Plot
While busting a meeting between Japanese gangster ghosts and American crime syndicate ghosts, the four Ghostbusters are dealt a major setback when Peter Venkman's soul is knocked out of his body. A gangster ghost named Fred takes over Venkman's body. Rather than release Fred's comrades, Winston Zeddemore knocks Venkman's body out, forcing Fred to flee.
Back at the Firehouse, the team struggles with Venkman's soulless body, which remains alive but vacant. Egon Spengler fears that Venkman's displaced soul has gone to a dark void of despair.
Fred reports back to his bosses: a quartet of mobster ghosts comprising Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Al Capone. The bosses decide the Ghostbusters must be eliminated. Meanwhile, Ray Stantz's research leads the team to believe Venkman is in Purgatory. Venkman's body then suddenly awakens and sleepwalks outside. Following him into the street, the three remaining Ghostbusters are ambushed by gangster and sailor poltergeists armed with real tommy guns. The possessed Venkman informs his teammates that they are doomed. Zeddemore attempts to divert the ghosts so Stantz and Spengler can escape, but he is shot and killed. Spengler tries to negotiate with the possessed Venkman, but both he and Stantz are also gunned down.
Characters
The issue features all four Ghostbusters: Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore.
Ghost characters include a group of Yakuza ghosts, Fred (an American gangster ghost who possesses Venkman), Blue Lou and Tommy Twitch, and a quartet of mob boss ghosts identified as Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Al Capone. Sailor poltergeists also appear as antagonists in the street ambush sequence.
Equipment
The Ghostbusters use standard field equipment in this issue: the Proton Pack and Particle Thrower, Ecto Goggles, Ghost Trap, and PKE Meter. A radio and the Ectomobile (Ecto-1) also appear.
Trivia
- Fred implies during the Yakuza meeting that he was killed by Japanese forces during World War II.
- Outside of his body, Peter Venkman makes a reference to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," the 1968 Iron Butterfly song.
- On page 11, Egon references King Kong while examining Venkman's soulless body.
- Gozer and Vigo are referenced twice by Fred, who dismisses them as "Tooth Fairies" compared to his bosses.
- While Ray presents his research into Purgatory, Heaven and Hell are also seen and mentioned.
- Fred references the Ghostbusters' slogan in jest.
Production Context
IDW did not hold full actor likeness rights for the Ghostbusters characters, so editor Chris Ryall instructed artists to draw the characters as they imagined them rather than copying film actor likenesses directly. This approach was used across the early IDW miniseries, including "The Other Side," and is credited with giving each series a distinct visual identity while also reducing the approval burden on the creative teams.[1]
The Graham Cracker Comics "Ghostbusters: The Other Side" release party was held at the Wheaton, Illinois store on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Artist Tom Nguyen attended in person, signing comics and drawing sketches for fans. Photos from the event were taken by Eric Christenson, whose one-of-a-kind Ray Stantz sketch was included among the highlights. A Peter Venkman sketch that Nguyen drew during the event was also shared by Ghostbusters.net. The Wheaton store was an early supporter of the IDW Ghostbusters line and helped bring the creative team directly to the GBFans.com community.
References
- Spook Central, "The Complete SFX Guide to Ghostbusters (2014)", IDW editorial policy on artist likenesses and the early miniseries format.
