Tag Ray Stantz

Rob Plays Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed – Mastering the Museum

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***I consider myself a casual gamer, as opposed to a die-hard. So when I pick up a new game, it’s because I’ve got a genuine interest in it, despite my novice gaming skills. Join me now as I navigate the latest Ghostbusters video game for the PS4, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’d been introduced to Winston, Ray, and the Ghostbusters team. I’d designed my avatar, though the beard was admittedly a bit too long. I’d had my tutorial on how to use the equipment. My automated Ghostbuster teammates were behind me. I was back at the Whitestone Museum of Nature and Science. It was time to wrangle and trap a ghost!

Except that’s not exactly what happened. Not at first, anyway.

My First Job
Whose idea was it to let the rookie lead a team on to a job, anyway? Or are all these characters supposed to be rookies? I just happened to pick the name tag that said “Rookie.”

My first official outing as a Ghostbuster in Spirits Unleashed did not go well. But on the upside, it was relatively short. Me, and the awkwardly named automated characters of Lima, Primo, and Corn Dog couldn’t have lasted 10 minutes before the Building Haunt meter filled to 100% and we were done. Actually, mere seconds into the job the ghost slimed me from behind, incapacitating me. The damn ghost fought dirty! At least when Slimer got Venkman, he rushed him head on…

So naturally, I tried again. Sent back to the firehouse, I selected the museum as my mission. Only something I didn’t expect happened. While the mission location obviously hadn’t changed, I had a new group of teammates, and was chasing after a different ghost.

It was at this point that I realized the randomized nature of the game’s solo player mode. You do, in fact, get to lead your own team of Ghostbusters as the advertising suggested. You do not, however, get to actually build that team, customize them to your liking, etc. The game simply assigns you new, randomized, automated teammates with each mission. Not to mention a new, randomized, automated ghost. From a story and character investment standpoint, that was a big downer.

To be victorious as a Ghostbuster, you essentially have to catch the ghost four times. Each ghost comes alongside three spectral rifts that allow it to regenerate after you’ve trapped it. So the fourth time you catch it gets you the win.

I wasn’t much better on my second go at the museum. And yet, something I didn’t expect happened: I won, despite not trapping the ghost the fourth and final time. Seconds later, I was told one of my automated teammates had trapped the ghost. That was another downer. And frankly, one that didn’t make a ton of sense. So I could win the game, despite not being the one who captured the ghost a final time? That kind of puts a damper on the fun of it all, doesn’t it?

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is obviously best enjoyed as a multi-player game where one can team up with friends to catch a ghost. Or perhaps face off against one another if someone chooses to play as the ghost. You can play by yourself if you want to, but that’s clearly not the game’s strong suit.

I had controller problems as well. My biggest struggle was switching off between the particle thrower that wrangles the ghost, the PKE meter that seeks and detects it (shown above), and the ghost trap that ultimately contains it. One frustrating thing about the game is you have to stop firing your particle thrower in order to put out your trap. So if you suddenly see the ghost you’re after and you wrangle it with your proton stream, you have to switch off said proton stream in order to deploy your trap, then hope you can quickly catch the ghost again.

Mind you, as you’re hunting for the ghost you’ve still got to be mindful of the civilians in the building with you, calming them down, etc. Each civilian has what I’ll call a little “scare meter” above them. If that scare meter fills completely, they flee the building, which I believe counts against your Building Haunt meter. You don’t want to be in the way of a fleeing civilian either, as they can knock you down.

Each ghost can also deploy little minions that you’ve got to destroy with your proton stream. It’s not a huge inconvenience. Though you certainly don’t want them all to swarm you at once.

Oddly enough, one of the random ghosts I ended up facing in the museum was none other than Slimer. There was nothing different or special about him, though. And last I checked, he couldn’t deploy minions…

I was stubborn about mastering the controls, and didn’t want to venture too far into the game until I had at least a decent handle on them. I must have gone back and done the museum level 10 times. Sometimes I caught the ghost, sometimes I didn’t.

