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PostPosted: July 21st, 2013, 10:33 am 
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Preview on Spook Central:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... ploaded=20

Man, this is looking promising. Whether that promise is "Fans rejoice" or "Erik Burnham has to go into witness protection" remains to be seen. :lol:

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PostPosted: July 24th, 2013, 6:16 pm 
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Well, I read it. Then read it again, then over analyzed it, then reread specific lines, and I still don't know how I feel about it. I too thought I'd have a love it or hate it reaction but I can't say that I really do right now.
Dying for someone else who's read it to get on here and discuss!

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PostPosted: July 25th, 2013, 12:01 pm 
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Well, not hating it is a big plus.

Janine and Egon do care about each other. They're the backbone of every iteration of the franchise. I know I skirt close in the comics to scratch the shipping itch for some, but I can't dump on the calomine without permission first. (:


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PostPosted: July 26th, 2013, 10:42 am 
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eburnham wrote:
Well, not hating it is a big plus.

Janine and Egon do care about each other. They're the backbone of every iteration of the franchise. I know I skirt close in the comics to scratch the shipping itch for some, but I can't dump on the calomine without permission first. (:


Mr. Burnham, you just did better than just about any other writer in the franchise's history by simply stating that fact. Thank you.

I will probably have this issue later today, and hope to have my usual inane commentary up by the end of the weekend.

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PostPosted: July 26th, 2013, 5:57 pm 
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Fritz wrote:
Mr. Burnham, you just did better than just about any other writer in the franchise's history by simply stating that fact. Thank you.

I totally agree. It's really fantastic to have this confirmed.

Okay, so this is spoilerific for those who don't pick up their comics until the weekend.

Firstly, and most importantly, I love the attention IDW are giving Janine. She's the main female representative in Ghostbusters, and I'm so pleased she's been getting almost equal billing and action as the guys. 

This issue, for Janine fans, is brilliant. There's so much I love about it that I just can't mention everything. What was particularly notable were the flashbacks to both films; they were perfect recreations of those scenes in comic form. Loved the Louis mentions, loved cute little Janine, loved the team up between Roger and Egon. Egon's voice-activated trap was great, and I admit I don't know much about Viking lore, but the fact that the Vikings were more pissed off that Janine had trapped the Grendel than that she'd failed the bravery test was a great twist. 

I had a feeling at some point Roger was going to find out that Janine wasn't as into him as he thought she was (although seeing his girlfriend running around New York wearing another guy's jumpsuit should have been a big clue), but the ending was a surprise. I honestly thought he'd leave her, but it seems he's made of stronger stuff. I'm not sure where he'll take it from here, but it will be interesting to find out. We didn't see any memories of Roger, although we saw some of Louis, so maybe Roger should really just let her go. I mean, if Louis is more memorable than Roger... It doesn't really say much for Roger, does it? I really feel sorry for the guy, which is something I never thought I'd say.

It's a shame that at the end of the comic Egon's evading the subject of Janine and her feelings for him, and we are still none the wiser as to why he keeps avoiding it. I feel like I need to take a wander through Egon's mind to find out the answers to that. :D

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PostPosted: July 27th, 2013, 7:29 pm 
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nikki wrote:
We didn't see any memories of Roger, although we saw some of Louis, so maybe Roger should really just let her go. I mean, if Louis is more memorable than Roger... It doesn't really say much for Roger, does it?


I really hope you're reading too much into that. I agree, a bit of a Roger flashback would have been good--we really don't even know for sure how Janine and Egon Lite met, after all, though the last page suggests the possibility they met at racquetball. But man, the idea that Louis would be more memorable than Roger makes me want to puke. Except the possibility that it's not a good kind of memorable.

I prefer to think it was more because of space and because of the recurring theme of the flashback scenes, which was Roger finding out things he really might not want to know. Mostly of course about Janine's prior relationship with Egon, but finding out about Louis also feeds into that. Plus it was kind of funny with Egon going "Believe me, you do NOT want to see what's going on there..." Because he clearly doesn't either.

(Hope to have the snarky comments up tomorrow)

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PostPosted: July 27th, 2013, 9:13 pm 
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Yeah, don't read too much into it. (:

I didn't show anything with Roger because it didn't add anything. And by that I mean, he sees her thoughts on Egon, knows that Janine felt strongly about him (and likely always will, whether or not they ever wind up in a relationship.) Roger's the one seeing Janine, so that fact alone would be enough to weigh on Egon, if anything would.

