Ghostbusters Comic Book

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Trekker4747, Oct 1, 2011.

  1. Saga

    Saga Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    i've not gave up on this book. its a lot of fun, though i haven't played the video game that came out a few years ago.
     
  2. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Actually as I look at those pages of the book, and consider what happened in the previous book, it seems this book takes place between the movies and the video game.

    In the video game the Ghostbusters are already a paid city service, in the comics this just happened with the previous issue. In the game Slimer is already recaptured and inside a viewable containment unit in the firehouse garage/"lobby." In the comics Slimer was just re-captured in the second issue. (The game starts off with him captured, but needing to be re-captured at the Sedgwick hotel following a containment malfunction.)

    But also in the comic Peter made an off-handed comment about a recent "rookie" (the name of the PC in the video game). Though in the video game Peter, and the other Ghostbusters, make suggestions that they've gone through other rookies and new recruits recently.

    So it seems that the comic, mostly, must take place between the movies and the video game, if only for the reveal at the end with Peck being installed is over-seeing the Ghostbuster's operations for the city. (Where he's already at during the start of the game.)
     
  3. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^ Excellent points Trekker. The art hasn't bothered me as it has others...and compared to the other mini's and one shots the writing and stories have been decent.
     
  4. Anwar

    Anwar Admiral Admiral

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    I think that the comic takes place after the game, not before. The GBs are already acquainted with Peck as the head of the Oversight department in the normal comic story, it's only in the second "Paranormal Files" stories do we see how it happened. It's his "origin" story pretty much.

    Also, we have those guys playing pool who talk about how the GBs have been a franchise for a while and they want to get in on it. That doesn't sound like they just got turned into a paid-for-by-the-city service.
     
  5. Saul

    Saul Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Seems to have it's heart in the right place but the artwork is horrible. I love the old marvel comics that had artwork based on the animation. Them were good days.
     
  6. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    I got issue #5 (?) today. Pretty good issue over all, I really think the chemistry being built between "the big four" is working out very well as well as the relationship between the four and Walter Peck -overseeing their operations as a city service. We also get show that "Ray's Occult" book store still exists in this universe.

    As for the action/actual plot of the issue it's a bit light but it's the opening issue for the newest arc, but the highlight of this book is really how the Ghostbusters play off one another.

    Will agree that the artwork in the book could stand to be better, ideally more like the realistic looks on the alternate covers, but I suppose they'd have to pay the actors for that. I still wish the artwork in the book was a bit more realistic and not as cartoon-like.
     
  7. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I agree with your review of the issue. I loved the interaction between Peck and the Ghostbusters. Some of the dialogue I have an issue with, but it's mainly nitpicky stuff. How Peter addresses Egon at the start of the issue...but otherwise this has been enjoyable. Kind of digging Peck's files at the end of each issue. "Extra feature" content like this, I'm a sucker for this type of stuff.
     
  8. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Ugh, don't make me go grab this issue out of it's box. How does Peter address Egon in the issue that you didn't like?

    I did like how on the plane that Egon and Ray were working together doing research and stuff (true to their characters) and Peter and Winston were a couple rows back pretty much chit-chatting. (Peter, though he has a doctorate, rarely takes part in the science-talk and, of course, Winston doesn't have a doctorate and is pretty much the Joe Everyman. It was fun to see them talking to one another as Egon and Ray geeked out in the front of the plane.)

    I sort-of wonder if Egon being recognized and seen a celebrity on the streets will lead to anything.
     
  9. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^ Well Egon did admit that was an experiment didn't he? Peter calling Egon stupid pet names that he probably wouldn't if it was actually Bill talking bugged me, or even in the cartoon. I'll have to look back at the issue to find examples, too tired now to explain what I mean.

    Yeah...I think Peter plays dumb most of the time, we rarely get to see if he actually does understand but he's mostly the comedic fodder and POV character, while Winston is the layman (basically us). I'd like for once to Peter to show his smarts.
     
  10. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    I think in the movie Peter had "pet names" for Egon and, in fact, we see Peter has the type of friendship with Egon where Peter can make fun of Egon. Peter having a "pet name" for Egon seems to fit with his character.
     
  11. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    He did...but I guess what I mean is that they weren't goofy, like they were in this issue. They were in character if that makes sense and more natural than the ones I'm trying to point out. Maybe tomorrow I'll point out what I mean.
     
  12. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Interesting "Easter Eggs" in this month's comic, bigger ones than normal. (There's usually a cut little detail you can catch if you look around in the art a bit.)