One advantage that approach did afford me was additional XP (experience points), which I was able to use to unlock new Ghostbuster tech (shown above). It wasn’t anything that altered my gaming experience too much. I was able to vent the pack a little bit quicker. But other than that, nothing to write home about yet.

As I was playing at the museum repeatedly, I was ignoring a prompt from the game to go see Ray at his bookstore across from the firehouse. When I finally acquiesced, Ray was at the counter with a large book that had a very familiar title: Tobin’s Spirit Guide.

Little did I know that Ray was literally opening a gateway into the spirit world. As the game had advertised, I was about to play as a ghost.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Rob Plays Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed – Becoming a Ghostbuster

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***I consider myself a casual gamer, as opposed to a die-hard. So when I pick up a new game, it’s because I’ve got a genuine interest in it, despite my novice gaming skills. Join me now as I navigate the latest Ghostbusters video game for the PS4, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed!***

Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed PS4 coverBy Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

For yours truly, the gold standard in Ghostbusters video gaming was set in 2009 with Ghostbusters: The Video Game. And not just because most of the original cast was involved. The mechanics of the game were solid, and fun to work at and master. To this day, I enjoy going back and playing through it. So, fair or not, that’s the largely the standard by which I was judging Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.

Granted, for my money Spirits Unleashed had a lot going for it coming in. The first-person shooter approach gave the initial impression that it would offer a similar experience to the 2009 game. We had Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson offering their vocal talents. It seemed to pick up where Ghostbusters: Afterlife left off, which offered a certain satisfaction. Graphically, the game looked at least on par with it’s predecessor. The ability to customize and play as your own Ghostbuster, a feature which the 2009 game did not have, was another plus. We were also told we’d be able to play as a ghost, which was certainly something new.

I’ll reiterate that I’m not a die-hard gamer. But I am a die-hard ghosthead. So my hopes were high coming into Spirits Unleashed…

Training Day
The game kicks off with the player in Ray Stantz’s bookstore, which has apparently moved right next to the Ghostbusters firehouse. Ray gives a rah-rah speech about becoming a Ghostbuster, and you’re then sent inside the firehouse to create your avatar.

I generally don’t put a whole lot of thought or effort into create-a-character modes. I’m happy if the character just generally looks like me, which in the end is what I did for myself (shown below). But for those who want to get into nitty gritty details, those options are there. Players can change up eye shapes, facial hair thickness, body type. And yes, gender and skin color as well. As much as I love Ghostbusters: The Video Game, the Rookie character, another white male, did players no favors from a diversity standpoint.

Rob Siebert, Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed

One minor disappointment: You can’t customize your uniform’s name tag with your name. Instead you get a bunch of nickname tags. Kinda sucks, as I was looking forward to seeing “Siebert” on a Ghostbuster uniform.

From the get-go, it’s clear why Ernie Hudson is billed above Dan Aykroyd in the opening credits to this game. Winston Zeddemore is all over the opening moments of Spirits Unleashed. But that’s not altogether uncalled for, as he’s now the big executive in charge at the Ghostbusters organization. (His exact title, if he even has one, is unknown.) And, just like in real life, he looks like he’s barely aged a day.

We meet a character named Catt (at left above), who acts as the Ghostbusters’ operations manager. She meets the player in the adjoining alley and we set up for target practice, strapping on a proton pack for the first time. I was relieved to see that a lot of the basic mechanics from Ghostbusters: The Video Game were left intact. You use the R2 button to throw your stream, you vent the pack as needed, you throw the trap and drag the ghost into it, etc. They didn’t fix something that wasn’t broken. I appreciate that very, very much.

Tutorial: Whitestone Museum of Nature and Science
After the team’s tech guy, Eddy, guides you on how to use the PKE Meter, you’re sent into your first job: A haunting at the Whitestone Museum of Nature and Science. It’s not a real job, mind you. It’s a demo on how to catch a ghost in the field. But it gives you a sense of how the game actually works now that you’ve got a handle on your basic equipment.

