Ghostbusters 100-Page Spooktacular!
6 min read
Ghostbusters 100-Page Spooktacular! is a 100-page reprint collection published by IDW Publishing on October 24, 2012.1 Edited by Tom Waltz, the volume gathers the first issues of two IDW mini-series, one crossover issue, and two holiday one-shots into a single value-priced package. The cover was illustrated by Dan Schoening and colored by Luis Antonio Delgado.1
The collection draws from four years of IDW's early Ghostbusters catalog (2008-2011) and functions as a practical sampler of the different tones IDW explored: supernatural noir (The Other Side), time-travel adventure (Displaced Aggression), franchise crossover horror (Infestation), and holiday comedy (What in Samhain Just Happened?!, Guess What's Coming to Dinner?).2 All five reprints are either complete one-shots or opening chapters, making this an accessible entry point for readers new to IDW's Ghostbusters line.
Contents
The collection reprints five IDW Ghostbusters stories in the following order.
The Other Side #1
Released: October 1, 2008. Writer: Keith Champagne. Art: Tom Nguyen (pencils), Drew Geraci (inks), Moose Baumann (colors). Editors: Chris Ryall, Andy Schmidt.
The Other Side #1 was the premiere issue of IDW's Ghostbusters comics line.3 Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore interrupt a meeting between Yakuza ghosts and American crime syndicate ghosts. A gangster ghost named Fred seizes Venkman's body, displacing his soul. Winston knocks Venkman unconscious to force Fred out, but the ghost escapes. Egon fears Venkman's soul has gone to a dark void of despair. The ghost mob's bosses, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Al Capone, order the Ghostbusters eliminated. Following the soulless, sleepwalking Venkman outside, the team is ambushed by ghost mobsters armed with tommy guns; all three are shot down in the street, leaving the cliffhanger unresolved.3
Displaced Aggression #1
Released: September 16, 2009. Writer: Scott Lobdell. Art: Ilias Kyriazis (pencils and colors). Editors: Tom Waltz, Chris Ryall.
Displaced Aggression #1 opens the four-issue Displaced Aggression mini-series. The villain Koza'Rai, the pan-dimensional demon lord and father of Gozer, scatters the Ghostbusters across history as revenge for Gozer's defeat. Peter Venkman lands in 1886 and becomes the marshal of a frontier town. He meets Rachel Unglighter, one of Egon's former students, who upgraded the Ecto-1 for time travel and modified other equipment to match. Together they capture a Demon Collective emissary that manifested as a giant creature formed from cattle, then destroy a crew of spirits accompanied by a haunted locomotive. The issue closes with Venkman and Rachel departing for medieval times to find Ray Stantz.4 Writer Scott Lobdell based the time-travel premise on Dan Aykroyd's early development concepts for the original film.
Ghostbusters: Infestation #1
Released: March 9, 2011. Writer: Erik Burnham. Art: Kyle Hotz (pencils), Dan Brown (colors). Editor: Tom Waltz.
Ghostbusters: Infestation #1 is the Ghostbusters chapter of IDW's company-wide Infestation event, which crossed over simultaneously into IDW's Transformers, Star Trek, and G.I. Joe comics.5 A zombified vampire named Britt has opened portals to spread a zombie virus across dimensions. The Ghostbusters are already stretched thin dealing with a new breed of canine poltergeists whose ectoplasmic signature lets them escape the Containment Unit, when a zombie outbreak begins adding to their caseload. Janine Melnitz throws a ghost trap at a zombie who walks into the firehouse; the activated trap releases a poltergeist that possesses the zombie, and Egon must develop a theory for extracting them separately. The issue ends on a double cliffhanger: the zombie outbreak is spreading, and Ray Stantz reports the escaped poltergeists caused the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to break free from the Containment Unit.5 A cover variant (RI B) was produced in 250 unique hand-drawn permutations by Dan Schoening over four days, each depicting a different character.5
What in Samhain Just Happened?!
Released: October 20, 2010. Writer: Peter David. Art: Dan Schoening (pencils), Luis Antonio Delgado (colors). Editor: Tom Waltz.
What in Samhain Just Happened?! is an IDW Halloween-themed one-shot, also collected in the Haunted Holidays TPB. Television producer Artie Lester contacts the Ghostbusters about a pumpkin-headed ghost haunting his mansion; the team declines after learning Lester intends to film the bust as a television special. Janine Melnitz, angry about her pay, secretly takes the job to claim the fifty thousand dollar fee herself. The ghost is identified as Sam Hain, an escape artist and former business associate of Lester whose property was inherited after he went missing. When the Ghostbusters learn Janine is in danger, they race to the mansion and find her held captive near a fading dimensional "soft spot." Ray Stantz fires a proton stream while Egon Spengler pulls Janine free; on Janine's urging, Sam Hain is released and crosses peacefully to the other side.6 The story contains numerous callbacks to both the films and The Real Ghostbusters animated series.
Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
Released: 2010 (as part of the Haunted Holidays TPB, November 16, 2010).
An IDW Thanksgiving-themed holiday one-shot, also collected in the Haunted Holidays TPB alongside "What in Samhain Just Happened?!".7 The Ghostbusters are called to the apartment of a Mr. Fairless reporting supernatural activity. Egon Spengler detects strong spectral readings that keep disappearing, and the team eventually identifies the spirit as haunting the stuffing of the family's holiday turkey, using the cooked bird as a physical shield. Unable to fire proton streams at the turkey without creating a mess, the team must improvise a solution. The story shares its title with a Season 6 episode of The Real Ghostbusters, a connection the comic acknowledges.7 Ray Stantz is shown enthusiastic about the holiday throughout, providing a contrast with Peter Venkman's typical lack of seasonal spirit.