And neither one of them wanted to see Louis (and it's my only way to sneak him into the series, just like I snuck Dana in when we were in Peter's head.)

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PostPosted: July 27th, 2013, 9:33 pm 
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Fritz wrote:
I really hope you're reading too much into that.

Lol. I think you might be reading too much into my comment. I wasn't being entirely serious with that line, and I kind of hoped that people would have taken it that way, but there ya go. I should have stuck a smiley there or something... :D

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PostPosted: July 30th, 2013, 4:37 pm 
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nikki wrote:
Fritz wrote:
I really hope you're reading too much into that.

Lol. I think you might be reading too much into my comment. I wasn't being entirely serious with that line, and I kind of hoped that people would have taken it that way, but there ya go. I should have stuck a smiley there or something... :D


Oops...sorry about that. :oops:

So, now, a full two days later than I thought I'd have it:

Fritz Babbles About Ghostbusters #22

So we start with some stuff that will pay off next issue, but frankly, I just glossed over it because there was too much meaty stuff getting going in here...

So, okay, remember how Janine had to deal with glowy Vikings that were "testing" her but not giving her jack squat to go on but got really really pissed off when she failed to pass their "test" exactly the way they wanted it passed? And then she turned yellow and glowy requiring both of the Egons to team up to try and figure out what was going on? And EgonActual dropped the gris-gris on her and, low and behold, more glowy Vikings showed up?

Yeah, that's where things pick up this issue.

The glowy Vikings are annoyed that Egon used the gris-gris on them; both Egon and Roger know Swedish, by the way; there's a funny bit where Egon explains that he was just making sure that no "evil spirits" were trying to possess her, but when the Viking asks if he looks like an evil spirit, Egon dryly says "That would be profiling."

The glowy Vikings tell Egon and Roger that Janine is beyond their help--she has "profaned an ancient rite" blah blah blah. Egon responds by telling them, in English, that he loves the Red Sox.

Strange thing to say. I know Egon went to MIT (or so it says in the movie scripts) but I thought he was more of a Toronto Blue Jays fans...

Oh. The phrase "I love the Red Sox", a phrase very unlikely to be uttered in New York City, activates a wall-mounted proton blaster/trap assembly that sends the two glowy Vikings that aren't manhandling Egon straight to an "inescapable hell". Which is mostly true--things only get out of the Containment Unit when a writer really really really wants to use something in a story that the Ghostbusters had previously caught.

So the remaining Viking relents...sort of. He'll show them exactly what's become of the woman they both love...by sending them into her mind.

I admit, I long thought about doing some sort of storyline with a similar concept, but never really came up with a good hook. So it was neat to see this idea come to life, and be so well done.

The two Egons stroll through Janine's memories starts at the very beginning--namely, a delivery room where on an October day in 1958 Mister Melnitz is being told "Congratulations, it's a girl!" Not much room to go earlier that that without going into Mrs. Melnitz's womb and visiting Janine in the amniotic sac.

The stroll takes us though cute little toddler Janine walking with her mother (the younger Mrs. Melnitz looks a lot like her other daughter Doris, as seen in "Janine's Day Off"); in grade school; at her Senior Prom in 1977 (a date which matches her graduation yearbook as seen in "The Brooklyn Triangle"!); and working at Big Greasers.

Egon admits that, should they survive this experience, getting a look at Janine's electroencephalogram would be fascinating. High school Janine insists he'll have to buy her dinner first. This was one of the funniest bits of the issue. I could make all sorts of crude jokes about how this prom scene, with Janine arm in arm with both Egons probably factors into some of her modern day fantasies, but anyway...

Oh, now we're to June of 1983 1984, and Janine's being interviewed for a new job by a guy named Peter Venkman. She's hesitating until one of Venkman's partners--a tall guy with glasses--comes out to growl at him. Light from the heavens and a choir of angels sing, and she takes the job.

This is, of course, all news to Roger. As is the next series of scenes, ones we're all familiar with--"Do you have any hobbies?"; "I'm afraid you're gonna die"; the embrace at the ECTO-1 right after the battle with Gozer, one of the few times Egon ever smiled.

I think Roger is getting a whole new insight onto why Janine talked about Egon so much.

That's all in the past, though, right? Roger's got nothing to worry about?

Ooops...now there's the flashback from that kiss that took place three issues ago. THIS finally sets EgonLite off.

EgonActual doesn't have time for this (he's had lots of practice at ignoring his feelings for Janine) because...yeah, there's the core of Janine's mind, where Janine's avatar is about to be strung up by the party of glowy Vikings.

