Oh!! By the way!!

While I'm on the topic of Ghostbusters cartoons....

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Some good Ghostbusters news...

...before we get to the bad news.

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Happy 35th anniversary, Ghostbusters!!

Previous years-

• 30th anniversary
• 31st anniversary
• 32nd anniversary
• 33rd anniversary
• 34th anniversary

So, yeah, all this happened...

• Ghostbusters 3 for 2020!!
• All right, let's talk Ghostbusters 3.
• Ghostbusters 3 casting part 1. (Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon)
• Ghostbusters 3 casting part 2. (Ernie Hudson)
• Ghostbusters 3 casting part 3. (McKenna Grace)
• Ghostbusters 3 casting part 4. (Sigourney Weaver)
• Ghostbusters 3 casting part 5. (Bill Murray)
• Aykroyd on Ghostbusters 4, 5, and 6.
• Ghostbusters Fan Fest lineup.

Plus, this other stuff...

• GB1 & GB2 coming to 4k with new bonuses.
• GB: ATC turned 2 years old.
• GB: ATC finally came to FX. (it's the extended cut)
• GB: Crossing Over wrapped up.
• GB: 35th anniversary miniseries announcement.
• GB: 35th anniversary miniseries came out.
• Dan Aykroyd was being sneaky with GB3.
• Ivan Reitman was being sneakier.
• Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts Of Cybertron (Announcement)
• Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts Of Cybertron (Covers)
• Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts Of Cybertron (Title drop)
• Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts Of Cybertron (Starscream/Gozer)
• Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts Of Cybertron (Ecto-Optimus!!)
• I got "Displaced Aggression", and "Mass Hysteria".
• I got "Ghostbuster's Daughter".
• I got "Spectral Shenanigans".
• I ranked the GB universe (that I've collected) so far.
• I retro-added the 31st anniversary.
• I retro-fixed the 30th anniversary.
• Ghostbusters World is canon!
• Into The Dead 2: Ghostbusters.
• Ghostbusters Funko cereals.
• The director and cast of GB:ATC are doing okay.
• I found RGB references in GB2.
• Vigo meets Genevieve!
• I simplified the timeline.

That's everything from this year.
Surely new stuff will drop during Ghostbusters Fan Fest.
If/when it does, I'll retro-link it below.

-Here.
-And here.

Next month, 3rd anniversary of Answer The Call.


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Meedyah Morsels #60.

• Parts #1-30.
• Parts #31-40.
• Parts #41-50.
• Part 51 (X-Mas 3)
• Part 52 (SW: TROS)
• Part 53 (Mandalorian 2)
• Part 54 (Revisits 2)
• Part 55 (Picard series 2)
• Part 56 (Warren)
• Part 57 (GB 4K)
• Part 58 (DC '15)
• Part 59 (Marvel '15)

There's a reason I folded books and comics into this series.
So they don't clog up movie reviews, even if technically, they're often movie sequels/prequels.

So, we start off the category reboot with.....


Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary (2019)

Previously with this franchise...

• My original Ghostbusters series review.
• Happy 2nd anniversary, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call!
• Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers The Call.
• Ghostbusters:Answer The Call: What Dreams May Come
• Ghostbusters: Crossing over (Volume 1)
• Ghostbusters: Crossing over (Volume 2)

Yep, another "Answer The Call", sequel.
Mixed in with the other 3 generations.
As long as they keep doing ATC sequels, I'll keep reviewing 'em.

So, these one-shots came out over the last 4 weeks, and the last one was today.
Here we go....

1. Ghostbusters.

Remember when in the original movie, Winston was applying for the job of 4th Ghostbuster, and Janine rattled off all the bullshit he was expected to believe in, and one of them was "the theory of Atlantis"?

They finally meet up with Atlanteans.
Yep, they did it.

A spell tablet releases an Atlantean ghost, then the ghost raises Neptune as a disturbing Golem made of fish.

Nice fun little quickie.
Feels like a really good RGB episode, even though it's original recipe Ghostbusters.
Lots of little Easter eggs for the first 2 movies, and RGB.
Probably the best one of these.

2. The Real Ghostbusters.

Pretty cute.
Nails the style and pace of an RGB episode dead-on.

Lots of little callbacks to previous RGB episodes.
Both as direct Easter eggs, and little similarity echoes.

Story was a bit thin and fluffy though.
But...even that's a callback, cuz the old RGB comics by NOW publishing were thin and quick like this.
Hmm, y'know, this is the first solo RGB comic SINCE the NOW run!
*Googles*
Yeah, that ended in 1992, one year after the show ended.
It's been 27 years since an RGB comic!
Damn!

Anyway, plot...
A competitive ghostbusting business outdoes the Busters, and tries to head-hunt Ray.
They turn out to be frauds, and Ray and Slimer bring them down.

I guess this was the weakest.
It wasn't bad, just the other three were better.
I liked the RGB guys better in the crossovers.
Those interactions were far more interesting than going back to formula.

3. Ghostbusters: Answer The Call

First non-crossover adventure of the girls since "What Dreams May come".

