Edgar Allan Poe[1] is a famous deceased American poet who haunts multiple locations on the East Coast.
History[]
After his death in Baltimore, Edgar Allan Poe's ghost began haunting locations in New York and Maryland that he often frequented in life. He haunted Thurman Hall on the campus of Excelsior State University in Greenwich Village for years.[2] By late 1984, the student body had enough of Poe reciting terrible poetry. About two days after Winston Zeddemore was hired, the Ghostbusters were called about removing Poe once and for all so they could focus on studying for their next round of tests. It was decided the Ghostbusters would split up and search a floor by themselves to speed things up. Winston encountered Poe on the east side of the fourth floor. Poe recited a poem aloud, "The heart bled true, and red, but grew, some said, to appreciate its lonely pain." Winston radioed the location to everyone and noted the poetry was terrible. Poe heard him, twisted his head around, and screeched. Winston opened fire but Poe turned into a ravens and flew out of the university. The others arrived but Winston abruptly ran outside after Poe. Egon Spengler confirmed Poe's signal left the building. Civilians were chased away then the ravens began pecking at the ground near the Washington Square Arch in Washington Square Park. They found the raven entities and watched as they awakened a large Black Cat Ghost. Ray noticed Poe took off. Peter quipped that was just like him but he got no response. He asked if he was the only one who read his biography. Egon countered he read the notes given to him and emphasized the new ghost was the bigger problem. Winston trapped it but Poe got away. Peter Venkman still interpreted it as completing the bust since Poe was no longer at the university. Weeks after the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and 550 Central Park West were blown up and the world was saved, one of the ravens Poe turned into was standing outside one of the windows of Winston's Apartment unnoticed.
Powers[]
Edgar Allan Poe demonstrated the ability to split his standard ethereal human form into several ravens.
Trivia[]
- In Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #7, Nevermore Elementary School's name is taken from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven". Based on the motif and 2800 address, Nevermore is a stand in for Chicago's Edgar Allen Poe Elementary School.
- Poe appears on Cover RI of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1.
- On page 12 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Excelsior State University's Thurman Hall is a stand-in for New York University's Law School's Furman Hall which has a history with Poe.
- Edgar Allan Poe's house on 85 West Third Street was demolished for construction of Furman Hall but as a compromise the facade of the house was preserved and moved half a block away. It is incorporated into the new structure along the lines of its appearance in 1845. Inside the Poe facade, a room was dedicated to Poe and made available, through NYU, for readings and lectures.
- A banister from Poe's house was also incorporated into Furman. Law students report seeing Poe's ghost going up and down the banister.
- On page 12 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Winston mentions Edgar Allan Poe's death in Baltimore. This happened on October 7, 1849.
- On page 12 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Egon mentions how Poe's ghost is seen in different places.[3] In real life, there are claims he can be seen at Washington University Hospital where he died, underneath Westminster Presbyterian Church where he was initially buried, the streets of Baltimore near his home, a bar in Fells Point that he frequented, Fort Monroe where he was stationed, and for New York City, Furman Hall and at 45 Bond Street.
- On page 13 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Winston's critique echoes actual opinions that Poe was a mediocre poet.
- On page 14 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Poe's ghost turns into ravens, to which he became associated with.
- On page 15 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Peter quotes twice from "The Raven". He quotes the chamber door line from near the start and stanza 13-15 of "This I sat engaged and guessing."
- On page 16 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, the ghost is visually based on Pluto the cat in Poe's "The Black Cat" in which the owner gouged out its eye and hung it. In it, after the house fire, the owner sees the apparition of a gigantic cat with a rope around the animal's neck imprinted on a wall. The exposed heart is a nod to "The Tell-Tale Heart".
- On page 16 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Peter alludes to Poe's "The Balloon-Hoax" which was about a hot air balloon hoax.
- On page 20 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, one of the Poe ravens is at Winston's window. Previously in Volume 2 Issue #14, talking pigeons animated by Tiamat appeared at his and Tiyah's hotel room window.
Appearances[]
- IDW Comics
- Ghostbusters Year One
References[]
- ↑ Winston Zeddemore (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.19). Winston Zeddemore says: "I can't believe I trapped Edgar Allan Poe."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.12). Ray Stantz says: "Thurman Hall here has been said to haunted for years by Edgar Allan Poe."
- ↑ Egon Spengler (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1" (2020) (Comic p.12). Egon Spengler says: "Poe did die in Maryland, but he was an extremely haunted individual. His presence has been felt in many of the places he spent time in."