The Real Ghostbusters: NOW Comics Vol. 1 #5

NOW Comics Vol. 1 #5 is the fifth issue of the first volume of The Real Ghostbusters comic series published by NOW Comics, released in January 1989. Written by James Van Hise with pencils by John Tobias, the issue introduces Irena Cortez, a werewolf manipulated by criminals into committing crimes, and culminates in the resurrection of a mummy called the Nameless One.

Publication Details

Field	Detail
Title	NOW Comics Vol. 1 #5
Publisher	NOW Comics
Release Date	January 1989
Writer	James Van Hise
Penciler	John Tobias
Inker	Brian Thomas
Colorist	Rich Powers
Letterer	Kurt Hathaway
Editor	Tony Caputo
Cover Artists	Ken Steacy, Andrew Pratt
Previous Issue	NOW Comics Vol. 1 #4
Next Issue	NOW Comics Vol. 1 #6

Publication Details

Field	Detail
Title	NOW Comics Vol. 1 #5
Publisher	NOW Comics
Release Date	January 1989
Writer	James Van Hise
Penciler	John Tobias
Inker	Brian Thomas
Colorist	Rich Powers
Letterer	Kurt Hathaway
Editor	Tony Caputo
Cover Artists	Ken Steacy, Andrew Pratt
Previous Issue	NOW Comics Vol. 1 #4
Next Issue	NOW Comics Vol. 1 #6

The four main Ghostbusters appear: Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore, alongside Janine Melnitz. Antagonist and supporting characters include Irena Cortez, the Head Ninja, the Fat Ninja, the Thin Ninja, Inspector Wilbur, and the Nameless One.

Irena Cortez is a werewolf who inherited her supernatural ability from her parents. Her parents were killed by hunters, who were subsequently arrested when police discovered the human cadavers tied to their vehicle. In adulthood, three men in ninja-like costumes kidnap Irena and fit her with a shock collar, using it to force her into werewolf form to commit crimes on their behalf.

The Ghostbusters encounter Irena and investigate. A proton stream removes the shock collar, briefly freeing her. The three ninja criminals then escalate: they abduct both Irena and Peter Venkman and use Irena's shadow in a ritual to reanimate a mummy known only as the Nameless One. When Peter reminds Irena that Egon told her she can transform at will, she deliberately shifts into werewolf form and overpowers the Nameless One. The mummy retreats underground, apparently burying itself to end the confrontation.

The Nameless One is an ancient mummy reanimated through shadow magic by the three ninja criminals. It serves as the climactic antagonist of the issue and is seemingly defeated when Irena forces it underground. The creature does not reappear in the NOW Comics series. Head Ninja, Fat Ninja, and Thin Ninja are the three criminals who engineered the plot, identified in the issue only by these descriptive names. Inspector Wilbur is a law enforcement figure who appears in connection with the criminal investigation surrounding Irena.

Irena Cortez returns in NOW Comics Vol. 1 #11, where she helps the Ghostbusters defeat Astorath and takes an interest in adopting Shannon Phillips. She appears again in NOW Comics Vol. 1 #19 in a story where Peter dates her, notably while she remains in werewolf form.
The issue establishes that silver bullets are not required to kill werewolves in the NOW Comics continuity: ordinary bullets are lethal.
This issue is part of the early run of the series established by writer James Van Hise and penciler John Tobias, who collaborated on the majority of Volume 1.

NOW Comics. The Real Ghostbusters Vol. 1 #5. January 1989.
Ghostbusters Wiki (Fandom). "NOW Comics Vol. 1-5." (credits and plot reference)

Publication Details

Report a bug

The Real Ghostbusters: NOW Comics Vol. 1 #5

Publication Details

Sign up free to join the GBFans.com community.

Sign up free to join the GBFans.com community.

Cast

Plot

One-Off Characters

Notes

References