Story
"Devil's Night"
When Stingy Jack died, he could not get into Heaven or Hell, leaving him to wander the Earth. He has made his way to Manhattan, and with malicious intent on Devil's Night, he threatens to burn the city to the ground unless the Ghostbusters can stop him.
The issue opens by tracing the folk legend behind Stingy Jack: in life he twice tricked the Devil, first by turning him into a silver coin and trapping him next to a crucifix, then by luring him up a tree and lining the base with crucifixes. Denied entry to Heaven by Saint Peter and rejected by Hell, Jack was condemned to roam with only a piece of coal to light his way, placed in a carved turnip, the origin of the Jack-o'-lantern.
In Manhattan on October 30, Peter Venkman and Kylie Griffin are investigating the ghost of the racehorse Maud S. near Grand Central Station before Stingy Jack's threat escalates. At the Firehouse, Walter Peck briefs the team on the Devil's Night situation while Egon Spengler cross-references historical accounts including notes on Samhain and Pliny the Elder. Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, and Special Agent Melanie Ortiz deploy to Central Park, where Stingy Jack has ignited a ghost fire wall. After the confrontation, Egon concludes that the Stingy Jack they encountered may have been a Simulacrum, a copy of the original entity, rather than Jack himself.
Cast
Ghostbusters and allies
Other characters
- Stingy Jack (main antagonist)
- The Devil
- Saint Peter
- Maud S. (ghost racehorse)
- Zombie Taxi Driver
- Vigo (background reference)
Stingy Jack
Stingy Jack is drawn from Irish and British folk legend. The character is depicted here as a manipulative trickster who twice outwitted the Devil, leading to his unique fate of perpetual wandering. In the issue, his appearance heralds the start of the "HAPPY HORROR DAYS" arc. He is depicted with a carved lantern consistent with the folk tale etymology of the Jack-o'-lantern.
Following the events of this issue, Stingy Jack is listed among the entities catalogued in the Ghostbusters' Containment Unit records, and is also referenced in subsequent IDW material including "Mass Hysteria."
After the encounter, Egon raises the possibility that what the Ghostbusters faced was a Simulacrum, a paranormal copy of the original Stingy Jack, rather than the genuine article, leaving the question of Jack's true fate unresolved.
Maud S.
Maud S. was a celebrated American racehorse of the 1880s, later stabled at Grand Central Terminal by Cornelius Vanderbilt. The issue draws on a local legend that her ghost haunts the station. Peter and Kylie respond to her manifestation before the larger Stingy Jack emergency takes precedence. Schoening's concept ideas for the Maud S. ghost design were posted after the issue's release.
Equipment
Proton Packs and particle throwers, Ghost Traps, Ecto-1a and Ecto-2, Slime Blower, Ecto-Visors (worn by Kylie, last seen in Volume 2 #3, based on the Paragoggles view from Ghostbusters: The Video Game), P.K.E. Meter, and radio.
Development
Development on this issue was extensively documented through social media posts by Burnham and Schoening throughout mid-to-late 2013.
- May 1, 2013: Erik Burnham hinted that he and Schoening were planning a Halloween issue.
- May 11, 2013: Burnham described it as a "sort of" Halloween issue.
- May 31, 2013: In an interview with the Cross the Streams Radio Show, Schoening noted he would begin drawing the issue in August; he confirmed the story is set during his favorite holiday.
- August 8, 2013: Schoening announced he was thumbnailing out pages.
- August 16, 2013: Schoening posted a work-in-progress of Peter Venkman.
- August 20, 2013: Schoening posted a work-in-progress of the Firehouse exterior with Halloween decorations, based on the setup seen in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Halloween II 1/2."
- August 21, 2013: Schoening posted a staff meeting scene featuring Walter Peck. Burnham confirmed the issue centers on Devil's Night, October 30.
- August 28, 2013: Schoening posted concept art and final art previews of Stingy Jack.
- August 29, 2013: Schoening posted a work-in-progress of the Zombie Taxi Driver.
- September 2, 2013: Schoening posted work-in-progress images of Winston and Ray, and of Agent Ortiz.
- September 5, 2013: Schoening posted a work-in-progress of Peter in gear.
- September 10, 2013: Schoening posted a work-in-progress of Ray with a Slime Blower.
- September 11, 2013: Schoening posted a Stingy Jack color palette concept.
- September 12, 2013: Burnham reported Schoening had one page left to draw.
- September 15, 2013: Burnham tweeted he was drawing additional material for the issue.
- October 3, 2013: Burnham revealed line art he drew in homage to Camp Waconda, titled "Li'l Ray Stantz," which he auctioned on eBay through October 7 to benefit Reading With Pictures, a nonprofit that advocates comics use in classrooms to support literacy.
- October 16, 2013: Schoening tweeted the release date would be October 30.
- October 22, 2013: A panel was shared revealing the Maud S. ghost and her Grand Central Station connection.
- October 26, 2013: The final colored version of the staff meeting panel from August 21 was posted.
- October 28, 2013: A panel of Stingy Jack at the Gates of Hell was posted; Schoening posted the unlettered final version of page one.
- October 29, 2013: Schoening posted unlettered final versions of pages two and three.
