Plot
Urban miners working 600 feet below the streets of New York City in Water Tunnel No. 3 (the largest capital construction project in New York City history) accidentally uncover a centuries-old man-made chamber. In doing so, they release a powerful unnamed entity with designs on dominance. After the Ghostbusters are called in, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore, Egon Spengler, Kylie Griffin, and Ron Alexander work to identify and contain what the entity is. Ray recognizes the creature as Connla, a figure from Celtic myth, and through research at the Firehouse it becomes clear the entity is connected to a far greater power: Samhain.
As the entity's army of spectral constructs floods the city, the Ghostbusters move the fight to Liberty Island. The climax of the issue involves an unprecedented gathering of 26 Ghostbusters from across multiple continuities, including the prime IDW team, the animated Real Ghostbusters, the Extreme Ghostbusters, the Sanctum of Slime Ghostbusters, the Chicago Ghostbusters, and the Answer the Call team. Kylie Griffin is positioned as a central figure in the bust, and the issue ends with seeds planted for Crossing Over, including Ron Alexander's conversation about the Interspatial Teleportation Unit.
According to Erik Burnham, the annual is "99% prime Ghostbusters" with one key page bringing in the broader cast. The story also introduced Mike the Golem, a new character from the Greenwich Village of Dimension 68-V, and marked the first appearance of Ray's Occult Books' back-office space in the IDW comics.
Cast
The annual's cast spans multiple Ghostbusters continuities:
Prime (IDW) Ghostbusters: Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Egon Spengler, Janine Melnitz, Kylie Griffin, Ron Alexander, Jenny Moran
Answer the Call Ghostbusters: Abby Yates, Erin Gilbert, Jillian Holtzmann, Patty Tolan
Extreme Ghostbusters: Eduardo Rivera, Garrett Miller, Roland Jackson, Kylie Griffin (also listed with prime team)
Other: Mike the Golem, Connla (entity), Bat Spectral Constructs, Connla's Army, Doctor Kruger, Samuel Hazer, Bridget Gibbons, Alan Crendall, Gabriel Sitter, Dani Shpak, Lou Kamaka, Chicago Ghostbusters, Rookie (Sanctum of Slime), Murdock the Miner
Covers
Cover A (Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado): A Halloween-themed image centering on the Firehouse. The Halloween decorations are based on those seen in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Halloween II 1/2." The image of hands grasping the Moon is a nod to Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," a visual callback that also appeared in Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #9.
Cover B (Tim Lattie with Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado): A group shot featuring a large portion of the cast. Between Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz is Kenner's Bad-To-The-Bone Ghost. Janine appears in her New Ghostbusters flight suit, blowing a bubblegum bubble as a nod to her animated counterpart. Kylie wears an orange jacket matching Peter's in the first film, and also wears the Kenner Ecto-Popper and Ecto-Goggles. To Kylie's left is Pagan. Between Kylie and Peter, Ray, Melanie, and Winston appear in charcoal flightsuits each wearing a Slime Blower (Melanie's last charcoal flightsuit appearance was Volume 2 Issue #10). Slimer appears at the bottom between Samhain's two Goblin Minions from The Real Ghostbusters.
Development
The storyline grew from a June 26, 2016 interview in which Erik Burnham confirmed that ghosts from Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions) could appear in IDW comics. Samhain had been planned for the International arc but was cut due to space. Burnham later used the Guide's Samhain details as the basis for this story.
On October 19, 2017, editor Tom Waltz teased a new cover and a February 2018 release, and Burnham confirmed the IDW version of Samhain would be returning. The story was confirmed as a new annual.
On October 31, 2017, Burnham revealed the story had evolved to give Kylie Griffin a larger focus, and that the annual would set up Ghostbusters Crossing Over, an eight-issue maxi-event beginning in March 2018.
On November 18, 2017, Burnham confirmed a Crossing Over prelude would be included in the annual.
By November 22, 2017, the originally announced February 15 release date had been corrected to February 14. By January 26, 2018, Waltz confirmed the issue would be 40 pages and the release date had shifted further to February 28. The issue ultimately shipped on March 7, 2018.
On January 28, 2018, Dan Schoening confirmed he drew all interior pages himself.