The Vikings explain that they've been doing this every ten years for centuries, as part of their deal with Hel. After a certain number of "tests" of their descendants, Hel's poodle--Grendel--would judge their entire bloodline and thus determine whether the glowy Vikings will get into Valhalla. Problem is, Janine not only failed the test, Grendel is also out of the picture. How can Grendel judge their bloodlines if Grendel is taking a nap in a laser containment grid?

Egon tries to bluff their way out of the situation, specifically referencing Venkman and the Manitou way back in Ghostbusters #7; but now, a year and half later in, er Ghostbusters #6, Egon rolls lots of 1s and a Ghost on his Cool roll and the two Egons have to start running or be hacked to pieces by angry glowy Vikings. So they duck into one of Janine's memories to escape.

The good news is that they get away from the glowy Vikings. The bad news is...the memory they picked is of the evening of December 30, 1988 1989 at Venkman's apartment. Uhngh. Yeah, that scene. Egon realizes where he is, and tells Roger that he definitely does not want to see what's going on on the other side of Venkman's couch. Egon doesn't want to see it either. Hell, vast chunks of the audience--myself most definitely included--didn't want to see that. I think I'd rather watch Action Hero Slimer teaming up with the Junior Ghostbusters and Professor Dweeb to save the world from Gozer, Vigo, the Boogeyman, and Cthulhu all that once than watch that again. (Though, considering that Roger heard all about Egon and not one word about Louis, maybe Janine understandably doesn't consider it one of her shining moments either.)

Still, Egon notices that he can feel the couch and the World of the Psychic pen. They need to flee to a better memory. That part isn't the difficult one--practically any memory in her head would be better than this one--but he has something specific in mind. Sure enough, when the two Egons return to Janine, EgonActual is armed with a big honking ecto bazooka, kind of like the one Venkman used on the Doom Train last issue. When the glowy Vikings show up to continue their sacrifice, Egon is able to show them some pain, and they relent.

Back in the real world, Janine drops to the floor--no longer yellow and glowy--and the two Egons return to their bodies. Slimer stops eating his watermelon for a second, but only a second. The glowy Vikings swear that Egon and the others will pay for "condemning us to this existence". Egon smirks and says how much he loves the Red Sox.

The threat now over, EgonActual says he needs to go check the Containment Unit because stuffing it so full of glowy Vikings at once may have strained something; at least that's his excuse. Janine is left with EgonLite, who says they need to talk. Janine knows that doesn't mean anything good. But that conversation isn't going to happen today...

Another great issue.

Until next time.

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PostPosted: July 31st, 2013, 1:45 am 
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Ok. I'm glad to see some comments up here and some of the reviews elsewhere as it always helps me wrap my brain around things I might have missed.

Like I said I don't think I overly loved or hated any part of this, but reflecting on Burnham's comment the story is something of an iteration and I think that's where my initial somewhat deflated feelings came from. I guess I was expecting more declarations and answers than just flashbacks...maybe wanting is a better word than expecting?...

I will say I am still a little upset about Egon's reactions and statements here. It kinda bothers me that he admits he has always noticed Janine's feelings. While I'm really glad to see him admit he notices; it was much easier to forgive the absent minded scientist that woke up one day and thought,'hey, maybe Janine has feelings for me' and then does something about them than it is to have a guy know someone is pinning away for them and doesn't take any actions about it because he was "busy". I mean the man ain't saving the world 24/7 for years on end. He needs a powwow with Winston on the subject for sure. Maybe I felt like that was sort of a slap in Janine's face, an; 'I know, I just don't care' vibe that I have trouble digesting. But maybe he never really got the big picture, choirs of angels and all, until now and maybe he will process it and do something about it.

I also end up feeling bad for Janine once again. If she were a real friend I would be at her house with the ice cream and liquor cause this girl just can't win. Of course, she's not really winning until she is with Egon, so I'd owe her a lot of ice cream. Her self reflection while they were in her head made me sad, she wonders where she went wrong and it breaks my heart. That part definitely felt like iteration back to 'Janine, you've changed'. She knows she isn't happy and blames herself a lot like she did in that episode.

There were some key things in this one that made me happy too. The Red Sox joke was priceless of course. And I love how feelings didn't get down played here. It was a very open look at her life and I really appreciate that. We, at least, definitely know where Janine stands now. She loves Egon, but she was trying to find some kind of companionship with Roger because she couldn't get Egon's time.