Again, just cute.

Here, the character interaction feels more like the movie, but the plot and art style is what feels like an old NOW-era RGB comic.

A demon cult pulls a "Rosemary's Baby", routine, but the baby comes out a girl instead of a boy, so they abandon their plan.
The demon-daddy doesn't care, and tries to start the apocalypse anyway.
Proton beams, and quick thinking by Holtzmann save the day.

I'd rate this....third best.
A little better than the RGB one, definitely not as good as the classic-GB one.

4. Extreme Ghostbusters.

It's been 22 years since the last episode of EGB, and EGB NEVER had a solo comic of its own, so this is it.

I'd rate this second best after the classic-GB one.
So...
1. Classic
2. Extreme
3. Answer
4. Real

Tim Lattie has been doing awesome variant covers for the GB series all along, and they've always been my favorites, but now he finally does interior art, and the wait has been too goddamned long.

And it fits like a glove that he's doing the Extreme team, cuz you can tell from the covers he did for "Crossing Over", he fucking loves Kylie.

And speaking of fucking loving Kylie, holy crap, they finally actually evolved the Kylie + Eduardo relationship.
Cartoons were always trapped in a grade school crush version of romance, but now that the show is defunct, the comic writers can do anything they want.

Oh, they don't get to fuck or anything, but in dialog, you can tell they're moving ahead a little further.
Better than poor Egon and Janine ever got, anyway.

Anyway, story is, the ghost of a PETA activist endows zoo animals with intelligence and speech so they can rebel against humans.

Lot of similarity to a certain RGB episode.
Hmm...an RGB theme runs through all of these, actually....

Story/dialog is about equal to the ATC one, but the Tim Lattie art blows it out of the park.
Not just the beauty of it, but the "performance", of the characters he portrays.
You can almost see it move like a Disney cartoon.

If he got a whole regular EGB spinoff series, I'd buy that for a dollar!


Overall, yeah, fun little experiment, and fun little trip through the memory lane of the franchise.
I'll definitely buy the collected trade paperback.

Doesn't top "Crossing Over", but it isn't meant to.
Now, the Transformers crossover, that might just give it a run for its money.
I've seen preview pages, like the comic version of a trailer, and I already like what I'm seeing.

Y'know, I was originally gonna cover only the ATC sequels, cuz that's where it looked like the series was going, but the movies are going back to the classic generation, so I'll cover all of the GB stuff now.
"Crossing Over", canonizing literally everything necessitates it anyway.
So, I'll do the Transformers crossover when all the issues are out.
See you next time for that.


And, this is the 60th Meedya Morsel, so up next, a compilation of 31-60!!


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Ranking the Ghostbusters-verse so far (2018)

Previously-

• Ranking the MCU so far (2017)
• Ranking the Fox-X-Men-verse so far (2017)
• Ranking the Sony-Marvel-verse so far (2018)
• Ranking the DCEU so far (2017)
• Ranking Star Wars so far (2017)
• Ranking Batman so far (2017)
• Ranking the Marvel-TV-verse so far (2018)
• Ranking the Fox-Marvel-TV-verse so far (2018)
• Ranking the DC-TV-verse so far (2018)
• Top 25 superhero films, period.

I struggled whether to do this one, and then over how to do it, and....I think the best way is to bust it up into 2 lists.
One for movies, one for comics.
There's only 2 shows, and EGB had just one season, so RGB wins too easily.
I'll do a show ranking if/when "Ecto-Force", ever gets off the ground.
Anyhoo...


Movies.

1. Ghostbusters.

Still the best.
Everything that RGB, ATC, and the IDW comics build out from for rules, characters, creatures, and world building, it's all right in this one.
The world could have been just as happy with just this one.
But, I'm glad there was more, because there's so much you can do with the premise.

2. Ghostbusters: Answer The Call.

Does the riffing go on too log?
Are there too many dance numbers?
Is there not enough actual ghostbusting?
Could the classic cast have been in it more?
All valid nitpicks.
But one thing overpowers all of that.
Holtzmann.
It's the one with Holtzmann.
Boom.

3. Ghostbusters II.

Said it in the old review, it's a reunion with old friends.
And its gotten better with age.
I think these would/will stay the top 3 even if more films come out.


Books.

1. Ghostbusters: Crossing Over.

Ehhh, maybe it's recency bias, but...no, having every Buster ever have their moment is pretty damned awesome.
If a similar feat gets "Infinity War", high on everyone's list, this needs acknowledging too.
It's a damned good job.

2. Ghostbusters 101

Again, could be recency bias, but I don't think so.
With just classic and ATC to focus on, everyone gets more face time.
God, I wish this had been the very next movie.
The boys & girls go together like peanut butter and jelly.
It really would have been something up on the screen.

3. Ghostbusters: Mass Hysteria.

The "Crossing Over", of the 30th anniversary.
Should have been Ghostbusters 3.
Dammit, Bill.

4. Ghostbusters: Spectral Shenanigans.

Makes me wish the regular series were a Netflix show.
Like Castlevania.
A Watchmen thick feast of GB goodness.

