Editing 102: Back to the Future

{{comic
| number    = 102
| date      = May 15, 2006
| title     = Back to the Future
| image     = Back to the future.jpg
| imagesize = 
| titletext = He's kind of an asshole, when you think about it.
}}


==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the "{{w|Back to the Future}}" film series (specifically the first film) in which the protagonist, Marty McFly (played by {{w|Michael J. Fox}}) travels back from 1985 (present day for him) to 1955 and accidentally interferes with his own parents' first meeting. He must then arrange for them to fall in love before he ceases to exist from the paradox of his own parents never having children. An unintended side-effect of the way events occur is that his dad gains self-confidence in the past and becomes "less of a loser" in the present.

As noted in the comic, the time machine Marty uses is built by his professor friend, Doctor Emmett L. Brown ({{w|Christopher Lloyd}}) out of a {{w|DeLorean DMC-12}} (a 1970s-era sports car).
 
[[Cueball]] (who seems to have hair in the first two frames but perhaps that is just an inking error) has a very similar experience, and suggests that the aforementioned changes to history are what he really needed to do. After a frame of awkward silence, [[Megan]] reminds him that her father was in the {{w|World Trade Center}} North Tower – implying that he died (along with several thousand others) in 1 World Trade Center on {{w|September 11, 2001}} at the time the tower collapsed due to a terrorist-flown passenger jet crashing into the building. Megan is therefore implying that that saving her father's life (and perhaps the lives of the other 9/11 victims) might have been something else of importance he "need" to do - perhaps something of significantly more importance. He seems oblivious to what she is trying to suggest, which as the title text notes, makes him kind of an asshole.



This is kind of a double headed comic. Let me explain. 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/back_to_the_future “Back to the Future”] is a 1980's defining movie starring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Fox Michael J. Fox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lloyd Christopher Lloyd], storybased in the year 1985. In the movie, Fox plays a teenage kid that, because being friends with a mad professor (Lloyd), gets to operate a time machine shaped like a DeLorean DMC-12. He then “drives” to 1955, gets to meet his (then teenage) dad, but gets in trouble because his (future) mom falls in love with him, rather than his (future) dad that is kind of a geek. Luckily, the movie was conceived in Hollywood, so everything ends well with mom and dad falling in love, Fox returning to the future by miracle to realize he is still alive because of this love (muhahaha for sex and pregnancy).

Onward to the comic. [[Cueball]] has had a similar experience like Fox. He also met a scientist, drove to meet his dad, and setting things straight while helping his dad to be less of a loser. [[Megan]] then reminds him of her dad, being a victim of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks 2001 attacks] on the World Trade Center in New York, and why he disposed of the DeLorean before she could use it to save her dad from either plummeting or burning to his death.

But here is the double headiness: suppose it is 1985 in this comic, according to the statements used by Cueball. How would Megan know her dad was killed in 2001?   