On March 5, 2018, Burnham revealed the Ghostbusturtles were originally planned for a cameo, but use of the TMNT characters was not approved. A silverback gorilla was briefly considered as a stand-in before Burnham created the new character Mike the Golem, who is later identified in the Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #10 as being from the Greenwich Village of Dimension 68-V.
On February 28, 2018, Burnham confirmed the annual would be included in the first Crossing Over trade paperback.
Trivia
- The annual is the third IDW Ghostbusters annual, following Ghostbusters Annual 2015 and Ghostbusters Annual 2017.
- Water Tunnel No. 3, the setting for the opening scene, is the largest capital construction project in New York City history.2 Construction began in 1970 and the project was slated for completion in 2020. Ray mentions historical accidents in the tunnel; as of the time of writing, 24 construction-related deaths had occurred in the tunnel, none since 1997.2
- On page 2, carved atop the pedestal in the chamber is the Wheel of the Year. The same symbol was used in The Real Ghostbusters episode "When Halloween Was Forever" to release Samhain.
- The Ghostbusters appear in their construction outfits from the Ghostbusters Annual 2015, based on outfits seen in Ghostbusters II.
- Ray's attempt to communicate with Connla on page 4 mirrors the Ghostbusters' approach to Gozer in the first film.
- On page 8, two workers are visual nods to Nintendo's Mario and Luigi. Peter calls Connla "Great Pumpkin," a reference to the Charlie Brown Halloween special.
- Jenny Moran has a copy of "A Book of Pagan Rituals," an actual 1978 book by Herman Slater.3 Ray references "The Old Book of Magic," an actual 1918 book by Lauron William De Lawrence.4
- On page 9, the Employee of the Month board from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) is visible, featuring four images of Peter from various IDW issues and one of his animated counterpart. Luis Delgado's recurring "15" easter egg appears on the Days Since Last Incident sign.
- Kylie introduces "Code Dan" (page 13), a named protocol specifically indicating that Erik Burnham has written a scene with no background characters for Dan Schoening to draw. It is named for Schoening.
- Ron's badge (page 11) is the logo of his defunct Ghost Smashers organization. The Stay Puft packet on the Ecto-1 dash is Alma's The Real Ghostbusters Soft Mallow Pieces from the UK.
- Egon retrieves a Remote Portal Access Band from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 from storage (page 25). The box Egon digs through references Playmobil.
- The opening panel of Chapter 2 (page 21) is based on the street used for filming the "Thriller" music video.
- Page 37 features RGB Peter commenting on Holtzmann's visual resemblance to his Egon. Holtzmann refers to Ron as "Inspector Gadget," citing their similar hairstyles.
- The Dramatis Personae section includes a new biography for Ron Alexander. Mentioned in the recap are Walter Peck, the Chicago Ghostbusters, and the Ghost Smashers. Past events referenced include Ghostbusters International, Ghostbusters 101, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2.
- It is confirmed in this issue that Peter's Ghostbusters 101 fantasy camp "raked in a fortune."
- The final 26-Ghostbusters bust (page 39) comprises: 4 prime Ghostbusters, 4 Real Ghostbusters (animated), 4 Extreme Ghostbusters, 4 Sanctum of Slime Ghostbusters, 4 Chicago Ghostbusters, 4 Answer the Call Ghostbusters, Kylie, and Mike.
- On page 46 of the Ghostbusters Crossing Over TPB (which reprints page 40 of this annual), a dialogue box removed from the original printing reveals an additional Luis Delgado "15" easter egg on a small paper standee on the table.
- The events of Annual 2018 are summarized on the "What Came Before" pages of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issues #2 and #3.
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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Ghostbusters Annual 2018 (IDW Publishing, March 7, 2018). Written by Erik Burnham, art by Dan Schoening, colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, letters by Neil Uyetake, edits by Tom Waltz. Diamond Order Code DEC170466.
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"New York City Water Tunnel No. 3," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Water_Tunnel_No._3.
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Slater, Herman (1978). A Book of Pagan Rituals. Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York. ISBN 0877283486.
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De Lawrence, Lauron William (1918). The Old Book of Magic. L.W. de Laurence, Scott and Co., Chicago.
