"Benvenuti A Venezia"
Cast of characters: Winston Zeddemore, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Erland Vinter, Walter Peck, Jenny Moran, Janine Melnitz, Kaia May, Alice, Roger Delacorte, Eduardo Rivera, Pagan, Kylie Griffin, Elaine, Milton Angland, and a Venetian Shop Ghost.
Equipment: Ecto-1, Giga Meter, Proton Pack and Particle Thrower. Cursed Artifacts appearing include Archangel's Gallbladder and the Portrait of Eleanor Twitty, both from the "Checking Out the Library" level of Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions).
Locations: New York City (including the New York City Public Library, Ray's Occult Books, All Night Deli, Dick's Pizza, and Teterboro Airport), Venice, and the island of Poveglia.
The story opens in New York. Walter Peck confronts the Ghostbusters about their European contract, referencing the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission and past Haunted America assignments (Detroit, New Orleans, Albuquerque, and Seattle). Winston Zeddemore, drawing on his legal studies, grows suspicious that client Erland Vinter's proposal is fraudulent. Jenny Moran and Ray Stantz are seen at the All Night Deli, a stand-in for Katz's Delicatessen on East Houston Street in the Lower East Side, visually inspired by the deli from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Two Faces of Slimer."
Meanwhile, Egon Spengler visits the New York City Public Library, making its debut appearance in the IDW comics. Alice and Roger Delacorte, the couple from the opening of the first Ghostbusters film, make a cameo at the library. Egon then visits Ray's Occult Books, where Kylie Griffin is minding the shop. Eduardo Rivera, last seen in Volume 2 Issue #15, and Pagan, last seen on the cover of Volume 2 Issue #20, make cameo appearances. Archangel's Gallbladder and the Portrait of Eleanor Twitty are visible among the shop's inventory.
Ray Stantz summarizes the history of Poveglia for the team during the flight to Venice: it served as a military base in 1645, a plague refuge in 1805, and a mental hospital in 1922. The Ghostbusters depart from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Upon arriving at Poveglia, Peter Venkman notes the old lighthouse, which was converted from an old bell tower in 1806. The issue ends with the team encountering a pronounced PKE surge and purple hue over the island, similar in appearance to Hart Island's manifestation in Volume 2 Issues #17 and #18, leaving the main confrontation for the next issue.
"Haunted America Case Files"
Cast of characters: Special Agent Melanie Ortiz, Egon Spengler, Janine Melnitz, Lou Kamaka, Hedylogos, and Compliment Sprites.
Equipment: Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Giga Meter, and Psychomagnotheric Slime.
Location: The Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri.
The backup story focuses on Special Agent Melanie Ortiz and a case filed from the FBI Field Office in St. Louis. The incident involves Hedylogos, a figure from actual Greek mythology and one of the winged love gods called the Erotes, along with entities identified as Compliment Sprites. Ray Stantz is mentioned in the Incident Detail Report. This backup story marks the first use of negatively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime in the IDW series; the "Mood Slime" nickname is also used. The Chicago Ghostbusters receive a mention.
Covers
Three cover variants were produced for this issue.
Regular Cover (Dan Schoening): Features the Plague Doctor Ghost from the vision sequence in Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #4. The Plague Doctor does not appear in the main story, but serves as a preview of the principal adversary in Issue #3.
Subscription Cover / Valentine's Day Variant (Corin Howell): Part of IDW's Valentine's Day Card variant cover event announced in November 2015. Depicts Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz with Proton Packs and a Giga Meter, with the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in the background.
Additional Cover (Ester Salguero): A third cover variant was also produced for the issue.
Development
On October 31, 2015, Erik Burnham said he would start writing Issue #2 as soon as he finished turning around edits for Tobin's Spirit Guide.
On November 10, 2015, IDW Publishing announced Valentine's Day Card variant covers for February titles, confirming Ghostbusters International #2 would participate. The variant cover was assigned to Corin Howell, depicting Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
On November 18, 2015, the February solicitations confirmed the issue revolves around a bust on the island of Poveglia and Winston's concerns about the client who hired the Ghostbusters for the European job. The title of the main story, "Benvenuti A Venezia," was revealed in the solicitation text.
On November 24, 2015, Burnham was at work on the issue and noted that some scene direction might mean extra work for Dan Schoening.
On December 14, 2015, in an interview, Burnham confirmed Issue #2 splits between Venice and New York City, describing the structure as bouncing around between the two settings.