- October 30, 2013: Diamond announced a distribution delay, moving the release to November 6. Both issues #9 and #10 would now release in November. Schoening posted unlettered final versions of pages four and five.
- October 31, 2013: Schoening posted an unlettered final version of page six.
- November 1, 2013: A cover, credits, and seven-page preview were published.
- November 7, 2013: Schoening posted concept ideas for the Maud S. ghost.
- November 10, 2013: Luis Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 11, 14, and 18.
- November 14, 2013: Schoening posted his favorite panel from the issue.
- February 13, 2014: Schoening posted a new work-in-progress of Stingy Jack.
Annotations and Trivia
The issue is dense with visual references and easter eggs documented page by page.
Stingy Jack's folk legend (page 1): The encounters with the Devil follow the traditional Irish tale closely. Old Scratch is a folk name for the Devil used in the dialogue.
Grand Central Station (page 2): Peter and Kylie are positioned at the 60 East 42nd Street entrance at the Vanderbilt Avenue intersection. Background figures include the frightened couple from the Real Ghostbusters episode "When Halloween Was Forever," the Jack-o'-Lantern vendor and Lynn Stacy from "The Halloween Door," and Sean Bishop in Marty McFly costume under the Vanderbilt sign.
Maud S. (page 2): Her ghost is drawn from a genuine local legend; the historical Maud S. was kept at Grand Central Terminal by Vanderbilt after her racing career.
Character cameos in the crowd (pages 3-4): The irate taxi driver is visually based on a caricature of IDW staffer John Calmette seen at the end of the RGB episode "Ghosts R Us." Laura Summer, the first voice of Janine Melnitz on The Real Ghostbusters, appears to the left of the taxi driver on page 4.
Mainway Costumes (page 5): Mainway Costumes and Novelties, with its advertised "Johnny Space Commander" and "Invisible Pedestrian" costumes, references a Saturday Night Live sketch starring Dan Aykroyd as Irvin Mainway, president of a company selling dangerously inappropriate children's costumes.
Firehouse and staff meeting (page 6): The Halloween decorations replicate those from the RGB episode "Halloween II 1/2." Walter Peck's folder contains information referencing the RGB episode "When Halloween Was Forever." The note by the pumpkin on Janine's desk refers to the Wartmongers, the band from RGB "Halloween II 1/2." Janine's mug references the Ye Olde Schooker and Schnapps Shoppe from Sleepy Hollow. Winston wears a Detroit police shirt, tying into the Peter/Winston argument about Devil's Night's association with Detroit, notorious for arson and vandalism from the 1970s through the 1990s. Peter's shirt appears to reference Lorenzo Music, the first voice of Peter Venkman on The Real Ghostbusters.
Ecto-2 alley (page 7): The Rock Opera Machine from the RGB episode "The Halloween Door" is visible in the alley.
Firehouse interior (page 9): The Zombie Taxi Driver from Ghostbusters (1984) brought Mel to the Firehouse. Items on shelves include the Q*bert machine, a miniature of the Electronic Positronic Anti-Halloween Machine, "A History of Ghosts" by Peter Aykroyd (Dan Aykroyd's father), and a book featuring the Icon Ghost. Egon's research board features photographs of Samhain, the Infinity symbol clock relic, Silk Hatton from the Ghostbusters Sega video game, Boogaloo from "The Halloween Door," the Black Slime Elemental from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Version), Death from Volume 1, and Slimer. Also on the board: Steven Dane's Ecto-1 schematic from Making Ghostbusters (page 66) and a storyboard/script synopsis from the same book. Near Boogaloo's photo is a reference to Beggar's Night, a regional Halloween term used in parts of Ohio, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and western New York.
Egon's clipboard (page 10): Features Don Shay's map of shooting locations from Making Ghostbusters. Kylie drinks a can of Blody, a product advertised in Times Square in the RGB episode "The Halloween Door." The cork board behind Melanie shows photographs of Samhain's Goblin Minions from RGB, a Ghostbusters I.D. Card from the Kenner toy line, and an incident tracker sign referencing Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Version). Luis Delgado's "15" easter egg appears on a sign near Janine.
Central Park fire (page 11): The establishing shot looks south toward the North Meadow Recreation Centre. The ghost fire manifests at Glen Span Arch on West Drive in the North Woods section of Central Park. The fire engine bears "Ladder 8," a reference to Hook and Ladder 8, the real firehouse used for the Ghostbusters Firehouse exterior in the films. Peter mentions Hell's Kitchen, briefly visited in the Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Back in the Saddle, Part One."
Egon's historical sources (page 16): Egon references Pliny the Elder, the Roman statesman who authored the encyclopedic "Naturalis Historia," and also mentions Samhain. The hands wrapping around the Moon are a nod to Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Resolution (page 20): Egon muses that Stingy Jack may have been a Simulacrum rather than the true original.
Pin-ups: Page 21's pin-up references Lucy's advice booth from Peanuts and Peter's electric shock experiment from the opening of Ghostbusters (1984), complete with the Male Student. Page 22's pin-up nods to Ray's memory of roasting Stay Puft Marshmallows at Camp Waconda.
