Ghostbusters: Year One #4 - IDW Publishing

GHOSTBUSTERS: YEAR ONE No. 4, April 2020

Documenting “the final interview for the Ghostbusters biography” Erik Burnham’s script for Issue Four of “Ghostbusters: Year One” most definitely produces a comic of two halves, with the book’s opening clarifying the damage suffered by the paranormal investigators' headquarters following Walter Peck’s demand for them to turn off the building’s power, and its latter pages focusing upon Egon Spengler’s solitary tussle with Slimer, after the ghoulish green ghost’s escape from its faulty containment facility; “It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it wouldn’t be safe to go on solo calls. Just dumb luck allowed the matter to be resolved without any real consequences.”

Fortunately for this book’s readers however, both aspects of this twenty-page periodical have their own merits and move along the Minnesotan-born writer’s narrative at a fairly brisk pace. Admittedly, Rebecca Morales’ character seems a little too determined to get a detrimental angle for her story by verbally attacking "the brain of the Ghostbusters" for his “design flaw”. But, besides the independent reporter arguably losing a considerable amount of her charm as a result, the section is still interesting as it details the huge work needed if the old disused firehouse is ever to be safe to venture into again following so many spirits escaping their incarceration simultaneously.

Debatably far more entertaining though is Spengler’s tête-à-tête with the busted apparition Slimer, and Egon’s explanation as to how he managed to defeat the pesky poltergeist single-handedly after Ray Stanz had apparently abandoned him whilst “trying to get some bait for the ghost.” Angry, malicious and clearly able to hurt his grey-garbed pursuer, this version of the mischievous manifestation far closer resembles that of the creature depicted in Ivan Reitman’s 1984 supernatural comedy film, and resultantly ramps up the plausibility that the bespectacled doctor might not survive their encounter completely intact.

Ably assisting Burnham in his attempt to replicate all the nostalgic goings-on of the big screen franchise is Dan Schoening and colorist Luis Delgado, whose energetic artwork looks like something taken straight off of the reel of a well-produced animated cartoon. Spengler’s attempt to ‘trap’ a food-frenzied Slimer is particularly well-pencilled, as the phantom is shown pleasantly filling its fat face full of pizza in one panel before being shockingly caught within the confines of a proton pack’s stream in the next.

Written by: Erik Burnham, Art by: Dan Schoening, and Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado

Ghostbusters: Year One #3 - IDW Publishing

GHOSTBUSTERS: YEAR ONE No. 3, February 2020

Predominantly focusing upon independent author Rebecca Morales’ determined effort to interview the “elusive subject” known as Peter Venkman, Eric Burnham’s narrative for Issue Three of “Ghostbusters: Year One” will probably strike the vast majority of its readers as a comic book of two decidedly distinctive halves. On the one hand, this twenty-page periodical’s opening contains a carousel of some of the 1984 film’s favourite supporting characters, such as Walter Peck, Louis Tully and Janine Melnitz, all providing their own pen pictures concerning the “Mouth of the Ghostbusters.” Whilst on the other, it later provides a fascinating peek at what really went on when “they go to The Rose” to battle a spooky soul, and then stay “on to dance the night away with some of the lovely ladies who witnessed the disturbance.”

Regrettably, this does mean that the early part of this publication is rather conversationally cumbersome and word heavy. Nice as it is to see the thoughts and feelings of those ‘close’ to the doctor of parapsychology, as well as watch the “quick-thinking man” repeatedly elude the questions of the female novelist, there is debatably only so much dialogue-driven banter a bibliophile can take until they grow as frustrated as Morales becomes with Venkman’s incredibly annoying evasiveness; “You’re not bringing this up because you don’t want to talk about your academic career are you?”

Happily however, once the Minnesotan writer turns his attention to the Boys in Gray slugging “it out with a pretty pesky poltergeist” at “the fashionable dance club, The Rose”, this comic’s entire pace and feel changes for the better. Laugh out loud moments, such as Ray Stantz being forced to dance the conga in mid-air by a spectral spirit, and Egon Spengler’s own boogie woogie moves really help make the entire sequence memorable, to the point where you can almost hear the late Casey Kasem’s narration from the motion picture in the background.

Also helping to make this comic capture both the eye and imagination are the lavish layouts by artist Dan Schoening and colorist Luis Delgado. It is evident from all the sumptuously detailed panels set within the multiple strobe-lit auditorium of the discotheque just why “Dapper Dan” apparently “spends fourteen hours on average on each page”, and equally as easy to sympathise with the animator when he explained in January 2020 that upon seeing he had to draw an entire club of people dancing that his hand was hurting “before I even start[ed] doing it.”

