GBFans.com

Lol...Ron gets sent to Chicago to annoy the Rookie. Brilliant! Even if it does start to make Chicago look like the dumping ground for characters IDW doesn't want to deal with very much at the present time. Next thing you know they'll reveal Louis and Dana moved out there too

Going into this issue, I was a little concerned it would be scattershot with everyone paired off doing their own thing but the flow of the writing was great. I was worrying for nothing!

Once again Dan went nuts with easter eggs in this one. Some of the more obscure ones shocked me. He even used something from the Legion comic!

Poor Rookie. lol. Wonder if that hire was always in the plans or a in the moment decision.

Ray's line about hoping their breach didn't attract any attention totally sounds like usual Burnham seeding for a future arc.

Of the mentions, the Dr. Strange and Dana Barrett ones were AWESOME!!

When Peter teased Kylie for hiring a 'functional illiterate,' I couldn't help but wonder if he was alluding to Eduardo.

The 'Particle Bazooka' was epic. Though ridiculous sort of, it sort of implies they learned from the Phantom Truck Driver incident from Haunted America. Peter isn't relying on dumb luck for this latest ghost driving a dangerous vehicle, he went to the bazooka right off the bat to disperse the construct. Funny, the conductor even had the same "Eh?" as the PTD did when Peter tethered his truck.

Brilliant, Erik. Get Jack canned for pretty much the same reason before - going overboard.

The Mood Slime and Gris-Gris doing nothing were comically hilarious. But yikes, more Viking Ghosts. Figured it was the Grendel's Mother but more Roger and Egon seems like a great thing.

Give me a The Rookie and Ron mini-series.

Cover A
*The train bears the 15 easter egg on its designation
*An ad references' Casey Jones "Hot Coffee and Cold Tea" schtick from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Last Train to Oblivion"
*The train is based off an actual steam train from the 1800's.

Page One
*Outside the Pequods on the left is Scott Dickinson, the electrical shocks guy from the first movie
*Also outside on the right is Ron Jeremy who had a cameo in the first movie
*Near Ron are the couple slimed in Armand's in Ghostbusters II
*The salon next door again references the Shears of Fate from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Hanging By a Thread"
*Some of the subtitles for characters reference lines from the first movie like "Heart of the Ghostbusters."
*The "witch doctor on Bleecker" is a reference to Marvel's Dr. Strange
*Ray mentions the Collectors from the past arc
*Jenny's subtitle references the defunct Ghost Smashers
*Sitting behind Ray is Chip Hanson from Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Witchy Woman." In that episode, he also first appeared in a coffee shop.

Page Two
*Janine reads a Celebrity Magazine from the "The Devil in the Deep"
*On the back cover is an ad for Gloop!, possibly a type of Glorp! from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Station Identification"
*On the front cover is a reference to the soap opera "Nurses and Doctors, Doctors and Nurses" mentioned by Janine in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Stay Tooned"
*Janine is wearing an outfit and headset combination seen in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Realistic Versions
*The woman waiving to Rookie and Ron is from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Troll Bridge," someone who watched the Troll dance
*The ship by the airplane is from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream"
*Kylie shoots the Braided Hair Ghost from The Real Ghostbusters pilot
*Ray references the Salt Flats in Utah

Page Three
*Ray is wearing the head gear hooked up to the Mood Slime in Ghostbusters II
*The Slime Scoop from Ghostbusters II is behind Ray on the shelf
*A label of Yuppie Water, seen in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Short Stuff," is on the box on the top shelf

Page Four
*Winston is wearing his Jaguars shirt once again
*Winston mentions Dana Barrett

Page Five
*The Jagiello Grunwald Monument is behind Winston and Tiyah, noting where they are in Central Park

Page Seven
*Ray's Occult Books is mentioned in Kylie's subtitle
*Kylie once again uses a P.K.E. Meter based on the one from Extreme Ghostbusters
*The advertisements references
**Sol's Tanning Salon from The Real Ghostbusters episode "A Ghost Grows in Brooklyn"
**The Sammy K Ferret Show from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Stay Tooned"
**A cut off ad of Bright Wave from Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Heart of Darkness"
**An ad of Keymaster Cologne from the Ghostbusters: Legion mini series

Page Eight
*More advertisements
**Caste from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Halloween Door"
**Peter references Casey Jones, who appeared in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Last Train to Oblivion"
**Kylie mentions Jesus Garcia, a Mexican railroad brakeman who was killed trying to keep a train loaded with dynamite from exploding near Nacozari de García, Sonora, in 1907.

