Plot
The final resting place of the Rauoskinna, the legendary red-skinned Icelandic book of spells sought by the sorcerer Loftur Þorsteinsson, has been located. The Ghostbusters are dispatched to Iceland to retrieve it before Loftur can. The issue opens with a recap of the team's encounters with Loftur across the previous issues, including his atomization of Egon Spengler at the end of Ghostbusters International #7, and the key they recovered to Gottskalk Nikulausson's tomb in Issue #9.
The Ghost Priests who first appeared at the United Nations Building in Ghostbusters International #1 return to the story. Peter Venkman immediately recognizes their chanting as a callback to his earlier jibe about "Sarducci's choir." The team, including an animated counterpart of Egon Spengler drawn from The Real Ghostbusters continuity, works together to deal with entities encountered en route. Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Kylie Griffin, Janine Melnitz, and Jenny Moran round out the supporting cast.
Loftur's thrall Erland Vinter appears in Norway, holding a newspaper whose headline references the Louvre damage from Issue #5 and speaking of Akureyri in northern Iceland. The animated Egon carries the Destabilizer, a weapon from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Egon's Ghost," which Winston notes was previously used against the Imbunche on Chiloe Island in Issue #9.
Back at the Firehouse, the Rauoskinna itself is examined. The team notes that the instruments only register entities up to Class 7, while The Real Ghostbusters frequently encountered entities above that classification. During a quieter moment, the animated Egon reflects on the multiverse, while the live-action Egon admits he misses teaching and muses about returning to it someday, a forward reference to his role as a professor in Extreme Ghostbusters. Winston Zeddemore recalls his marriage (from Volume 2 Issues #13 through #20) and Tiamat erasing those memories at the end of Volume 2 Issue #20, as well as his military background and experience with alternate dimensions from the TMNT/Ghostbusters and Get Real crossovers.
Slimer makes his first appearance in any IDW issue since Ghostbusters Annual 2015. Kevin Tanaka appears briefly on the phone with Ray Stantz. At a Central Park-adjacent pizzeria on page 19, Peter Venkman and Janine Melnitz discuss the recurring manifestation of John F. Kennedy, and Janine references Idlewild, the former name of JFK International Airport. Loftur uses a book visually inspired by the Ley Lines of North America prop seen in the 2016 film.
Haunted America Case Files (Backup Story)
The issue includes a backup story, "Haunted America Case Files," set in Hollywood and focusing on Special Agent Melanie Ortiz alongside Lou Kamaka, Dani Shpak, and the Fayne Sisters. The backup references Peg Entwistle, the actress who died by suicide by jumping from the "H" of the Hollywoodland sign on September 16, 1932. The story notes that the Fayne Sisters appeared in only one movie, mirroring Entwistle's sole film credit in "Thirteen Women." The Hollywood sign and Mount Lee are featured locations.
Equipment used in the backup story includes a Proton Pack with Particle Thrower and a Ghost Trap.
Covers
The regular cover by Dan Schoening shows the Ghostbusters in winter gear matching the outfits worn in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Cold Cash and Hot Water." This was the first hint published in solicitations (July 2016) that an animated Egon from The Real Ghostbusters would appear in the series. The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, is referenced at the bottom of the cover.
The subscription cover by Corin Howell features Special Agent Melanie Ortiz alongside the Fayne Sisters.
Development
On January 7, 2016, writer Erik Burnham hinted in an interview that Iceland was among locations being considered for future stories. He confirmed Iceland as a destination on May 2, 2016, after Paris and Ireland.
On July 20, 2016, the October 2016 solicitations were released, with loglines revealing the Rauoskinna plot and the Iceland setting.
On August 21, 2016, Dan Schoening posted a work-in-progress image of the robed Ghost Priests entities.
On October 7, 2016, Burnham teased that his favorite The Real Ghostbusters Egon moment was contained in this issue.
On October 18, 2016, a cover, the credits page, and a five-page preview were posted online.
On November 16, 2016, Luis Antonio Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 1 and 11.
Notable Continuity References
This issue is exceptionally dense with cross-continuity callbacks, spanning the IDW ongoing volumes, The Real Ghostbusters animated series, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, and both films.
- The Rauoskinna is misspelled "Raouskinna" on page 1.
- Ray's Dramatis Personae bio notes he is down to two mortgages, a nod to the trio leaving Manhattan City Bank in the first film.
- Loftur's bio references his supposed death in the 1700s and his dealings with the Devil. His name is spelled a third distinct way in this issue, with the second "o" in Thorsteinsson replaced by an "e."
- Erland Vinter's bio clarifies he is a thrall of Loftur, upgrading his previously identified status as a proxy.
- Page 16 features a detailed Firehouse whiteboard showing Icelandic runic staves (Aegishjalnur, Lasabrjotur, Gapaldur, Ottastafur, Vegvisir, and others) alongside photos of ghosts encountered in Issues #1, #2, #3, and #4. The visible pages of the Rauoskinna are visually adapted from approximately pages 23 and 25 of the Galdrakver ("Little Book of Magic"), a 17th century Icelandic grimoire written on animal skin once owned by Bishop Hannes Finnson (1739 to 1796).
- The Firehouse contains multiple easter eggs from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), including the Summoner Bell Cursed Artifact, the doughnut above the sink, the Employee of the Month board with twelve months of callbacks to various IDW issues and animated appearances, and the arcade cabinet based on The Real Ghostbusters episode "Ain't NASA-Sarily So."
- The arcade cabinet on the left is Jump Bug from Ghostbusters II. The one on the right is Star Gazer from the first film.
- Jenny's outfit on page 16 is based on a costume worn by Donna Dixon in the 1980s television series "Bosom Buddies" (Season 1, Episode 7).
- Peter's shirt in the pizzeria sequence appears to be based on the Zissou team uniforms from "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" starring Bill Murray.
- Page 20's mother and daughter characters are visually based on Elisabeth Shue as Chris Parker and Maia Brewton as Sara Anderson from the 1987 film "Adventures in Babysitting."
- On the Haunted America recap page, Mike Dodd's Los Angeles Guide to the Dead is a possible nod to a Ghostbusters fan named Mike Dodd from Ontario.
- The What Came Before page of Ghostbusters International #11 reuses images from pages 13 and 4 of this issue and heavily summarizes the events of Issues #8 through #10.
References
- IDW Publishing, Ghostbusters International #10 (October 2016). Story by Erik Burnham, art by Dan Schoening.
- Ghostbusters International #1 through #9 (IDW Publishing, 2016), referenced throughout via recap and callout panels.