Written by: Erik Burnham, Art by: Dan Schoening, and Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado

Ghostbusters: Year One #2 - IDW Publishing

GHOSTBUSTERS: YEAR ONE No. 2, February 2020

Matching up to Erik Burnham’s intention of including “as much as possible from the original movie”, the former video store manager’s script for Issue Two of “Ghostbusters: Year One” not only must have delighted this supernatural comedy franchise’s fans by revisiting the Boys in Gray’s opening foray in ghost-busting at the New York Public Library. But rather splendidly then depicts a suitably tongue-in-cheek rematch between the proton pack wearing quartet and “the bibliothecary known as Eleanor Twitty” in which brains, as well as a battered copy of Ptolomy’s Cosmographical, undoubtedly wins the day over brawn.

In fact, the vast majority of this twenty-page periodical focuses upon poor Alice Sherman’s frightening confrontation with a “full torso apparition”, and Roger Delacourt’s desperate attempt to get the team back to his library in order to “finish what we started.” Crammed full of “symmetrical book stacking, just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947”, and a simply stunning splash page by artist Dan Schoening, which rather marvellously captures the sheer spectacular of the elderly spook transforming herself into her utterly hideous, fearsomely fanged other self, this thoroughly enjoyable return to both pastures new and nostalgically familiar must surely have provided most readers with a thoroughly entertaining trip down memory lane.

Similarly as successful, is the American author’s ability to provide plenty of characterful cameos into this comic, with the (re)appearance of Jenny Adams and Bob Douglas proving particularly amusing, as the students somewhat spikily reminisce over Doctor Venkman’s poorly thought out experiment to ascertain psychic gifts; “That maniac electrocuted me. You know? I’ve had weird dreams ever since!” Rather impressively, the “Minnesota writer” even manages to provide some ‘screen time’ to Ray’s much ridiculed “honest-to-goodness”, undersea, unexplained, mass sponge migration.

However, cleverly intermixed with all these nods to its source material, is Burnham’s take on just how Stanz and Spengler were introduced to one another, courtesy of the smart-mouthed Venkman. These particular verbal exchanges could easily have been viewed by some as something of a sedentary sacrilege, yet due to Erik’s ‘spot on’ dialogue, such as Peter’s sassily going to “grab a slice with the Ladies Fencing Team”, as well as Schoening pencilling Egon with a “Doctor Who” length multi-coloured scarf, they arguably fit in with the surrounding canon reasonably neatly.

Written by: Erik Burnham, Art by: Dan Schoening, and Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado

Ghostbusters: Year One #1 - IDW Publishing

GHOSTBUSTERS: YEAR ONE No. 1, January 2020

Openly publicised by “IDW Publishing” as something of a ‘cash-grab’ riding upon the “anticipation of the new Ghostbusters feature film coming to theatres Summer 2020”, this twenty page periodical delivers both a refreshing insight into Winston Zeddemore’s first few days working with the Boys in Gray, as well as an engaging sense of nostalgia, courtesy of Erik Burnham cleverly weaving the former marine’s battle against Edgar Allan Poe’s ghost in amidst the events of Ivan Reitman’s 1984 American supernatural comedy film. Indeed, the Minnesotan writer’s script for Issue One of “Ghostbusters: Year One” is so enjoyable, that in many ways this comic feels like some sort of DVD or Blu-Ray extras documentary, featuring a whole host of “never-before-seen” authentic extracts simply chopped from the movie in the cutting room so as to reduce its running time.

Correspondingly as compelling is the American author’s decision to focus this mini-series’ opening instalment upon “the first person hired to strap on a proton pack outside of the founders themselves”, rather than take an arguably safer option of concentrating upon the smart-mouthed antics of Peter Venkman, or infectiously enthusiastic shenanigans of Doctor Ray Stantz. Described as “a deeply spiritual man who will become the soul of the team”, there’s a great deal of humour to be had watching Zeddemore’s incredulity at being armed with a potentially lethal proton packed “weapon” after just fifteen minutes of firing at pumpkins, and it soon becomes clear why artist Dan Schoening felt it was “really easy for readers and viewers of the films to pop yourself into his position and experience it through him.”

Burnham also arguably masters the close relationship Winston quickly develops with “the heart of the Ghostbusters”, and their chit-chat concerning the new hire’s curt perspective on “sasquatch migration in the Pacific Northwest and how that ties into extra-terrestrial visitation patterns” proves a genuine laugh out moment within this publication. In fact, this book’s banter between all the leading cast is pretty much spot on, and as a result it’s really easy to hear the voices of actors like Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd whenever a quick one-liner or gobbledygook explanation is delivered.

Elevating the immersive reading experience even further though, has to be Schoening’s mouth-wateringly good storyboards, which genuinely look like stills taken from an animated motion picture as opposed to simply something pencilled for a comic. “Dapper Dan” clearly sees Zeddemore as a “really lovable character” and does a terrific job of imbuing Winston with all the fears and uncertainties one might expect from a novice Ghostbuster solely through the man’s expressive eye movements.

Written by: Erik Burnham, Art by: Dan Schoening, and Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado