Ghostbusters comics, books, and print-magazine coverage, including previews, publication news, and reviews.
Archive coverage: 2001-08-24–2009-06-18 · 150 entries. Entries are ordered oldest first. Select a date and title to read the original text.
Historical archive: statements, prices, offers, and links reflect their original publication dates. Some linked websites, images, and media may no longer be available.
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- Ghostbusters III — Archived Timeline
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Jump to year: 2001 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009
2001 (1 entry)
— RGB Ranked #36
Apparently the October issue of Wizard magazine has a top 100 cartoons of all time feature and everybody’s favorite was #36. This is a fair-to-middlin’ number until you consider that it beat out The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo.
2003 (12 entries)
— GB Comic in the works? Cartoon? Toys?
So, I go on my first real vacation in, like, four years and looks what I miss. In short, some coy VIPs have been sniffing around the gb.net message boards. As far as anyone can make out, it spells the possibility of a handful of possible Ghostbusters materials. This shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been enjoying the recent spate of retro-80s comics, such as GI Joe, Transformers, and Battle of the Planets.
The whole deal is summed up best at gb.net, so I recommend you scoot over there to get in the know (if you aren’t already). In the meantime, I have to do some humming and hawwing about what I think about the whole matter. Exciting news, in any case.
[UPDATE] Chad continues to post new updates on the matter.
— Movie Comics.
Always happy to find another funny web comic, I direct your attention to Movie Comics, where the comics have a, uh, movie theme. The most recent one
takes a look at my two favorite busters of ghosts – the Ghostbusters and Scooby-doo. Here’s
hoping they’ll do a repeat when the second Scooby-doo movie comes out.
credit | SaugusGB
— New GB Comics announced.
Sony Consumer Products released a press release today announcing the upcoming publication of a new GB comic. Details on the comic, other than that
it will be produced by 88mph studios (makers of some recent kick-ass Transformers art books) and that the series will begin this fall, are slim. But so what? They’re making a comic! And
according to the release, “graphic novels, art books and trade paperbacks, posters, lithographs and wall scrolls.” Sweeeeeeet.
[UPDATE: 88mph Studios have posted a teaser image on their website and say there will be a GB comic website up by next week.]
credit | GB.net
— GB Spectrum articles.
Thanks to Dark Lotus on the GB message board, I was able to follow a vein of articles and information from an old UK magazine that
focused on Spectrum games (the Spectrum was THE gaming system of choice in the UK in the mid-80s). Included in the find were
a preview article just
prior to the release of The Real Ghostbusters game (which covers some interesting material about the movie, the UK comic, as well as the game),
a review of the game an issue later, and the
preview cover, which featured art that obviously used the toys for reference (note the
roof gun chair and the Slimer that looks just like his action figure).
credit | Dark Lotus
— Rollingstone features Parker Jr. lawsuit.
In a recent online feature about (in)famous copyright battles in the music industry, RollingStone put the courtroom showdown between Ray Parker Jr. and
Huey Lewis at number three. The piece is a little skimpy in the write up, but at least they include a “judge for yourself” soundfile, comparing both
songs.
— Bustin' makes another appearance in PVP.
— Steve Kurth named new GB comic artist.
88mph Studios announced over the weekend that Steve Kurth, of the recent Transformers / GI Joe comic series and
art guru in general, will be the new artist on their Ghostbusters comic. I think I speak for us all when I say, congratulations Steve… DRAW FASTER!
— Get ready to buy GB comic
This is just a heads up that the GB comic will be solicited in the upcoming Previews catalog by Diamond Distributors. The
catalog should be available November 26th – don’t worry, you don’t have to buy the catalog, you can just ask your local comic shop
to order the GB comic for you.
Sebastien Clavet of 88mph Studios dropped a note that the comic is titled Ghostbusters: Legion and will be a four part mini-series that will hit store shelves in February 11th, 2004.
He also dropped a hint that Newsarama will be running a preview / interview on Nov. 24th and that
we can expect lots of preview art. Sweeet!
— More comic teaser art
88mph Studios has posted more teaser art from their upcoming GB comic.
Click here to have a look.
| credit cheat2win
— 88mph GB interview and preview
Newsarama has put up their article looking at the upcoming 88mph Studios Ghostbusters comic, along with some
sweet preview art. Check it out here.
Also, 88mph has provided an order form on their website that you can print out and take down to your local comic shop.
— Win (won) a GB comic poster!
You’re thinking, “a bit late, aren’t we?” Yes. Sorry about that. I know this was supposed to wrap up a week ago, but
I got knocked flat by the cold. Nasty. I slimed me, so to speak.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I got postcards and someone won the poster. Namely, Ben Squires! Congrats, the poster and
the stickers will be on their way ASAP, I promise. As for the rest of you who sent me cards, you’ll be getting some cool
stickers, as promised. I’m even sending them out to late postcards, because I’m that cool. No, because I’m that
punchy from all the sneezing I’ve done.
— There were lights, and growling…
While at my local comic shoppe, and going through the Previews for the comic (yay) I chanced upon a listing for Ghostbusters light strings – you know, like Christmas light strings. These alternate between Slimer (very movie style) and the no-ghost logo. Very keen, though I don’t think they’ll be here for x-mas proper. Still, they’ll be great around the house any time of year (especially next Halloween.)
2004 (15 entries)
— Comic cover sneak previews.
Welcome to 2004! If you don’t
already know, 88mph Studios has posted some sneak looks at the covers of the first two Ghostbusters
comics. The keen surprise is that the alternate covers (yes, there’s a second alternate cover version for
each issue) is by Dan Brereton of The Nocturnals fame. I’ve enjoyed Dan’s work for a long time, even meeting
him once years back (he drew me a keen Death – from The Sandman – sketch, which I still have.) Each cover will feature
one of the four boys in grey, with Peter, Winston, and Ray the first to be seen, with Egon presumably coming out just before the
first issue is released (Feb. 11th.)
For those of you who had a look at the solicited pages in Previews magazine,
you’ll notice the variant art there, while still by Dan Bereton, is much different, featuring creatures like Slimer and
the Terror Dogs. One has to wonder – it’s unlikely that Dan would go to the trouble of making art that isn’t used, so
are the covers wrap-around perhaps? Time will tell.
Also of note, there’s a extra rare edition of the first issue coming out, an
“incentive UV cover”. Intended as a perk for shops that buy a certain number of the first issue, the cover is
black with the GB logo on it.
You basically have to promise a comic shop owner some of your internal organs to get one of these, but hope springs eternal, yeah?
— Wait for it…
According to the the Previews shipping lists for the next two weeks, issue #1 of the Ghostbusters: Legion comic series
won’t be out for a few more weeks. As February is apparently still the intended month of release, we’ll have to wait and see if they’re
coming out Wednesday, February 25th.
— Sebastien Clavet Interview
Dynamic Forces has a four page interview with 88mph Studios boss Sebastien Clavet about what it took to bring the Ghostbusters
comic to life and get it into stores.
— The Amazing Spider-Man #507
Written by J Michael Straczynski (RGB) no less! – thanks El!
— More comic covers and an online variant!
Whew! Busy day on the comic front. After misplacing my copy of Previews shortly after buying it, I finally got it back, only to
notice that on the page that solicits the third issue of Ghostbusters: Legion, the picture of the alternate cover… is Egon! Which
is odd, as 88mph Studios had already released a scan of the gorgeous Dan Brereton cover (as in the cover is
gorgeous – Dan’s just so-so), featuring our man Ray. Just as issues one and two showed pictures of Slimer and the
Terror Dogs (as the final art wasn’t available), a concept sketch was used with the words “not finalized art” printed underneath,
which was confirmed by the release of the Ray cover.It
does however provide a neat look at what the fourth and final Egon cover might look like. In deference to 88mph, who have posted on their site that
they would be publishing a scan of the fourth alternate cover soon, I cropped the sketch heavily – you can either pick
up your own copy of Previews magazine to sneak a peek at the full, unofficial sketch,
or just wait until 88mph puts up the actual, finalized, official art.
And on that note, 88mph has posted the regular cover for the fourth issue, featuring the Ecto-1 in full chase! You can check out
the full sized version at their website. As well, it was
confirmed by Sebastien Clavet that issue one has been pushed back to March 10th. However, the delay won’t
affect subsequent issues, meaning issues one and two will come out very quickly, one after the other.
And if that isn’t enough, they also announced that Toyzzz.com, online retailers of all things cool and geeky, is working
with them to offer to fans an exclusive version of the first issue, featuring Vinz Clortho (in doggie form.) You can only
buy this comic
online now for a super deal or online later for millions of dollars (I exaggerate – it probably won’t be
more than a few thousand. Nyuk!) According to the website, only 1000 were produced, with 500 of those being reserved
for sale at this summer’s San Diego Comic Con, which means there are only 500 availabe for sale online, so act fast and don’t
miss out.
— Another exclusive comic cover!
Whoo! While not announced on their website yet, apparently 88mph Studios has put together yet another exclusive first issue
of Ghostbusters: Legion, this time with the
Graham Crackers website (the last one was with Toyzzz.com – see below.) Again, the
special cover issue is limited to 1000, so grab one now. And if you’re not someplace you think you’ll be able to buy the
comic in a store, well, this might be a good place to not only buy a sweet alternate cover, but the other issues as well.
| credit Netsolo
— GB Comic to go monthly
While reading the latest
post on his website, Andrew Dabb (writer on the GB comic series) dropped a keen bit on info –
the GB comic is apparently going monthly starting in June.
“The news is better on Ghostbusters which will be going monthly starting in June. I’ve begun outlining the
first years’ issues (12, one per month plus a special) and we’ve got some cool stuff in the works.”
I guess pre-orders on the Legion series went well.
— Sneak peek at GB comic story art.
Newsarama has posted four interior pages from the first issue of the Ghostbusters: Legion series and all the alternate covers, including
our first look at the final Egon / Brereton cover
(but with the exception of the UV incentive cover.) Sweeeet! The interior art is even colored. Don’t keep
reading, you should be
checking out the sneaks!
— Monthly GB title solicited.
The latest issue of Previews magazine is taking orders for the monthly GB comic from 88mph Studios and
includes a sketch of the varient cover. Now’s as good a time as any to ask your local comic shop to add it to your
account (I know I sure did.) On their website 88mph posted a nice
colour version of the regular
cover. Also, the word at
GBHQ has it that GB:Legion number one will ship April 7th, so keep an eye out.
— Ghostbusters: Legion #1 ships
Most comic shops got their orders of the first issue of the GB mini-series today. If you don’t have your copy,
start making noise. While most shops got copies of both covers (and a rare handful of special incentive covers)
a few have claimed they didn’t get their orders. Graham Crackers has its special alternate cover
version on the shelves, but online orders have yet to arrive into people’s hands. Hopefully fans who
did place orders for the two special online exclusives will be seeing them shortly.
— Ghostbusters: Legion #1 sells out
Well, I was hoping that nothing big would happen, news-wise, while I was away, but there you have it; the first issue of the
new Ghostbusters comic mini-series has officially sold out. This had been mentioned by the 88mph crew a couple of days ago,
but they made an official announcement on their
website today. And while a few fans are now frantically looking for a copy (hint: Graham Crackers Comics),
88mph couldn’t be happier that their initiative payed off.