In the grand tradition of simplistic ghost names like Slimer and Muncher, your first bust’s name is Blobby (shown above). Blobby is essentially a counterfeit Slimer. He douses you with slime and attacks you. But other than that he’s designed to be a pretty simple capture. At least in theory…

One thing you’ll notice is a percentage bar at the top of your screen labeled “Building Haunt.” I’m assuming if that bar fills up completely you lose the game. It makes sense, and adds a sense of urgency to things.

There were a coupe of equipment growing pains. I found the proton pack needs to be vented much more regularly than in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which obviously puts a limit on how long you can fire your proton stream. The ghost trap also has battery life, which means you can’t simply leave it open as you try and wrangle the ghost.

On the plus side, you get to interact with the civilians in the building, calming them down if/when they see the ghost. There’s not much to it, as you just hold down a button. But it’s a nice “practical” detail they put in there.

I admit, Blobby was tough for me. Balancing venting the pack, watching the trap battery, and wrangling the ghost is a challenge. I had to corner him a few times, deploy the trap, then work to wrestle him inside. I got slimed more than once, too. Apparently slime is more than a simple nuisance in Spirits Unleashed, as too much of it incapacitates your character. I can appreciate that.

But ultimately, I did catch the little pink menace. After the tutorial you’re taken back to the firehouse to empty your ghost trap, explore, talk to the other characters, etc. I opted to jump back into the action pretty quick, though. You’re given several mission/job options, which you can either select or have the game pick one for you at random. I opted to randomize things, and I ended up…back at the museum. Oops.

But as it turned out, I wasn’t going back alone. The game put me with three other automated Ghostbusters (shown above), one of whom looked severely underdressed for the job (far right). Like my character, they didn’t have real names. I’d later find out they were named Lima, Primo,and Corn Dog. How one gets the name Corn Dog I don’t even want to know.

But names notwithstanding, it was time to heat ’em up!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Astonishing Art: Ghostbusters by Régis Donsimoni

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m a sucker for a quality animated take on the Ghostbusters. That’s exactly what Régis Donsimoni gives us here.

The figure rendering, the colors, and the blocking are all on point. But I think what cinches it for me is that Louis Tully and Dana Barrett, a.k.a the Keymaster and the Gatekeeper, are quietly watching from the background. This isn’t a creepy image, but that aspect has a creepy quality to it to be sure.

Ghostbusters, Regis Donsimoni

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Astonishing Art: The Real Ghostbusters…II?!?

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We learned last month that a new Ghostbusters animated series is in the works at Netflix, not to mention an animated feature film.

While I don’t expect them to go back to the Real Ghostbusters well, Badoochi Studios has provided us with a really fun glimpse at what such a take might look like. I particularly enjoy the Phoebe and Podcast characters done in the Real Ghostbusters style.

I mean…a semi-revival of The Real Ghostbusters would make a hell of splash, right? Does it have to be out of the question?

The Real Ghostbusters II, Badoochi Studios

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Coming Q4 2022

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I was beyond exited to stumble upon the trailer for Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed this morning. I’ve been waiting for a new GB game on this scale since 2009’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game. That certainly seems to be what Illfonic is serving up for us here. As an added bonus, we’ve got Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson reprising their roles as Ray and Winston.

Things look promising! Sign me up!

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Toy Chest Theater: Ghostbuster Luigi by Niels van Riel

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

In honor of Ghostbusters: Afterlife coming out in the U.S. today, this image from Niels van Riel felt more than appropriate. Remember, Luigi has been a Ghostbuster of sorts in his own right, having starred in the various Luigi’s Mansion games.

Ghostbuster Luigi, Niels van Riel

What do you think the odds are that Luigi shows up in Ghostbusters: Afterlife? Zero? Yeah, that’s what I thought…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A TMNT/Ghostbusters Deep-Dive Review – Bustin’ in a Half Shell

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TITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters #1–4
AUTHORS: Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz
ARTIST: Dan Schoening
GUEST ARTISTS: Charles Paul Wilson III, Cory Smith, Ronda Pattison (Colorist)
COLORIST: Luis Delgado
LETTERER: Neil Uyetake
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
COLLECTED IN: Paperback, Deluxe Edition, TMNT: The IDW Collection, Vol. 5
RELEASED: October 2014 – January 2015

***New around here? Check out Primary Ignition’s TMNT Deep-Dive Review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

If you were a kid in the ’80s or ’90s, chances are you’ll find something appealing at IDW Publishing. That’s not me kissing ass. It’s simply the law of averages. Their collection of licenses includes Transformers, My Little Pony, Sonic the Hedgehog, Back to the Future, among others. That’s to say nothing of two iconic staples of the ’80s: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters.

And of course, IDW loves them a good crossover. It was only a matter of time before the boys in green met the boys in grey.

So what do people want to see from a story like this? What’s the appeal of a crossover? The answer is fans like it when things…well, cross over. We like to see different characters from different worlds meet, interact, team up, or even fight. Often it’s a combination of all four.

But how do you mash up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Ghostbusters? On the surface, they have very little in common.

The answer is: Find common ground. Take something the two properties have in common and use it to bring them together. Thus the question becomes, what do the TMNT and the GBs have in common? Well, simply at face value…

  • They’re both four-man teams.
  • They both fight the supernatural and/or the extraordinary.
  • They’re both from New York City.

That, especially that third point, is apparently a good enough starting point. TMNT/Ghostbusters sees an accident with the Turtles’ dimensional portal send them to the Ghostbusters’ incarnation of New York. The accident also frees Chi-You, a Chinese warrior god hell bent on ruling the Earth. Caught up in his plot is none other than a demonically possessed Casey Jones.

These issues feel very much like the Turtles are guest-starring in a Ghostbusters story. That’s because artistic team behind IDW’s Ghostbusters books, penciller Dan Schoening, colorist Luis Delgado, and letterer Neil Uyetake handle most of the pages. The common threads between IDW’s Ghostbusters and TMNT books? Tom Waltz, who co-authored TMNT with Kevin Eastman, was the editor on Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters author Erik Burnham had worked on plenty of supplemental material for the TMNT series as well. So the ground was fertile for a crossover.

Said crossover is in good hands. Over the last decade, Burnham, Schoening, Delgado, and Uyetake have been responsible for what in my opinion are the best Ghostbusters comics ever made. All parties involved clearly had a reverence for the source material, and Burnham was turning in amazing scripts.

But what really sets the material apart is Schoening and Delgado. As is the case with TMNT comics, my argument when it comes to Ghostbusters comics is that a lot rides on how you draw the heroes themselves. Because of likeness issues, most pre-Shoening artists tended to draw the movie-based Ghostbusters as guys who looked loosely like the actors. As in this case the characters are so closely identified with their performers (Can you picture someone other than Bill Murray playing Peter Venkman?), what we got were essentially Ghostbusters stories with characters who looked like they were standing in for the genuine article. 

Then along came Shoening who took a more animated, cartoony approach to the movie Ghostbusters. His Egon Spengler doesn’t look like Harold Ramis. But like an impressionist channeling a specific person, he captures the feel of the characters in a way no other artist ever has. So to see him take on the Ghostbusters and the Ninja Turtles, in the same story no less, is very special.

Issues #2 and #3 are where we get a lot of those “common ground” scenes. The two teams share pizza in the firehouse. Donatello compares tech geek notes with Ray. Raph and Venkman make wisecracks to each other. And of course, we get our first obligatory shot of a Ninja Turtle wearing a proton pack. Along those lines, Cory Smith’s variant cover for issue #3 (shown left) is my favorite in the entire series. If you’re an ’80s or ’90s kid, the smart bet is this would have made your head explode back then.

By villain standards, Chi-You isn’t very memorable at all. He’s essentially a generic, grand-standing, monolouging bad guy. He does, however, manage to look pretty bad ass in Casey Jones’ hockey mask. But the strange thing about this story is that the bad guy is almost an afterthought. The main event is that interaction between the two teams. With only four issues to work with, you almost don’t have the time to properly build up a brand new villain while still delivering on what fans want to see from a crossover.

And did Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters deliver on what fans wanted to see? I’d say so. I’d like to think no one realistically came into this thing expecting a grand masterpiece. But it wasn’t a small task either. It’s job was to deliver on a scenario dreamed up by many an ’80s or ’90s kid: What if the Ninja Turtles met the Ghostbusters? And the answer we get is perfectly serviceable. It isn’t contrived, or forced, or hokey, or stupid, all of which it easily could have been. The IDW crew delivered on the crossover, just like they delivered on the two books individually.

What more could a kid who grew up watching these characters on worn out VHS tapes possibly ask for?

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Toy Chest Theater: Ghostbusters and the Punisher…the Ghost-Punishers?

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

“Busy night, Frank? Ever think about leaving a few breathing?”

That’s the caption that Scott Bline put on this image of the Punisher and the Ghostbusters. The picture stands on its own just fine. It’s got great lighting, and reminds me of the cutscene in Ghostbusters: The Video game where the boys see Stay Puft again. But this is the rare instance where a caption is the one detail that puts an image over the top. It’s been stuck in my head for weeks.

It’s funny, I can actually visualize a story where Frank Castle and the boys in gray team up. You talk about wiping somebody off the Earth completely. Kill ’em, then capture their ghost. Gone without a trace.

Your move Marvel. You too, IDW Publishing.

For more from Scott Bline, check out his web site.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Weekly Comic 100s: Batman #90, Marvel #1, and More!

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***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

A few leftovers from last week mixed in here. That’s what happens when you get struck by the flu. Not the Corona virus, I assure you. Just the flu…

TITLE: Batman #90
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 4, 2020

This issue has stirred up a decent amount of buzz because of a plot point involving the Joker. While I’m very much into what Tynion is doing, Batman #90 has been drastically over-hyped.

Via a flashback from Catwoman, we’re led to believe that the Designer, a mysterious villain we’ve just now learned about, inspired the Joker to evolve from clown-themed criminal to murdering psychopath. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s too early to herald it as this amazing development in the Batman mythos. Ask me after a few more issues have come out. Then we’ll talk.

TITLE: Marvel #1 (of 6)
AUTHORS: Alex Ross, Steve Darnall, Frank Espinosa, Sajan Saini, Kurt Busiek, 
ARTISTS: Ross, Josh Johnson (Letterer), Espinosa, Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Steve Rude, Steven Legge (Colorist)
RELEASED: March 4, 2020

Here we have the first installment in what was Alex Ross’ original vision for Marvels: An anthology of stories done by creators picked by Ross. Many of whom are working in the Marvel Universe for the first time.

Frank Espinosa turns in a lovely Spider-Man story. Given his style, he’s perfect for a project like this. But I was partial to Marvels author Kurt Busiek’s old school Avengers tale, drawn by the one and only Steve Rude. “Hulk-vengers.” Is that only now a thing? Either way, I love it.

TITLE: King of Nowhere #1 (of 5)
AUTHOR: W. Maxwell Prince
ARTISTS: Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: March 4, 2020

Every once in awhile, you find yourself holding what’s essentially a giant smorgasbord of bizarre, freakish, and random. Have I seen freakier than this? Yes. But not lately…

Our main character Denis wakes up near the small town of Nowhere, essentially a living acid trip filled with the creatures you see on the cover. Adventures ensue, and then we get a little hook at the end to bring us back. It’s not a particularly strong hook. But frankly, she simple question of “What the actual #$%Q is going on?” might just be the only hook King of Nowhere needs.

TITLE: Ghostbusters: Year One #2
AUTHOR: Erik Burnham
ARTISTS: Dan Schoening, Luis Delgado (Colorist), Neil Uyetake (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 4, 2020

This issue sees the Ghostbusters follow up on their very first spectral encounter: Eleanor Twitty, the librarian ghost. Thus, I’m forced to ask the heart-wrenching question of whether Ghostbusters: The Video Game is still canon in the IDWverse.

