Stories
Trains, Brains and Ghostly Remains Part Three
The arc's concluding chapter splits the team across three separate threads. Off the eastern coast of Long Island, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Kylie Griffin deploy the Marine Ecto-8 to pursue a spectral ship identified as the John Milton, a 19th-century bark that wrecked on February 20, 1858, while departing the Chincha Islands loaded with guano. The ghost crew is led by Captain Ephraim Harding. Back at the Firehouse, Egon Spengler and Roger Baugh continue their psychic journey inside Janine Melnitz's mind, picking up directly from Issue #6. Winston Zeddemore is in Las Vegas for reasons the issue treats as comedy. Walter Peck and the Governor of New York also appear; the Governor, who had previously been mentioned only in passing (in Volume 1 Issue #5 and Volume 2 Issue #1), makes his first on-panel appearance here.
Equipment featured in the main story includes the Marine Ecto-8, the Ecto-Gyro, the Compact Pack, the Aura Video-Analyzer, the Paranormal Containment Research Tank, the Proton Pack and Particle Thrower, the PKE Meter, the Ghost Trap, and Ecto Goggles. Slimer also appears. Locations include the New York State Capitol, New York City Hall, the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission offices, the Firehouse, a warehouse, the Chrysler Building, Las Vegas, Ray's Occult Books, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Visitation Part One
The backup story follows the Chicago Ghostbusters, consisting of Ron Alexander, the Rookie, and a student named Nigel, on a visit to Nevermore Elementary School in Chicago. The school's name is drawn from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," and its address and motif make it a stand-in for Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School. The calendar in the classroom places the story in September 1995. The Chicago team's phone number, visible on the side of the Ecto-15, is 655-2187. The Ecto-15 itself is based on unused concept art of a stretch checkered cab from Ghostbusters II.
The backup introduces threads to be continued: the left side of the classroom chalkboard shows a handwritten list of field trip dates that correspond to the upcoming "Happy Horror Days!" arc. The teacher is visually modeled on Sigourney Weaver. A boy with glasses who mentions Egon and Winston is Matt Prov from the Cross the Streams podcast. The Rookie references the Ghost Shark from Volume 1 Issue #13, and a student brings up the Haunted America arc from Volume 1. Nigel asks about the existence of the Bogeyman, a nod to the Boogieman from The Real Ghostbusters. Equipment appearing in the backup includes the Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Ecto Goggles, Proton Pack (Realistic Version), and Ecto-15. The Chomp bar offered to Ron Alexander is a nod to the Crunch bar.
Covers
Cover A, by Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado, depicts the Marine Ecto-8 against the spectral John Milton ship. This cover had originally been designated as the regular cover for Issue #6 before being moved to Issue #7, as Schoening confirmed on May 17, 2013. A seven-page preview, along with cover art and a credits page, was posted online on September 17, 2013.
Development
The build-up to Issue #7 was eventful. On May 8, 2013, Erik Burnham reported that his original script file for the issue had become corrupted and would not open. On May 31, 2013, in an interview with Cross the Streams Radio Show, Dan Schoening hinted that the ghost ship in the story is historically accurate and based on an actual missing shipwreck.
Through July 2013, penciler Evan Shaner posted a series of teasers: Ray Stantz, Kylie Griffin, and Peter Venkman (July 10); the ghost ship (July 11); the Marine Ecto-8 and a large tidal wave (July 13); Ray, Kylie, and Peter in snowy terrain (July 18); and Egon Spengler (July 22). On July 23, colorist Andrew Harmon confirmed he was assisting Luis Antonio Delgado on coloring duties. On July 26, Dan Schoening shared two snippets of the Ron Alexander and Rookie backup pages.
On August 5, 2013, Burnham confirmed he had reviewed a proof copy. On September 4, he reported the release date as September 18, attributing the delay to "a run of bad luck" compounded by a shipping delay. On September 13, he added that the print run had been held up at port.
