Plot
Big city life proves a challenging adjustment for the Spengler family. Something sinister swoops around Central Park, but the family's attention is split between the personal and the professional. New clues point toward the true cause of the city's recent ghost epidemic, and one family member pursues the trail with a dedication that may end in trouble. The Ghostbusters continue their official return to New York City in the second installment of the series.4
The issue picks up directly from the events of Issue #1, with the Spenglers still reeling from their first ghost encounter at the Firehouse. Phoebe Spengler connects with Ray Stantz at Ray's Occult Books, where Ray shares details about the Psychomagnotheric Slime and the events of Ghostbusters II, including how a small quantity of the slime survived after Vigo's defeat, which Ray kept in a jar. Meanwhile, Gary and Callie deal with a bird-like ghost that mimics a Siren near Central Park, and Trevor encounters a Siren ghost of his own. Phoebe continues investigating the broader ghost epidemic with the same relentless focus that has characterized her since her introduction in Afterlife.4
Cast
Entities
Green Slime Ghosts continue from Issue #1. Cockroach Acolytes and Madame Malveaux persist as ongoing antagonists across the series. A Siren ghost appears in Central Park, mimicking a bird and luring characters with a siren-like call; this entity is referenced in Issues #3 and #4 and proves to be a recurring part of the arc's escalating threat.4
Equipment
The issue features the full suite of Ghostbusters equipment: Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Ghost Trap, Containment Unit, Ecto Goggles, and P.K.E. Meter. The Hammer of Truth, later seen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, appears on the counter at Ray's Occult Books, foreshadowing its future significance.4
Gary jokes about needing a flying Trap to handle the Central Park ghost. By the events of Frozen Empire, the team does have one: the Drone Trap.4
Locations
- New York City
- Central Park
- The Firehouse
- Zeddemore Academy (named after Winston Zeddemore)
- Midtown Tech
- Ray's Occult Books
Ray mentions the New York Pneumatic Railroad and its creator Alfred Beach in conversation with Phoebe. He also alludes to the Manhattan Museum of Art as the approximate location referenced in Ghostbusters II, while noting that the exact location was never officially confirmed, with fans using clues from the film and scripts to place it in the Upper East Side.4
Continuity Notes
This issue is dense with cross-continuity callbacks:
- Podcast alludes to the Chimera Ghost from Issue #1 and refers to the Illuminati, consistent with his character in Afterlife. He also alludes to the Psychomagnotheric Slime and the events of Ghostbusters II.4
- Callie and Gary mention Janine Melnitz on page 4.4
- Ray's account of Ghostbusters II on page 12 describes the events as happening "30 years" ago, though the actual timeline is closer to 33 years. He confirms that all the Psychomagnotheric Slime disappeared after Vigo was defeated, except for a small amount he retained.4
- Gary's mention of the board game Wingspan (released 2019) on page 15, and his joke about a flying Trap on page 16, together anchor the issue's setting and lightly foreshadow Frozen Empire.4
- Ray's arm tattoo, first visible in Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 11, is visible again in panel 1 of page 13.4
- Callie's worry about her children on page 9 mirrors her earlier conversation with Gary during their date in Afterlife Chapter 9. Her separate locker at Midtown Tech (in Frozen Empire it is combined with Gary's) is a small continuity detail the issue establishes.4
The events of this issue are referenced forward into later installments: on page 6 of Issue #3, Trevor alludes to the Siren ghost encounter; on page 13 of Issue #3, Ray mentions both the Central Park bird ghost battle and Trevor's Siren ghost encounter; and on page 5 of Issue #4, the Central Park bird ghost returns. The conversation between Gary and Callie about Phoebe and Trevor (page 9) is also referenced on page 14 of Ghostbusters: Dead Man's Chest Issue #1.4
Development
On December 15, 2023, cover artist Ben Dewey posted unused options he had submitted for Cover B.
On April 20, 2024, a five-page preview of the issue was posted ahead of its April 24 release.5
The issue was announced as part of the four-issue "Back in Town" series on November 16, 2023, with David Booher as writer and Blue Delliquanti as artist throughout. The series was described as bridging the gap between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the then-upcoming Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.2
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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Dark Horse Comics, "Ghostbusters: Back in Town #2," product page, accessed June 13, 2026, https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3011-016/Ghostbusters-Back-in-Town-2.
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Ghostbusters News, "Dark Horse Comics announce 'Ghostbusters: Back in Town,' bridging the story between 'Afterlife' and 'Frozen Empire'" (November 16, 2023), https://ghostbustersnews.com/2023/11/16/dark-horse-comics-announce-ghostbusters-back-in-town-bridges-the-story-between-afterlife-and-frozen-empire/.
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Dark Horse Comics, Ghostbusters Volume 1: Back in Town trade paperback (November 5, 2024). ISBN 978-1-50673-527-6. Confirmed by: Paul Rudoff, Spook Central, "Ghostbusters: Back in Town Comic Book Review" (July 19, 2024), https://www.spookcentral.tk/2024/07/19/ghostbusters-back-in-town-comic-book-review.html.
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Ghostbusters: Back in Town #2 (Dark Horse Comics, April 24, 2024). Script: David M. Booher; art: Blue Delliquanti; colors: Mildred Louis; letters: Jimmy Betancourt.
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Ghostbusters News, "Get a sneak peek inside Ghostbusters: Back in Town Issue #2" (April 20, 2024), https://ghostbustersnews.com/2024/04/20/get-a-sneak-peek-inside-ghostbusters-back-in-town-issue-2/.