We also get a cute, and surprisingly heartwarming college flashback where Venkman introduces Ray and Egon. And of course, Schoening draws Egon with the late ’70s/early ’80s Harold Ramis afro. Because how could you not?

TITLE: Batman/Superman #7
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Nick Derington, Dave McCaig (Colorist), John J. Hill (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 26, 2020

“The Bottled City of the Dead.” That’s fun. I like it. Even if the cliffhanger we get does border on unintentionally funny.

Nick Dergington’s art is the star here, supported wonderfully by Dave McCaig’s colors. To call it “simplistic” looking sounds like a dig. It isn’t. It’s easily digestible. And again, it’s fun.

Williamson’s writing of the rapport between our titular characters is the strongest its been yet in this issue. I’ll admit it’s a bit awkward, though appropriate, that they call each other by their hero names. It feels like they should call each other by their first names. But of course, they’re in the field…

TITLE: TMNT: Jennika #1
AUTHORS: Braham Revel, Ronda Pattison
ARTISTS: Revel, Jodi Nishijima, Pattison (Colorist), Shawn Lee (Letterer).
RELEASED: February 26, 2020

I like how Revel draws Jennika with a slimmer, dare I say more feminine figure. In theory it sets her apart from the other Turtles that much more. Revel’s style is also mildly reminiscent of the 2012 animated series. It makes for an interesting style shift from the main series.

There’s a decent amount of meat to this story. The best of which involves the awkward romantic tension between Jennika and Casey Jones. It’s an impossible conflict that I’m dying to see how they resolve. Or at least if they can resolve it without making Casey look like a heel.

TITLE: Suicide Squad #3
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 26, 2020

What has surprised me more than anything about Tom Taylor’s Suicide Squad run thus far is how much he’s actually delivered on the whole suicide mission premise. By only having two heavy hitters (Deadshot and Harley), and having the cast consist mostly of original characters, he can raise the stakes seamlessly by making the missions more costly.

As far as those new characters are concerned, I remain partial to Fin. Especially after seeing him exact some deliciously gruesome revenge this issue.

Follow Primary Ignition on Twitter, or email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com.

Dan Schoening Easter Egg Hunt: John Candy and the Rottweilers

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Before Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, or Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Rick Moranis pestered Dana Barrett and became the Keymaster in Ghostbusters. After more than 30 years, his performance still makes us laugh. (“Yes, have some!”)

But the Louis Tully character could have been very different. Legend has it that Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis originally wanted Louis to be played by none other than John Candy.

In the pages of Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History, producer Joe Medjuck explains that the character was originally supposed to be more flamboyant, much like Candy’s SCTV character Johnny LaRue. But seemingly not wanting to go that route, Candy suggested something that in hindsight seems downright bizarre: Giving Louis a thick German accent and two pet rottweilers.

Decades later, Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, Luis Delgado, and the IDW Ghostbusters crew gave us a hell of a “What if?” moment in the pages of Ghostbusters #4.

Naturally, the first arc in the series used a lot of familiar elements from the movies. Case in point, in issue #4 we once again find ourselves at 55 Central Park West, as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man stomps through the city. Ray races through the building, frantically trying to get in position to deploy the “megatrap.”

Ray kicks down the door to room 2206 (Dana’s old apartment), and who does he find but a portly German fellow with two pet rottweilers and a very familiar face.

While you can’t take anything away from Erik Burnham’s script, Luis Delgado’s colors, or anything else the IDW team brought to the table, Dan Schoening was really the star of this page. One of the things that sets his take on the Ghostbusters apart from everyone else’s is his distinct style. It’s obviously cartoony. But he incorporates enough of the actors’ likenesses to make it feel like you’re watching an extension of the movies. John Candy gets the same treatment here. It’s so plainly him, and it really warms your heart.

It’s enough to make you wonder what it would have looked like seeing John Candy become a terror dog…

For more Dan Schoening Easter Eggs, check out Martin Short and Grandma Winslow, and Eddie Murphy at Ghostbusters HQ.

Email Rob at PrimaryIgnition@yahoo.com, or follow Primary Ignition on Twitter.