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Peer Pressure
Peer Pressure
Part of: Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines
Issue number(s): 4
Page count: 15
Writer: Bob Gale
John Barber
Penciller: Ryan Browne
Colorist: Jay Fotos
Editor: Tom Waltz
Publisher: IDW Publishing

Peer Pressure was the first of two stories printed within Issue 4 of Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines printed by IDW Publishing in 2016. In Japan, it was published by Takarajimasha in the Back to the Future: Untold Tales trade paperback in 2017.

It told the story of how Marty McFly began dating Jennifer Parker.

Publisher's Summary[]

OUT OF TIME! Marty's been Doc Brown's assistant for a couple years now-but that doesn't mean Doc shares his secrets. Clandestine dealings with Libyans and a mysterious stainless-steel car are bad enough... but what else is Doc keeping to himself? Plus, Doc may not have been the first person to visit the past, but he made up for it by being the very first to visit... the future.

Plot[]

In 1893,[1] Dr. Emmett Brown is trying to hide the fact that he has finished the Jules Verne Train from his wife Clara, and tells his sons Jules and Verne that it reminds him of when he tried to hide another one of his inventions from someone he cared about.

On November 26, 1984, Marty McFly re-introduces himself to Jennifer Parker, who he hasn't been acquainted with since fourth grade. Douglas J. Needles pulls up in his Ford F-150. He asks Jennifer out on a date, while he already has a girlfriend, who is with him in his truck. His date slaps him, Jennifer turns him down, and he speeds off.

Jennifer tells Marty to look at the car, and, distracted, he tells her that it's really something. Jennifer walks off in disgust, leaving Marty confused.

Back at Doc's garage, Doc is working on the DeLorean time machine, which he hides from Marty when he arrives. Marty tells Doc that he's having trouble talking to Jennifer, and that he's worried about what she thinks of him, as Needles has a car and a license, and Marty let him walk all over him. Doc tells Marty not to worry about what anyone thinks of him. He says that advice has worked out for him, as he has everything in life that he needs, his dog, Einstein, and his inventions. Marty looks curiously at the car under the tarpaulin, and leaves the garage.

The next day, Marty is playing Wild Gunman at 7-Eleven. He turns around, with the lightgun aimed at Jennifer. She jokingly raises her hands in the air, calls him Clint Eastwood, and tells him not to shoot. Marty is surprised that she likes Clint Eastwood, and the two begin to bond, just as Needles enters.

The 7-Eleven clerk tells Needles that he's only welcome in the store if he buys something. Needles throws a bag of Snacky Chips at the clerk, and tells him to hold it for him while he browses the store. He sees Marty and Jennifer together, and teases Marty, telling him that it's a classy place to take a date, as they have a combo deal on hot dogs and nachos.

Marty tells Needles that he's not on a date, and Needles tells him that he knows it's not a date, as a 7-Eleven is not a place to take a date. He tells him that he's going to drive his girlfriend somewhere, bragging that he has a car. He then leaves, throwing the bag of chips at the clerk again, telling him that he changed his mind about buying them due to the cholesterol content. Marty is angered by Needles, and tells Jennifer that he needs to go.

Marty heads to Doc's garage, and intends to steal the DeLorean to try to impress Jennifer. When he arrives there, however, he has a change of heart, realizes that what he was about to do was wrong, and starts to head back. However, Needles is there with his girlfriend and a member of his gang. He thanks Marty for unlocking Doc's lab, and lets him know that it was his intention to do so all along.

Needles takes the tarp off the DeLorean, and Marty tells Needles to get his hands off of it. Needles then punches Marty in the eye, and asks him who he thinks he is. Doc arrives, and says that Marty is his assistant. He tips a domino, setting off the elaborate security system, and a bucket of paint drops on top of Needles.

Marty apologizes to Doc for intending to take the DeLorean. Doc tells him that he knows all about the troubles faced by the young, and tells him that he knows that people need to keep secrets. Marty asks Doc if his secret is a flying car, and Doc responds that it's not a bad idea, but it's not important, as what is important now is for Marty to not hide his feelings about Jennifer. Marty is afraid of rejection, but decides to follow Doc's advice.

Marty asked Jennifer out, and she said yes. They went to see a Clint Eastwood movie at the theater. Marty and Jennifer were happy, and Doc didn't understand it at that point, as he didn't feel he needed human companionship until he met Clara.

Back in 1893, Clara confronts Doc. She lets him know that she knows that he's been keeping secrets, and tells him that he's a terrible liar. Doc is surprised, as he has been keeping secrets all his life, but Clara tells him that he can't keep secrets with her. She tells him that there's no sense wasting time, and lets him know she's ready to go with him back to the future.

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Clara's Story states the Jules Verne Train had attempted to depart on June 12, 1893. Doc states in this story that the train is finished.
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