Iceman #2 (1984) page 12: Pulling a Marty McFly

This series by J.M. DeMatteis went several directions over the course of four issues. The initial splash page promised "Star Wars," but then the first issue was largely character building between Bobby Drake, his parents, and the cute girl next door.

Issue #2 took a surprise turn, as Bobby found himself transported to forty years earlier, when his parents were still dating (and don't look forty years younger), and his presence threatens to erase his future existence. Wait, isn't that the plot of "Back to the Future"? But this was published in October 1984, and that film was released in July 1985.

This page was assembled from four separate sheets, rearranged Frankenstein-style. It's page 12 in the story but page 16 in the issue due to advertisements. Note also the Duo-Tone pattern for the background in panel 2. If you look closely, you can see the tiny specks of Duo-Tone throughout the whole page.

Kupperberg uses numerous background cues in panel 5 to reveal that Bobby has awakened in the 1940s. A hand-cranked phonograph, old timey radio, small cabinet-top burner range, and an icebox decorate his father's apartment, with a fire escape visible outside the window. His left arm is in a sling because he was shot by a spooked policeman a couple of pages earlier.