5. Ghostbusters: Displaced Agresssion.

A lotta lore gets crammed into such a comparatively thin volume.
Beaten out by the top 4 only in their size and scope.
This might be my favorite standalone GB story next to the first movie.

6. Ghostbusters: Get Real.

The one where they meet RGB.
It's a feast of RGB Easter eggs.
But....the regular IDW series already came out of the gate firing Easter eggs out of a Gatling gun.
It makes the show canon, and that's what matters most.

7. Ghostbusters:
Answer The Call:
What Dreams May Come

Although, the graphic novel scrubs "What Dreams May Come", not just off the front cover but all the issue covers in the cover gallery.
It's like it never happened.
Well....without that third title, that confuses it with the movie.
Fuck it, I'll still call it "What Dreams May Come".
Anyway, said it in the big 2018 list, cute, but didn't love it.


There, now when new stuff comes out, I have a template for ranking.
Whether it's just the next TPB for my comic collection, or if Ghostbusters 3 finally fucking happens.
See you next time for whichever happens first!!



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Pop culture updates #19.

• Parts 1-11.
• Part 12 (Bubba Ho-Tep)
• Part 13 (Lower Decks)
• Part 14 (Joe Bob)
• Part 15 (GB games)
• Part 16 (Cassian)
• Part 17 (Section 31)
• Part 18 (GB 3??)

FINALLY some word on the 2019 Ghostbusters comics!!
....kinda...

Ghostbusters IDW 20/20,
and Untitled Mystery Project.

Top left is GB: IDW 20/20.
It's a one-shot issue featuring the Ghostbusters crew from Sanctum Of Slime.
SOS being a video game set in a possible future of the movie universe, and whose characters crossed over with everyone else in "Crossing Over".

Top right all the way to the bottom are variant covers for this un-named mystery project starting in April 2019.

Clearly, it's going to involve Classic, RGB, EGB, and ATC.

The teams look like they're operating separately, so it's one of those crossovers where they don't directly meet, but events effect all 4 teams.

Like Star Trek: Invasion, or IDW Infestation.

Since ATC is roped into it, that counts it as an ATC sequel, so I'll be reviewing it.

And since they're still continuing the adventures of the ATC girls, I'll still be doing anniversaries of the 2016 movie.
The haters can just suck it.

So, I'll update this thing again when it gets a name.
See you then.



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Big 2018 Movies Part 10.5.

• Parts 1-9:
• Big summer 2018 movies recap.
• Part 10 (GB: Crossing Over)
• Part 11 (Venom)
• Part 12 (Halloween)
• Part 13 (Death House)
• Part 14 (Lisbeth 4)

Ahhh, four months later, I can finally finish off...

Ghostbusters: Crossing over 
(Volume 2) (2018)

Previously with this franchise...

• My original Ghostbusters series review.
• Happy 2nd anniversary, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call!
• Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers The Call.
• Ghostbusters:Answer The Call: What Dreams May Come
• Ghostbusters: Crossing over (Volume 1)

Okay, last time, as far as I knew at the time, the graphic novels were going to be split up.
Now, all 8 issues are gonna be one big volume.
And the above is gonna be the cover.
But, I already did issues 1-4, so now I'm still on the hook to do 5-8, so here they are.

Plot summary-
(Heavy spoilers)

The scrambled teams of Ghostbusters in other dimensions defeat their respective ghosts, and manage to refill the containment unit.

Along the way, they meet back up with Rachel Unglighter, who gives them an orb shaped baseball sized trap that uses magic-tech, and Ron Alexander gets wounded by demonic ice cream cones.

Tiamat, sister of Gozer, interferes with their portal, and after they refill the containment unit, and head home, she pulls everyone to her dimension.

Even crossing 20+ proton streams doesn't touch her, so they use the magic-trap, and it drains her energy enough that they use a bunch of their regular traps (that have been upgraded to dimensionally teleport ghosts directly to the containment unit, but they set them to random dimensions for her) and rip all her flesh off her bones, and scatter her lifeforce across the multiverse.

Then, weakened down to practically nothing, they zap and trap her skeleton (with a non-dimensional regular trap), and just leave the trap there.
So Tiamat is dispersed for centuries, and will presumably never bother them again.
Unless the writer wants her back. :P

They all come home, but the containment unit is still unstable, so Ray's ghost girlfriend, Jenny, sacrifices herself, and goes into the containment unit, and makes it stable.

They play this for tear-jerks, but Holtzmann reminds Ray all of this started because they tried to build a viewer into the containment unit dimension (like in RGB), so they finish that, and now they can look in on Jenny, and she can beat up other ghosts, so she's fine.

Egon uses subliminal message code written on a piece of paper to erase Holtzmann's memories of dimensional portal tech, and says they're also going to use it on Ron Alexander, and everything's back to normal and safe again.

