The Real Ghostbusters Starring In Ghostbusters II

[Spengs]

In October 1989, NOW c o m i c s who was a publisher of The Real Ghostbusters comic books published a three part mini series for Ghostbusters II. Which had been in most theaters all over the US (except maybe in Jersey) the weekend of June 16, 1989. In this three part comic NOW kinda tied in the notion that The Real Ghostbusters came first with their movie adapation. What made this adapation unique for the time was that the comics were based on an earlier draft of Ghostbusters II. Unlike the film, it includes scenes that either weren't filmed or were deleted from the final cut.

While most of the world most likely saw Ghostbusters II in June 1989, I wouldn't see Ghostbusters II until its second opening weekend, November 3, 1989. That weekend would link me to Ghostbusters fandom forever. The night after my Uncle Joe and my aunt took me to see Ghostbusters II, he was tragically taken from our family.

Eighteen years later I want to honor his memory in one way that makes sense. By putting The Real Ghostbusters Starring In Ghostbusters II on the site. All 3 parts of this "limited collectors edition" are on-line.

[Aidan Munroe-GBWC]

This is awesome stuff dude. I always wondered what this looked like. I only have one of the NOW comics, the one about the Boogieman.

[Dr. Fritz V. Baugh]

I had these already, but it's an awesome thing that you have this now: people who never saw them can now, and of course I can just come here to check something instead of digging through my collection

It's a fascinating artifact, definitely a product of it's time. It nicely bridges the gap between the movies and animation, though there are a number of oddities.

We get to see an RGB style version of Dana Barrett. This is her only appearance in the RGB paradigm, though she's mentioned a couple of times in the Marvel UK RGB comics, and in Now's RGB Vol.1 #1. I've always wondered if this design comes from John Tobias, or whether DiC ever created a potential RGb Dana model sheet and they used that.

There's a character in the 1990 episode "Russian About" who greatly resembles the RGB Dana seen in this adaptation.

I swear baby Oscar looks like he could be Baby Ray in this comic.

The cover of #2 is only one of two times the RGB versions are seen with nametags. "Elementary, My Dear Winston" (1989) is the other, which implies that they really do have nametags all the time, they just aren't "noticed" by the animators.

Janosz Poha is rather boring looking in this series. While I used the RGB/GB2 version of Dana in my own artwork, I tried to design a new version of Poha that I tired to make look a little more like the movie actor

And interstingly enough, despite the fact that in 1989 RGB would have an official RGB version of Louis Tully, the one seen in the GB2 adaptation doesn't look much like him and seems a little more like Rick Moranis. He wears his own flight suit in issue 2 (a green one with purple trim, which Now would also use in RGB#17) but, to better match the movie, in #3 he's wearing one in Egon's colors.

[ECTO-1]

You know, you coulda saved yourself a little trouble if you asked me for the scans of #3. I had done that anniversary thing where I had people vote on the comics to be reprinted, and #3 was one of them.

[Spengs]

Sorry, I didn't know. Maybe I should have looked over your site more. As it was coming up on 'the day' and I wanted to honor my uncle, I feverishly scanned the trade paperback all that weekend. You probably noticed the bonus links which I linked back to your site.

[Dr. Steven Reeves]

I think there are a few scan's missing from the last issue where the Ghostbusters are explaining how their families came to the US.

[Dr. Fritz V. Baugh]

I think there are a few scan's missing from the last issue where the Ghostbusters are explaining how their families came to the US.

Those pages weren't in the comics as printed--since the scenes were cut from the movie, and #3 was the last issue of the mini-series, Now was able to cut them in time. The last shot of Lady Liberty was originally from the last page--it was just printed larger than intended.

Those pages have been floating around the internet for a long time, though. I tried to find them on GBN when Rich posted this thread, but didn't have any luck finding them (otherwise I would have put up a link)

Then seeing this message reminded me to check Spook Central, I followed some links to Nora and Doreen's Place, and here they are.

http://members.aol.com/janmelnitz/index-rgb.htm

(The links are about 2/3 of the way down the page, under the header "THE DELETED ENDING OF GBII":

[rockmx8]

Interesting comic...