in The Doc with his problems, as per usual.  But when Doctor Brown is away, leave it to Professor Irving to kidnap Marty and solve his problems for him…via time-travel!  But if you ask me, Marty and the Professor are on a wild goose chase hunting down a Mrs. Ellsworth, from whom Jailbird Joey stole $85,000 back in the day.  Or is the person they’re looking for not so hard to find after all…

As always, I believe writers Barber and Gale have one of the best ongoing storylines in the industry right now.  These alternate timelines never get old or stale for my taste.  But then again, how can they when they either take place in the past or future!?  Now add some beautiful artwork by Marcelo Ferreira, including inks by Athila Fabbio and Beni Lobel, and you might have one of the best comic books in the entire industry. 

Although, I may have spoke too soon considering how much damage the Professor and Marty may have caused to their futures…

Until next month,
#ToBeContinued
#SeeYouInTheFuture