Page Nine
*Even more advertisements
**Casey J's Coffee and Books, the neighbor of Delgado's Gym seen in Ghostbusters Volume 1, #5 and 8

Page 10
*The bazooka's design is based on the one Peter conjured up in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Mean Green Teen Machine" but the coloring is original
*The ghost is based on Casey Jones, who appeared in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Last Train to Oblivion"

Page 13
*Walter Peck drinks from an EPA mug
*Peck's various framed articles appear again

Page 14
*Jack Hardemeyer gets fired for getting carried away once again

Page 15
*Janine refuses to watch a Wolfman movie
*Roger's line about the movie reflects one interpretation of Ghostbusters
*The wine bottle references Les Oiseaux Fine Wines, seen in the Sedgewick Hotel in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Realistic Versions
*On top of a book shelf is the Leprechaun's Pot from Extreme Ghostbusters' episode "Luck of the Irish"
*The frame near the pot has an image of the farm from the opening of The Real Ghostbusters episode "Egon's Dragon"
*On a shelf is a copy of J.N. Kline's Gore book from Extreme Ghostbusters "Deadliners"
*In the shelf is a Vocal Pattern Emulator headset from Extreme Ghostbusters "Sonic Youth"
*Janine's night gown is based on the one worn in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbusters"

Page 16
*Janine passes on Garfield, who was voiced by Bill Murray in the CG movie
*Roger settles on Channel 15, another 15 easter egg of Luis Delgado
*Spencer vs. The Crystal Ghoul references Filmation's Ghost Busters
*Yellow Slime was encountered in Ghostbusters: The Video Game on Shandor's Island

Page 17
*In the upper right corner is a computer monitor with the Tobin's Spirit Guide version seen in The Real Ghostbusters episode "I am the City"
*The P.K. Frequency Scanner from Extreme Ghostbusters "Dog Days" is on the shelf by the Slime Scoop
*A file of Mee-Krah is on the computer screen and is from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Standing Room Only"
*The periodic table seen in Ghostbusters II is visible
*The Transdimensional Portal from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Copycat" is seen behind Egon in another room

Page 18
*In the corner is the Ghostfruit Tree from Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Realistic Versions

Page 19
*Mrs. Hardenbauer from Extreme Ghostbusters "The Ghostmakers" changes her mind about getting on the elevator
*By Egon is a directory that references many things
**Gumball's Department Store from Slimer! "Cash or Slime"
**Sany from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Halloween Door"
**WWOW Radio and Moon Man from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Ransom of Greenspud"
**Fur Storage Warehouse from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Ransom of Greenspud
**Piper's Music, a nod to Piper from Extreme Ghostbusters "The Pied Piper of Manhattan"
**Delgado's Gym from Ghostbusters Volume One Issues #5 and 8

Page 20
*Egon uses the shield from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Doctor, Doctor"
*The claw at the end of the stick is one of the Robo-Buster's from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Robo-Buster"
*The blue device on the ground is ???
*Egon tries to use the Gris-Gris given to him at the end of Ghostbusters Volume 1, Issue #10

Page 22
*Kylie takes on a Sandman, seen in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream"

• looks like Gil Hamstrung from the Real Ghostbusters episode "Lights, Camera, Haunting!" on the front cover.
• the pigtail ghost appears to be set against the backdrop of the Milton Bradley Real Ghostbusters board game. That sign in it's entirety would say "section closed | to stairs with four ghosts"

Page 3, next to the Slime Scoop - the pizza box is from Dick's Pizza. Ghostbusters went to one in Chicago in Volume 1, Issue #13

Page 17, last panel, in front of Roger is the Dimensionometer from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Egon on the Rampage"

On page 17, to the right of Egon on the shelf is the "Basic English" sign used by Russell Ziskey in Stripes.

Nice to see that Ray might be getting a girlfriend. And I wanted to see a full-on kiss between Winston and Tiyah. Finally, a Proton Bazooka? Ha! That was great!

The dust has settled and the Ghostbusters have now resumed their lives where they left off, three months and three hours later. Meanwhile some streamlining has taken place at HQ and some of the workforce has been redistributed... Janine's back to working at the office, Ron's been dumped on the Rookie... poor Rookie, and Mel's gone back to New Mexico, but I don't see that change sticking for too long.

Meanwhile, Kylie and Venkman are upstate looking into a spectral locomotive (not likely to be related to ones talked about by any news reporters' grandmothers), and dealing with the logistical, physical and flight issues involving that ghost train and it's driver... resulting in a solid conclusion thanks to an explosive means*.

Meanwhile meanwhile... the dust from Janine's test is still settling and it's becoming evidently clear that things are about to get worse before they get better, and it might just drag Janine's boyfriend into the mess.