Rundown-

• A helluva ride, every Ghostbuster was in it, and everyone had a moment.
• It was the Infinity War of Ghostbusters. ...with a happier ending.
• Rachel Unglighter didn't fight Tiamat hand-to-hand, but she did beat her.
• Winston finally got his revenge on Tiamat (loooong backstory!).
• The Ghostbusters multiverse is finally all together now.
• Which sets up Ghostbusters World. 
• Next comic up the pike, a one shot issue featuring the Sanctum Of Slime Ghostbusters.

So, that's another Answer The Call sequel in the can, and the second Classic-GB/GB:ATC crossover.
January is the graphic novel.

And it looks like Dan Aykroyd still wants Ghostbusters 3 to be a thing.
But that's a whole other post.

Still nothing on the animated movie....

That's the GB franchise as of now.
See you next time.


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Big 2018 Movies Part 10.

Parts 1-9:
Big summer 2018 movies recap.


On a bored whim, I decided to do a special one, so it's....


Ghostbusters: Crossing over 
(Volume 1) (2018)

Previously with this franchise...

• My original Ghostbusters series review.
• Happy 2nd anniversary, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call!
• Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers The Call.
• Ghostbusters:Answer The Call: What Dreams May Come

I was gonna wait until all 8 issues came out, but fuck it, I wanna talk about it now.
The graphic novels are gonna be split up into two volumes, like "Mass Hysteria", so technically, in issues, volume 1 is out, even if not in collected paperback.

Plot summary-

Holtzmann and Ron Alexander (a character created by the comics based on a young Chevy Chase) reverse engineer the Ghostbusters dimension portal, and make a copy for themselves, but they turn it on at a bad time, and cause the Ghostbusters containment unit to leak ghosts across the multiverse.

The Prime Ghostbusters enlist a crapload of other dimensional Ghostbusters to go forth into the multiverse, and wrangle the ghosts back into the containment unit before it destabilizes, and explodes.

Tiamat (see "Mass Hysteria") intervenes with the portal, and shuffles the Ghostbusters into random teams of six, to sprinkle a little chaos on things, because that's what she does.
So, in reader terms, you get an even mix of Answer The Call, Real, Extreme, Sanctum Of Slime, and Prime Ghostbusters in each group interacting with each other in fun new ways.

This volume leaves off with the first three teams running into powerful ghosts from previous arcs in the IDW comics run.

Rundown-

• Loving it so far! Even better than GB:101.
• Loving the plot gimmick of scrambled teams.
• If you're someone who only watched the movies, they're doing everything to catch you up to speed on the other Busters from the other media. From character pages at the start of each issue, to file folders of each team at the end of each issue, to digital trading cards of every character on Tom Waltz's twitter (which will be in the graphic novel collection).
• Frustratingly, we JUST get going before we cliff-hang. The really good shit's gonna be in issues 5-8.
• Issue 5 is out, and we get some juicy stuff...but I can't talk about it until part 2.
• I REALLY can't wait until issue #6 though!!
• Yeah, you want sequels to the movies, it's all happening at IDW, they've got this franchise nailed. GB:101 hit it out of the park, and now this one's hitting it out of the park, hitting the last ball, and pushing it even further out into orbit. 
• I just wish I had the next series to look forward to to mention, but they're keeping everything close to their vest this time. 

So, as usual, it's good, and I'm happy, and we've got another good GB sequel for the record books.
Just wish I knew what was next...

Anyway, collect those, they're good.
Or...wait all the way to January for the first graphic novel, and who knows when for volume 2.

See you then!

And see you next time in this review series for Venom, and then Aquaman!



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Happy 34th anniversary, Ghostbusters!!

Previous years-

• 30th anniversary
• 31st anniversary
• 32nd anniversary
• 33rd anniversary

What's happened since last year...

• GB: ATC turned 1 year old.
• GB: ATC is finally coming to FX.
• Ghostbusters 101 wrapped up.
• Got the graphic novel of GB101, and all of RGB on DVD.
• I found lots of RGB references in ATC.
• RGB turned 30.
• EGB turned 20.
• Also got the Ecto-1 manual.
• "GB: ATC: What Dreams May Come", ran its course.
• GB101 turned 1 year old.
• "GB: Crossing Over", is 3 issues in.
• Here's the teams involved.
• Wrote an essay on why GB2 and GBATC are complimentary sequels.
• "Ghostbusters World", the phone game is gonna be a thing.

What happened today....

• Wizard World Ghostbusters Fan Fest next year for the 35th.
• Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd put out this weak-sauce video about it.
• I have a sinking feeling they're saving the good shit for next year.
• A restored version of the RGB pitch pilot was released.
• Well, at least there's that. Wanted goddamned Animated Ghostbusters 4 news.

This weekend is regular Wizard World in Ohio, but Ghostbusters comics guys are going there.
If they announce anything huge there, I'll post it, and link it in comments.
Be nice if all the news dropped today, like its supposed to, but they screwed around last year too.

UPDATE:
I was right, they're saving everything for next year.


Next month, 2nd anniversary of Answer The Call.


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Ghostbusters: Crossing Over update.

Previously...

Ghostbusters comics news for 2018!


And now...

Ghostbusters Crossing Over: The Teams.

