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Ghostbusters: Infestation 1 is a part of IDW Publishing Comics' Infestation storyline, which also crosses over into its Transformers, Star Trek, and G.I. Joe comics.

Cast[]

Egon Spengler

Peter Venkman

Ray Stantz

Winston Zeddemore

Janine Melnitz

Britt

Zombies (Infestation)

Canine Poltergeists

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Equipment[]

Proton Pack

Particle Thrower

Ecto Goggles

Trap

P.K.E. Meter

Ecto-1

Proton Pistol

Ecto Monocle

Locations[]

Firehouse

Environmental[]

Necrotic Slime

Plot[]

The Ghostbusters battle a plague of zombies and deal with some poltergeists that manage to resist the pull of the Containment Unit.

Summary[]

[A brief recap describes the events of IDW's Infestation #1, in which the zombified vampire Britt opened portals to four different dimensions to spread the zombie virus.]

A drunk driver has run his car off the road and into a tree, also hitting a zombie, which bites him on the leg. The man stomps on the zombie's face but is confronted by Britt, who says he has interrupted her schedule. Two days later, Peter Venkman blasts a vending machine containing a newspaper with the headline "Poltergeists! Ghostbusters Outmatched?" Peter and Ray are pursuing a dog-like poltergeist which Ray blasts with his particle thrower, nearly striking Peter in the head but allowing him to capture the spirit in a Trap. A zombie (the drunk driver who met Britt) approaches them, and Ray radios Egon to alert him to this new phenomenon.

Egon and Winston join the other two Ghostbusters. Egon's instruments show that the zombie "has almost no soul left." Peter asks if Egon has yet retooled the containment grid, which is unable to hold the canine poltergeists, dozens of whom remain in ghost traps. Egon explains that the new poltergeists' ectoplasmic signature allows them to break out of the grid, and that something else may have also escaped the last time this happened. Ray is recording the zombie through his Ecto Goggles and fails to realize that it is lurching toward him until Egon pushes him out of the way. Winston blasts the zombie with his proton gun, but it absorbs the Proton Stream, swells up and explodes, splattering Ray, Egon and a nearby cat with black slime. The cat immediately loses much of its skin and becomes a monstrous, zombified creature. Winston, Ray and Egon blast the cat and destroy it. Winston points out that the same slime that transformed the cat is on Egon and Ray's Uniforms.

As the Ghostbusters drive back to the Firehouse, they discuss their successive problems with poltergeists and zombies. Ray and Egon have stripped off their uniforms, and Peter has unnecessarily also done so, too. Because the black slime was easily destroyed by the Proton Packs, Egon is confident that they can return their attention to the poltergeists. The Ghostbusters do not notice a zombie standing near the Firehouse.

The next day, Janine takes a call from a woman whose cockapoo has been eaten by a zombie. She tells Peter she has been receiving calls about zombies all morning, but assumes they are crank calls. Peter takes a call from someone who threatens to sue the Ghostbusters over the previous night's events, and tells the caller he'll see him in court. Janine is stunned to see a zombie coming in through the front door of the Firehouse. Peter radios Egon, who says he is indisposed. Janine throws a ghost trap at the zombie, striking it in the head. As Peter and Janine continue to urge Egon to come downstairs, the trap activates, releasing a canine poltergeist. The poltergeist forces its way into the human zombie through its mouth and then transforms into a motionless figure of black slime.

Fifteen minutes later Egon has joined Peter and Janine downstairs, asking why they did not call him sooner. Scanning the figure, Egon explains that the poltergeist felt compelled to enter a body without a soul in it. Both poltergeist and zombie have changed on a subatomic level, enough so that Egon believes the ghost can now be contained if it is removed from the zombie. Testing his theory, he activates the trap, drawing in the poltergeist and causing the zombie to explode, splattering everyone with black slime.

Peter points out that there are many more zombies to be taken care of in the same way. The phone rings, and Peter tells Janine to get the address if it's a zombie call. Egon has been analyzing the black slime and believes he can build a device to locate the zombies. The phone call is from Ray in Ecto-1, who has discovered what escaped from the Containment Unit when the poltergeists breached it: the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man...

To Be Concluded

Cover RI B[]

The RI B Covers number in 250 different permutations done by Dan Schoening [1] in four days and weren't released until May 2011. [2] The following have been seen:

Trivia[]

  • Erik Burnham worked on the comic in Late July 2010.[3]
  • Cover A features the Slime Blowers from Ghostbusters II.
  • Pages 8-9 of this issue appeared in Infestation 1 as a preview, along with pages from Transformers: Infestation #1, Star Trek: Infestation #1, and G.I. Joe: Infestation #1.
  • IDW promoted the Infestation crossover with a pamphlet called "Classified Secrets of Infestation", which included a page based on material from this issue.
  • Peter asks Egon if he drilled a hole in his head yet, a reference to the first movie
  • The drunk driver mentions the Will-O'-The-Wisp, mysterious lights associated with supernatural activity in almost every form of folklore.
  • A bust that took place off-screen is mentioned when Ray announces his calculations, a mishap at Coney Island. [4]
  • Ray's grandma is mentioned. [5]
  • When the team encounters the first zombie, the Red Sox, a Major League Baseball team, is mentioned in jest.
  • Peter and Ray encounter the first zombie on 20 Clinton. 20 Clinton Avenue is an actual address in Brooklyn, New York.
  • Spores, part of Egon's hobby are mentioned.
  • Ray references (Dr. Duncan) MacDougall, an early 20th century physician who theorized the soul weighs 21 grams.
  • PETA, an American animal rights organization, is mentioned in response to the poltergeists and Fluffy.
  • The team strips off their uniforms in response to the Necrotic Slime, just like with the Mood slime in Ghostbusters II.
  • Peter notices an article about a Count Dracula fad diet. Count Dracula had toy in the Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Toy Line as Classic Monsters: Action Figures.
  • Janine states a caller said a zombie ate her Cockapoo, a breed of dog that is a cross of an American Cocker Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle.
  • Janine jokes the next call will be neutering a Werewolf. On The Real Ghostbusters, the team encountered Werewolves (Type of Creatures) in "No One Comes to Lupusville" and a Wolfman toy in Classic Monsters: Action Figures line of Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Toy Line
  • Peter claims being ignored is his Kryptonite, a weakness of Superman from DC Comics.
  • Egon and Peter refer to the Necrotic Slime as Black Slime. [6] [7] A completely different substance named Black Slime appeared on Ghostbusters: The Video Game

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Dapper Dan's Sketch Covers
  2. Spook Central's ImageBam Gallery
  3. erikburnham Tweet 7/28/2020 Erik Burnham says: "10 years ago I was working on a script for the Ghostbusters meeting zombies in IDW's Infestation."
  4. Peter Venkman (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Infestation Issue #1" (2011) (Comic p.3). Peter says: "And let's not forget your last set of calculations almost sank Coney Island!"
  5. Ray Stantz (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Infestation Issue #1" (2011) (Comic p.3). Ray says: "My grandmother always said that 'Almost only' counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."
  6. Egon Spengler (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Infestation Issue #1" (2011) (Comic p.13). Egon says: "Well, the black slime that the creature's innards were composed of was easily incinerated by our Proton Packs, and it didn't seem to be aggressive until its spirit fully dissipated."
  7. Peter Venkman (2011). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Infestation Issue #1" (2011) (Comic p.20). Peter says: "You saved some black slime?"

Also See[]


Gallery[]


 
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(Part of Haunted Holidays TPB)
IDW Publishing- Ghostbusters: Infestation 2
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