The Ectozone: The Ghostbusters Universe At Your Fingertips

So, IDW just released the eighth issue of their ongoing series...

I guess I better get to this or all of my "fans" will wonder what's wrong with me:

We start off with what seems like a routine bust at a nursing home. It's the kind of case that ABC wouldn't let the Ghostbusters take--they shied away from any mention of ghosts that were dead people, and with an exception or two (ie Al Capone in "Partners In Slime") they were all monstrous and extradimensional. Class 5 and 7 entities, if you will.

Well, not this time--it's actually a somewhat sympathetic old lady who goes off the deep end when Egon and Winston say they're not her son--she's not on the Other Side because he never came to visit her. Then things get a bit scary--remember how Slimer was hard to catch way back in #1-2? Yeah. It happens again with the old lady. Egon can't take his hands off the thrower to set the trap--fortunately, Ray and Venkman show up just in time for Ray to finish the job.Winston is a little sad ("If her son had shown up, she'd a been at peace."), Venkman continues criticizing the decor, and Egon is brooding: with Idulnas gone, this PKE surge shouldn't be happening.

But it is. Ray asks why. And then Egon Spengler says the one thing you don't want Egon Spengler saying: "I don't know"

Intent on finding out, Egon works himself raw with little sleep over the next three days (fortunately, his "polyphasic schedule" is helping). Winston and Venkman are concerned--and, in one of Dan Schoening's many call-backs to the cartoons, they do so while wearing pajamas seen in the show. Finally admitting he's at a dead end, Egon goes to the gym at Delgado's Gym (You'll recall it's next to the Casey J's, who's bouncer you really really don't want to mess with), and he steps out just in time for most of the entire Melnitz family to come strolling by. Mom, Dad, sister Doris, Brother (in law?), Grandma, and Janine herself, of course. Everybody but her nephew Victor, it looks like.

Oh, yeah. And Roger.

Way back in #1, we found out Janine was dating some guy named "Roger" off-camera. A few odd theories went around--a popular one was that "Roger" was just Egon using an assumed name to keep what they were doing secret from Venkman and the others because Venkman would tease them--but this issue we finally meet the guy.

I really hate to sound like I'm gloating, but Ghostdiva and I almost called it:

Ghostdiva Wrote
(I even thought they might make him look more like RGB Egon for kicks.)

Fritz Wrote
Since you said it, yeah, that's the theory I had that's still seems possible. Consider:
Dan Schoening is an obvious fan of the cartoon, and massively enjoys putting in call-backs to it. Janine dating a guy who looks like RGB Egon would be a huge one.
The latest Janine is a meld of GB1 Janine and RGB Season 1 Janine visually (and who can blame them? Those are the best versions of the character). It would make a weird kind of sense to have her torn between the two matching versions of Egon.

Erik Burnham:I expect a piece of the internet to break off when he shows up.
I seem to recall him or Dan saying something similar about #5, which ended up featuring the IDW premiere of Kylie Griffin

Erik Burnham:I think Roger's appearance will shake up the J+E fans.

There are more than one way to parse the word "appearance" you know...

Erik Burnham:Egon and Roger could be the Betty & Veronica to Janine's Archie!

A redhead as hypotenuse in a triangle between a brunette and a blond? That would fit.

Ghostdiva Wrote
(I even thought they might make him look more like RGB Egon for kicks.)
Fritz Wrote
Since you said it, yeah, that's the theory I had that's still seems possible. Consider: Dan Schoening is an obvious fan of the cartoon, and massively enjoys putting in call-backs to it. Janine dating a guy who looks like RGB Egon would be a huge one. The latest Janine is a meld of GB1 Janine and RGB Season 1 Janine visually (and who can blame them? Those are the best versions of the character). It would make a weird kind of sense to have her torn between the two matching versions of Egon. Erik Burnham:I expect a piece of the internet to break off when he shows up. I seem to recall him or Dan saying something similar about #5, which ended up featuring the IDW premiere of Kylie Griffin Erik Burnham:I think Roger's appearance will shake up the J+E fans. There are more than one way to parse the word "appearance" you know... Erik Burnham:Egon and Roger could be the Betty & Veronica to Janine's Archie! A redhead as hypotenuse in a triangle between a brunette and a blond? That would fit.

Well, okay, it was Extreme Ghostbusters Egon instead of Real Ghostbusters Egon, which does sort of match the assumed time frame (sometime post-1992 to as late as ~1994/1995; he even wears a "New York University" sweater, which is one of the names given to the place Egon worked between RGB and EGB), but I still did a little fist pump. Roger's automatically far more Janine's type than Louis Tully ever was. What's up with his name, though? Why did Erik Burnham name him after former Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh? Is he an athlete or something?*

Er...anyway...

Egon's so stressed and raw from the whole paranormal situation I like to think him blurting out "I don't have time for this" has multiple meanings. After he's been "snippy" and written a book that seems to have made Janine "aggressive" he ducks out of the potential conflict--I just hear LaMarche saying that "I don't have time for this" line in the same tone of voice he used to say "And what's that? Your jalopy?" in "Robo Buster". (Actually, Maurice LaMarche, in my head, voices two of the three characters in that scene) Janine's basically dating his fetch. I mean, that's gotta creep him out.

Read the rest of the snarky commentary on the Ectozone Message Board.

*--Well, duh, of course I know where he really got that name. I get a huge kick out of the vast irony of it: name Egon's new rival after one of Egon's biggest fans. I eagerly await Venkman getting a postcard from Dana saying she's dating a man named Steve Collins, or Ray hearing Elaine Fuhrman has married Jack Nielson, or Tiyah Clark dumping Winston for Larry Reilly. Maybe the new "Ghost Busters' team that Ron "Jake Kong" Alexander is former will be similarly named. Let's go Ghost Busters! Larry Benjamin!!! Curly Quick!!! Shemp Stewart!!! Moe Holbrook!!! :lol:

--Fritz V. Baugh

My own take on the Ghostbusters. Some of my own creations aren't this much fun to write! Click HERE to see the stuff...

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