From last time...

It's going to have all the Ghostbusters teams!!!

Original movie, Answer The Call, Real, Extreme, Sanctum Of Slime, and maybe, just maybe, Filmation Ghostbusters.

If they could work in stuff from the Kenner toys, and Lego, and Playmobile, and the Nintendo game, that would make my whole existence.
But...I won't get greedy, I'll take whatever they're allowed to give me.

Well, now we know what teams are being used!!

And here they all are!

The series is going to be 8 issues, and each one is going to have a file by Janine about a different team, so that means 8 teams besides movie universe (called "prime universe", in the comic).

There's 9 teams besides prime in that pic, but there's a loophole which I'll mention.

So, starting from the bottom going up, and going left to right...

Bottom row, prime universe.

Janine, Ray, Jenny (Ray's ghost girlfriend), Kylie Griffin, Egon, Peter, Winston.

Next row, above Prime, are Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, and Answer The Call. 

Underneath Extreme are the 8-bit game sprites for "New Ghostbusters 2".

Above Real are Sanctum Of Slime, above ATC are Chicago Ghostbusters.

Chicago are from Prime universe, made up by the comic, and founded by The Rookie from the '09 video game.

That's the loophole I mentioned.

Top row, the RGB variants from the "Slimer!" spinoff cartoon, then the anime parody Ghostbusters from one episode of "Tokyo ESP", and the prime universe cartoony variants from certain platfrom versions of the 09 video game.

Between Slimer-verse, and Tokyo ESP, are Kevin Tanaka and Robobuster.

Kevin Tanaka is from Prime-verse, and is Janine's assistant, based on the guy in real life who runs the Ghostbusters Wiki.

Robobuster is from RGB originally, but he dies in his episode, so this is an alternate-alternate version from a  dimension made up for the comic.

Between Tokyo ESP, and '09 game variants, is Mike The Golem.

He's from the same made up dimension as Robobuster, and he's a made up stand-in for Tracy The Ape from Filmation Ghostbsuters, which they couldn't get the rights to.

After '09 game variants, and kind of beside Chicago, is Kevin Beckman, the male secretary played by Chris Hemsworth from ATC.

Oh, and standing a little outside of Chicago is Melanie Ortiz.

She's formerly of Chicago, but now is more of an auxiliary Buster for the Prime team.

She washes her hands of Chicago, but they had to stand her somewhere.

So, all together, that's..

1. Prime Ghostbsuters (movie)

2. Real Ghostbsuters

3. Extreme Ghostbusters

4. Answer The Call

5. 8-bit.

6. Sanctum Of Slime

7. Chicago

8. Slimer-verse

9. Tokyo ESP

10 '09 game stylized

11. Greenwich Village Ghostbusters (Robobuster and Mike The Golem)

So, 11 "teams", but Chicago spins off from Prime, Greenwich Village is just 2 guys, and the Janine files aren't counting Prime, because they see themselves as the "real", dimension.

But anyway, that's all the characters.

Unless they spring some surprises, which they might.

See you in 6 months for the final review of all 8 issues!! 

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Ghostbusters comics news for 2018!

I predicted this was coming too!
They've been gradually hinting towards it in Easter eggs in the books.
Be nice if they announced it at Comic-Con instead of stupid Ninja Turtles...*sigh*

ANYHOOO!!!


Ghostbusters: Crossing over (2018)

It's going to have all the Ghostbusters teams!!!

Original movie, Answer The Call, Real, Extreme, Sanctum Of Slime, and maybe, just maybe, Filmation Ghostbusters.

If they could work in stuff from the Kenner toys, and Lego, and Playmobile, and the Nintendo game, that would make my whole existence.
But...I won't get greedy, I'll take whatever they're allowed to give me.

Comes out March 2018.

Until then, I'm still waiting on the graphic novel for "Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers The Call", and issue 2 of "Ghostbusters: Answer The Call: What Dreams May Come".

Stay tuned!


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Happy 20th anniversary, Extreme Ghostbusters!

Old review here.
Rambling about where it fits in on the timeline, and forcing myself to remember today here.

Kylie Griffin (blue haired goth chick pictured above) is still going strong in the IDW Ghostbusters comics, and was even in "Ghostbusters 101", that just wrapped up.

Heh, funny, when I wrote that old review, the Ghostbusters comics had just started out with "Infestation".
Who knew what would come of such humble beginnings?

Anyway, when Kylie's eventually added to the IDW cast (Volume 1, Issue 5), it's not a momentous event, she just pops up working at Ray's book shop.
But that's how the characters are introduced in the original movies.
Janine is just at her desk, Peck just walks in the door, etc.

Aaaanyhoo, 20 years later, and what's EGB's legacy?
Well, Kylie, of course.
And, you could argue it kept the series alive in people's minds for awhile.
One wonders how hard the comeback would've been without it.
The GB news website "Proton Charging", started just to cover this, and they're still going as a Facebook page, and the guy who runs it is on "Interdimensional Crossrip", podcast which I talked about on my Podcast List.
Maybe they'll do an episode about the anniversary this week.
If they do, I'll link it in comments.
As far as legacy stuff in canon, Kylie wielded the first proton pistol, which became Holtzman's trademark in "Answer The Call".