“We’re very happy with the response we’ve received so far from retailers and fans,” said 88MPH publisher Sebastien Clavet. “Doing a book based on something as beloved as Ghostbusters was always a risk, there’s a lot to live up to, but Andrew, Steve, Serge and Blond all did amazing work. I love this book and I’m glad to see so many others do as well.”
88mph is currently looking at the feasibility of a second print run.
— GB: Legion #1 to get reprint
Did you miss out on the first issue of Ghostbusters: Legion? No problem. Due to the popular response to the comic, 88mph Studios has
announced that they will be reprinting the comic, revealing a new cover for it no less. Sweeeet.
At the same time you might notice that the
88mph website has been lightly overhauled. And if that isn’t enough, the studio
has revealed the cover for the second issue of the regular GB comic series.
— I gots mine.
Ernie Hudson suits up for a snap with
Randy Falk of NECA at Chiller Theatre 2004.
This past Wednesday, comic shops everywhere received their orders for NECA’s series one Ghostbusters action figures. I picked mine up and they are well worth it – the Slimer looks amazing and the extras he comes with, including a translucent green base (so it looks lik he’s flying) are perfect. Gozer with the extra hands and feet are top notch, but the must-have item of the set is the Mr. Stay-Puft. I wasn’t expecting it to have much movement, but the arms do swivel and the head has an amazing, fluid range of motion. Better head on down and grab yours today. A big thanks to everyone who emailed me to say their store got some in!
— GB comic issue 3 starts to hits shelves.
Both cover verions of Ghostbusters issues 3 arrived at my local comic shop this week, but the trip from creation to shelves hasn’t been
perfectly smooth, with some stores still missing the third installment. But fear not, it will be available everywhere on
December 1st. Sebastien Clavet, head honcho at 88mph Studios, sent out an email today to clarify;
“Q. Where is GB 3 of 4? I can’t find it anywhere!
The first shipment of GB 3 of 4 was released in North America on November 10th. If your comic book store did not receive their copies then, they will on December 1st.
Here is the explanation and its technicalities.
First you must know that our distributor, Diamond Comics Distribution, sends a PO (purchase order) to all publishers who solicit their comics in the Previews catalog. The PO is required to know how many copies will be printed, without it a publisher can not proceed with printing his comics.
Due to unforeseen delays, GB 3 of 4’s original PO was canceled, the issue was later re-offered for pre-order using two seperate re-solicitation methods.
The first re-solicitation was made through a system only available to retailers, this was done to insure that a new PO could be created quickly.
The second re-solicitation was made through the Previews catalog a few weeks after the first one. The gap between the two seperate re-solicitation was inevetable as the Previews catalog PO is created weeks after the first PO, the one created from the retailers pre-orders.
This created two different PO’s, hence two different shipments. The first shipment hit the shelves on November 10th, and the second shipment will be available on December 1st.
The two seperate re-solicitation were necessary to insure that GB 3 of 4 be first available on November 10th, and the rest of the orders on December 1st. Combining both PO’s was not possible due to the fact that we recieve them several weeks apart and this would have delayed the release of the entire shipment to December 1st.
We apologize for such confusion, many were under the impression that we had not printed enough copies, that is not the case. We always make sure that we print just a little bit more than the actual pre-orders to insure everyone gets a copy.
The decision to proceed this way was made to have some copies available to the public as soon as possible.
We also want to note that Diamond was not at fault as they distributed all copies available on the first shipment. Diamond was particularly helpful in this matter and made possible for this issue to be printed in time for the holidays, therefore we wish to thank them for their support.
The second shipment of GB 3 of 4 (not to be confused with a second printing) will be on stand December 1st.
We hope you all enjoy this issue!”
— Legion #4 slated for January 19th.
88mph Studios has sent word that the fourth and final issue of Ghostbusters: Legion will hit the stands at your
favorite comic shop this January 19th. If you haven’t asked to have one put aside, now might be a good time to
get that sorted out.
2005 (21 entries)
— One last alternate cover.
With issue four, the last of the Ghostbusters mini-series by
88mph Studios due out on the 19th (
sneak peek), you
might want to
check out an alternate third cover for the series. Sold exclusively through
Bulldog Collectibles, the Steve Kurth cover
features Egon being stalked by a very paranormal bulldog. Bulldog has a $75 minimum order EXCEPT for first time
orders, so if you’ve never tried their online store before, this might be the perfect time. If you have used them before,
I think you’re buying 12 copies of the comic.
— Previews GB:Legion HC – by Graham Crackers
Kingpin, who constantly lives up to his moniker, caught wind of an offer in the upcoming issue of Previews catalogue;
“GHOSTBUSTERS LEGION PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE HC
by Andrew Dabb, Steve Kurth, Serge LaPointe & Blond; cover by
Ben Templesmith
The Ghostbusters are back! Now is your chance to own this very special,
hard cover edtion of their first new adventure. This collection is packed
with bonus material. Containing all four issues of the Legion mini-series,
it also includes the 12 page San Diego Comic-Con 2004 Exclusive
“The Zeddemore Factor”; in color, never before seen characters case studies
and more. Featuring a brand new cover by famed artist Ben Templesmith, this
may very well be the only time this collection is offered.
HC, 7×10, 136pgs, FC SRP: $24.95″
The hardcover edition is apparently an exclusive to Previews, so the only place to
get one is through your local comic shop – pre-ordering wouldn’t be a bad idea.
— Legion Cover preview – one yay and a huh?
Like a big, wet kiss on Valentine’s Day, 88MPH Studios has posted cover art for the upcoming
hard cover compilation of the four-part Legion mini-series. The extremely gorgeous
pencil sketches of the Ecto-1, by Alvaro Pardo are a bit of a head scratch however. This month’s
listing for the book in Previews catalog says the cover is by Ben “30 Days of Night” Templeton. Eh?
Art changes aren’t uncommon and we’ll know what’s up soon, I’m sure. Please stand by.
The abundance of art aside, the big news is that there will be a foreword by Dan Aykroyd!
— GB hardcover orders cancelled
Last week 88mph Studios sent out an email to everyone on their mailing list that the ongoing series was
NOT cancelled (I’m not sure where the rumour started that it was) and that “Also, the hard cover trade
of the Legion mini-series will now be offered directly from us and pre-ordering will be made on
this website.“
What wasn’t very clear from the wording was whether this was in addition to the orders solicited
through Diamond Distributors. A chat with my local comic shop owner confirmed that all pre-orders of
the GB hardcover edition have been
cancelled. While 88mph said there’d be more info this week, it currently looks like all orders will have
to be through the studio directly. Stay tuned.
— GB hardcover orders with Graham Crackers still valid!
Sebastien posted on the 88mph Studios website yesterday that all orders for the Ghostbusters Legion hardcover, placed through
Graham Crackers Comics are still valid and will be honored – no need to contact them on the matter.
At the same time, he posted a link to a new interview he gave to
Sequential Tart.
Of interest is Mr. Clavet’s discussion about independant publishers and the need to move from a 32 page format to
publishing less regular, but more durable and cost efficient squarebound editions. While not verified, it
would make a certain amount of sense for the coming regular GB series (similar to the way IDW initially
published their Kolchak: Night Stalker series.) Stay tuned.
— Titan Books UK republishing GB:Legion
Titan Books out of the UK is fixing to re-publish 88mph Studio’s Ghostbusters: Legion in one trade paperback. Besides a couple of
online mentions at UK sci-fi sites, the edition has been
listed at Amazon.co.uk, with an August 29th release date and a £8.99 cover price.
It does not appear to be the same edition as the Legion collection due out soon. Stay tuned.
| credit Cheesebuster
— Lots more from Titan Books!
After contacting Titan Books I have a few things to share – First off, the cover
as seen on Amazon.co.uk isn’t
the final cover art. And while Amazon does list the proper SRP of eight pounds ninty-nine (approx. $17US and $21CDN),
they bobbled the release date by a month.
Titan will be shipping the book July 24th. Besides collecting the four issues into one trade edition,
Titan also says the
book will feature “exclusive background features and a gallery.” and “the 12 page
Zeddemore factor story.” Sounds like a soft cover edition of 88mph Studio’s
deluxe hard cover coming out soon.
And if that wasn’t enough;
“We will also be releasing a children’s title in August called Ghostbusters:
A Hard Day’s Fright. In this first volume, collecting the Real Ghostbusters
comic and based on the smash-hit cartoon, creators including Dan Abnett
(Majestic) and artist Anthony Williams (2000 AD) bring the zany fun of the
cartoon series to the comics page!”
— 88mph Studios taking hardcover orders NOW!
88mph Studios has put out the words that their
online ordering system is now up and running and taking
pre-orders for the special edition hardcover of the Legion series – the system accepts PayPal and all major credit cards.
Editor Grandpoopah Sebastien is asking everyone
to get their orders in and to spread the word!
It’s very important that anyone wishing to buy a copy order now – the book will be printed to order, which means if you
don’t buy one now, finding one later will be difficult, if not impossible! The only exception is if you
already placed an order through Graham Cracker Comics – these orders will still be honored.
The 88mph website talked a bit about the book orders;
– The Hard Cover Trade will be shipped in a double-protetected box, specially designed for this book to insure that it arrives at your door in perfect pristine condition.
– The book will start shipping at the end of April / early May and you will recieve it in May.
There’s more at the 88mph website.
— 88mph HC ordering ends June 10th
The title says it all. Sebastien Clavet of 88mph has posted that hardcover pre-orders will end June 10th. The book is being made to honor these order, then it will be made no more, according to 88mph, so if you want one, better order now.
“The book will start shipping this summer, more details soon. We apologize for the delay but please be sure that ALL orders will be honored.”
— 88mph HC pre-orders end June 10th
The title says it all. Sebastien Clavet of 88mph has posted that hardcover
pre-orders will end June 10th.
“The book will start shipping this summer, more details soon. We apologize for the delay but please be sure that ALL orders will be honored.”
— 88mph art for sale
Serge Lapointe is selling off some of his inked comic pages, including one of the exclusive covers and a splashpage (pencilled by Steve Kurth, so it’s a two-fer!) Bidding started exactly 20 seconds after he first posted it to the message boards and there are only four days in the auctions, so you might want to jump in quick (he also has GI Joe art as well, if you’re keen.)
— Review: Legion TPB (Titan Books edition)
While the 88mph hardcover collection of the Legion series continues its indefinite delay, Titan Books in the UK is poised to release their own softcover trade paperback. While missing the Dan Aykroyd foreword, the book is supposed to contain everything else to be found in the hardcover edition, including the coloured version of the convention exclusive Zeddemore Factor (see above for an example and one of writer Andrew Dabb’s best jokes.)
First off, the cover, which was solicited in an unfinal form, using Dan Bereton’s Venkman cover from issue one, has been changed to a classic black with the no-ghost logo. You can’t beat the classic look, eh?
Inside, the cover for the Zeddemore Factor (a ghost trap on a plain white field) is used for the copyright info page, which is nice, as the cover gallery only features the two main versions of each of the four issues, so it’s nice that the con exclusive art appears somewhere. The other covers aren’t represented however – this is understandable for the exclusive retailer covers, but it would have been nice for those who don’t have the reprint of issue one, with its beautiful Ecto-1 cover, but that’s minor.
The rest of the book is the four-part series – I love having the entire series in my hands at once. Finally! A reading copy, so I don’t have to sully my originals. And as icing on top, the coloured version of the Zeddemore Factor is gorgeous. I know a lot of people are big fans of Blond’s work on the Legion series, but Adam Nichols has an approach to light that I dig. Whereas Blond works in shades, Nichols uses stepped layers of colour.
