The guys behind these new Ghostbusters comics have some twisted imaginations. A man vomiting
green, glowing bats; rampaging ectoplasmic chimps; the ghost of a conjoined
twin, complete with its own little foetus-babies, bobbing around in its
translucent belly… there’s no shortage of wild, gross-out imagery in these
latest trade collections from IDW. Volume 2, ‘The Most Magical Place of Earth,’
collects issues 5-8, with volume 3, ‘Haunted America,’ collecting volumes 9-12.
All are written by Erik Burnham, with artwork by ‘Dapper’ Dan Schoening and
colours by Luis Antonio Delgado, with further materials from Tristan ‘T-Rex’
Jones.
To recap, Peck is now in charge of the Paranormal Contracts
Oversights Commission (PCOC), now with a legitimate, enforceable right to make
the Ghostbusters’ lives a misery. He’s demanding all four members of the team
be in tip-top physical condition before allowing any further paranormal
investigation. Which is a problem, when an amusement park - that ‘Most Magical Place on Earth’ - becomes
the site of a major supernatural incursion, and a voracious Manitou possesses the
body of a young boy in its quest to feed. It sups on the juices generated by
greed and selfishness, so we’d better hope Venkman goes nowhere near it.
It’s not only Pete who has problems, however. Spengs has a
few demons of his own to deal with, when he spots a long-dead classmate across
the street. This is followed up in the final segment of Vol. 2, ‘The Man Who Cheated
Death,’ in which we discover the real reason there are so many ghosts creeping
out of the cracks in New York these days. This is supported by Jones’s PCOC
pages that appear at the end of the volume, not only giving us the lowdown on
some of the Busters latest ectoplasmic enemies, but also providing us with the
back-up story ‘The Man Who Sought Death.’ It’s a great addition to the series’
burgeoning mythology, and even links events to a familiar Carpathian warlord of
the Busters’ acquaintance.
It’s tough to defend a supernatural uprising in the big city
with all Peck’s regulations in place, though. Still, New York is not the only
state, and there’s a whole ‘Haunted America’ out there. Volume 2 is great, but
Vol. 3 steps it up a notch, taking us on a ghostbusting road trip. We take in
Detroit, haunted by a phalanx of phantom soldiers from throughout American
history, followed by a Thrilling trip to New Orleans, where zombies are rising
from their graves and dancing to the whims of a long-dead voodoo priestess.
Roswell, New Mexico, is having a double-dose of supernatural trouble, as the
ghosts of crashed aliens start to manifest. It’s such an obvious, yes irresistible
idea, but the team find a way to give it a twist (and seeing Egon in a slanging
match against thinly-veiled Fox Mulder
is a hoot). The final step on the journey sees the Busters reach Seattle, where
a rock god rolls out of his grave and starts causing some serious fire hazards.
And all the while, a rival team of ghostbusters are stepping up their efforts
to be the new protectors of New York…
Vol. 3 closes, not with a PCOC entry, but a special tale
from Jones, the Twin Peaks and Duel flavoured ‘Who
Killed Laura Parr?’ It’s an atmospheric, beautifully-told gem of a tale, and
shows Peter in a more heroic light than we’ve seen in a while. It’s all the more
effective for being so stand-alone.
As ever, it’s the combined talents of the four artists
involved that makes these strips such a success. Burnham continues to strike
just the right balance between humour, chills, ongoing stories and gripping set
pieces. Schoening’s art goes from strength to strength, perfectly complimenting
the tone of the script by providing a unique mix of the cartoonish and the
creepy. Delgado’s colours add tremendous depth to the artwork, giving a
movie-rich visual effects finish, while Jones supports the main strip with his
prodigious writing and drawing talents.
Then, of course, there’s the profusion of in-jokes and
references throughout. Almost every panel contains something for the devoted
fan to spot, to the stage that I think I’m spotting things that aren’t actually
there, and are just the products of my confused imagination. It’s the animated
series that get referenced most often – Janine even gets a new boyfriend who’s
the spit of the Extreme Ghostbusters version of Egon. The icing on the cake,
however, is the inclusion of Kylie Griffin, the XGB resident goth chick, here reimagined
as assistant and researcher at Ray’s Occult Books. It’s a great touch. Add in
all the other nods and winks to both RGB and XGB, and it’s easy to imagine that
the events of the animated series are going on in New York, parallel to the
lives of the real Ghostbusters. Well, not the Real Ghostbusters. You know what I
mean.
IDW’s Ghostbusters series
continues to triumph in these two volumes and I eagerly await the fourth. It’s
got a cracking ongoing storyline, fascinating insights into the Busters’
personalities, some of the most imaginative monsters in modern comics, cheeky
nods and winks, a new Ecto-van with a portable containment unit and oodles of
pink slime – what more could a Ghostbusters
fan want?
All artwork reproduced with the kind permission of Dan Schoening.
You can see more of his work at http://danschoening.deviantart.com/
You can also see Tristan Jones's work at http://t-rexjones.deviantart.com/
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