Speaking of, here's what Holtz thought of her spiritual forebearer in 101...

And Kevin called her "Tiny Goth".

As for what I thought of the show, I've been watching the episodes on Youtube, and....it ain't bad.
However, if you're looking for laughs, the humor is cringe-y to non-existent.
But that was by design.
They were going for a darker edgier tone over the comedic tone of the films and the original "Real Ghostbusters", cartoon.
They were competing with "X-Files", and "Goosebumps", at the time understand.
Come to think of it, they even did one where they went up against a parody version of R.L. Stine.

They did a really good one, it might even be the best episode, where bigots are harassing a Rabbi, so he gets pissed, and makes a Golem, but it gets out of control.
It was their way of being topical about prejudice, and it's done quite well.
Shit, give the punks Tiki torches, and it transposes right to today.

The sequel to RGB's "The Grundel", "Grudelesque", is creepy as fuck.
That one sticks out.
They couldn't get gory or lethal in a cartoon, so they went for the mind-fuck.

The show doesn't get a lot of love.
Only hardcore GB fans seem to remember it at all, much less fondly.
A pity.

The only legal way to get the show is through Hulu.
Fans are still pining for a disk release.
It's one stinking season, you could cram it into one clamshell case for crying out loud.
I mean fer krissakes "Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword Of Fire", is on fucking DVD.
We can't get "Extreme Ghostbusters"???
It's not economically viable???
Krod Mandoon is???
Bullshit!!
Total bullshit!!

Ah, well, I still love ya, EGB.
Ya did good, kid.
*Back pat*
Ya did good.


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"Ghostbusters: Answer The Call". The Aftermath.

All right, so I had the gigantic buildup (see the big pile of links here), let's look at it now that its run its course at the theaters, and on home video.


Ghostbusters:
Answer The Call (2016)

My journey with this flick...

• 1st time in the theater.
• 2nd time in the theater.
• 3rd time in the theater.
• Movies that made me high (Part 2)
• Extended edition via digital copy.
• Blu-ray.
• Ghosts From Our Past.
• Tobin's Spirit Guide.
• Ghostbusters 101.

Well, verdict is, I loved it, but the larger world didn't.
It made good money, but not enough to make its ridiculous budget back.

I was gonna wait for home video numbers, but the industry keeps those secret, unless someone knows someone, who knows someone, in order to leak it, and people don't seem to wanna be ninja spies for this flick.
So, all quiet on the western front there.
It's coming to basic cable pretty soon.
I think the channels that marathon the other two will have it for sure.
Those will be fun binges.

What about the merchandise?
Ehh, it's doing all right, but studios make a razor thin margin off it, so they'd need to move "Force Awakens", level of units to break even off that, and that ain't happening.
The Ghostheads just ain't enough.

Now, it's not an unrecoverable loss, because Sony had a good year with other movies, so they're okay.
They're not gonna die.
Don't worry.

For me, the flick has leveled off as an 8.
Still better than "Ghostbusters 2", (which I still love, and watched again fairly recently) not as good as "Ghostbusters", which was an accidental masterpiece that can't be cloned.

So, yet another movie I dig that the rest of the world is tepid to.
Like Ang Lee's "Hulk", and "Human Centipede 3", and "Howard The Duck".
Except probably not as unpopular as those last two.

I still think in the long game, it's gonna win, and prove the haters wrong.
I really do.
I'm stubbornly optimistic.
Like Dan Aykroyd was on the buildup to this one.
People will look back in 10 years, and go "what was the internet so bananas over? What were people smoking? This was a nice fun little movie!".
People have come around on "Ghostbusters 2", lately.
It still has its haters, but cable plays the shit out of it, so someone's watching.
And I bet dollars to donuts, in 20 years, they re-reboot, and the girls will pass the torch to the new team. It'll all come together. Speaking of...

Next up, we have the "Ghostbusters 101", comics that'll crossover the two casts.
So, that retroactively makes "Answer The Call", Ghostbusters 3 once and for all.
(Thus making the '09 Video Game 2.5)
That makes marathon-ng them feel smoother.
I'll be following this series issue by issue.
Dunno if I'll blog it like "Ash vs Evil Dead", episodes though.
We'll see....

And the comic crossover means "Tobin's Spirit Guide", and "Ghosts From Our Past", are in the same world, and thus make up one perfect Big Book Of Ghostbusters.
Which was my perception of it anyway.
Now it's just confirmed.

AND, all the people that whined about "I wanted a torch pass!", well, now it's happening, and all the people that whined "the trailer made it look like a sequel!", well, now it is.

We've got 1-2 years to wait for the animated movie, and "Ghostbusters: Ecto-Force", if they happen at all, so IDW is going to have to carry the torch for us GB fans for awhile.
And they're up to the task, they've said "GB 101", is just the beginning, that more is coming, and they have big plans for 2017-2018.
If nothing else, we've got that.