But what’s a good book if it’s not a mystery? Last page of the book, which features a particularly gruesome picture of Slimer, purports that “vol. 2 is coming soon.” It’s got a ISBN listing and everything.
I know, I know – you’re guess is as good as mine. It may just be have been leg work done in anticipation of the stalled ongoing series. Stay tuned, I’m working to find out more.
[UPDATE] – Until Paul reminded me, I totally forgot to post the Amazon.co.uk link. Whoops! Thanks Paul!
— Titan's second Marvel UK reprint collection
As the release of Titan Book’s first TPB collection of the old Marvel UK Real Ghostbusters comics approaches, the second one has been listed for a December 23rd release. Entitled Who Ya Gonna Call?, the second volume will reprint a handful of the 180+ Real Ghostbuster comics originally printed in the UK – this is going to take a lot of volumes! I’m not sure I’d call that a final cover – something about the text looks a bit mocked up, but it looks like it’s close. Stay tuned.
credit | Timo
— "Everyone can relax, I found the car."
Alvaro Pardo, who was tapped to do the covers for the 88mph hardcover, is selling some of his work. The gorgeous ink work features the Ecto-1, but isn’t either of the two pieces supposed to be used in the hardcover (for a bigger look at the piece, click here.) Alvaro says he will be selling more pieces to come, so maybe there will be more Ghostbuster work in the near future.
— Serge LaPointe art on eBay
Serge LaPointe is selling some of his comic pages on eBay, including a fine selection of this Ghostbusters work. A good opportunity for fans of the comic to get themselves a unique item.
— Ghostrider v. Ghostbusters
Buzzscope.com has formalized the old idea of comic fans playing Who Would Win, by setting up regular matches – readers then go to their message forums and sound of on who they think would win in a fight, and why. Appropriately for October, they’ve squared The Boys in Grey off against Marvel Comic’s spirit of vengence, Ghostrider. What really makes it is the art by Chris Moreno.
| credit Captain Nate
— Ghostbusters Legion hardcovers prepped for shipping
It’s been a wait, but it’s almost over – 88mph Studios sent out an email today to everyone that ordered a copy of the Legion series hardcover letting them know that the books will start shipping soon.
“We will send your book(s) at the address on your PayPal file at the moment of purchase.
We have not started to ship the book(s) yet and we will inform you when we do by email and on this page.
If you changed address between the time you ordered and now please inform us of your new shipping address by using the proper subject line “Address Change” in the contact form at the bottom of this page. If you have not changed address then nothing is required form your part at the moment.
We Thank You for your order and hope you will enjoy your purchase.”
If you ordered the book, but don’t recieve an email regarding it within 24 hours, or if you’ve changed your mailing address since you initially placed the order, 88mph asks that you contact them (select the appropriate subject line from the drop-down menu.)
This is a good time to remind everyone that if you placed your order through Graham Cracker Comics, your order is fine and will be shipping soon as well.
[UPDATE] Clarification on any orders placed through Graham Cracker Comics.
The email notifications were sent to all customers who have ordered through this website.
If you ordered through http://www.grahamcrackers.com then you will not recieve a notification email from us (or them) as we simply don’t have your information. We apologize for any inconvenicences this might cause.
However it should be noted that Graham Crakcers is a serious and well respected comic book store chain that has years of experience in online ordering and they manage their database with great care.
This means you don’t have to contact them to make sure your order is still valid, if you haven’t canceled your order with them then they already have your information on file and your order is still valid.
You only need to contact them if you have moved and need to have your order ship to a different address than the one you originally gave them when you ordered.
Other than that they will ship your order when they recieve their own shipment from us!
— Better look at Templesmith Legion cover.
Way back when, back when the collected edition for 88mph Studio’s Legion series was being solicited in Previews, a tiny, blurry scan of the proposed cover art was shown – that cover was created by 30 Days of Night artist, Ben Templesmith. Ultimately the collection changed into a hardcover and Templesmith’s art was replaced by that of Alvaro Pardo (the changing to a hardcover didn’t have anything to do with the artist change, I was just being flowery in my writing – no one’s sure why Templesmith was replaced.)
Now Templesmith has posted a better scan of his cover – it’s a shame really. It was a really nice piece.
credit | Kingpin
— RGB reference in Image comic
Image Comics has a new series, Fear Agent, which I will be the first to admit I know very little about. It comes off like a grittier Doctor 13 or Challengers of the Unknown – whatever the case, in a recent issue a very familiar piece of equipment can be seen (see above.) It might be an interesting series to check out!
credit | MilesEB
— Titan's Hard Day's Fright hits stores
After much anticipation, A Hard Day’s Fright has finally landed in North American stores. To celebrate, I’ve posted my interview with one of the creative staff behind Marvel UK’s Real Ghostbusters comics, Dan Abnett.
Now, here’s the break-down of the book. First off, it’s smaller than I thought. I had it in my head that they’d be more the size of the UK annuals or at least standard comic size, but the perfect bound book is, well, see the above photo.
Inside are 21 stories and five of Dan Abnett’s Spengler’s Spirit Guides (Ghosts, Demons, Ectoplasm, Spooky Noises and Lost Cities.) Absent are the short strips and puzzles originally printed, in favour of the longer stories.
It’s great to see these in print, available to a continent of fans who haven’t seen them before. However, I was surprised to see that the comics are literally reprints – they appear to be scans taken from the old comics. The colours have a muted quality you see when you scan old comic prints as well as a hint here and there of the moire patterns caused by scanning the small dots of ink used to colour the pages. Don’t get me wrong, they look nice, with only one page with a colour shift blurring (caused by the printing process) and if they were in fact using scans, touching up was likely done. I was just surprised that original art wasn’t used – perhaps they weren’t available. We do know that a lot of the original art sheets can be found on the collectors market for sale.
Whatever the case (I’ll stop being a publishing nerd now), for $8.95 this is an excellent way for young and old fans to get their hands on some (likely) new Ghostbuster tales.
— Print is dead
Well, sheesh.
If you came by late last night or early this morning, you may have noticed PC was down, replaced by a Network Solutions placeholder. That’s because my renewal was due last Wednesday and I plum forgot. It’s not their fault, they did remind me. A lot. I’ve just been preoccupied. It’s all good now.
As an aside however, as I’ve been rooting around in my account info, I discovered that according to the records, as of last Wednesday, Protoncharging.com has existed for 7 years. Which by extension means that Q2, 2006, Proton Charging will have been around for 10 years.
Ten.
Years.
The question then, is how does a website celebrate 10 years online? I have a few things I’ve been meaning to do; I’ll probably get around to them, possibly as part of some half-assed celebration. Put for fun, I’ll put the question to you, dear reader. What do you think PC should do to mark the occasion?
2006 (13 entries)
— Zeddemore Factor pages
Adam Nichols, who was hired to colour The Zeddemore Factor, has posted the coloured pages of the black and white con exclusive comic (sans text) online. If you happen to own a copy of the black and white version, but haven’t picked up the colour version in TPB form yet, you’re in for a treat.
credit | RogerJohnson
— Lapointe selling more of his GB artwork
Serge Lapointe is offering more of his Ghostbusters comic art for sale on eBay – this time it’s another Legion page and a page from comic convention exclusive. Check it out here (other art, including some great GI Joe art is also available.)
— GB hardcover not dead, just in a coma.
Just got an email from 88mph on the situation of the long delayed hardcover edition of Ghostbusters: Legion.
Hello Everyone!
Long time no “talk”, mea culpa as they say.
Mistakes were done, lessons were learned and here we are.
First off, the Hard Cover situation. The only reason why it is impossibly delayed (not canceled) is caused by a low ordering versus a high printing cost. Now is it fans fault ? Hell no. Is it my fault ? Who else really, so yes.
I probably should have done it in soft cover first, maybe I should have done more advertizing, I should have done more of this and less of that. At the end of the day what is important to know is when do you get your copy.
The only way for me to compensate for the low ordering is to finance the difference myself, hence making this process very slow. However there is something you the fans can do to help out by simply letting me know about a few things. I will post polls tonight and just let me know what you think about various things.
Polls will be posted in the Literature section of http://www.weaverhall.com
Again I apologize for the aggravation this is causing everyone but I can say that there is not one day that I don’t work on solving this unfortunate delay. Apologizing does not absolve all my sins, I realize that but I hope you will all participate in the polls which will definitely help.
Mistakes were done, lessons were learned and better things are to come.
Cheers
Sebastien
— ibooks folds – GB novel instant collectible
ibooks, publisher of Ghostbusters: The Return, and Byron Preiss Visual Publications filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on February 22nd. In the wake of Byron Preiss’s death last year (something I had not heard about), the company tried its best to continue without him, but ultimately could not make it work.
Chapter 7 is not protection from creditors while the company restructures, but rather the move to liquidate all assets – presumably this means the GB novel will be sold off to some other party in the coming year. Time will tell.
If you don’t have a copy of the book already, you’d best start looking around, fast. Amazon no longer has any copies available and their associated stores are asking for upwards of $88US… used.
credit | 88mph Studios
— Second Titan RGB book out
The second collection of Marvel UK’s Real Ghostbusters comic, Who You Gonna Call?, came out this week (a month later than originally expected) – I just picked my copy up at my local comic shop. As last time, the small format, perfect bound book features a collection of reprints from the weekly British comic series, including a handful of Spengler’s Spirit Guides (written by Dan Abnett – click here to read PC’s interview with Abnett.) I’ll have to check, but this edition seems a bit bigger than the first one.
— Wizard hypes RGB DVDs
From issue 174/April2006 (pg. 90) of Wizard
Thanks to Edward Hartman III for the scan!
— Print is not dead.
Click here. It’ll make you smile.
— Back from LA – Hardcover barely on life support
I’m back, semi-rested, and commenters drank everything in my booze cabinet – nice.
For whomever asked, yes, I was at E3, but didn’t get to see much, as I was hustling my can all the time. I did get a look at Dead Rising, which is zombies, not ghosts, but is a lot of fun.
The big news upon my return is Sebastien retreating from the public eye until he has good news about the GB hardcover, which may mean we never see Seb again. For those of you who want to complain, feel free to do-so in a constructive manner. For those of you who want to complain that Proton Charging made you buy the book (you know how you are) and now you feel ripped off and want to blame me, get stuffed. Caveat Emptor, fanboy – welcome to the club, we all got bit.
UPDATE – Paul at Spook Central spotted awhile back a new forum for grousing about the Hardcover. It sounds like a good home for anyone with a gripe to air.
— Premiere magazine comedy issue
Item 1 from “GB Misc”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
A few quick notes – first off, the latest issue of Premiere magazine (July/August 2006) is the Comedy Issue. Besides a nice shot of Bill Murray, complete with nice commentary by Ivan Reitman, and besides a lot of Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis commentary on comedy (including working on movies such as Ghostbusters) and besides the whole issue being a good read for any fan of comedy, and despite Ghostbusters not making it into the oral history of comedy much (only so much space to talk about a lot of films), they did have a nicely prominant picture of Slimer, and Ghostbusters topped the list of ghostly comedies.
Wry Spirits – Ghostbusters, All Of Me, The Ghost Breakers, Topper, Beetlejuice
— Third Titan book ships early
Not slated for release until August 20th, Titan’s third collection of Marvel UK’s Real Ghostbusters reprints hit comic shops last week. So, if you were planning to pick it up, you might want to check your local store – even Amazon is still convinced it isn’t released.
