Stories
Where Winston Was
Written and illustrated by Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado, this story answers the long-standing fan question of what Winston Zeddemore was doing during the Scoleri Brothers court scene in Ghostbusters II. Told via a framing device in which Winston recounts events to journalists visually based on and named after Burnham and Delgado (a nod to the Marvel Comics tradition of creators appearing alongside their characters), the flashback reveals Winston returned to the Ecto-1 during the courtroom chaos to retrieve a Proton Pack, only to find the only available pack had been stripped for parts. He returned to the courthouse and encountered the ghost of the Scoleri Brothers' mother, depicted visually as Mama Fratelli from "The Goonies," and had to deal with her bare-handed. The Waltz's Dining Car setting of the framing device is visually based on Mickey's Diner in St. Paul, Minnesota, writer Burnham's home state, and is named after editor Tom Waltz.
The story originated in 2011 while the creative team waited for a pick-up on Ghostbusters Volume One Issue #5. It was slated for the Volume Two trade paperback, then deferred repeatedly through Volumes Three and Four as Dan Schoening's workload prevented him from drawing it.
Haunted America: A Prairie Hell Companion
Drawn by Corin Howell, this story sends Peter Venkman and Kylie Griffin to Roarke's Junction, a small Midwestern town, alongside Special Agent Melanie Ortiz. The title references the long-running Minnesota public radio program "A Prairie Home Companion." The team investigates the ghost of Ethan Alder, a figure used locally as a bogeyman, with Kylie referencing real-world killer Ed Gein in the process. Peter is ecto-projected on during the case, a callback to a similar event in Volume 2 Issue #9.
Second City Ghostbusters
Art by Erik Evensen, this is the first appearance of the Chicago Ghostbusters' firehouse-adjacent headquarters. Ron Alexander, the Rookie, Lou Kamaka, and Dani Shpak respond to a haunting at the Trask Hotel, a stand-in for the Drake Hotel on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. A storefront window on page 24 bears the inscription "Norton Bros. Design Works 1976," a nod to artist Noah Norton and his "The Mastodon" candlestick designed for Wooda. Ron's Boson Caster fires the green atomizing stream he first used in Ghostbusters International Issue #9.3 The issue confirms Ecto-15 for the Chicago team, which first appeared in the "Rookie and Ron" backup story in Ghostbusters Volume Two Issue #7.4 Lou's biography in the Dramatis Personae pages reveals she is Hawaiian, a champion tri-athlete, and described as "a bit of a jerk." Dani's bio confirms she is a hobbyist archer, which had already been depicted in the 2015 mobile game Ghostbusters Puzzle Fighter.
Ghostbusters 101 Prelude
Art by Rachael Stott, this eight-page story introduces the four Ghostbusters cadets: Cait Banner, Zoe Zawadzki, Evan Torres, and the returning Janine Melnitz. The story is set largely at the Firehouse and in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where the cadets encounter a ghost during a training exercise. A tray of PKE Meters on the table is drawn to include versions from the original films, The Real Ghostbusters, and the 2016 film. The animated toaster from Ghostbusters II is seen chained down on a shelf. This story directly sets up the Ghostbusters 101 mini-series: Erik Burnham confirmed he was able to weave in new story details and a series teaser after Ghost Corps discussions happened early enough in the annual's production schedule.
The Origins of Slimer
Dan Schoening draws this story, in which Egon Spengler, Kylie Griffin, Ray Stantz, and the four cadets explore multiple theories about Slimer's origin, visiting the Sedgewick Hotel kitchen where a portly chef ghost is depicted mixing a green concoction. The issue presents competing origin theories drawn from Real Ghostbusters lore (Slimer once being King Remils, from the Marvel UK RGB comic #22)5, Ghostbusters II (the courtroom sliming), and the Cult of Gozer's activities. Cameos from Ivo Shandor, The Chairman, Spider Witch, and Edmund Hoover appear as cultists. The Paranormal Containment Research Tank's roof in panel 2 sports design features from the Ghostbusters: The Video Game concept artwork. Kylie's reference book is named Kemp's Paranormal Encyclopedia, a nod to the late Ghostbusters fan Ryan Kemp, first mentioned in Ghostbusters International #1.6
Pagan's Bust
Art by Tim Lattie. Kylie Griffin teams up with Pagan, a recurring character, to deal with a Class 5 ghost near Kylie's Queens apartment. Kylie's apartment number carries one of Luis Delgado's recurring "15" easter eggs. A portrait of Kenner's Granny Gross Ghost toy is visible on her wall. The Class 5 is visually based on Drool from The Real Ghostbusters. A Kenner Fright Feature Figure (Egon Spengler's Terror Tweezer) stands near Pagan, and a painting depicting the Ghostbusters and Oscar from the end of Ghostbusters II hangs near Kylie's door.
