View new posts | View your posts GBFans Interview - The Other Side author Keith Champagne

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So I managed to catch up with Keith Champagne, the author of the upcoming comic from IDW, Ghostbusters: The Other Side. He was nice enough to answer a few questions for Ghostbusters Fans.


Q: Have you always been a fan of the Ghostbusters Franchise?

Yeah, definitely. I've never been what I could honestly call a hardcore fan but I've seen the first movie more times than I can count, it's one of those flicks I always stop and watch when I find it on TV. I sort of missed out on the Real Ghostbusters cartoon but I picked up a lot of the Now comics series when it was being published. I'm looking forward to the upcoming video game!


Q: What kind of research did you and your artist(s) go through to get down the "spirit" of the characters, and the look and feel of the equipment?

Mainly referencing the two movies. Pretty much everything one needs in terms of matching the tone of the characters or the nuts and bolts of the equipment is in there. Plus, the Internet is a vast well of reference, especially for visual stuff.


Q: What time period are these stories going to be set in?

After the second movie, around 89 or 90 at the latest.


Q: How many issues have you guys planned on releasing? We heard a rumor of only four, and most of us agree that we'll probably want more!

We're starting out with a four-issue series. As long as it does well, I'm pretty sure there will be more. Personally, I have two more Ghostbusters stories I'm bursting to tell, both about four issues each.


Q: What type of story line will be going on in the comic? Will we see one continuous story moving on from issue to issue? Or will we see a different idea and battle in each issue?

The Other Side encompasses all four issues of the series. It's very character oriented and I'm especially excited about the plans I have for Winston, who I feel is the least developed of the four ghostbusters, at least at the point in time this series is taking place.


Q: When will the issues be available?

Beginning in October, running monthly after that. Assuming there's a second series, there will probably be a short break between the two.


Q: How will these comics be handled in comparision to the debacle that 88MPH put us through regarding their Ghostbusters comic series?

I'm not familiar with whatever debacle seems to have occured with the 88mph series but I keep seeing references to how the fans got screwed. All I can say is IDW is an established, reputable company. I've been working in the comics field for 15 years. Tom Nguyen has been working for over 10. Moose Baumann, our color artist, has been around the block a few dozen times. Andy Schmidt, our editor, comes straight from Marvel.

The point I'm making is, from top on down, we're all battle tested, tried and true professionals. There's no chance the fans are getting screwed this time.


Q: Was it hard to secure the rights to the likenesses of the characters?

There's been a lot of back and forth over the likeness rights to the Ghostbusters. I think what you're going to see are the characters but not necessarily the actors themselves. Although I have to say, Tom's designs are very reminiscent of the four main ghostbusters without crossing any legal boundaries. You'll definitely know who is who in this book.


Q: Have any thing else you'd like to pass along to the fans?

In closing, I want to say that I hope this is the beginning of a real revival for the Ghostbusters. Between the video game and the comic, it seems like there's some momentum building for the property. I know I'm having a great time writing the group, it's hard to believe I'm getting paid to do it!

Don't be shy about letting me know what you think of the series, guys!



If you have any questions for Keith, feel free to post them here and we will forward them to him.

if that's how he feels about these comics, particularly seeing that he's been in the comic book industry for a while, we can only expect good stuff out of it.

Is there anything else you'd like to say to the fans?

"ITS COMING! sincerely, Yellow Mustard"

nah, here's hoping things turn out for the best this time. I think it feels right now.

Well just like the 88mph comic I will support this all the way (but no more preorders ) I hope it works out I'd definately like a lasting GB revival.

It's really cool to be comforted like this. Like i'm not worried at all about this

Zack wrote:


*HAH!! ...

*Cheers.

IDW is a solid company, not a fly-by-night shop like 88MPH. I was one of the few fans to speak out on the forums about the delays being bad for the comic and I basically got stoned by the masses. But, in the end, I was right. IDW knows how to handle licensed properties. They've proven they can. I'm confident that in the hands of this company the series will look great and I'm looking forward to the story. Even though I try not to support comics over the standard $2.99/issue, I will be supporting this one over its four issue run. I am happy to see GB back in comics. Best wishes!

Here's hoping this thing is popular enough to finally get ourselves a monthly GB comic. Everybody, buy lots of copies! Give 'em out to friends! Seriously, I've been dying for a new monthly book since 88mph teased us, and then screwed us over. It'd be so cool to finally get a long-running new series where we could get fun, monster-of-the-week issues, with larger over-arching stories. And I would LOVE to see some of the villains from the cartoon show up, in a more serious, scary, movie-style way. How awesome would it be to have the boys in grey chasing a creepy-ass Grundel around?

Hope the comic doesn't get delayed 2 months before it's supposed to come out...

Can't wait though!

AJ, thanks for clearing that up. The other thread had a quote that put them in a poor light. Where can I buy this? Do they sell direct like Marvel? Comic book stores aren't an option for me (too hard to get to them)

I'm still trying to set it up so you can buy them through us.

AWESOME! If you are able to set that up, I will have to order my copies through this site.

I wish you the best with that AJ... Diamond is known for raping people that order through them and unless you have an account and order a certain amount it can bite you in the arse. So be careful I've had some bad experiences with them.

Oh great... That's not good to hear. We had enough problems with the 88MPH comics. I don't want the same kind of crap to just happen all over again. I was hoping this company would be a more respectable one, and we'd maybe finally get a fair chance at an on going Ghostbusters comic book.

Raven it has nothing to do with the company. This book will come out to Comic shops with no problem, But if you are not an established comic store retrailer, it makes it hard for others to order through them because Diamond recieves over 50% in sales so the profit to someone not in the comic shop biz after the book company gets there shareof like 40 -45% the retailer only ends up with like 5-10%. So if you don't sell alot of books it dosen't make it worth the ordering costs. I'm a huge comic geek been collecting since 5 and alot of the comic owners I know said if you don't have a set number of pulls every month it makes it very hard for them to stay open.

So I don't think that the book won't come out.. I'm almost positive it will and be on time. IDW has been great as a company and has the rights to alot of movie and tv shows that they have been making comics of for years now. There Angel comic has been on of there huge sellers. You will see it come out in graphic novel form a couple months after they finish the four issues, and it will be in Borders and other stores like afterward.

Oh. Cool. Thanks for clearing that up. That does sound much more promising. It's a shame that they make it so difficult, though. Is that pretty standard with comic books companies? I wonder what makes comic books so different from other things, that companies are able to do that.

No Problem. Yeah that is pretty standard. Diamond the distributer is a monopoly, there is no other vendors to go through. That is why idw does four issue arcs at a time so they can get it into a graphic novel and send it to other book stores. It is the best way for companies to do it.

Well, I have no reservations now. I can't wait!

BEST part of the interview: more Winston!!! Love it!

Indeed! We can never get enough Winston.

Good interview AJ.