Review: Back to the Future: Tales from the Time Train #5

Synopsis:

Doc Brown and family decided to visit the New York Worlds Fair in 1939. But, as always, not all has gone smooth. Baratarian Guards are chasing Doc and Clara because they think that the couple has stolen the royal dog, Rufio. Jules and Vern have been kidnapped by Nazi’s who are convinced that the boys are the sons of Albert Einstein. Their own dog, Einstein has run off. Can the doc and his family ever visit a time where things go smooth? It appears not!

The Creative Team:

Bob Gale and John Barber are such an awesome creative team and their creative juices never seem to run dry. This issue opens with the two dogs being walked and the Royal family is seeking to find Einstein’s owner. Meanwhile a ruffian is pointing a gun at Doc and Clara. Hoping they’ll be the ones to take the fall for his mis-deeds. Gale and Barber have so much fun putting the Browns in twist after twist, weaving mazes that seem impossible for them to get out of. I really enjoy the antics of the Back to the Future gang and as someone who wasn’t satisfied with just 3 movies, the comics and video games give us something more to wet our appetites. Great stuff here includes Clara punching out the moron with a gun and the Nazis confusing Doc Brown with Albert Einstein. This team builds the tension as the Brown’s have to find their children before they are taken by Hitler’s goons. I had a lot of fun watching the confusion caused by the Brown’s appearance at the World Fair in 1939.

Megan Levens brings a certain levity to these panels enhancing the fun of the story. Injecting separate panels of Doc and Clara chasing after their kids within the splash of citizens at the fair helps to show the chaos of the situation and gives the reader a sense of urgency. Highlights include the boys running through a model of what 1939 Americans thought 1960 would look like and Doc Browns attempt at saving his sons from another gun totting Nazi. This issue is so much fun I had to read it again!

In Conclusion:

The IDW comic book creators did a great thing when they took on the Back to the Future franchise. It baffles me as to why they didn’t do a Back to the Future movie focusing on Doc Brown and his family on board that train which showed up at the end of Back to the Future part three. Perhaps the studio felt that a Back to the Future movie without Michael J. Fox wouldn’t do good box office. But hey, Marty McFly could have made a cameo. Anyway, God bless the folks at IDW for giving us more of these stories that fans crave so much. This comic book is satisfactory and the end of this issue makes us want more and to get to the next issue before time runs out! *** (8.3 rating)

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Writer – Bob Gale, John Barber
Art – Megan Levens
Colors – Charlie Kirchhoff
Letters – Shawn Lee
Publisher – IDW

Author Profile

Kevin Given

Kevin Given has studied with â€œ Longridge Writers Group â€ and â€œ Writerâ€™s Boot Camp â€ a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the â€œ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter â€ franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of â€œ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter â€ # 1 and â€œ Files of Karl Vincent â€ # 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series â€œ Dracula Rising â€ (working title) and developing â€œ Foul Blood â€ into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given