— 88mh / Hasbro lawsuit
It appears Hasbro and 88mph Studios (publishers of the recent Ghostbusters comics) are locked in a lawsuit;
88MPH Studios, Inc. suing Hasbro, Inc.
Montmagny, QC, Canada – July 21, 2006 – Counterclaiming Hasbro’s own legal action, 88MPH Studios, the cross-plaintiff, is initiating its own lawsuit against the toy manufacturer, seeking 90006.23$ (cdn) worth of damages for wrongful doings and the non respect of multiple contractual terms in regards to a licensing agreement concerning the publication of Transformers related books.
The press release doesn’t say what the lawsuits are about, though presumably its over the Transformers licence – with Transformers movie coming soon, this could be interesting.
— Cracked magazine returns with Ghostbusters coverage
Item 3 from “News round-up”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
And Cracked magazine is back, and they’ve earned themselves a subscriber with coverage of both GB movies, a hilarious picture of Dan Aykroyd as a mountie, and a small feature on Bill Murray. Thanks me! I’ll post more on it later.
— Fourth Titan book hits shelves
Titan’s fourth collection of UK Real Ghostbusters comics, This Ghost is Toast!, hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago. I dropped by my comic local and got my copy. The book, in it’s unique micro-prestige format, contains several comic stories and a random helping of Spengler’s Spirit Guide, including my favorite, “Er, Love.”
Thanks to Randy for reminding me – it’s been sitting in my shoulder bag for a week and I’d totally forgotten about it.
2007 (19 entries)
— 88mph/Weaver Hall back up
88mph and associated message board, Weaver Hall, is back up again.
— OXM talks to Zootfly! So does Gamespot!
The Official Xbox Magazine podcast has pinned down Tibor Klajnscek of Zootfly (the website lists him as a programmer on the project) to talk about the game; what are it’s chances, what they’re hoping to down, and how they plan to do it.
You can download the podcast tomorrow at oxmpodcast.com or subscribe to podcast via iTunes (free.) Sign up now so you don’t miss out tomorrow! Big thanks to Dan!
[update] Direct Link to episode in question.
This comes in the wake of Zootfly’s CEO Bostjan Troha answering some questions for Gamespot. Thanks to Adam Nutter for the tip.
As diehard Ghostbusters fans we somehow felt obliged to share the early prototypes with the public. Also, we hoped to show that the fan base is enormous and that there’s a wide and genuine interest for a next-gen Ghostbusters game.
— Reitman and Home Theater Magazine on GB (briefly)
Ivan Reitman was interviewed by Chris Chiarella in a recent issue of Home Theater Magazine, in which (as you’d expect) Ghostbusters comes up – the interview was about the DVD release of My Super Ex-Girlfriend, but GB kind of dominated. GhostDiva kindly sent a transcript of the the GB bits.
Q: With Ghostbusters, did you feel you introduced a new genre? It was a great fantasy/adventure, but I don’t anyone had blended those with comedy so successfully before.
A: Well, thank you. I don’t know if it was “new.” I think there’d been versions of it. I don’t think anyone had done it where the tone was quite so…right. The comedy is pretty pure and very contemporary, the scary parts are legitimately scary, and the science fiction, even though it’s a bit spoofed, plays on this grand scale.
Q: I’ve heard some creative people say that success can be a trap. Was there any downside to the Ghostbusters phenomenon?
A: It took me a long time to say yes to another movie, as a director. I had quite a run, for about 20 years, of making one hit after another. So, I can’t say it was a determent, although I think it made me a very difficult “yes.”
Q: The pressure to commit to the right project next.
A: The bar gets set higher and higher. Between the periods of Animal House and Ghostbusters, in those five years, I , one, directed and, two, produced the two highest-grossing comedies of all time, with some pretty good hits in between.
Q: With so many of your movies at Universal, and them strictly in the HD camp, and Sony all about Blu-Ray, are you going to have to back both formats if the split continues?
A: I guess. I have a big chunk at Universal; I have a very big chunk at Sony because Sony has all the Bill Murray movies: Meatballs, Stripes, and the two Ghostbusters. And Heavy Metal. I think the Ghostbusters movies and Stripes are three of the biggest titles ever-because they keep doing new editions of them! [laughs]
Also of note, Reitman owns 4000+ laserdiscs, all of them suffering bit-rot now.
— More Real Ghostbusters after these messages
There’s a new magazine popping up in the UK called Cereal:Geek (not to be confused with plain old Geek magazine, which is also worth noting) that will come out quarterly – 100 pages, no ads – and focus on those wonderful, wasted Saturday mornings of youth. Specifically the 80s.
Dubious at first, I’ve now shelled out for the first issue – the sample pages I’ve seen feature brilliant articles and features, such as taking a cartoon episode and coming up with a cover for it, if it were a comic. Not to mention a lot of fantastic art – I mean really, what are the chances we’re going to see new M.A.S.K. art anywhere else?
In addition, NOW Comics RGB cover artist Ken Steacy has contributed not one, but two new pieces of RGB art for the issue – and it doesn’t end there. This from Cereal:Geek horses’ mouth (I don’t know if they have a horse – it’s just an expression.)
There’s one surprise article that I don’t want to ruin, but let’s just say it has Ghostbuster versus Ghostbuster – And I wrote a piece about the episode “Killerwatt” as there appeared to be a few animation companies working on that one episode… I already have people working on Real Ghostbusters illustrations for issue two…
I’m looking into subscription and off-line purchase opportunities – more on that soon.
— Cereal:Geek pt. 2
I mentioned previously a new magazine called Cereal:Geek. Well, I finally got my copy in the mail a couple of weeks back – I just haven’t had time to mention it.
It’s as keen as I expected it to be – besides additional art by Ken Steacy (he of the Now comics cover fame) they did a walk-through of the opening credits, an article on sometimes RGB contributing studio, Toei, and did head-to-head essays on RGB versus Filmation’s Ghost Busters, complete with Peter fighting Jake. And that’s just the Ghostbusters stuff – they covered a lot of Saturday morning ground, and promise more good stuff to come.
Issue one is currently only available via their website, but the second issue will be solicited through Previews (at which time, they also think they may re-offer the first issue.)
And in the meantime, they’ve been posting notable clips from various cartoons, including RGB, on YouTube.
— Softcover GB Legion TPB solicited
The latest Previews catalog from Diamond Distributors is taking orders for a softcover trade paperback of the Ghostbusters: Legion comic series, by 88mph Studios. Orders placed for this catalog will arrive in October. It’s on page 297 – ask your local comic shop.
The listing says the TPB will feature comic series and the color version of the Zeddmore Factor (the ComicCon give-away comic by 88mph.) However, this doesn’t appear to be a North American release of the Titan publishing TPB in the UK, as the listing also says the book (which features one of the Steve Kurth covers of the comic series – not the black, logo UK version) will feature extras, including character concept art. So, it would appear that this is closer to the hardcover version. No word yet if the hardcover will be shipped prior to the softcover version, or if the two have the same content.
The book got a staff call-out, which is nice and while I have yet to find it, the catalog is also soliciting the Ecto-1 Lithograph by 88mph. Given that my comic dude put in an order for me, not realizing I already own a copy, I’m assuming the listing is in there somewhere. This is good news for anyone looking to get a copy for the $20 pricetag, but without the shipping cost – it’s possibly doubly good news for overseas fans, who may be able to order through local shops who deal with Diamond Distributors (can’t swear to this though.)
— Print is dead, and in desperate need of archiving.
I’m not a fan fiction kind of guy – there are enough books out there I haven’t read yet, I’ve never felt the need to add fan generated stories to the “to-do” pile. However, I’ve known there has been a long history of Ghostbusters fan fiction, Real Ghostbusters in particular, since day one. Easily one of the original online Ghostbusters websites was Sheila Paulson’s.
As the net grew in popularity, the need to print and distribute fan fiction seemed to decrease, as getting a story out there was just a simple click of a button. And now, GB fandom has been online so long that some of the early digital fans have come and gone – how is a fandom supposed to keep thier history alive? Why, with a Wiki of course.
The FanHistory.com wiki project is actively looking for more people with time and knowledge to help fill out the Ghostbusters listing, both old-school pre-Internet and beyond – check it out.
— Old Entertainment Weekly article on Murray
Someone scanned this 1993 interview with Bill Murray from Entertainment Weekly – this would have been shortly after his success with Groundhog Day. A lot of excellent observations on the actor by his friends, many of whom have had to act as his director. An excellent read, particularly this perfect insight by Harold Ramis.
“Success has, oddly, darkened his life a little bit,” says Ramis of Murray. “Some of the things he was less committed to, have gotten undue praise. So it confuses him in a way. It might make him wonder: If you knew you were going to be successful but unhappy at your work, would you do it?”
Murray also briefly touches on Ghostbusters (he does enjoy the first half of the film the most) and Ghostbusters 2, explaining why he took on the sequel, as someone that doesn’t like sequels, and why ultimately he was unhappy with the results.
Thank to Fome for finding the link.
— Ghosthead launches comic
Troy “Netsolo” Benjamin, head honcho at Ghostbusters HQ, has been working in his basement laboratory to produce a comic – and now that comic’s time has come. Illustrated by fellow HQ barfly, Chris “Spade” Enterline, Still Playing With Comics #1 is currently being solicited in the August Previews Catalog. Run to your local comic shop and bug them about it – if your shop is anything like mine, you’ve probably got until mid-month to get your order in.
Grats Troy – October can’t get here soon enough!
— Cereal:Geek second issue coming soon
They said it couldn’t be done! Provided they means “no one” and couldn’t means “it could work.”
Cereal: Geek magazine, which featured no end of Real Ghostbusters love, has been enough of a success to warrant a second issue… which also features some Real Ghostbusters love. Just check out the back cover for more Saturday morning goodness. No word yet on North America retailers carrying the magazine, but I’ll keep an ear to the ground.
— Cereal:Geek second issue hit stands
In no time flat since they announced that there would be a second issue, the makers of Cereal:Geek magazine have finished it! And it’s out! And you can buy it from Graham Crackers! Except they’re out!
So, yeah, in the good news/bad news department, those of you who may have been reluctant to buy overseas last time can now buy from Graham Crackers comics… except they’re sold out. Gah!
No worries, I’m sure there will be more soon. In the meantime, make note of this link – this is where you can find out how to buy a copy for yourself (and yes, it appears this issue will be as jam packed with RGB goodness as the last one, as evidenced by the illustration above, care of Dan/Traditional Danimation, by the looks of it.)
— Ghostbusters meet The Simpsons
It’s nearly Halloween and that means it’s time for a new Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror comic from Bongo. This year is the 13th issue of the annual fav – a collection of four stories, one features the Comic Shop Guy lucking into some movie props. However, they are cursed and will transport whomever holds them into the movie for which they were made. Among various movies, the gang at Moe’s Tavern end up in Ghostbusters, apparently – I haven’t read the issue yet, so I don’t know if the movie is named or just parodied, nor do I know what the prop is that transports them – I think I need to make a little trip to the comic shop!
The movie is referenced – not tonnes, but in a couple of good, solid says. Mr. Stay Puft puts in an appearance. And the other movies range from Star Trek to Buckaroo Banzai to Evil Dead 2. Awesome!
— Toyfare #124 hits the stands
The latest issue of Toyfare, going with a hint of Halloween as a theme (the cover story is on the 20 best horror toys of all time), features a look at the Real Ghostbusters toy line from Kenner.