On February 13, 2016, Dan Schoening posted a preview panel of Egon Spengler leaving the New York City Public Library. On February 18, 2016, a cover image, full credits, and a five-page preview were posted publicly. On February 20, 2016, Burnham described the issue as "the calm before the storm."
The issue was released on February 24, 2016. That same day, Luis Antonio Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 10 and 15.
On March 3, 2016, Burnham revealed he had inserted an easter egg he thought was obvious, but which had not yet been spotted by readers.
Notable Details
The issue is dense with visual references and continuity callbacks packed into Dan Schoening's artwork:
The New York City Public Library makes its first appearance in the IDW Ghostbusters comic run. An advertisement for the Ali El-Baluu exhibit appears in panel 1 of page 10; Ali El-Baluu's Irksome Rug was one of the Cursed Artifacts in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions). The Necronomicon from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Collect Call of Cathulhu" appears in the bookcase on the same page.
The All Night Deli on page 5 is modeled after the corner of East Houston Street in the Lower East Side, serving as a stand-in for Katz's Delicatessen at 206 East Houston Street, and is also inspired by the All Night Deli from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Two Faces of Slimer." Next door is the Hasty Pastry Bakery from the RGB episode "The Joke's on Ray," followed by a Lobster Joint location and Dick's Pizza, the pizzeria introduced in Volume 1 Issue #13 as a stand-in for Ray's Pizza.
Ray's Occult Books on page 11 contains an extensive array of references: concert posters for Shanna from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Banshee Bake a Cherry Pie?", a doll based on the Bird of Kildarby from "The Bird of Kildarby," a book about High John the Conqueror (a folk hero tied to hoodoo), the Bestiary from the Extreme Ghostbusters episode "The Sphinx," Pagan Rituals and Ceremonies and Magic of the Runes from EGB's "Casting the Runes," and Galileo and his Studies of Medieval Poltergeist from "The Infernal Machine." The West End RPG sourcebook Hot Rods of the Gods also appears on the shelves. A Vigo tapestry showing the Ghostbusters and Oscar from the end of Ghostbusters II is visible, with only Egon Spengler visible in panel 4. On the exterior in panel 3, a blue-and-white sign advertises Wolf Van Shandor, whose artwork was displayed in the New York City Public Library in Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
Among the background characters: the Mad Prophet from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Ragnarok and Roll" appears outside Ray's Occult Books. Milton Angland and Elaine from Ghostbusters II appear on the exterior. The server at All Night Deli is visually based on Morganon from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Chicken, He Clucked," and a background patron is based on Willis from "The Old College Spirit." A stewardess on the plane in panel 2 of page 8 is the same character from the RGB episode "Take Two" who threw Peter's luggage off the plane.
Jenny Moran and Ray's outfits on page 5 are those worn by Monica McNeil (portrayed by Donna Dixon) and Clifford Skridlow (portrayed by Dan Aykroyd) in the 1983 film Doctor Detroit. Janine Melnitz's comment on page 7 about fluency in millions of forms of communication alludes to C-3PO from Star Wars. Page 9 features a Gremlin on the plane exterior referencing the Twilight Zone: The Movie segment "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which Donna Dixon also appeared.
Pages 1 and 4 contain film and media references: the National Lampoon January 1973 "We'll Kill This Dog" cover (designed by Michael Gross) is framed on the wall in panels 2 and 3 of page 1. Page 4 features the Nakia and Top Cat lobby cards from Ghostbusters II Chapter 2 "World of the Psychic," and a frame from the opening of Scrooged (Calvin Cooley's drawing of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus). Page 5 includes a small Instagram photo posted by Melissa McCarthy on August 25, 2015 celebrating the Girl Power hashtag, featuring cast and crew from Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016), and a grab from The Real Ghostbusters Bumpers segment.
The "What Came Before" recap page references the United Nations Building and the Werecat Ghost, and re-uses the final panel from Ghostbusters International Issue #1.
In Ghostbusters International #3, the "What Came Before" page re-uses page 20 panel 1 and page 10 panel 4 from this issue. Pages 3 panel 1 and page 20 panel 1, as well as page 10 panels 2 and 4, were later re-used in Ghostbusters: Deviations (pages 37 and 38).
References
Ghostbusters International #2 (IDW Publishing, February 2016). Stories: "Benvenuti A Venezia" and "Haunted America Case Files." Written by Erik Burnham, art by Dan Schoening, colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, letters by Neil Uyetake, edits by Tom Waltz.