Million dollar question, is WILL those other movies/shows happen?
Ivan Reitman seems to think they will.
(It's Dan Aykroyd with Ghostbusters 3 all over again)

We'll see there too.
With the exception of the comics, the future of the GB franchise is up in the air, and top secret.
I'll keep it updated as we go.

Now, would I die if no other films come?
Nah, I can happily live off this trilogy for quite awhile.
I got by with two movies and the cartoons for 27 years.
BUT, for comparison, a world with "Force Awakens", and "Rogue One", is better than one without.
Can't lie about that.
I could have lived off the classic trilogy 'til the day I died, but it's pretty fucking cool not to have to now.
It'd be nice to have that for Ghostbusters.
That ain't bad to want.
Not one damned bit.

And with that, I think I'll sign off now.
Bye!


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Big Winter Movies Part 2. (Part 0.76).

• Part 0 (Ghostbusters)
• Part 0.5 (Ghostbusters)
• Part 0.75 (Ghostbusters)
• Part 1 (Ash)
• Part 1.5 (Ash)
• Part 2 (Dr. Strange)
• Part 2.5 (Dr. Strange)
• Part 3 (Batman:ROTCC)
• Part 4 (Rogue One)
• Part 4.5 (Rogue One)

Updating a previous thing....


Okay, in the comments section of "Big Winter Movies Part 2. (Part 0.75)", I added extra little details and observations, and one of them was this...

AND!!! It resolves what timeline the IDW comics are in.
If the crossover is with cartoony stylized versions of the girls that are intended to represent the live-action versions, then the cartoony stylized versions of the BOYS are the live-action movie characters, SO the comics pick up after GB2 and the video game.

So, here's an updated version of this info-graphic, so you can see more clearly.

There you go, all of Ghostbusters is canon now.

Enjoy!


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41st birthday haul part 3.

Or, lit review #11.

• Birthday haul part 1.
• Birthday haul part 1 and some change. (A.K.A. Lit review 10)
• Birthday haul part 2-ish.

At long last, it's....


Tobin's Spirit Guide (2016)
(Official Ghostbusters Edition)

See here for "Ghosts From Our Past".

Keerist, ordered this when I got "Ash Vs Evil Dead", and just got it yesterday.

It's basically a Ghostbusters Necronomicon.
Being both a book and a prop.

It's narrated by Ray and Egon.
Set in the classic movie/'09 video game/IDW comic universe.

It's a bare bones listing of enemies, with commentary and illustration, no other deeper topics.

However, that's okay, just combine TSG and GFOP, you get the whole picture, and it's the dream Ghostbusters book you always wanted.

With the illustrations, and binding, and artificial distressing and wear, it's what you always wanted a book like Tobin's to look like.
It's like you stepped into that world, and took it out of their library.

Contains material cherry-picked from the movies, the '09 game, IDW comics, RGB, and at least one from EGB.

Small page count, only 97 pages long, but printed on thick pages.

Physically bigger than GFOP.

Should have put it in "GB16 hater's guide to merch", but I didn't know the universe/setting at the time.

Second printing is green, I got a red one.
Either would have made me happy.

Definitely get this if you're an 80's kid that grew up on this franchise.
Your inner 10 year old will thank you.

Lessee...bought 3 movie tickets, two boxes of Twinkies, the blu-rays of the originals, GFOP, TSG, and next is the GB16/GBATC blu-ray, so I've put my money into the Ghostbusters franchise pot, dammit.

Um, yep, that's it, that's everything I wanted for my birthday after much delay.

Now, all that's left for the Ghostbusters saga, is the blu-ray.
See you next time for that!


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A quickie Ghostbusters infographic.

Previous GB16 related posts-

• In defense of the Ghostbusters reboot.
• Ghostbusters: The Lean Years.
• The Ghostbusters of Christmas future.
• A GB16 hater's guide to Ghostbusters merchandise.
• A GB16 lover's guide to Ghostbusters merchandise.

Whether you're a newbie, or a lapsed fan, the various sub-properties can be tricky to keep track of, so this little chart ought to sort it out pretty quickly.

Bam.
Enjoy.



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Ghostbusters: The Lean Years

A companion to "Star Wars: The Lean Years", and something else to add to my upcoming review of Ghostbusters (2016).
Or, GB16, as I like to abbreviate it.

Much as I love the shit out of Marvel and DC movies, my favorite film franchises are Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Freddy Krueger.
In that order.

Ghostbusters are my favorite superheroes, because anyone can be one.
Even with Batman, you have to be a fucking billionaire.
Ghostbusters, you fill out an application, get interviewed by Janine, and Egon gives you a proton pack.
They're the Bob's Heating And Plumbing of heroes.
I get a huge kick out of that.

Anyhoo, down to business...


1984, 1989

The movies. Said it all in the link.


1986-1991

The Real Ghostbusters. Again, at the link.
And that got us to the 90's.

Then the world moved to to...I 'unno, Ninja Turtles, or somethin.

Then, a long drought, and....