RETRO FEATURE: REAL GHOSTBUSTERS
• Everyone loves the Ghostbusters, be it the film, the cartoon…or the toys! We’ll take a look at the classic toy line, as well as the cartoon episodes and cross-promotional beverages we loved—even the Extreme Ghostbusters!
The translation is the RGBs make an appearance in the editorial cartoon, and a three page spread on the toy line, including a short talk with J. Michael Straczynski and a love letter to Ecto-Cooler and Slime. There’s also a special price guide in the back on the RGB and EGB toys (something Toyfare hasn’t listed in a loooooong time.)
— Cereal:Geek second issue restocked!
Graham Crackers has gone through two orders of the second issue of Cereal:Geek magazine, but never fear – the word is they’ve just ordered a third batch. So those of you who want to buy a copy via the online comic shop (which you’ll have to do, if you’re not in the UK) rejoice. But act fast. Who know how long it will take for this batch to sell-out?
— Venkman litho for sale
Following the Ecto-1 lithograph offered by 88mph Studios, comes the Peter Venkman lithograph. The print features the Dan Brereton watercolour portrait of Dr. Venkman. Here are the details;
Painted by Dan Brereton, the unique finish of the original was faithfully reproduced with the utmost dedication to quality. Superior printing materials were used to create this exceptional lithograph. The final results are amazing and truly does justice to this stunning work of art.
Price $19.95. Limited Edition. 11 x 17 inches. Printed on high quality, 100lbs thick, Feltweave textured acid free paper (same quality and thickness as the Ecto-1 lithograph). This lithograph is part of a limited series that will each feature one of the four Ghostbusters painted by Dan Brereton. Item is shipping in January 2008. Shipped in a protective acrylic sleave.
Pre-order it at your local comic book store through Diamond Comics Distributor Previews catalog (item code) : NOV07 3541
— Toyfare RGB article now online
For those of you that haven’t, didn’t, or won’t pick up issue 124 of Toyfare, but still want to read the Real Ghostbusters article inside, well, now you can read most of it online!
Tip of the hat to Doug, for the heads up.
— Game Informer sneak peek is out
As they promised, Game Informer had some end of the week goodies for their subscribers – seeing as it’s paid exclusive content, I’m reluctant to post it all verbatim, but I think a small taste to tide everyone over until the magazine article hits the stands is in order (then I can put all the goodies up. Sort of.) Besides, there are always other places to find the goods (wink.) But if you’re going to read early, be a sport and be sure to pick up the magazine.
The GI sneak peek included a history of Ghostbuster video games, lots and lots of images, both in-game and concept, and a big interview with Dan Aykroyd.
Game Informer: How does it feel to come back to the Ghostbuster universe after all this time? Do you still get a lot of people coming up to you on the street asking about another movie?
Dan Aykroyd: Well, practically and realistically, I’ve been telling people it’s very doubtful that there’s going to be a third movie. But now that I’ve seen the work on the video game, I’ve watched it progress, my rap now to people is, “This is essentially the third movie.” And it’s better than the third movie because it lasts longer, there’s more development of the characters, there’s more of a need for story layers. The guys have done a great job putting story layers in there that I can begin to embellish and work with. And I tell people this: “If you have an appetite for the third movie, then the video game is it.” And I really do believe that at this point, from having seen what they’ve done there.
Big thanks to the Ohio Yankee, et al for doing a little digging for me. I promised swag, yes?
[UPDATE] The GB3 blog has scans of the magazine itself, which includes our first look at the simplified, family friendly version of the game.
— OXM UK features Ghostbusters game
The Official Xbox Magazine in the UK hit the stands this past week, and their cover story, like Game Informer, is the boys in grey. The feature is lite on text information, but high on images, giving a good look at some of the stuff seen whizzing by in the various online video clips.
Of interest is the OXM estimation that the game will equal about 8-10 hours of play time, that the containment unit will act as a ghost database (allowing you to view the ghosts inside and read information about them), and similarly, the PKE meter will allow you to scan ghosts in the field and access their particulars in Tobin’s Spirit Guide.
Thanks to Ben for being British and generous.
Lookit that creepy Xbox shadowing.
— NGamer magazine has more on Wii-DS Ghostbusters games
Making it the first magazine to nab a solid exclusive look at the Wii version of the game. But until it hits the shelves, we have only this blurb from Gamespot UK to tide us over;
The game will have 10 or so single-player levels, including the streets of New York during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, a library basement, a graveyard, and “Lost Island,” along with four-player co-op and competitive modes, and a series of minigames.
Multiplayer modes include two-versus-two battle mode, where the team that catches the most ghosts wins, or another where you just damage as much furniture as possible. There is also domination mode, where players have to control a series of artefacts. Minigames will include Shuffleboard, Ghost Trap, and Proton Packs.
The news on the levels fits with the concept art we’ve already seen, though it’s important to keep in mind that NGamer is looking at the Wii version of the game, and the minigames/multiplayer modes may not be present in the other nextgen consoles.
Game Asylum appears to have had a look at the NGamer article as well, adding more pieces to the puzzle. As expected, the Wiimote is used to run the neutrona wand of the proton pack, while the nunchuk is used to literally push the traps out to snare ghosts. Nice!
As well, the proton pack can be upgraded, including a goo-gun, explosive blasts, and even a short-circuit setting that generates a temporary shield around the Ghostbuster. Slimer will apparently be a playable character, though most likely in the ghosts versus busters multiplayer games.
NGamer also has an early look at the DS version;
It’s still early days for the DS version, but we do know that it’s viewed from a top-down perspective and will have a management structure – you can pick and choose missions, then use the cash to buy weapon upgrades.
2008 (47 entries)
— Ghostbusters Art: Mahlon Fawcett
Every once and awhile, James Van Hise (RGB author extraordinaire), sells off some old Ghostbusters and Real Ghostbusters material – copies of art proofs, behind-the-scenes production photos. And he’s got a new batch up which every fan should have a look at. But of particular interest is that he’s selling an unused Real Ghostbusters Cover by Mahlon Fawcett – according to Van Hise the cover was for issue #16 and that they should have used it. Comparing the two, I’d have to agree.
— Cereal Geek #3 a comin'
Cereal Geek continues to roll out, as news of issue three has just fallen into my lap. It should be ready to hit the shelves in a matter of weeks – Here’s the skinny;
There’s an article summarizing all seven seasons of The Real Ghostbusters, along with a small article about Slimer’s role as a sidekick, and even an article about why Filmation’s
Ghostbusters is disliked – Also, there’s one double page spread showing Janine fighting another redhead of the eighties!
And better yet, it looks like there will be a fourth issue coming soon – the “horror” issue. So, you know that’s going to be chock full of Ghostbusters goodness.
— Stay-Puft 8th biggest monster sez EW
The Linear Ranger and fellow surfer Matthew sent in a heads up that Entertainment Weekly online, in honor of tomorrow’s release of Cloverfield and its mysterious, New York crushing monster, have posted their 13 favorite, big movie monsters. Everyone’s favorite sugary sailor came in at number 8 (totally should have been graded higher for having crushed New York before it was cool.)
— Friends of Cereal:Geek
Say there. Are you on Facebook? If you are, you might want to consider joining the Cereal:Geek magazine group, as the publishers of that fine publication have posted some art from the upcoming third issue, like the partial Ken Steacy illo above, and Slimer’s Sidekicks of the 80s feature.
— New GB game pics at Game Informer
Game Informer’s website has posted a raft of new screenshots and concept art for the Ghostbusters video game – it’s all kind of mixed in with the images we’ve seen before, but hey, it’s always nice to look through them again anyhow.
Thanks to Daniel at the GB3 blog for the heads up.
— New Avengers Annual #2 GB nod
You may have noticed that Proton Charging isn’t exactly an encyclopedia of Ghostbusters references – the movie is so ingrained in the popular culture that it pops up all over the place. A few notable instances catch my attention however, particularly when I stumble upon on in a favorite comic.
In this case, it’s the 2008 annual for New Avengers – that’s the one with Spider-Man, the original Heroes for Hire, the undead Hawkeye who is not Hawkeye… really, it won’t make any sense to you unless you read comics. However, a particular quip by Spider-Man (who seems to make most of the Ghostbusters references in Marvel comics) will make you smile, even if you don’t follow comics – it certainly made me smile.
— Cereal: Geek #3 hits the stands
As mentioned before, the third installment of Cereal: Geek magazine was on its way. And now it’s here! UK buyers can get it through the website and NA buyers can order it through Graham Cracker Comics (though it will not ship until March 3rd, according to GC). And once again, the editorial masterminds at CG have sent a sneak peak – this time, a certain favorite secretary is in some sort of trouble.
— James McAvoy in USA Weekend
Item 1 from “Still playing catch-up…”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
A few news items I’ve been meaning to post, as I catch up from my highly condensed March;
– Actor James MacAvoy (The Last King of Scotland and the upcoming Wanted) in a recent interview with USA Weekend (a supplement in various newspapers) revealed himself, like many yoots from the UK, to be a Ghostbusters fan. Thank to Paul at Spook Central for that one.
(USA Weekend, Nov. 30 – Dec. 2, 2007)
Q: What movies captured your interest during those early years?
A: Michael J. Fox appeared in nearly every movie that I loved. Also, I loved all those Brat Pack movies. I used to watch a lot of romantic comedies, but the Back to the Future trilogy, The Goonies and Ghostbusters were my favorites.
— Ecto-1K in Subaru magazine
Item 2 from “Still playing catch-up…”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
Our favorite, privately-owned, road-regulation, Ectomobile – the Ecto-1K – got some love (and a sweet photo, see above) in Subaru’s first official British Magazine! Read the whole article here – thanks for Boomerjinks for sending the scan. Everybody loves your car, dude – it’s officially official. And international.
— NY Comic Con swag minion needed
Anybody out there attending the NY Comic Con later this month, that wouldn’t mind trying to grab a couple of things for me, please contact me – they’re not big or expensive, I’m just nowhere near New York. Thanks!
— PSM3 has Ghostbusters poster
The April Playstation 3 magazine (on shelves now) comes with a free Ghostbusters logo poster pull-out. For anyone looking for a reasonably sized Ghostbuster poster to hang on your cubicle wall, now’s your chance.
PSM3 is a UK magazine, so buyers outside the UK will have to check with their local magazine shops for a copy. Thanks to Kingpin (who’s in the UK – funny that) for spotting the poster.
— Official Xbox Magazine UK Ghostbusters preview
It’s only four pages, but there’s some good stuff in there. Check it out at the GBFans.com forums. It’s a lot of previously treaded ground, but there are a couple of new screenshots, and confirmation that the game will feature music that didn’t make it into the first movie (one assumes that means elements of the Bernstein score recently released on CD.)
This only leaves OXM NA to put out there preview, which I expect great things from. (if you didn’t know, one of the editors is a massive ghosthead. s’true.)
— OXM US preview on its way
So, hot on the heels of the UK OXM preview, the North American edition of the magazine is about to hit the stands, including its preview hands-on of the Ghostbusters video game. Subscribers should start seeing their copies arrive in as little as a week – this will be the July 2008 issue with Shaun White Snowboarding on the cover.
While the article promises some great details and exclusive screenshots, already there’s some useful information coming out of it – firstly, any version of the game we’ve seen to date is a pre-Alpha build, which means that it is not feature complete. This is important information for those of you worried that anything they saw was as-good-as-it-gets. By no means – they are still cramming in awesome as we speak.
