Plot
Proteus, tired of hunting the Real Ghostbusters across infinite dimensions, sends a Cerberus Manifestation, a spectral hellhound, to pursue them. The combined team of eight Ghostbusters, four from the prime universe and four from the animated continuity, must stop this cosmic canine threat. The issue also introduces the junior Ghostbusters team from Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime (Bridget Gibbons, Gabriel Sitter, Samuel Hazer, Geoff, and Alan Crendall), whose page is rendered in the comic book cutscene style of that video game. Ananke, the fate goddess introduced in Get Real #1, returns and deploys the Shears of Fate to assist the teams. By issue's end, Kylie Griffin, carrying Spengler's Spirit Guide from Extreme Ghostbusters, activates the Megatrap to help contain the threat, and Proteus appears in a giant form on the final page in preparation for the series finale.
Covers
The regular cover by Schoening and Delgado features both versions of Egon Spengler together with Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters. Slimer's "sandwich" is packed with food references from the animated series: a candy gram from the episode "Ghosts R Us," a liter of Blody from the IDW ongoing series, Ray's Ferocious Fondue Casserole from "Killerwatt," and Winston's birthday cake from "Slimer, Come Home."
The subscription cover by Joe Quinones presents a split composition: the left side depicts the prime-universe Firehouse basement with Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon, Winston Zeddemore, Slimer, a Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, PKE Meter, a Twinkie, and Tobin's Spirit Guide; the right side mirrors the layout with the animated universe equivalents.
Development
Development notes recorded by Erik Burnham on social media leading up to release:
- April 8, 2015: Burnham revealed that Joe Quinones, then known for his work on Howard the Duck, would draw the subscription cover for Issue #3.
- May 6, 2015: Burnham confirmed pencils for the Quinones variant cover were already turned in.
- May 11, 2015: Burnham received and saw the finished Joe Quinones cover.
- May 21, 2015: Burnham announced he planned to finish writing Issue #3 the following day.
- May 22, 2015: Burnham completed writing Issue #3.
- June 3, 2015: Burnham previewed an unlettered version of the Quinones subscription cover.
- June 27, 2015: Burnham hinted at another "fun scene" involving Slimer in Issue #3.
- July 9, 2015: At San Diego Comic Con, an unlettered page was shown at the Ghostbusters panel, revealing that the junior team from Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime would appear.
- July 22, 2015: Schoening posted a teaser of the Sanctum of Slime junior team alongside Geoff.
- August 5, 2015: Schoening posted an unlettered teaser of the animated Egon examining Tobin's Spirit Guide.
- August 21, 2015: A preview featuring covers, credits, and four pages was posted publicly.
- August 26, 2015: Issue released.
Continuity Notes and Easter Eggs
Burnham and Schoening densely layered the issue with references across the full span of Ghostbusters media. Key highlights:
Title reference. The title "The Hound of the Busters" is a nod to the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. That novel was also the third Holmes novel, making the allusion fitting for a third issue.
Design callbacks. The Ecto-Suit worn by the team is visually based on the Molecular Destabilizing Suit from the Real Ghostbusters episode "X-Mas Marks the Spot." The Interspatial Teleportation Unit, carried over from earlier issues, is based on the Transdimensional Portal from "The Copycat." The animated biometric scanner on the Containment Unit recalls the version from "Mrs. Roger's Neighborhood."
Animated continuity details. Animated Ray "translates" what animated Egon says, as he did throughout The Real Ghostbusters series. Animated Egon is surprised to learn the green ghost from his universe is called "Slimer"; in the prime universe, the name was not spoken in dialogue until the first level of Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions). Animated Janine Melnitz sits at the Banana 9000 from "Adventures in Slime and Space." The Plasmic Strainer and the Dimensional Inverter are also present in their animated versions. Prime Janine criticizes how her animated counterpart sounds, a nod to the animated series recasting the role.
Prime universe details. Prime Egon is still wearing his gray vest ensemble from the first film. The arcade Peter plays in the prime Firehouse is the Jump Bug arcade seen in Ghostbusters II. Ray is dressed in his outfit from the Ray's Occult Books scene in Ghostbusters II. The part that animated Ray identifies as key to the device is named after the late Harold Ramis. The Skull of Ivo Shandor and a corner of the Vigo painting are visible in Peter's office area. The Summoner Bell from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) appears on the kitchen counter. The Wall-Trap from the IDW ongoing series Volume 2 Issue #6 is activated by invoking the Boston Red Sox. Kylie uses the Megatrap, last seen in Volume 1 Issue #15, and there is some irony in this because the Megatrap toy is based on the deluxe Ghost Trap that shipped with the Trendmasters Deluxe Kylie Griffin action figure.
Ego boards. The Firehouse Employee of the Month board appears in three permutations throughout the issue, cycling through images sourced from multiple IDW ongoing series issues, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime, and promotional art.
Sanctum of Slime crossover. Page 8, featuring the junior team of Bridget Gibbons, Gabriel Sitter, Samuel Hazer, Geoff, and Alan Crendall, is deliberately drawn in the comic book cutscene style used in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Bridget's triumphant declaration is a nod to her character's propensity for celebrating achievements in that game.
Reference wall. The whiteboard carried over from Get Real #1 includes a Kenner page showing the Proton Pack toy and Firehouse playset, a photo of Chi-You from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters crossover, images of RGB villains the Metamorph and Tiamat, and group art from the Ghostbusters II Coloring Book (1989). Kylie's research notes reference the story of Proteus arguing philosophy with a goat near present-day Doliana, Greece around 200 BCE.
Cast name plate. In panel 4 of page 12, a list of names on a Post-It reads "Summer, Music, Hall, LaMarche, Welker," referring to the original voice cast of The Real Ghostbusters: Laura Summer, Lorenzo Music, Arsenio Hall, Maurice LaMarche, and Frank Welker. A separate Post-It on page 12 references J. Michael Straczynski, with the last four digits of the phone number being his birth year, 1954.
Cross-issue callbacks. Page 20 shows a book in Peter's vicinity with the cover from Slimer! #1 of the NOW Comics series. Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5 later echoes the bald-spot joke from page 15 of this issue, and Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #6 reuses the junior team photos from page 9. The ending of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #7 mirrors this issue's finale structure: the antagonist appears in a giant form on the last page before the series conclusion.
Characters
Prime universe: Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Kylie Griffin.
Animated universe: Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Slimer.
Antagonists and supporting: Proteus, Cerberus Manifestation, Ananke, Icon Ghost, Vigo (pictured).
Sanctum of Slime junior team: Bridget Gibbons, Gabriel Sitter, Samuel Hazer, Geoff, Alan Crendall.
References
- IDW Publishing, Ghostbusters Get Real #3 (August 26, 2015), written by Erik Burnham, art by Dan Schoening, colors by Luis Antonio Delgado.
- Ghostbusters Wiki (Fandom), "IDW Publishing Comics: Ghostbusters Get Real 3."
