Plot
Decades earlier, a Martian ship crashed in rural New Jersey after its crew intercepted and apparently took literally the famous 1938 Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. Now the restless phantasms of that Martian crew have been roused at Elmo's Hill, a small farm in New Jersey. The Ghostbusters are dispatched to deal with the angry red threat, reluctant as some of them may be.
The story opens with a nod to H.G. Wells, and throughout the issue Peter Venkman makes references to The Nutcracker (specifically the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mouse King). Ray Stantz, characteristically curious, raises the question of the Jersey Devil along the way. The back cover text mentions the Boogieman, Sandman, and Samhain as part of the broader animated universe.
Cast
The animated-continuity team appears in full:
Supporting and one-off characters include Anson Bell, Jenkins, and Jenkins' Father. The antagonists are the Martian Phantasms. Additional incidental entities are a Nutcracker Ghost and an Icon Ghost.
Equipment
The animated-universe versions of the standard Ghostbusters gear appear throughout: Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, Ghost Trap, Ecto-1, and PKE Meter. The Martian Ship is also depicted.
Locations
- Firehouse (the Ghostbusters' headquarters in the animated continuity)
- Elmo's Hill, New Jersey (the crash site)
- EBS Broadcasting
- Kool O Kids
Development
On October 3, 2012, IDW announced a series of five Mars Attacks crossover one-shots via their Facebook page, all releasing in January 2013. The schedule placed Popeye on January 2, KISS on January 9, The Real Ghostbusters on January 16, Transformers on January 23, and Zombies Vs. Robots on January 30.
On October 13, 2012, IDW confirmed Erik Burnham as the writer and Jose Holder as the main artist. The choice to use The Real Ghostbusters animated universe came in response to fan requests for a story set in that world rather than the film continuity. The Ray Dillon regular cover was revealed at the same time, along with confirmation that Rob Guillory's "Mars Attacks CHEW" and Mike Allred's "Mars Attacks Madman" variant covers would accompany the release. Burnham noted the script had been completed around Labor Day (September 2012) and that Holder was actively penciling the book.
On October 25, 2012, Burnham confirmed specific animated-continuity details: the "blonde Egon" character design, Slimer's inclusion, and the multi-color jumpsuits. He also confirmed the story is separate from movie continuity.
On November 16, 2012, Comic Book Resources published an interview with Burnham alongside an 8-page preview, in which Burnham described the core premise: Martians who crashed in New Jersey decades ago after intercepting the 1930s "War of the Worlds" broadcast are now haunting the site as phantasms, and the Ghostbusters must respond.