1997

Extreme Ghostbusters.

Then, a huuuuge drought, and.....


2009

Ghostbuster The Video Game.

As I said and linked to here, it's Ghostbsuters 3 in every single way.
Enjoy.


2011-Present

The IDW comics series.
Fairly recently, last year I think, they did an arc called "Ghostbusters: Get Real", where the comics Ghostbusters dimensionally crossed over with the animated Ghostbusters.
I've been fuzzy for awhile if the IDW Ghostbusters were the movie Ghostbusters, a hybrid of the movie and animated, or what.
I guess this nails down, they're actually a third universe.
Also, they've added an IDW-verse version of Kylie from Extreme Ghostbusters to the crew as a helper for Janine. Fan popularity made her canon the way it did for Harley Quinn, I guess.
Oh, and they also did a crossover with the Ninja Turtles, which given how they're what superseded Ghostbusters in pop-culture importance in the 90's, is quite ironic.


2014

The 30th anniversary, and a reunion in Entertainment Weekly, and on the Today Show.
Dan didn't make it to the Today Show thingy with the rest of 'em, so here he is sometime later.

And, as you can see in those clips, they briefly hint towards what would become GB16.


2016

"Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters".
About the two movies, and with interviews with absolutely everybody, including Harold Ramis before he died.
They've been working on this for 8 years, and just got the final push from Kickstarter.
A real bitch that Harold couldn't see it. :-(

"Ghostheads".
About the fandom.
This one cleared its crowdfunding too.
Paul Feig, director of GB16, pops up in this one.
He might also be in "Cleanin' Up The Town", I dunno, but this one for sure.

And of course...

GB16.

And the controversy that's come with it.

This afternoon, the girls will be on Ellen.
Not an Ellen watcher, but I've followed every detail of this film, so I'll be checking it out.


So, that's been a timeline of the thin trickle of officially sanctioned stuff.
Now, here's stuff during the drought periods that were almost Ghostbusters.


1993-2012

"Ghostbusters: Hellbent".

So, from right after the cartoon ended, to almost now, Dan Aykroyd tried to get Ghostbuster 3 going with little to no success.

Over the years, he rewrote the shit out of it, but the central concept of the Busters going to a Hell dimension version of New York was always the core.

Chris Rock and Chris Farley were supposed to be in the early versions as new Busters, then one token female, then all new Busters with the torch being passed, then when it got really late in the game, Oscar, the baby from GB2, was supposed to be a new Buster, cuz he'd be an adult now, and it was going to be revealed he is in fact Peter's kid.

And all along the way, Bill Murray was the lone holdout.
Turns out Ivan Reitman, and the 4 guys share ownership of the property, and if any one of them doesn't agree, it doesn't get done.

At one point, Bill agreed to do it if he could be dead, and voicing himself as a ghost.
I think he was just dicking Dan around in hindsight.

The big stick in Bill's butt was apparently, GB2 wasn't as fun to make as GB1, and it was a traumatic experience after 1 was so magical, so he never wanted to go within a thousand feet of another sequel.

Anyhoo, an altered version of this finally ended up as the video game.
Which Bill was in as the voice of his younger self.
Dan still plugs away at the "Hellbent", version though.
Who knows, maybe it'll be that animated one that's coming after GB16.
If so, I hope they say Egon is on a honeymoon with Janine, and not, y'know, demised.
Give him a classy send-off.


1995

"Casper".

Dan Aykroyd makes a quick cameo as Ray Stantz.


1997, 2002, 2012

MIB trilogy.

It's essentially Ghostbusters with aliens, when you really think about it.

UFO culture exploded in the late 90's, so it's natural everyone went over to Alienbusters as their flavor for awhile.
Then, 3 was a nostalgia trip.


1997-2001

Men In Black: The Animated Series.

Said it in the link, it was up against "Extreme Ghostbsuters", and poor EGB got its clock cleaned.


2001

"Evolution".

See here, and here.

Directed by Reitman, has the same plot skeleton as Ghostbusters 1, and has a Dan Aykroyd cameo.
It's a sneaky Ghostbusters 2.5, really.
Cute flick, liked it at the theater, hasn't held up well, still okay though.

They were clearly aware that MIB was the competition, and tried to clone that success.
Literally.
Didn't work.
Ah, well, nice try though.


2001-2002

"Alienators: Evolution Continues".

A.K.A. "Evolution: The Animated Series".

Well, at least it didn't have MIB to compete with anymore, and it lasted a little longer than EGB.


2009

"Zombieland".

Bill Murray cameos as a parody version of himself, and plays "Ghostbusters", in his screening room, and re-enacts it with Woody and the girls.


2013

"R.I.P.D.".

Described by several critics as "Men In Black with ghosts".

Well, MIB was already GB with aliens, so MIB with ghosts is Ghostbusters again.
Except this time, the protagonists are also dead.

Anyway, this was awful, and bombed.
Good riddance.

So, as you can see, us Ghostheads have been jerked around for long enough.
Time for this damned movie already.

Month and a half left to go...*taps foot*


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