And yes, I really really hope that we will get to see some of Egon's thoughts and feelings about all of this too. Because he obviously has some on the subject that he has not addressed even to himself and that needs to happen. Please tell me it will be sooner rather than later!

I liked the viking story, I wonder if it will occur to Janine at some point that a string of her direct bloodline is trapped in the ECU with all kinds of horrible creatures? That's kinda odd, like if you busted ghosts at your own family's haunted house.

My favorite part wasn't really a line, but it was that scene where Roger asked Janine who Louis was and Janine just averted her eyes, still laughing out loud at that! And I usually cringe to think of her and Louis so the fact that I can laugh about that scene means it was totally spot on!

It makes me really eager to see what Winston is up to in Vegas?!

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PostPosted: July 31st, 2013, 3:50 pm 
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Well, Egon's being defensive. (:


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PostPosted: August 4th, 2013, 8:35 am 
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ghostdiva wrote:
Please tell me it will be sooner rather than later!

Reading Erik's twitter comments, I think this issue might be all we're allowed to get from an Egon/Janine shipper perspective. I hope we get some answers from this issue's events, and I don't think the gris-gris bag has been used properly yet so there is some hope, but I really don't think Egon and Janine are ever going to be allowed to be an item. I think I'll have to head back to fanfic to get my shipper fix. So....write more stuff, Fritz! I beg you!!!! You're all we've got!!! :D

ghostdiva wrote:
It makes me really eager to see what Winston is up to in Vegas?!

Getting married? :mrgreen:

At least Sony might allow one of the guys to have a successful relationship! :shock:

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PostPosted: August 4th, 2013, 7:58 pm 
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Quote:
I really don't think Egon and Janine are ever going to be allowed to be an item.


Ouch! That is THE saddest thing I have ever read. I want to cry. The shipper in me cannot face this. I refuse to listen. I hope you're wrong, but you're probably right. :cry:

Quote:
I think I'll have to head back to fanfic to get my shipper fix. So....write more stuff, Fritz! I beg you!!!! You're all we've got!!! :D

I agree, seems to be the safest bet. I would LOVE Fritz to write more E/J. I would love anyone to write E/J. I need it so I hope everyone doesn't quit on them.

I really wish Burnham or Sony would just come out and say whether they can or will go any farther. I'm tired of wondering about it. It's exhausting.

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PostPosted: August 5th, 2013, 4:23 pm 
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ghostdiva wrote:
I really wish Burnham or Sony would just come out and say whether they can or will go any farther. I'm tired of wondering about it. It's exhausting.

To be fair, I think Erik's said as much as he probably can. He's mentioned more than once that the final decision is out of his hands, and then the latest tweet basically confirmed that the latest issue was all they were allowed to do with it. 

Yeah, it's a real shame but there's nothing we can do about it. We can watch the other guys date but E/J seem to be off-limits. At least, if anything, it is now canon that Egon and Janine have feelings for each other, and that he did notice her affection for him since way back when they first started the business. It's made more clear in this issue than I think it ever really was in the cartoon series or the films and for that I'm grateful. We also had a kiss, which was pretty fantastic. I'd have loved a truly reciprocated kiss like the one they had in one of the old NOW comics, but I'm still very happy with what we had. We might also in time get some real answers as to why Egon won't go any further with it, but as for them actually dating, I doubt it'll happen. 

As for Sony's reasoning, well... who knows. Maybe Ramis, maybe something else. This is probably the only opportunity they'd ever have left in canon (I doubt we'd see E/J in any third film), so I was hoping that we could at least have some resolution there, but if it's not to be then we'll just have to make the fanfic marriage and children headcanon.

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PostPosted: August 6th, 2013, 10:59 am 
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nikki wrote:
but if it's not to be then we'll just have to make the fanfic marriage and children headcanon.


Well, some of us already have, obviously. :lol:

It is frustrating that Sony seems to have a double standard here: Winston is allowed to at least get engaged. Some of the issue is just simply "Status Quo Is King" and Sony isn't going to let any major changes be made outside the third movie that at least some of the lizards in suits still hope to make. Winston is a movie character, Tiyah isn't. Egon and Janine are both movie characters. There probably is some difference as far as Sony is concerned; getting Winston involved only concerns one movie character (and one that, in their eyes, isn't as "important" :roll: ) while Egon is one of the "core" Ghostbusters, and Janine is another movie character. That probably does mean they're more limited as to what a licensee is allowed to do with them.

I'll still be (pleasantly) surprised if Winston and Tiyah actually make it down the aisle, because that would be a bigger change to "ignore".

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