{{Comic discussion}}
@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | date      = May 15, 2006
 | title     = Back to the Future
-| image     = back_to_the_future.jpg
+| image     = Back to the future.jpg
+| imagesize =
 | titletext = He's kind of an asshole, when you think about it.
 }}
 ==Explanation==
-This comic is a reference to the film ''{{w|Back to the Future}}'' in which the protagonist, {{w|Marty McFly}} (played by {{w|Michael J. Fox}}), travels back from 1985 (present day for him) to 1955 and accidentally interferes with his own parents' first meeting. He must then arrange for them to fall in love before he ceases to exist due to the paradox of his own parents never having children. An unintended side-effect of the way events occur is that his dad gains self-confidence in the past and becomes "less of a loser" in the present.
+This comic is a reference to the "{{w|Back to the Future}}" film series (specifically the first film) in which the protagonist, Marty McFly (played by {{w|Michael J. Fox}}) travels back from 1985 (present day for him) to 1955 and accidentally interferes with his own parents' first meeting. He must then arrange for them to fall in love before he ceases to exist from the paradox of his own parents never having children. An unintended side-effect of the way events occur is that his dad gains self-confidence in the past and becomes "less of a loser" in the present.
-As noted in the comic, the time machine Marty uses is built by his professor friend, Doctor Emmett L. Brown ({{w|Christopher Lloyd}}), out of a {{w|DeLorean DMC-12}} (a 1980s-era sports car).
-[[Hairy]] ([[Cueball]] in the last two panels, as the art is inconsistent in this early comic, and his hair is removed in the last two panels) has had a very similar experience. He suggests that the aforementioned changes to history are what he really needed to do. After a frame of awkward silence, [[Megan]] reminds him that her father was in the {{w|World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center}} (WTC) North Tower – implying that he died along with several thousand others in the North Tower on {{w|September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001}} at the time the tower collapsed due to a terrorist-flown passenger jet crashing into the building. Megan is therefore implying that saving her father's life (and perhaps the lives of the other 9/11 victims, or even preventing other disasters in history, such as [[875: 2009 Called|the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan]], or [[1063: Kill Hitler|the Holocaust]], scenarios that would be revisited in later comics) might have been something else of importance he "needed" to do — perhaps something of significantly more importance than just helping his father. He seems completely oblivious to what she is trying to suggest. Megan starts to explain, but apparently decides that there's no point even trying to get through to him.
+As noted in the comic, the time machine Marty uses is built by his professor friend, Doctor Emmett L. Brown ({{w|Christopher Lloyd}}) out of a {{w|DeLorean DMC-12}} (a 1970s-era sports car).
+[[Cueball]] (who seems to have hair in the first two frames but perhaps that is just an inking error) has a very similar experience, and suggests that the aforementioned changes to history are what he really needed to do. After a frame of awkward silence, [[Megan]] reminds him that her father was in the {{w|World Trade Center}} North Tower – implying that he died (along with several thousand others) in 1 World Trade Center on {{w|September 11, 2001}} at the time the tower collapsed due to a terrorist-flown passenger jet crashing into the building. Megan is therefore implying that that saving her father's life (and perhaps the lives of the other 9/11 victims) might have been something else of importance he "need" to do - perhaps something of significantly more importance. He seems oblivious to what she is trying to suggest, which as the title text notes, makes him kind of an asshole.
-The title text is presumably calling Marty McFly an asshole for not doing something more benevolent for humankind when he traveled back in time, just as the comic implies of Hairy/Cueball. It could also be someone (likely Hairy/Cueball) trying to justify the choice, by saying that Megan's dad was "kind of an asshole."
-As a side note, for the comic to make sense, the events in the comic must take place after {{w|September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001}}, and not 1985 as it is in the movie. Since no dates are mentioned, Hairy/Cueball probably went back by thirty years, because that's how far back Marty travels in the film.
-==Transcript==
+This is kind of a double headed comic. Let me explain.
-:[Megan and Hairy are standing, talking to one another.]
-:Hairy: This weekend, my professor friend built a time machine out of a DeLorean and I went back in time! I helped make sure my parents got together and helped my dad to be less of a loser.
-:Megan: Wow! Do you still have the time machine?
+[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/back_to_the_future “Back to the Future”] is a 1980's defining movie starring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Fox Michael J. Fox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lloyd Christopher Lloyd], storybased in the year 1985. In the movie, Fox plays a teenage kid that, because being friends with a mad professor (Lloyd), gets to operate a time machine shaped like a DeLorean DMC-12. He then “drives” to 1955, gets to meet his (then teenage) dad, but gets in trouble because his (future) mom falls in love with him, rather than his (future) dad that is kind of a geek. Luckily, the movie was conceived in Hollywood, so everything ends well with mom and dad falling in love, Fox returning to the future by miracle to realize he is still alive because of this love (muhahaha for sex and pregnancy).
-:Hairy: Nah. But I did what I really needed to do.
-:Megan: Uh huh.
-:[Beat panel. Hairy's hair isn't drawn in this panel or the next one, making him a Cueball.]
+Onward to the comic. [[Cueball]] has had a similar experience like Fox. He also met a scientist, drove to meet his dad, and setting things straight while helping his dad to be less of a loser. [[Megan]] then reminds him of her dad, being a victim of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks 2001 attacks] on the World Trade Center in New York, and why he disposed of the DeLorean before she could use it to save her dad from either plummeting or burning to his death.
-:Megan: Okay, you remember that my father was in the WTC North Tower, right?
+But here is the double headiness: suppose it is 1985 in this comic, according to the statements used by Cueball. How would Megan know her dad was killed in 2001?
-:Cueball: Yeah...why?
-:Megan: I...nothing.
-{{comic discussion}}
+{{Comic discussion}}
-[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
-[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
-[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
-[[Category:Time travel]]
-[[Category:Back to the Future]]
-[[Category:9/11]]