Plot
The main story is a standalone set in Cayey, Puerto Rico. The FBI calls in the Ghostbusters to investigate a series of disturbing incidents, and Egon Spengler, Kylie Griffin, and Special Agent Melanie Ortiz fly out to the island. Their case draws on local lore: Kylie recounts accounts of ghost dogs tied to a burnt-down cigar factory near the Los Robles Apartment buildings, while Egon catalogs parallel folklore across Europe, including the White Lady traditions of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany, and the Banshee of Ireland. The entity is ultimately identified as a Lamia, a figure from Greek mythology, which had taken on various forms including the Weeping Woman in White. In the final scene at the FBI field office in San Juan, Melanie departs to assist the short-staffed New York branch.
A two-page interlude in Paris shows Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore dealing with the aftermath of Issues #4 and #5, including the destruction wrought by Jean l'Ecorcheur on the Mona Lisa, David, Venus de Milo, and the Code of Hammurabi. Walter Peck and Janine Melnitz also appear briefly at the Firehouse.
The backup "Haunted America Case Files" story features Melanie Ortiz, Kylie Griffin, and Egon Spengler and presents the first spectral incident report to coincide directly with the events of the main story, with the story established as taking place on May 12.
Covers
Three cover variants were produced for this issue.
Regular Cover (Rachael Stott and Luis Antonio Delgado): A homage to the classic image of Clark Kent changing into Superman.
Subscription Cover (Corin Howell and Maria Santaolalla): Features Melanie Ortiz, Esme Torres, and two Ghost Dogs. Only one Ghost Dog appears in the actual story.
Retailer Exclusive Cover (Dennis Calero, announced May 10, 2016 by AOD Collectibles): Limited to 1,000 copies. Slimer appears on the cover.
Characters
Main Story: Esme Torres, Egon Spengler, Special Agent Melanie Ortiz, Kylie Griffin, Dr. Quienes, Miguel Castillo, Nondo, Gen, Cigar Factory Ghost Dog, Weeping Woman in White, Lamia, Walter Peck, Janine Melnitz, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore, Special Agent Santos
Haunted America Case Files: Special Agent Melanie Ortiz, Kylie Griffin, Egon Spengler
Equipment
Main Story: PKE Meter, Ectomobile (Ecto-1), Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Ecto Goggles, Arm Mounted Proton Pack, Ghost Trap
Haunted America Case Files: Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Arm Mounted Proton Pack, Ghost Trap
Locations
Cayey (Puerto Rico), San Juan (FBI Field Office), the Firehouse (New York), Paris
Development
On January 25, 2016, Erik Burnham revealed he had turned in the solicitation for Issue #6. On January 29 he confirmed the issue would be set in Puerto Rico, and on February 19 he teased "a Melanie and Kylie issue in June."
On March 12, Burnham revealed a special guest artist would be involved, describing the artist as "pretty keen with the drawing." The June solicitations released on March 23 confirmed guest artist Rachael Stott and showed only the subscription cover. On March 24, Burnham teased the issue would reveal the only phrase of Spanish that Kylie Griffin knows.
On April 12, 2016, Rachael Stott announced she was working on Ghostbusters. In the weeks that followed she posted a series of work-in-progress images: Egon and Kylie (April 16), Egon presenting an entity (April 19), the Firehouse and Ecto-1 (April 24), Melanie suited up (April 27), a drawing process of Egon (April 28), Melanie and Egon walking through a jungle (April 29), and Egon throwing a trap (May 1).
On April 22, in a podcast recorded earlier in the month, Burnham confirmed a ghost reminiscent of but distinct from La Llorona would appear. On April 24, Burnham also posted a colored teaser panel of Egon, Melanie, and Kylie together.
On May 9, Burnham revealed the unlettered regular cover. On May 10, AOD Collectibles announced the retailer exclusive cover by Dennis Calero, limited to 1,000 copies, with both front and back shown.
On June 24, a cover, credits, and five-page preview were posted publicly. On release day, June 29, Burnham shared two non-spoiler panels and confirmed the issue contains two pages with Peck, Janine, Peter, Ray, and Winston.
On November 16, 2016, Luis Antonio Delgado posted an unlettered version of page 6.
Trivia
- The issue is set in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. The recap in Ghostbusters International #7 acknowledges the setting is technically within America, noting the issue was therefore not "international." The Paris interlude in the same issue is cited as what makes the series title apply.
- The story takes place on May 12, as established by the Haunted America Case Files spectral incident report.
- Kylie's only Spanish phrase loosely translates to "I'm very sorry we blew up your house."
- Egon reveals he did research on conscious thermoregulation and as a result never sweats.
- Dr. Quienes is visually based on local artist Joe Ward. The name "Quienes" means "Who" in Spanish, Erik Burnham's nod to Rachael Stott's ongoing work on the Doctor Who comic.
- Egon mentions Stott's Almanac in-universe, named after the issue's guest artist Rachael Stott.
- Page 3 includes a Luis Antonio Delgado "15" easter egg on the nurse's whiteboard.
- Kylie mentions Eduardo Rivera by his nickname "Eddie" on page 2.
- Egon's line about truth echoes a Tobin's Spirit Guide line from IDW Volume 1 Issue #8. Egon also references the Bogeyman lore explored in Volume 2 Issues #9 to #12.
- Melanie mentions New Mexico, where she is originally from. The Ghostbusters first encountered her in Albuquerque in Volume 1 Issue #11.
- Page 5 may be a tongue-in-cheek nod to reactions surrounding the 2016 film: Miguel initially assumed all Ghostbusters were men.
- Page 11 notes the team has eaten Moules-Frites (a Belgian dish of mussels and fries) while in Paris. Peter jokes about staying in Paris. For Ghostbusters: The Video Game, it was reportedly considered at one point that Peter had moved to Paris with Dana Barrett.
- Page 13 establishes that Egon cautions against using Proton Packs underwater, which contrasts with the experimental packs in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Version) that functioned normally during a rainstorm.
- Egon is still wearing his gray sweater vest outfit from the first film.
- In Issue #4, Janine Melnitz mentioned forcing Kylie Griffin to trap the ghost of a dog near a no-kill shelter. This ties to the final scene of this issue, where Kylie is seen petting the ghost dog.
- Melanie mentions having a niece. The only other family member referenced to this point appeared in Volume 2 Issue #3, when Melanie spoke with her mother by phone.
- A Banshee, discussed in the folklore sequences of this issue, is confirmed to appear in Issue #7.
- This is the first issue in the Ghostbusters International volume where the back-cover preview shows the subscription variant rather than the regular cover.
- The "What Came Before" recap re-uses three panels from Ghostbusters International #5 and cites events of Issues #4 and #5, referencing Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Peter Venkman, the Louvre Museum, the Code of Hammurabi, Tuileries Garden, Mood Slime, and Jean l'Ecorcheur. The Credits Page re-uses the image from page 18, panel 4.
- The Haunted America Case Files section also references Rio de la Plata, La Llorona, Bogeymen, Banshees, Sirens, Lamia, Special Agent Santos, San Juan, the Ghost Dog, and the cigar factory lore.
References
Ghostbusters International #6 (IDW Publishing, June 2016). Written by Erik Burnham, pencils by Rachael Stott, colors by Luis Antonio Delgado and Anna Chher, letters by Neil Uyetake, edits by Tom Waltz.