Also, the article will apparently give us a detailed overview of the controls (on the Xbox 360, obviously.) More details once the magazine comes out, but for now, either sit by your mailbox or start pestering your local magazine pusher.
— Cereal: Geek #4 – Ghostbusty goodness, as usual
The madmen over at Cereal: Geek magazine sent this preview image awhile back, featuring a hint at things to come in their fourth issue – as you can see, they’re lining up some Real Ghostbuster awesomeness already. Stay tuned!
— More info on TokyoPop Ghostbusters manga
PC reader and doodle vandal Chris attended the BookExpo America this past weekend, and got to talk to the folks at the TokyoPop booth – they confirmed to him the Ghostbusters book listed on Amazon (as mentioned here), and said that it will tell a story between Ghostbusters 2 and the upcoming video game (set two years after the second film.)
Hopefully in the wake of the BEA convention, we’ll start to hear more from TokyoPop on this project.
— OXM Ghostbusters game preview hits shelves tomorrow
We mentioned a couple of weeks back that the July issue of the US edition of the Official Xbox Magazine would be featuring their Ghostbusters preview, and it was looking like this was the preview to read – well, that issue hits the stands tomorrow. Subscribers may have gotten theirs already (unless you’re in Canada and you’re me, then you haven’t. grrr, Canada Post, grrr) but everyone can grab one tomorrow. Make note and don’t miss out.
— First look at Tokyopop Ghostbusters?
Eagle-eyed John pointed me towards the Deviant Art account of a particular artist who has worked in the past for Tokyopop, and who has posted a particular pencil sketch that raise an eyebrow. The single piece features a decent looking Egon (“Spangler”, but hey, that’s what editors are for, right?), cute-as-pie Janine, our favorite civic administrator, Hardemeyer and a mystery character, the scholarly Teplitz. The piece is dated 2008 and the label and subtitle tease are suggestive, even if not conclusive.
It’s possible this has nothing to do with the Tokyopop Ghostbusters project, and even if it is, it’s possible that these are submissions, but the artist wasn’t chosen to be a final participant, but assuming that it is for reals, that’s… cool. Oh sure, Egon look a little young, but it’s Manga. And Janine looks fantastic! I’m really looking forward to this – everyone be ready to check out the July issue of Diamond’s Previews catalog, as that’s when the book will likely be pre-listed.
— Cereal Geek #4 – Real Ghostbusters cover!
Yay! The cover to the fourth issue of Cereal Geek magazine is final devoted to our favs, the Real Ghostbusters! Which makes perfect sense, as issue four is the “horror” issue. The magazine is on its way to the printers and will go on sale in July. Stay tuned.
Hit the CerealGeek blog for the large sized image.
Thanks to Paul, Edward, et al. – looks like we’re all signed up to the same CerealGeek mailing list!
— More Tokyopop art?
Another Tokyopop affiliated artist has posted some yummy Ghotsbusters manga on their DeviantArt site – again, it’s only speculation that it belongs to their upcoming Fall Ghostbusters book, but since the book is listed as “various” authors, it suggests there will be a handful of stories, with different authors and artists, instead of one big story. Click the link to see the full sized sketch.
There was some resistance to the last piece of art, and I imagine that this piece will cause the same reaction with some of you – it’s alrighty if it’s not your thing, but try and bear in mind that manga does have a style. The brilliance of this book is that that unless a Ghostbuster fan outright hates the style, we’re all getting it. And we’re just a drop in the bucket – it’s the hundreds of thousands of Tokyopop readers that are going to be introduced to Ghostbusters in a way that they’re comfortable with. Then they’ll go looking for the cartoon and movies, etc. etc.
Thanks to Taylor for spotting the art, the first time he’s been in front of a computer in weeks!
— OXM – Ghostbusters game interview
The Official Xbox Magazine has posted their hands-on look at the game (the first gaming mag to actually get their mitts on a controller) as well as their full interview with Terminal Reality head Mark Randel (bits were used in the article, but this is the full text.)
— Tokyopop Ghostbusters listed in July Previews
This is it – time to pre-order the Tokyopop Ghostbusters manga (if you are so inclined.) It’s three months prior to an October release date, which means Diamond Distribution will be taking pre-orders through your favorite comic shop. Big thanks to Dave for reminding me – he’s had a look at the catalog already and it features a blurb on the book. It will have at least four stories, including one where Ray learns busting ghosts isn’t always a blast, and Egon has a heart-to-heart with a ghost before having to bust it (I’m looking forward to that one.) More on this book soon!
[UPDATE] Diamond is saying this issue of Previews covers items shipping in September – this may mean comic shops will get the item earlier than we expected.
[UPDATE] Dave found the Preview listings write up online (at Wizard Universe.) The page also includes the “Art Not Final” cover image (classic logo on black, but of course.)
a possessed fashion designer offers a spring line aimed to displease; a cantankerous theater critic haunts a new production of a big budget musical; Ray learns that catching ghosts isn’t ALWAYS exciting; Egon has a touching moment with a spectral spook; and Winston shines when the boys go from busters to bustees to a quartet of peeved off poltergeists.
— Another Tokyopop artist uncovered
While digging around Newsarama, Proton Charging’s new best buddy Nonchan discovered an article on Tokyopop’s controversial new Manga Pilot program – in the article, one of the artists interviewed, Maximo V. Lorenzo, mentions;
I submitted constantly to any of TokyoPop’s would-be projects, and finally one went through, a Ghostbusters anthology for this fall… it’s a series I’ve loved ever since I was a kid and I’m fired up, guns blazing to give it my all to produce my best work yet for this book!
Nonchan also turned up Maximo’s DeviantArt page, complete with a sketch of the Ghostbusters team – while not specifically cited as being for the anthology (he comments that it is how he would draw the team, if given the chance) it is a nice look at his style.
— Tokyopop reveals almost final manga cover
Hmmm. I’m not sure I prefer this over the GB logo cover as appeared in Previews catalog, but then it has to be kept in mind that the cover has to do two things – it has to attract Ghostbusters fans (which it will do, simply by having Ghostbusters in the title) and it has to attract fans of Manga, in which case the logo will mean little, but art means more. Still, it is marked “Not Final”, so it may change yet.
Thanks to Fome for spotting it.
— Free with Trio's!
Someone on Flickr has posted a selection of their precious childhood doo-dads (and a few Samantha Fox photos – must be an England thing.) What’s notable about the collection is a neat selection of Real Ghostbusters notebooks, drawings, and even a handful of RGB mini-comics that came free inside Trio’s (which may be a cereal or a choco-bar – I haven’t finished my research. UK PC readers, help a colonial out.)
— Yet another look at manga Ghostbusters
Maximo V. Lorenzo has posted a sampling of art from his story in the Ghostbusters Tokyopop book – click here to see the larger version.
And for those who were wondering, the cover we saw before is the cover of the final book, it appears – though the colouring was not complete last we saw it. Again, thanks to the magic of DeviantArt (and one John Yurcaba – ta very much, man) we can see the finished colouring on the cover, and the black and white original, by MetalHanzo (we’re not sure which artist that is yet.) Winston was smoking in the first version, and they took it out!
Maximo makes a comment on his page suggests that Tokyopop has the license to Ghostbusters, but not the likenesses of the original actors, or the characters as they appear in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon – the artists were given the leeway to make them similar, but they had to look different.
— And yet more Ghostbusters manga art
At this rate, we’ll see should see the whole Tokyopop book before it comes out in the Fall. Click here for a larger image. Oh Jack, what are you up to this time and what have you done to poor Winston?
— Newsarama on Tokyopop Ghostbusters
Newsarama has a big piece up on the Tokyopop Ghostbusters manga book we’ve been following for awhile now. Check it out. Thanks to JP for the spot.
TokyoPop editor Bryce Coleman still thinks fondly of the first two Ghostbusters films from the 80s and says that the franchise still appeals to him even to this day. “I think it’s the same reason it appeals to any fan of the films. The magic formula of scares and laughs. Not that anything in either of the movies is what you would consider truly frightening, but you’ve got classic monster movie images of ghosts and animated corpses and monsters,” he told Newsarama. “And they did it all with reverence for that genre at a very high technical level for the time. The visuals are fantastic and still hold up today. And then you’ve got classic Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd at top form. Some of the best of that 80’s era comedy. Put it all together and you’ve got absolute geek ambrosia. At least that’s my opinion.
— Nintendo Power article on Wii Ghostbusters game
Big thanks to Ron at the Ghostheads podcast, for giving us the heads up on the new Nintendo Power article on the Wii version of the Ghostbusters game. Not a huge article, it does confirm some great details, such as getting to “throw” out the traps using the Wii nunchuk, and using the Wiimote as your proton pack. As well, the game can be played as two-player co-op or four player special competitive multiplayer games!
The article also briefly mentions the DS title, which will be a “top down action” title, with players getting to run around as the Ghostbusters and drive the Ecto-1 (niiiice) – very much a nod to the original game it seems, just, you know, better. The article is on the shelves now.
— IDW to publish Ghostbusters comic! "The Other Side"
Big ups and an owed beer to Netsolo for sending in this pic from the IDW publishing booth at Comic-Con, which is hyping Ghostbusters: The Other Side. So for those of you that weren’t sold on the Tokyopop manga, you have another option it looks like!
New comic series by one of the fastest growing comic publishers today. Nuff said!
— MTV nabs first look at new IDW Ghostbusters comic
MTV got themselves an awesome first look at some of the covers from IDWs Ghostbusters: The Other Side. As well, they had a chance to talk to writer Keith Champagne and artist Tom Nguyen about the book, which is set immediately after the second movie. The spooks the Ghostbusters face in the four-part series are some familiar names, historically speaking;
make that old boogeymen, Champagne explained in an interview with MTV News, revealing that the first issue would see bad guys made out of wise guys. “Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Seigal, Meyer Lansky, and Al Capone,” Champagne wrote. “Ghosts [that] were the types of guys that — while alive — weren’t shy about hitting first.”
Ghostbusters versus mobsters (living and dead) is a popular idea, having been covered in both the cartoons and comics. And the Ghostbusters AS ghosts has also been touched on from time to time – but never in a PG-13 format.
Check out the whole article for more of the interview and large size pics of the covers (not to be missed.)
[UPDATE] CBR has the covers without watermarking, for those interested.
— Newsarama has interview with IDW Ghostbusters scribe
Thanks to JP for emailing me earlier today – don’t normally pay attention to my email much on Sunday’s, but I’m glad I did today. Newsarama has an interview with Keith Champagne, writer on the new IDW Ghostbusters mini-series, The Other Side.
NRAMA: Were you a fan of the movie?
KC: I think the first Ghostbusters movie is one of the greatest comedies of all time. The second movie… maybe not. But it has some great moments sprinkled throughout.
That’s a pretty good way to start an interview – be sure to check out the rest of it.
— Previews solicits IDW Ghostbusters #1
Diamond’s Previews catalog is soliciting orders for the first issue of IDW’s new Ghostbusters series, The Other Side, and lists it as due late October. For those not wanting to miss out, or take your chances at finding one on the shelves, now is the time to talk to your local comic shop.
