Plot
Thanks to the contract they signed, the Ghostbusters are temporarily barred by Walter Peck from taking any work without his express permission in New York City. The Ghostbusters skirt the edict by taking a job in Schenectady. The Fantastic Land amusement park upstate turns out to be anything but simple: possessed stuffed dolls, carousel horses, and a giant Bruce statue are only the beginning. The team encounters the Hungry Manitou, a powerful entity preying on visitors, while the issue's P.C.O.C. backup section introduces Rachel Unglighter and expands the mythology around Koza'Rai, Gozer, Idulnas, and a mysterious figure named Senta.
Cast
The following characters appear in this issue:
- Kylie Griffin
- Ray Stantz
- Egon Spengler
- Peter Venkman
- Winston Zeddemore
- Walter Peck (referenced via contract)
- Ron Alexander (introduced in issue #3)
- Ted and Annette Fleming (from Louis' party in the original film)
- Rachel Unglighter
- Senta
- Koza'Rai
- Gozer
- Idulnas
- Hungry Manitou
- Bruce the Horrible Chimp Manifestation
- Harry, Scotty, Jeremy and Cindy (supporting cast)
- Possessed Stuffed Dolls, Possessed Bruce Statue, Possessed Carousel Horses (apparitions)
Equipment
Locations
Development
Development notes were documented publicly by the creative team in the months before the February 2012 release:
- October 9, 2011: Tristan Jones tweeted he would be working on another cover for the series.
- October 12, 2011: Ghostbusters.net noted that Cover B pays homage to the Ramones' self-titled debut album (April 23, 1976). Vincent Nordone, Patrick Creel, and Robert Pearson were used as visual references for the cover.
- October 12, 2011: Tristan Jones revealed his incentive cover for the issue.
- November 13, 2011: Erik Burnham tweeted he was four pages of dialogue away from finishing the script, and noted he had found a better alternate to a joke he knew would not make the final version.
- November 15, 2011: Nick Runge confirmed the Ramones-homage cover had been switched to issue #6.
- November 22, 2011: Erik Burnham revealed that Ron Alexander, introduced in issue #3, would reappear in issue #6.
- December 14, 2011: Dan Schoening tweeted he was currently penciling the issue.
- December 15, 2011: Tristan Jones tweeted he was working on #6 and "stepping outside of the comfort zone art-wise."
- December 16, 2011: Tristan Jones posted a work-in-progress teaser.
- January 3, 2012: Tristan Jones posted a partial image reading "Senta - The golden child of the Wrath - Keeper of the Ages," with John Horace Tobin's name obscured in the passage. Jones later hinted Tobin "did whatever he did on this right before he died."
- January 9, 2012: Erik Burnham hinted that the second arc would include a specific nod to Ghostbusters II (not Vigo).
- January 10, 2012: Dan Schoening hinted the second arc would feature evil monkeys.
- January 17, 2012: Erik Burnham hinted that the character making a special appearance in #5 also figures in #6.
- January 18, 2012: Erik Burnham posted Cover A.
- February 9, 2012: A cover, credits, and seven-page preview were posted.
- February 12, 2012: Erik Burnham revealed he had requested a scene bear a reference to Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" (1942).
- February 16, 2012: Luis Delgado posted unlettered versions of pages 8, 16, and 19.
- July 14, 2013: Dan Schoening posted a rough of unused cover art for the issue.
Trivia
The issue is notable for its density of Easter eggs and cross-continuity references, documented page by page:
Page 1
- The city of Poughkeepsie is mentioned by Kylie Griffin.
- The Spates Catalog symbol remains visible in the Ray's Occult Books storefront.
- The book Kylie examines, Powers of Darkness, is from the RGB episode "Witchy Woman."
- To the left of Ray is the Mink Coat from Ghostbusters II.
Page 3
- The fountain features the head of Blackie as the Guardian, from the RGB episode "The Long, Long, Long, etc. Goodbye."
Page 4
- Ted and Annette Fleming from Louis Tully's party in the original Ghostbusters film appear outside the diner.
- Janine's red Volkswagen Beetle convertible from The Real Ghostbusters is parked near the diner.
- The diner is an homage to Edward Hopper's Nighthawks (1942), as requested by Erik Burnham.
- The diner and its proprietor, El, are from the RGB episode "The Man Who Never Reached Home."
