Covers
Cover A
Cover B
Incentive Cover
Cover A by Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado depicts the New Orleans setting, with St. Louis Cathedral visible in the background. Cover B by Tristan Jones, Mike Henderson, Mickey Clausen, and Peter Zaragoza is packed with hidden references (see Trivia). The incentive cover is a retailer incentive variant.
Development
The issue was developed over several months of public updates from the creative team.
On January 19, 2012, Tristan Jones tweeted he was starting work on his cover for Issue #10. On January 25, Jones noted that Luis Delgado had sent the cover colored and that it contained less fan service than his previous cover.
On January 31, 2012, Jones posted Cover B and confirmed that Malachi appears on the second "E" of "Ghostbusters" and Baron Samedi (based on the Voodoo loa, as depicted in "Live and Let Die") appears in the "A." Jones hinted there are nine hidden references on the cover.
On February 1, 2012, Jones confirmed three Imps from "Janine's Day Off" appear near Janine's desk, the Creature Magazine Peter reads in the "Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters" title sequence is present, and the Hotel Boudreaux from "Play Them Ragtime Boos" appears on Cover B.
On February 17, 2012, Dan Schoening hinted the KUD meter would be appearing very soon. On March 16, 2012, Erik Burnham revealed the story would take place in June. On March 24, Burnham tweeted he had written in a character named Thibodeaux.
On April 6, 2012, Burnham hinted that Egon and Janine would be addressed in Issue #10, but the outcome might seem the opposite of what happened in Issue #8.
On June 4, 2012, Burnham explained that the story takes place partly on June 23rd, St. John's Eve, which is synonymous with Voodoo in American folklore. He noted that Marie Laveau was said to have conducted rituals on the Bayou St. John in New Orleans to mark the holiday.
On June 15, 2012, an eight-page preview of Issue #10 was released. On June 26, 2012, Luis Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 1, 7, and 12.
On July 31, 2013, Dan Schoening posted behind-the-scenes art showing the process of creating the Haunted America artwork from page 11.
Trivia
The issue is dense with Easter eggs and references to both the Ghostbusters films and The Real Ghostbusters animated series. The following are confirmed, page by page.
Page One: Dahlia from the RGB episode "Moaning Stones" appears as the head on a parade float. Mary Cuttie and Malachi's band from "Play Them Ragtime Boos" are in the parade. Marie Laveau's mausoleum in St. Louis Cemetery #1 is depicted. Luis Delgado's recurring "15" Easter egg appears on a crypt to the left of a lower red flower.
Page Two: Ecto-2 is accosted in Lafayette Square. Peter and Winston wear civilian clothes matching their "classic" looks from The Real Ghostbusters. Peter threatens to release the Fort Wayne ghosts from Issue #9.
Page Three: On a table: the recon helicopter from the RGB episode "The Hole in the Wall Gang," a half-eaten Twinkie (a nod to Egon's metaphor in Ghostbusters), and a bag of Wise Natural Potato Chips seen in Peter's office in Ghostbusters. Also present: the unnamed device Peter holds during the Ghostbusters II montage, and a TV screen cycling through the Activision video game's city view and its infamous "Conglaturation" screen. Behind Winston is a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man doll. Egon wears his "classic" civies from RGB. Peter paraphrases his "bad" line from Ghostbusters when Egon originally explained crossing the streams.
Page Four: Peter uses the Mark I Slime Blower with pink slime from Ghostbusters II against the mob. Near the mob is Lafayette Square's McDonogh Monument.
Page Five: The Garden District is established as a setting famous for opulent Southern mansions. The facade of Mr. Thibodeaux's mansion is visually based on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion in the New Orleans Square section of the park. The butler is visually inspired by Ramsley, played by Terence Stamp in the Disney film "The Haunted Mansion." Mr. Thibodeaux himself is visually based on Billy Dee Williams.