Egon Spengler! Ray Stantz! Winston Zeddemore! Peter Venkman! The original Ghostbusters return in an all-new, four-part Ghostbusters story from IDW! Writer Keith Champagne (Green Lantern Corp, The Flash) is joined by artist Andy Smith in this new Ghostbusters saga. When the Ghostbusters capture a group of ghostly crooks, they unknowingly run afoul of a gang comprised of the spirits of some of America’s most legendary gangsters. Dead or alive, the mafia knows exactly how to deal with a problem like the Ghostbusters: rub ’em out! • 32 PGS, FC.
— Ghostbusters video game to have strat guide
Looks like – while it still bears the Fall release date of the Ghostbusters video games (online retailers will maintain the last sell date forever until they hear otherwise, mind you), this listing at Gamestop is taking pre-orders for a series of Prima guides for the various platforms. Twenty-bucks and you too can get some hardcopy help! From Prima’s official site;
•Want an unlicensed accelerator? Proton Packs, Ecto Goggles, and various other tools of the spectral trade detailed so you can bust better.
•Tobin’s Spirit Guide: Files on every ghost, demon, and phantasm you’ll encounter so you don’t get slimed before your time.
•Covers: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, and PS2 versions all in one guide!
As an aside, if Prima is reading, I have experience writing video-game related materials, I’m a massive Ghostbusters nerd, and I’m clever (“hardcopy help” c’mon… that’s gold!) – please hire me.
Thanks to Ryan LeClair for the spot!
— GBFans interviews IDW GB writer
GBFans got to play questions and answers with Keith Champagne, writer for the upcoming IDW Ghostbusters: The Other Side. Short, but gets some good ones in there. Check out the full interview here.
— xkcd gb
Web comics don’t come hipper or more hardcore than xkcd. There’s something very awesome that he’s turned his eyes upon Ghostbusters. Thank you Mr. Randall for the link!
[UPDATE] See, even Wil Wheaton likes it – that’s how web hip the strip is.
— Newsarama sits down with Tokyopop Ghostbusters crew
Newsarama has fired off a series of questions to the writers and artists working on the Tokyopop Ghostbusters book, due this fall. Read the whole interview here. Big thanks to JP for the spot.
Newsarama: Matt, can you give a brief description of some of the stories you have written for this book?
MY: Well, the stories all focus on life in New York. So, we’ve got the team battling the ghost of a dead theater critic. There’s also a story about a possessed fashion designer and her line of hunted haute couture.
You’ve got a great mix of old and new. We’ve tried to capture the characters and the essence of the story, but the ideas are funny and fresh. Same with the artwork. And it’s a great fit for manga because you have these supernatural forces and entities but you also need clever characterization and dialogue. TokyoPop has experience blending these elements effectively because many of our titles have that same mix of the unreal and the everyday. I guess TokyoPop is trying to capture the essence by hiring me and Nate [Johnson], who have the same kind of Second City sketch comedy background as Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis.
— Cover to #2 of IDW's GB: The Other Side
Dave, our favorite Art Monkey, sent in this image (link has full sized scan) of the cover for the second issue of Ghostbusters: The Other Side, which is being solicited now, or will be shortly – I’m not sure. Call your local comic shop.
Whacked! After inadvertently crossing a ghost mafia made up of the most notorious gangsters in history, three of the original Ghostbusters find themselves on the wrong end of a Tommy gun! Dead before their time and consigned to Purgatory, can the gang somehow find their way back to the land of the living?
Plus, what happened to Venkman?
Bullet holes and being transparent can only mean one thing; the Ghostbusters are dead!
OK, the gravestone was a bit of a giveaway as well. And yeah, were’s Venkman?
Thanks to Dave and Twilight Comics (St. Louis? Technically Shiloh , Il, according to Dave – 15mins away) for the cool find. You think after all this time, MY comic shop guy would think to send me a cover like that.
— Graham Cracker comics get exclusive IDW comic cover – threaten to party.
This is a few days old now, but still of great interest to all you comic collectors – IDW and Graham Cracker comics have combined forces to produce an exclusive cover for the first issue of Ghostbusters: The Other Side. How exclusive? Well, it’s apparently the only exclusive cover there will be. That’s exclusive.
The book will sell at Graham Cracker comics or through their webstore for $9.99 – in fact, they’re taking pre-orders now for the October 15th release. And Jimmy PS Hayes, Graham Crackers honcho and comics retail guru sent a note to say that Graham Crackers and IDW will be holding a big release event, with a “midnight opening, movie marathon and more” – more details on that soon, but in the meantime, if you’re in the Wheaton, IL area, you might want to mark October 14th on your calendar.
— Sneak peak at Cereal Geek special – Tobin's Spirit Guide
Long talked about, and months in the making thus far, we finally get to see some of the art for Cereal Geek’s upcoming Tobin’s Spirit Guide – the issue will essentially be a who’s who of ghosts and monsters in The Real Ghostbusters, each accompanied by a fantastic bit of illustration by Tristan Jones. You can see more than the sampler above at his Deviant Art account. No word on a release date, but it can’t be far off now, by the looks of things.
— Cereal:Geek issue 4 – sneak-peek
Poobah-in-chief at Cereal:Geek, James Eatock, sent over a taste of the fourth issue of the 80s cartoon magazine extraordinaire, and the Ghostbusters-centric issue looks to be aaaawesome. Click here for a look at some sample thumbnail pages, and click here for a look at a whole page! As before, fans in the UK can pick the magazine up at the Cereal Geek website and the rest of us can pick it up through Graham Cracker Comics (no link yet, though you can still pick up the first three, each with their own touch of RGB goodness – check the website for links.)
— Empire ranks Ghostbusters as #189 greatest ever
Empire Magazine held a reader poll, consisting of 10,000 respondants, and the input of 50 film critics, and came up with what they’re calling the top 500 greatest films ever. Ghostbusters clocks in at #189 and has the additional honor of being one of the 100 featured movie covers – basically, Empire printed 100 different covers, each featuring a different movie from the list. And if that’s not cool enough for you, Ghostbusters is one of a handful that sold out. The others were Jaws, Star Wars (all three), Fight Club, Superman, and The Dark Knight (with Shaun of the Dead, Batman Returns, and Raiders of the Lost Ark are going fast.)
Thanks Matthew!
— Cereal Geek #4 lands!
Did you have a look at the sneak peaks of the Ghostbusters heavy fourth issue of Cereal: Geek? Look again! Now, ready to buy? Now you can!
UK customers – buy direct from Cereal: Geek!
Overseas customers – buy through Graham Crackers!
And if you’re not particular about your magazines being physical, Cereal: Geek is offering a mega-PDF of all four issues 100 pages from all four issues! How much? Dirt cheap – one pound fifty (say, three bucks if you’re in Canada/US, roughly.)
— Don't forget! GB comics hit stands today!
Issue #1 of Ghostbusters: The Other Side by IDW and the Tokyopop Ghostbusters manga hit the stores today. I’ve had a quick look at my copies (saving them for a comfy read at home tonight), but the IDW looks to be a lot of fun, and as expected, the Tokyopop book offers a little something for everyone – while aimed squarely at manga fans, overall the book looks a hoot! Check your local comic shop (finer bookstores everywhere may carry the Tokyopop manga.)
— Empire makes Dr. Venkman their #44 favorite character
Speaking of Empire Magazine, they have their 100 top characters, and it was a safe bet at least one Ghostbuster was going to make it in. And if you have to pick one, it’s probably going to be the wise-cracking one.
“Back off, man. I’m a scientist.” Peter Venkman
Played By: Bill Murray
Film: GhostbustersWhy He’s On The List: Empire’s Nick De Semlyen summed up Peter Venkman – the leader of the Ghostbusters and Bill Murray’s finest character – perfectly in this month’s magazine when he said that Venkman is the ultimate New York hero: cynical, sarcastic, secretly sweet-natured. From his relentless and devilishly charming attempts to hit on Sigourney Weaver’s Dana to his aversion to anything resembling work, Venkman is the template for virtually every character Vince Vaughn has ever played.
Finest Hour: Venkman works his powers of persuasion on the Mayor Of New York – and the Ghostbusters are back in business.
— OXM UK gets new hands-on with Ghostbusters game
The January issue of OXM put out in England has starting appearing in people’s hands, and you can’t miss their top pick on their must-play-in-2009 list, with Mr. Stay-Puft staring out from the cover. The issue is hitting the newsstands right about now, but if you can’t wait (or can’t find it), OXM UK has a two-page sampler (complete with some nice images) at their website! Thanks Dan!
— IDW Ghostbusters #3 overcomes snow, #4 looking awesome
While delayed, thanks to snow, oh, everywhere, issue three of IDW’s four-part Ghostbusters: The Other Side finally made it onto shelves yesterday and today. And the sneak-peek at the cover of the final issue is reason enough alone to pick it up (it should be out mid-January.)
‘Nuff said!
— IDW Ghostbusters trade paperback pre-orders
Item 2 from “RGB DVD singles delayed, IDW TPB taking pre-orders”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
Better news is that Amazon has listed the IDW collected trade paperback for their Ghostbusters: The Other Side mini-series. The book, containing all four issues, will retail at $17.99, but Amazon is taking pre-orders at $12.23 – the only downside is that you have to wait until the May release to get it. Thank to Mr. Cardwell for the heads up on that.
2009 (22 entries)
— Ghostbusters: The Other Side #4 hits stands
As I was taking care of family yesterday, I missed comic day, but if you haven’t been to the store already, issue four of the IDW series (the final issue) is now out.
— Ghostbusters: The Other Side released for iPhone
For those of you with and iPhone, a dollar, and an interest in reading the IDW Ghostbusters mini-series without having to go to a comic shop, you might consider buying the series from Apple. I would have thought the iPhones pinch-and-flick zoom feature would have made it ideal to present whole pages of the issue for viewing, but it appears that each page is broken down into panels. I’m curious to see how that pans out.
It’s hard to say if it’s official or not, as the app listing doesn’t mention IDW, but it does feature Columbia’s copyright info. It’s difficult to imagine that Apple would allow an illicit product go out through their store, as all apps have to be certified. For the time being, I’ll assume this is legit.
To buy the app, click here and if you have iTunes, it will automatically launch to the app page in the Apple App Store. Thanks to Borzou for spotting the app!
[UPDATE] So, a little checking and the app is legit – and it’s not a bad way to read the book, though you do a lot of fast flipping (doesn’t take long to look at a panel, unless you want to pour over the art detail, and this isn’t quite the format for that.) No word yet on when the other three issues will be out, but stay tuned.
— UCLICK officially announces iPhone GB comic
Well, they’re over a week behind on their own news, but UCLICK released their official announcement for their mobile/iPhone friendly version of IDW’s Ghostbusters: The Other Side comic.
“I think everyone loves the idea of these four geeky, wisecracking scientists taking on threats that would evoke sheer terror in any sane person,” said Uclick CEO Douglas Edwards. “Fans of the Ghostbusters movies are going to love reading this story on the iPhone and iPod Touch, because it’s a new way to experience these characters. Ghostbusters: The Other Side is an original comic book story that perfectly captures the horror comedy elements and anti-hero spirit of the movies.”
The press release doesn’t have firm dates, but does confirm that the other three issues will be available in “the coming weeks.”
— Hello, New York Comic Con!
[photo CBR – Thanks Matt!]
This is it! The NYCC is now underway, and photos of the Atari Ghostbusters set-up (booth 1557) have started to pop up. As well, Atari has announced their conventoin line-up – here’s the salient part;
Atari will have a variety of activities for show goers and media at the booth including photo opportunities with Ghostbusters and Riddick look-a-likes, booth give-aways and a Slimer ice sculpture.