All That Glitters
A brief standalone story drawn by Dan Schoening, in which Slimer encounters honeymooners at the Sedgewick Hotel. The story nods to a deleted scene from the first movie in which honeymooners encountered Slimer at the same hotel. The fictional snack product "Primo Spiffies Cakes" and its one-page ad format directly parody Twinkies and classic Hostess in-comic advertisements.
But Wait -- There's More!
A short piece featuring the Icon Ghost from The Real Ghostbusters, depicted as he appeared in the "Get Real" mini-series.
Answering The Call
The final story, featuring Mayhem from the 2016 film, brings together characters from every corner of the IDW Ghostbusters universe: the prime film Ghostbusters (Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore), the animated counterparts from The Real Ghostbusters, the Extreme Ghostbusters team (Eduardo Rivera, Kylie Griffin, Garrett Miller, Roland Jackson, Gabriel Sitter, Alan Crendall, Bridget Gibbons, Samuel Hazer), and the 2016 film's Firehouse and Ecto-1. The Firehouse locker displays Kevin Beckman's hot dog design and the heart-modified ionizing radiation trefoil from Jillian Holtzmann's proton pack.
Covers
Regular Cover (Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado): Features Slimer inside the Paranormal Containment Research Tank, Ron Alexander, Winston Zeddemore drawn as he appeared in Ghostbusters II, and Melanie Ortiz. An earlier version of the cover placed a pirate ghost and the phrase "Seven Seas with Scurvy Spirits" where Melanie and "Haunted American Horrors!" now appear.
Subscription Cover (Tim Lattie): A visual nod to the poster for "Police Academy 3: Back in Training." The full ensemble cover includes Egon Spengler wearing the Aura Video-Analyzer, Janine Melnitz, Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz wearing a Slime Blower, the Rookie wearing Ecto Goggles, Melanie Ortiz, Kylie Griffin and Pagan, Ron Alexander, Winston Zeddemore with a Ghost Trap, and Slimer.
Development
The "Where Winston Was" story has the longest development history of any story in the annual: it was first conceived in 2011 while the creative team awaited a pick-up order on Ghostbusters Volume One Issue #5, and was then planned successively for the Volume Two trade paperback, a Volume Three slot, and a Volume Four slot before finding a home in this annual. Dan Schoening's workload was the consistent constraint.
On February 26, 2014, Erik Burnham confirmed the Scoleri Brothers story was specifically about where Winston was during the incident.
On August 15, 2016, Burnham revealed that several ideas had been pitched for a second annual and the team was targeting a late 2016 release. On September 23, 2016, he confirmed the Chicago Ghostbusters' headquarters would make its debut in the issue and that one story had originally been planned for artist Mitch Gerads, who was ultimately unavailable.
On January 19, 2017, Burnham disclosed that discussions with Ghost Corps about the then-upcoming Ghostbusters 101 mini-series happened early enough in production that he was able to revise the annual to include new story details and a direct prelude to 101.
Multiple artists shared work-in-progress images during November and December 2016: Rachael Stott posted WIPs of Janine and Ray; Erik Evensen posted WIPs of Lou Kamaka, Ron Alexander, and the Giga Meter sequence; Tim Lattie posted WIPs of Kylie and Pagan and the uncolored subscription cover; and Corin Howell posted vehicle WIPs. Burnham contributed pencils to at least one page drawn from a script by Schoening.
