"Day of the Dead"
Special Agent Melanie Ortiz returns to New York City just in time for the Day of the Dead, stepping in to help the Ghostbusters pursue a ghost called Rodefhiri that is going to extreme lengths to drive a family, Jasmine and her mother, away from their home in Brooklyn.
The team splits across two locations. Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz investigate on one front, deploying the Ghost Sniffer and a Miniature Slime Blower, while Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore, and Kylie Griffin work alongside Melanie from the 83rd Police Precinct at 480 Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn. The encounter with the ghost takes place near the intersection of Bleecker Street and Central Avenue in Brooklyn, close to St. Barbara's Roman Catholic Church.
Rodefhiri manifests through a series of projections styled after the folk saint Santa Muerte: a white-robed form symbolizing purity and cleansing, then a red-robed form associated with love and passion. Egon initially likens the ghost to the actual Santa Muerte, but Melanie firmly corrects him. Mel also inquires about Proton Grenades during the operation. Melanie notes that the entity made use of Psychomagnotheric Slime and Red Lightning during the confrontation. Kylie and Mel drive the Ecto-1a during the chase sequence, and Peter makes a pointed joke about Miranda rights (official since 1966) when the ghost is questioned.
The story credits Harlan Bojay, one of the vagrant characters from the first film, and Robert Learned Coombs appearing in a crowd scene on page 4.
Characters and equipment
Main story characters: Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore, Kylie Griffin, Special Agent Melanie Ortiz, Eduardo Rivera, Jasmine, Jasmine's Mother, Rodefhiri, Santa Muerte (projection), Officer Monaco, Little Steve's Cousin.
Equipment featured: Ghost Sniffer, Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Ghost Trap, Ecto-1a, Proton Pistol, Miniature Slime Blower, P.K.E. Meter.
"Tee Time Terror"
The backup strip, with art by Blair D. Shedd, follows Walter Peck and FBI Section Chief Agent Edward Norris as they contend with a ghost haunting a golf course. The ghost is visually styled after Carl Spackler, Bill Murray's character from the 1980 film "Caddyshack," complete with a bucket hat, golf clubs, and a gopher skull necklace. Erik Burnham revealed in November 2013 that the events of this backup become consequential in Issue #12.
Development
Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening shared extensive behind-the-scenes details as the issue was produced during summer and fall 2013.
On August 15, 2013, solicitations confirmed that Schoening would produce an Artist's Edition cover conceived as a homage to the final sequence of the first Ghostbusters film, specifically the moment Gozer delivers his "Then Die!" response. Schoening later posted the cover noting he had drawn it to mimic the aged, worn appearance of an original full-page artwork.
On September 15, 2013, Burnham posted that he still needed to finish writing the issue and had overwritten a scene yet again. The same day he revealed plans for a two-page Walter Peck backup that would involve golf and politics.
On September 26, 2013, Burnham noted that page three featured "possibly the creepiest thing Dan has ever drawn." On October 17, 2013, he described a clown character being worked on for the issue as "the creepiest thing we've ever put into Ghostbusters." That clown, the Amigo Clown, was intentionally modeled on the clown doll from the 1982 film "Poltergeist."
On October 15, 2013, Burnham confirmed that Blair D. Shedd would handle art duties for the backup story. A teaser image showing Peck and Norris appeared on November 1, 2013.
On November 25, 2013, Burnham publicly credited Luis Delgado and Mariel Romero for their research, suggestions, and cultural corrections to the Day of the Dead story.
On January 18, 2014, Luis Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 1, 4, and 15. Regarding page 15, Delgado noted that the character visible in a poster on the door is an Alushe, a well-known mini luchador in Mexican history and a childhood nickname of his own.
In September 2014, Schoening posted an alternate thumbnail he had developed for the Artist Edition cover.
Trivia and Easter Eggs
- Cover RI: The composition is a direct visual nod to the Gozer confrontation from the first Ghostbusters film. Luis Delgado's recurring "15" Easter egg appears on a cross on Cover A.
- Page 1: Carl Rivera, from the Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Rage," appears in panel 2 on the right. Paco, in human form, from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Treasure of Sierra Tamale" is visible in the background. The building in panel 2's background is St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery at 131 East 10th Street in the East Village.
- Page 4: Jim Venkman, in his jungle gear from The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Treasure of Sierra Tamale," appears in the center of the large shot. Harlan Bojay from the first film is in the upper left corner. Robert Learned Coombs walks in the lower right corner. Luis Delgado appears as a man in a black hoodie and blue jeans talking to a woman. The outfits worn by Egon and Ray are identical to what they wore when checking on Oscar in Ghostbusters II (Chapter 5).
- Page 5: Little Steve's cousin is visually based on Guy Caballero, the character Joe Flaherty played on the television sketch comedy series SCTV.
- Page 7: Eduardo Rivera stands to the right of Ray. A man below Eduardo wearing a hoodie jacket displays Luis Delgado's "15" Easter egg on the chest.
- Page 8: Santa Muerte's hourglass symbol is a deliberate reference to her traditional association with time and patience.
- Page 9: Peter's reference to Miranda rights is a joke at the ghost's expense, since those rights only became official in 1966. Peter also quotes "76 Trombones," the march from the musical "The Music Man." A No Bozo sticker from Ghostbusters II appears on a pole near Winston.
- Page 10: Santa Muerte attacks a vehicle styled as the Mirthmobile from the 1992 film "Wayne's World."
- Page 15: Three concurrent "15" Easter eggs appear: the page number itself, a caption reading "15 minutes later," and the address house number 15. A word balloon partially obscures a fourth instance on the front door.
- Page 16: A doll of Dopey Dog from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Who're You Calling Two-Dimensional?" sits in Jasmine's bedroom.
- Page 17: Next to Dopey Dog is a Plush Dog from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), specifically from the Juvenile Curriculum section of the Checking Out the Library level.
- Page 19: The police officer's design is based on actor Ralph Monaco, who played a police sergeant in Ghostbusters II. His badge surname reads Monaco.
- Page 21: The Golfer Ghost in "Tee Time Terror" is modeled directly on Bill Murray's Carl Spackler from "Caddyshack."
References
- Fandom Ghostbusters Wiki, "IDW Publishing Comics: Ghostbusters 2-10"