Booth Swag! Cheers to EDFX for the heads up.
More photos and news will be rolling in over the weekend, so now’s the time to subscribe to the RSS or Twitter feeds (top left on the nav bar.)
— Shortpacked comments on Ghostbusters figures
Item 2 from “NYCC Day Three!”. This mixed-topic post has been separated by subject.
Also, the toy focused webcomic, Shortpacked, made a comment about the lack of a Winston doll (perhaps not realizing that there wasn’t a Venkman either.) Well intentioned, nonetheless. (click to see cartoon – thanks to El for the tip.)
— Second IDW Ghostbusters comic mini-series in the works?
“Whatmen?!” is not the only project on [Scott] Lobdell’s horizon. “At this moment I have a ‘Ghostbusters’ mini, an ‘Angel’ mini and a new comic series I’m producing with Jennifer Love Hewitt, based on an original idea by everyone’s favorite Ghost Whisperer!” Lobdell confirmed, adding that he and Amber Shields are also working on a paranormal teen soap opera called “Ripe,” which he described as “‘Friday Night Lights’ meets ‘X-Files.’”
Stay tuned – big eeee up to ArtMonkey Dave for the spot.
— MegaCon Ghostbusters afterlife-party tomorrow!
You in Florida? Going to MegaCon? Actually, you might not need to be going to MegaCon, just be in the area.
The Tampa Ghostbusters are throwing an AfterLife Party!
Go, if only because I cannot.
— Toyfare on the Ghostbusters at Toy Fair
Issue 141 (May 2009) of Toyfare magazine has an excellent interview with Mattel Associate Brand Manager, Scott Neitlich about their upcoming line of Ghostbuster figures. I’d recommend that everyone that can check out the article do so (no scans in the comments please), but here are a couple of interesting points to come out of the most informative article on the Mattel toys to date;
– Mattel has the rights to the classic movies, the cartoons, the video game, and provided it goes into production in the next couple of years, a third movie.
– Mattel has likeness OKs for Ayrkoyd, Ramis, and Hudson, with several sculpts ready and waiting for Bill Murray’s final sign off.
– Mattel is hoping to get the likeness OKs from other primary actors, such as William Atherton, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and even David Marguiles (Mayor Lenny.)
– Mattel plans to produce cartoon figures as well as the classic films. If a third movie is made, they intend to produce age targeted brands – high detail for the adult collectors and cutesy, Super Hero Squad-esque figures for kids.
– Figures will be packed with a ghost, with Slimer, the Librarian, and Taxi Driver ghosts currently in mind. Plans are in the works for Gozer, the Terror Dogs, and Stay-Puft, but are leaving them until much later due to NECA’s “Excellent” line of figures.
There’s also a call-out section on the MiniMate Ghostbusters, which suggest a good possibility of an exclusive Slimer at some future point.
There are also some sweet pictures of the figures, including an illustration of the never-before used shoulder joint the 12 inch figures will be using (trust me, that kind of thing is important to figure collectors.) Thanks to Randy and Jack for the heads-up!
— IDW TPB pre-sales for May
— Spider-man looooooves Ghostbusters. Again.
After name dropping the Ghostbusters in his own comic as well as the recent Avengers annual, Spider-man is once again home to a hilarious nod to the GBs, only this time, it’s the REAL GBs. From Amazing Spider-Man #589 – they even managed a nod to Sony;
Thanks to Mr. Sandman for the scan!
— TokyoPop Ghostbusters art for sale
TokyoPop artist Michael Shelfer is selling off some of his art, including some of his work on the Ghostbusters manga – If you’re interested, you should definitely contact him, as his fantastic work will likely be very popular! He’s also selling off some of his other work, so you should make a point of having a look at his gallery. Cheers to Boyer of the CNCGB for the heads up.
— Prima Guide for Ghostbusters game available for pre-order
The Prima Strategy Guide for the Ghostbusters video game is now available for pre-order at Gamestop and soon on Amazon.com (and fine book and gaming stores everywhere.) The book is retailing for $19.99 – Amazon has not posted their discount, if any, yet. Wal-Mart has it for $13.05US, so one can assume Amazon will be similar.
Thanks to Red Wes for the spot!
— Ghostbusters: The Other Side free for iPhone today
If you didn’t want to drop a buck on the digital, iPhone version of IDW’s four part Ghostbusters comic, today you can get it for free. Thanks to Ali, in spite of him posting it in the comments of an unrelated post, like people are asked not to (stern glare.)
Issue two, issue three, and issue four are now also available for 99 cents each.
— Brave New Worlds Comics (PA.) celebrates 80s with art show!
Brave New Worlds Comics and The Autumn Society – both of in Philadelphia, PA – are holding an art show celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Ghostbusters and 80s pop culture awesomeness in general. More details to come, but check out this fantastic piece from the show, by Dave Perillo.
— First look at second IDW Ghostbusters comic series
IO9 has posted some covers and art from IDW’s follow-up to last year’s Ghostbusters: The Other Side – and hey, it’s all about time-travel! Not to mention, the guys pick up a fifth buster – and she’s fierce! Created by the same team that did IDW’s Galaxy Quest series, Scott Lobdell and Ilias Kyriazis, Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression is another four-part limited series. Head to IO9 to check out the sneaky-peaky. Thanks to the ArtMonkey Dave and Mr. Hough for the heads up.
— OXM hits the stands with Ghostbusters review – 8/10
The next review is out as the latest issue of OXM finds its way into subscriber mailboxes, and it’s a solid 8/10. OXM takes it’s scoring very seriously, so if you’d like to know what that 80% means;
8.0 or 8.5: Great
A great game and an A-list title, but either it has niche appeal, suffers from minor technical or design issues, or has peripheral problems like a crummy interface.
However, it’s not as simple as that, as you’ll see if and when you check out the text of the review. As a game, it’s an 8 – as a game with Ghostbusters in it, it’s more.
— Steve Kurth Ghostbusters art up for charity auction
Steve Kurth has donated a couple of pieces he drew for the 88MPH Ghostbusters comic series, which are being auctioned off to help raise money for artist Josh Mendors.
With a couple of days left to go, fans can pick up at a very reasonable price, the sinister Slimer Kurth drew for promotional purposes (it appeared on the back cover of one issue), a promo pin-up of Ray, as well as pages 15 and 16 of issue #1 of the four part series.
Besides his Ghostbuster pieces, Kurth has also donated a whole lot of his GI Joe and Marvel art. And overall, the auction is made up of 159 pieces from dozens of today’s best comic artists.
As many of you know may already know, artist Josh Medors (Frazetta’s Swamp Demon & Sorcerer, Runes of Ragnon, Willow Creek, 30 Days of Night) has been fighting a losing battle against a terminal form of cancer for over a year, and it has recently taken a turn for the worst. The doctors and conventional medicine have all but given up on him and say there isn’t anything else they can do. So the chemo and radiation have stopped, and the waiting begins. But he has found an alternative treatment that has the possibility of extending his life a bit and can help improve the quality of his life near the end so he can spend it with his wife and son. There is even a slim chance it can make him somewhat better, so he has to try. But of course the treatment is very expensive and as a freelance pro, Josh has no medical insurance.
So myself and my brother, artist Andrew Mangum (currently Josh’s inker on Frazetta’s Sorcerer) decided to arrange another benefit auction like the one they did at Emerald City Con back in ’08, after Josh was first diagnosed. We put out a call to the industry and collectors everywhere and the response and support was overwhelming. A wide variety of artists are contributing personal works and art from their collections just like last time, but this time it was also open to collectors, fans, and everyone else. So all items offered here come from the generous donations of family, friends, fans, collectors, and fellow industry pros who all want to help Josh. There is a lot of amazing stuff to be had, and it will all be listed here, all with low starting prices and mostly without reserves!
— Empire magazine to feature Ayrkoyd and Ramis about GB3
Ryan LeClair pointed out that the cover of the new issue of Empire magazine has a call-out “Ghostbusters 3: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis speak!”, but that doesn’t say whether that’s a recycling of existing info or actually talking to them directly. If someone spots the magazine and finds out, let us know.
— Mystery comic – Cereal Geek and Danimation hatch plot?
Paul at Spook Central has an image from “Dapper Dan” Schoening (maker of some sweeeet cartoon style Ghostbusters) and James “Cereal Geek” Eatock, but no explanation of what it all means. Sneak peak of an upcoming Cereal Geek? I asked James, and James has been coy, which isn’t something he normally does with cool stuff coming up in Cereal Geek. A project outside of Cereal Geek? A stand alone project? That… would… be… awesome. Stay tuned.
— Ghostbusters to be Toyfare #144 cover story [UPDATE]
Not much more to say than that – issue #144 of ToyFare (the next one to come out, over the next couple of weeks. Check your local comic shop or magazine store) will feature Ghostbusters as the cover story, and look at all things Ghostbusters toys inside. Thanks, Randy!
ToyFare #144 Ghostbusters Cover
BUSTIN’ MAKES US FEEL GOOD
o The greatest movie of all time is finally getting the toys it deserves. No…not CITIZEN KANE… GHOSTBUSTERS!
[UPDATE]
Toyfare has their interview with Harold Ramis up online, for those that don’t have the magazine. Thanks, Dimitrios! Don’t miss the second page – it’s a very subtle link at the end of the first page.
What was it like seeing an action figure that actually looked like you?
It was weird coming after all the toy merchandising that was really predicated on the cartoon show. The movie drove the merchandising and yet they were afraid to use our likenesses because they didn’t know that we would stick with it. So, there was something more generic about the cartoon figures. I have one sitting right here in my office, the blonde Egon. It was cool that we created something that had that much reach into the culture. And now, to see one that actually looks like me and to see our likenesses in the new video game is incredible.
— Sneak-peek at Prima's Ghostbusters game guide! Possible SPOILERS!
Prima has supplied us with a PDF sample of their game guide for Ghostbusters: The Video Game. It’s low rez. It’s not full chapters, just a sampling. And it’s covers the Next Gen and Wii/PS2 versions of the game. But it’s an excellent look and there are some sweet hints at what’s in the game.
The guide goes on sale the same time the game does – check your local game or bookstore. Or you can buy online direct from Prima, Amazon.com, or Chapters.ca.
You can download the sampler PDF here.
If you want to check out individual pages not in PDF format, Paul at Spook Central has taken the time to pull the PDF apart for your perusal.
— GBCollector has interview with Sholly Fisch and book give-away!
GBCollector.com has a great interview with Sholly Fisch, author of Ghostbusters: The Return. And if that’s not enough, he has an autographed copy to give away!
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For more of Sholly Fisch, check out PC’s interview with him, from years gone by, here.
Related entries in other timelines
These entries also touch on this subject. Follow the link to their main archive entry.
- 2008-06-20 — OXM podcasts with Terminal Reality
- 2008-07-24 — Blu-ray details in Sci-fi magazine
- 2008-07-24 — OXM to interview Ryan French on Inside Xbox
- 2008-08-05 — SDCC RGB DVD FLV! (aka Comic Com Real Ghostbusters Trailer)
- 2008-08-11 — OXM's Ghostbusters ep of Inside Xbox online
- 2009-04-20 — OXM gets hands-on with Ghostbusters game, talks with Ramis
- 2009-04-24 — Time Magazine video feature at NY press junket
- 2009-04-27 — Escapist Magazine looking for Ghostheads with gear, May 2nd.
- 2009-06-29 — Play Ghostbusters with OXM this Wednesday