Meanwhile meanwhile meanwhile... Walter Peck invites Hardemeyer in for a review meeting now that the status quo has returned to normal, providing one of the few bits of good news that the Ghostbusters have heard in months... Hardemeyer is canned.

Backing up the main story are two shorts inspired by the expanded team, one following The Rookie & Ron's hate/hate relationship in Chicago... the other following Kylie's ongoing role as "spare" Ghostbuster - care of Erik


Ray's opening scene with Jenny and Winston's with Tiyah are nice explorations into the current statuses of their relationships, helping to expand their personal histories further and show that there's more to them than just the job. The short scene with Mel and her partner Jim is also a nice bit of expansion on an already enjoyable character... and highlighting how her perspectives have shifted since taking on the Proton Pack.

The final scene between Peck and Hardemeyer also highlights a few things, firstly, how Peck was always the superior foil for Venkman... and Hardemeyer's own dark side, which up to this point had been hidden behind the patronising façade he'd constructed to perform his duties as liaison. Will the decision come back to bit Peck and the Ghostbusters? Time will tell....

Once again some of the injokes had me in stitches, proving their worth in a well written and well drawn series.


*Much as I like this idea, I hope it only appears sparingly.

Page 1
*Pete "King of the Ghostheads" Mosen is present with his Ghostbusters II date outside of the Coffee shop, which was last seen in The New Ghostbusters #2

Page 2
*Ron's wearing Chevy Chase's "Yes, it's my real name" T-shirt.

Page 3
*On the top shelf of the shelving unit are three Slimeblower guns.
*Between Ray and Egon is a portion of the giant device they built which occupied one corner of the lab in The Real Ghostbusters.

Page 4:
*Winston and Tiyah are sat on the eastern edge of Turtle Pond in Central Park, with the statue of King Jagiello visible behind them (it's quite nice that the comic's been continuing the theming established in the first movie of showcasing New York's statuary and architecture). - Nice one Michael, you beat me to that one!

Page 6:
*That car with the flame decal is bugging me, something about it's familiar, and it looks like It's being driven by Tony D'Annunzio from Caddyshack.

Page 7:
*There's something strange going on with that purple car near Ecto-1, at first I thought it might be Vanessa Warfield's car Manta from M*A*S*K* but now I'm not sure.

Page 11:
*Doc Brown's miniature train model from Back to the Future - Part 3 is seen amongst the falling debris from the spectral locomotive after being blown up by Peter.

Page 13:
*Hardemeyer's remark about mothers and army boots reflects an esoteric saying, the exact nature is undetermined as it could either suggest that a person's father was too lazy... making the mother work, to being a insult to suggest the person's mother might be a lesbian.

Page 15:
*A fragment of the Blarney Stone from Luck of the Irish is sat on the shelf behind Roger.

Page 16:
*"Zealous Ladies" is a parody of Designing Women, a television series that Annie Potts starred in from 1986 to 1993.
*Zedekiah Spengler'spipe from Egon's Dragon is present on the shelf.
*I'm sure that the electronic gizmo and the ornate rod by the shelf to the right are references to either XGB Egon or RGB Egon, but I can't peg them.

Page 17:
*The miniature portal Egon is viewing in the first panel, and the large glass tube with wires feeding into the top in the final panel are components from his dimensional portal device from Egon on the Rampage.

Page 18
*Zedekiah Spengler's lute is sat behind the chair in Roger's lounge.

Page 20
*The "borrowed" Ghost Smasher Zapper is still hooked up to Slimer's tank.

The Dimensional Inverter?

Well, Google was kind to me when I did my search, though a statue with crossed swords sort of narrows things down.

First, what about all those "extra" Ghostbusters?

We find out as Ray tells Jenny Moran, former Ghostsmasher and Donna ("Mrs. Dan Aykroyd") Dixon lookalike, as they have coffee together. Aw. The fact she looks like Dan Aykroyd's wife and of course this version of Ray looks as close to Dan Aykroyd as IDW can get without being sued, it sure looks promising here.

It looks even more promising for Winston, of course, as we see him with Tiyah. Thankfully, even though she's still nervous about the whole "Your job is dangerous and to top it off soul sucking demons from Hell hate your guts and are after your ass" thing, they're still together. Venkman's crap advice to Winston two issues ago didn't seem to cause any problem. Venkman's just jealous.

Janine's gladly gone back to the reception desk. Ortiz is back to the FBI and Mulder Savage, but she doesn't seem too happy about it. Ron has been sent to annoy the blank slate in Chicago, and he's not too happy about it either; "he" in this case being the blank slate. Apparently, Chicago is now the dumping ground for characters IDW doesn't want to use too much right now; next thing we know, we'll find out Dana and Louis moved there too. (Yeah, I know, Erik Burnham already said they didn't, way to spoil my snarky joke...)

And Kylie? Well, for some reason, she seems to fit quite well into the role of Ghostbusting. Almost like in another life it was her primary job or something. So she's going to stick around as at least a backup.

And another loose end is tied up (or, perhaps, spun into further headaches down the line) as Peck fires Hardemeyer. Hard-On is threatening to sic his lawyers on Peck. Wally is not all that scared. Hot air from Jack, or will this snowball down the line? Maybe he'll make a deal with one of Egon's dead science professors and try to trap the Ghostbusters, but fail and have to eat at soup kitchens.

Nah, probably not that last sentence.

Anyway, just because it might be a good idea for a book about a group calling itself "Ghostbusters" to have some "busting" of "ghosts", we get Venkman and Kylie in Mamaroneck, which is almost as much fun to write as Schenectady. The Doom Train shows up; looks like it's gonna be one of those days. Kylie haggles with Venkman for extra overtime pay, and in the process we get an interesting revelation: Kylie has hired a "barely literate" guy to take over for her when she's not taking over for Ray at Ray's Occult? And Kylie has to insist "He does read"? It wouldn't happen to be a slightly sarcastic Latino who, in another life, she once quipped "You read?" about? He's only in it for the "Easy paycheck" and she hired him anyway because she'd never admit it but she actually does find him kind of hot? That would be so awesome.

So, anyway, the proton packs are not working real well--the Doom Train (driven by Casey Jones and everything! That's the Casey Jones from "Last Train to Oblivion", not the guy who wears the hockey mask in some other comic book) so Venkman pulls out a giant honking bazooka (based off one, ironically enough, from "Mean Green Teen Machine", which parodied that same other comic book) and causes some major derailment of the Doom Train's plan. It's not as cool as suplexing it, but it works--Kylie and Venkman are able to zap and trap what's left of Casey and Doom Train with very little effort (and some more fun quips).

So...with that over, it's on to Janine and EgonLite (aka Roger) who are watching TV at her place. Things look comfy, but Janine's not having much of Roger's selections of TV shows--too many horror movies and "sci-fi comedies", which remind her too much of her job. Sure, there's the movie about the talking cat that sounds suspiciously like Venkman (hey, that one works for both Music and Murray now, after all) or Zealous Ladies, but she hates the cat movie and has seen all the Zealous Ladies episodes anyway. Roger decides he likes the one with a gorilla in a hat chasing ghosts, which doesn't speak very well of his taste in entertainment. Man, talk about a crap idea there. But Janine isn't making snarky comments about "Nah, the ape reminds me too much of Dr. Venkman" so he thinks she must be okay with it...except then he looks at her and she's zoned out and has bright yellow slime starting to ooze out of her eyes.

That's...not good.

EgonLite high tails to GBCentral and, low and behold, the only one there is EgonActual. As has been a recurring subtle theme throughout many IDW issues from many different writers, Egon's dismissive of being bothered until he finds out Janine's in trouble--at which time he seems to just short of teleport to Brooklyn (well, this is Egon, so I guess it's not impossible). Janine's in worse shape than when Roger left--the yellow slime is now all over her and she's sleeping above her covers. Four feet above her covers. Egon tries to counteract it with pink slime from the slime blower, but apparently yellow slime beats pink slime. Egon tells Roger to grab an arm; they'll have to literally drag her back to GBCentral. I guess the teleporter was only one way.

Back at GBCentral, as Roger and Slimer watch, Egon pulls out the Chekhov's gun he got from Madame LaVeau eleven issues ago: the voodoo Gris-Gris. He plops it on Janine's head and she immediately snaps out of it, declares her undying love for Egon, dumps Roger, and Egon and Janine go off to start conceiving their Twins. Hah hah, no. As awesome (if anticlimactic) as it would be, no. Actually, the Gris-Gris doesn't seem to do much of anything--unless it caused the glowy Viking dudes to appear behind the two Egons, that is. Glowy Viking dudes? This seems to ring a bell...

Backups this time are a couple of one-pagers. The first one is Ron and the Rookie. The second one is Kylie and the first IDW continuity appearance of the Sandman--he tries to put Kylie to sleep, but she's too wired on caffeine for the sleep dust to work. Instead, Sandy will be taking a long nap in that big red Ecto Containment Unit in the Ghostbusters' basement.