    First is that Janine's date looks like Egon from "The Extreme Ghostbuters." Secondly, the Ghostbusters while in Chicago meet up with "The Rookie" from the Ghostbuters video game and still call him variations of "Rookie", his uniform still even says "Rookie" on it. (He's started up his own Ghostbusters franchise in Chicago.)

    And the issue also begins a likely to be a very interesting arc where a rival Ghosbusting team has started up that claims it actually eliminates the ghosts rather than simply catching and then detaining them. It's likely this'll snowball into a big mess down the road as Egon claims this is impossible along the lines on the concept of the conservation of mass and energy.

    Interesting tidbit, up until now it's mostly seemed like the comic book is set in the early/mid 1990s given the age appearance of the Ghostbusters and the timeline the book has tried to establish. Yet the rival Ghosbuster team's version of Ecto-1 is a late model station wagon, And when I say "late model" I mean the design of the station wagon is very present-day and not in line with car designs of the early 1990s.
     
  13. Anwar

    Anwar Admiral Admiral

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    The whole plotline with the...Ghost Smashers? was it?

    It's based off of the "Robo Buster" episode of the cartoon, if I'm right. That one featured a robot who also had the ability to "destroy" ghosts with Egon saying the exact same thing (the ghostly energies can't be destroyed)...the "destruction" of the ghosts had a...surprising side-effect. I think this arc will end the same way.
     
  14. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Yeah, been a while since I've watched through the cartoon so I've little recall on the episode you speak of.
     
  15. Anwar

    Anwar Admiral Admiral

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    It's on youtube, though I'm kind of hoping this comic series might use the Peoplebusters as villains for a story. They were a great antagonist group in the show.
     
  16. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Well, I also have the cartoon on DVD, so. ;)
     
  17. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Thread resurrection! I don't know if anyone is still reading IDW's Ghostbusters, but I did pick up New Ghostbusters #1 yesterday and really enjoyed it. This kind of felt like "Extreme Ghostbusters" but a better version of it. Basically what happens is that the guys are all abducted by ghost versions of themselves and dumped into some kind of extradimensional plain. Meanwhile Janine is forced to recruit and train replacements, which include herself as the "leader" and an FBI Agent named Melanie Ortiz whom I'm assuming is from Burnham's earlier run. She's friends...and I guess a potential romantic interest for Peter? Kylie Griffin who runs Ray's Occult bookstore and is a paranormal expert, and finally Ray Alexander who stole schematics and built his own proton packs and started up his own service until it went bad.

    Walter Peck sees this as a chance to franchise these mostly female Ghostbusters and becomes their lisason to city hall. The deal is the only way they can remain active...Peck also knows the containment unit has a biometric security access that only the senior staff can use, so there is no way it can be shut down without them. All the girls want to do is find the guys, but the city wants them to continue to protect it.


    There are a whole bunch of little easter egg details. The Viggo painting is shown, so is Peter's diploma from Columbia University. His name tag on his desk as usual. Jainine wears Egon's uniform, Ortiz wears Peter's, and Kylie wears Ray's. Nice start...I'll be following this.
     
  18. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    When the name changed on the book I stopped getting Ghostbusters as one of my automatic pulls at the LCS and when I looked into what was going on I was disappointed to say the least. I got into the book because it was, well, The Ghostbusters! I wanted to see Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston! Now... I don't know what to think. I've not picked up this new series, I may or may not give it a look but I have been trying to thin out my pulls. But, really, this was an odd choice for them to go in with the book.
     
  19. Anwar

    Anwar Admiral Admiral

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    It's just a temporary arc, the guys will be back at the end of it.

    I was happily surprised at the appearance of the Peoplebusters in the comic series, I thought they were one of the really good ideas in the cartoon. They seem to have combined them with the "Spectral Ghostbusters" that were also from the cartoon.

    Though instead of being Ghost-Clones of the Busters (like the Spectral Ghostbusters were) or their Ghost counterparts from another universe (like the Peoplebusters were) these guys seem to be demons from our world that are summoned to "Bust" people throughout history.
     
  20. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    I may check it out, but what I've heard suggests this arc is going to last a while. Strikes me as odd to change the name of the comic, makes it a bit harder to track what's going on. I was honestly confused when Ghostbusters stopped showing up in my pulls and when I looked into it I was like, "Huh. Well I don't want to read about characters I don't care about. Well, needed to thin my pulls anyway."