Editing 102: Back to the Future

{{comic
| number    = 102
| date      = May 15, 2006
| title     = Back to the Future
| image     = back_to_the_future.jpg
| 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, {{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.

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.

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==
:[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?
: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.]

:Megan: Okay, you remember that my father was in the WTC North Tower, right? 
:Cueball: Yeah...why?
:Megan: I...nothing.

{{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]]