- The patron next to Ron appears to be a human version of the Bus Ghost from "Ghostbuster of the Year."
- A Canned Ghost poster on the wall references Coca-Cola's "Ghost in a Can" promotion.
- A photo of Uncle Horace from "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Ghost?" is on the wall.
- The "crime down 30%" newspaper is from the RGB episode "Ghost Busted."
- Magnified in the online preview, the newspaper contains Gozer's "Choose or Perish" quote from Ghostbusters.
- Luis Delgado's "15" Easter egg appears as a part number on an equipment schematic hidden in the newspaper.
- Excerpts of the issue's script are embedded in the newspaper below the schematic.
Page 5
- Stuffed dolls visible behind Ray include: Azetlor from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (stylized), the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Lizardo from "Attack of the B-Movie Monsters," Copycat in burger form from "The Copycat," the Genie in its true form from "Janine's Genie," and the H2 Ghost from the Kenner toyline.
- Peter pulls Ray's ear to get the truth, mirroring a moment from Ghostbusters II.
- The ride behind Peter is from the RGB episode "The Bogeyman Is Back" (first seen at approximately the 4:12 mark).
Page 6
- The Venus fly trap near the booth is the Insect Trapper from the Ghostbusters Sega game.
- A Murray the Mantis doll appears in a stand, from "The Revenge of Murray the Mantis."
- Ray mentions the Boogieman.
- The Fantastic Bruce monkeys say "ootini," a reference to the Jawas of Tatooine in Star Wars Episode IV.
Page 10
- The entrance from the transmogrified Big Apple Amusement Park in "The Bogeyman Is Back" (approximately the 4:45 mark) is present.
- The front sign for Cheap Thrills Amusement Park from "Rollerghoster" is visible above it.
- The Pillar of New York from "Beneath These Streets" appears in the background.
Page 11
- The rocket is based on the Star Jets ride from Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland.
- The Creature swarms around the Star Jets ride.
- The Sorta/Kinda Tree from "Knock, Knock" is visible beside the ride.
Page 19
- Winston's and Peter's souls, seen from the Manitou's point of view, are an homage to Alex Sinclair and the Black Lantern Corps point of view from a contemporary Green Lantern arc at DC Comics.
Page 20
- The man in the red shirt in panel 3 is visually based on Ghostbusters fan Justin Brushett.
Page 21
- Rachel Unglighter's Columbia University I.D. card establishes she attended that school.
- The Cult of Gozer insignia is based on a T-shirt design.
- The Gozer photo is taken from Tristan Jones' Tobin's Spirit Guide artwork, posted in November 2008.
- Rachel's photo was taken before the Displaced Aggression event, at 6 PM in Times Square.
Page 22
- The file references the Cult of Gozer, Ivo Shandor, and the Gozerian Codex from Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
- Mount Sinai Hospital is mentioned.
- Felix's last name is a reference to writer Clark Ashton Smith.
Page 23
- The page mentions John Horace Tobin.
- Heironymus Van Aachen from the RGB episode "Egon's Ghost" is also mentioned.
Cover A
- One of the dolls is Zonk from "Ghosts R Us."
- A Hotel Boudreaux brochure from "Play Them Ragtime Boos" lies on the ground.
- Another doll is of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Cover RI
- Dolls depicted include: Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, No-Ghost Sign, Murray the Mantis, Toy Factory plushies of the Ghostbusters, Slimer, and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Dopey Dog.
Later continuity note: On page 17 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over issue #6, Senta appears beside Rachel Unglighter, a callback to the P.C.O.C. file introduced in this issue.3
Covers
Cover A
Cover B
by Nick Runge
Incentive Cover
by Tristan Jones
Comic
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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Ghostbusters #6 (IDW Publishing, February 15, 2012). Story by Erik Burnham; P.C.O.C. backup by Tristan Jones; pencils by Dan Schoening; colors by Luis Antonio Delgado; letters by Neil Uyetake; editor Tom Waltz. ISBN 978-1-61479-490-5.
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Spotlight (ABDO Publishing), Ghostbusters: Volume Two: The Most Magical Place on Earth, Part 2 (August 15, 2016). Library binding reprint of IDW Publishing Ghostbusters #6. ABDO Publishing, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #6 (IDW Publishing, September 5, 2018), p. 17. Story by Erik Burnham, pencils by Dan Schoening.