After publication, Andrew Harmon posted an unlettered version of page 18 on September 21, 2013, noting he had worked on eight pages in total with flatter Samuel Plata, and that page 8 had been the first page assigned to him; Luis Delgado assisted with the Proton Stream coloring on that page. On September 24, Luis Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 13 and 20, citing page 13 as his personal favorite from the issue.
Trivia and Easter Eggs
The issue is densely layered with franchise references. Selected highlights:
Main story:
- Page 1: The Governor of New York makes his first on-panel appearance. His dialogue references Montauk (Long Island), Block Island, and the Governor of Rhode Island.
- Page 2: The hot dog vendor is implied to be the same one from the original film. "Elsinore Hot Dogs" is a nod to the Elsinore Brewery from the 1983 comedy "Strange Brew." Peter wears one of his suits from the first movie. Behind Peter on the sidewalk, the scene from "Trading Places" is depicted, featuring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy (the latter having been considered for the role of Winston Zeddemore).
- Page 3: Egon Spengler and Peter reference the German submarine U-550, sunk south of Nantucket in 1944. A box on a shelf references the Johnson family from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise. Peter examines Doc Brown's Brain-wave analyzer from "Back to the Future."
- Page 4: Peter stands at the corner of Fifth Avenue and West 42nd Street, with the Chrysler Building in the background. The warehouse contains the Ecto-2 and Ecto-3 from The Real Ghostbusters and the DeLorean from "Back to the Future Part III."
- Page 5: Las Vegas makes its first appearance in the ongoing series (previously referenced only in "Past, Present, and Future"). The Olive is a stand-in for the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. A replica Eiffel Tower from Paris Las Vegas is visible in the background.
- Page 6: "Bad Wolf" graffiti is visible, referencing the Doctor Who franchise meme. Bob and Doug McKenzie from "Strange Brew" appear outside Ray's Occult Books. Kylie Griffin references the events of Issue #6. The figure from Janine Melnitz's dream matches Ray's Spirit Guide from Volume 1.
- Page 8: The Golden Idol from "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" is visible on the table behind Egon.
- Page 9: The Power Guy arcade cabinet is still present; Power Guy originated in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Station Identification." The 11th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver appears behind Janine on the bench.
- Page 11: A Lao Che Air Freight plane from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is depicted. Dan Aykroyd also had a cameo in that film.
- Page 17: Ray's dialogue identifies the shipwreck as the John Milton, which sank on February 20, 1858; Captain Ephraim Harding is named. The ship was carrying a cargo of guano from the Chincha Islands.
- Page 19: Kylie Griffin asks about the Proton Grenade, which was a favored weapon of Egon Spengler's in Volume 1; Peter responds with a paternity test joke.
- Page 21: The "Next" issue box references John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost."
- Page 22: The background image is a reuse of the New Ghostbusters advertisement from the second printing of Volume 2 Issue #1.
Backup story:
- Page 23: The school name, Nevermore Elementary, is taken from Poe's "The Raven." The address and visual design make it a stand-in for Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School. The Ecto-15 is based on unused stretch-cab concept art from Ghostbusters II, with Luis Delgado's "15" easter egg on the hood. The chalkboard field trip dates correspond to the upcoming "Happy Horror Days!" arc. The classroom calendar confirms September 1995. The teacher is modeled on Sigourney Weaver; the boy with glasses who references Egon and Winston is Matt Prov of Cross the Streams.
- Page 24: The Rookie references the Ghost Shark from Volume 1 Issue #13. A student brings up the Haunted America arc from Volume 1. The Chomp bar offered to Ron Alexander is a nod to the Crunch bar. Nigel's question about the Bogeyman alludes to the Boogieman from The Real Ghostbusters. The two boys who mock Nigel are modeled on characters from the 1987 film "The Monster Squad."
References
- IDW Publishing, Ghostbusters Volume 2, Issue #7 (September 18, 2013). Story: Erik Burnham. Art: Evan Shaner (Dan Schoening, backup). Colors: Luis Antonio Delgado, Andrew Harmon, Samuel Plata. Letters: Neil Uyetake. Editor: Tom Waltz.