Page Six: The Moaning Stones of Tangalla from the RGB episode "Moaning Stones" sit on a table by Ray Stantz. One of the paintings depicts Hotel Boudreaux from "Play Them Ragtime Boos." Egon Spengler asserts Marie Laveau would be over 200 years old, reflecting the real historical debate over her birth year.2
Page Seven: The African Fetish Ghost from the RGB episode "Deadcon 1" appears near Marie Laveau II. The I-10 Highway is visible in the background. A note that Marie was said to own a snake named Zombi.
Page Eight: St. John's Eve (June 23-24) is depicted, the eve of the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. Marie Laveau's Voodoo ceremonies on the Bayou St. John are referenced.
Page Nine: Marie Laveau gives Egon a Gris-Gris, a Voodoo amulet typically worn for protection or luck. The cloth bag is inscribed with verses and contains a ritual number of objects.
Page Ten: The full moon features the Veve of Papa Legba, the intermediary between the loa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads as a gatekeeper. The moon is also associated with his Petro form, Met Kafou Legba.
Page Eleven: The intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter Streets is shown, a few blocks from St. Louis Cathedral (visible on Cover A). Establishments include: Kishnars (a reference to Kishar from the RGB episode "Very Beast Friends," standing in for The Embers Steakhouse), Pumas Meow (a play on Cats Meow, a real Bourbon Street nightclub), Maison Bourbon (a real establishment), and Redbone Ribs (replacing Krazy Korner). All establishments are approximately one block from the real "Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo."
Page Twelve: One of the Zombies is modeled on Michael Jackson from his "Thriller" music video. Egon Spengler and Peter Venkman reference the events of Ghostbusters: Infestation. Peter mentions the Electric Slide.
Page Thirteen: Ray Stantz mentions his store, Ray's Occult Books.
Page Fourteen: Winston Zeddemore yells "Shimabuku!" which is an ancestor name from his animated counterpart in "Moaning Stones." GBFans.com community member Kingpin appears as one of the Zombies, identifiable in a waistcoat to the right of Thriller Michael Jackson.
Page Fifteen: American and New Orleans flags are present.
Page Nineteen: The Ghostbusters wear civilian clothes matching what their animated counterparts wore in the RGB episode "Dairy Farm." The Undying One from "Moaning Stones" adorns a gate post. Luis Delgado's "15" Easter egg is the address in panel four.
Page Twenty-One (backup story): Peter is dressed as in the RGB episode "Camping it Up." A Fizz Cola sign references "Jailbusters" (when Winston was lured to a Fizz commercial shoot), which also appeared on a building adjacent to the animated Firehouse throughout RGB. The character Matheson is a reference to Richard Matheson, the science fiction and horror writer; his novel was adapted into the film "Duel," about a motorist stalked by a truck driver, which parallels the "Laura Parr" road-horror subplot. Peter refers to Massacre Rocks in Idaho and Death Valley. The IDW Road Rage comic poster is visible again. The panicked motorist is visually based on David Mann from "Duel."
Page Twenty-Two (backup story): A Glorp! advertisement references a toothpaste brand from the RGB episode "Station Identification." A comic on the wall is Cover A of Tales of the TMNT Volume 2 Issue #36, written by Tristan Jones. A poster of Nick Landime, a creator-owned comic by Erik Burnham, is visible by the cash register. Peter mentions seeing "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in New Mexico.
Page Twenty-Five (backup story): Peter mentions his mother, a nod to RGB but intended here as a road-horror movie reference. Bigfoot from the RGB episode "Camping it Up" appears in the bushes.
Cover B details: Squire Hamilton from "A Plague of Zombies" is in the first "E." Malachi is in the second "E." Baron Samedi from "Live and Let Die" is in the "A." Imps from "Janine's Day Off" appear on the desk and near the computer. The Creature Magazine from the RGB title sequence is visible. Hotel Boudreaux appears on a postcard.
Continuity note: On page 10 of Ghostbusters International #9, Ray mentions he keeps salt on him ever since the events of Volume 1 Issue #10, making this issue a referenced point in continuity.3
