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I wondered about this, too. They seemed to be going somewhere with all the hints. These issue specifically. But also Egon saying he might be jealous because Janine is with Roger. Or the old Voodoo Lady (am I the only one who had Monkey Island Flashbacks because of her?!) who told him there was love for him, too. Who could she be talking about?
I still wonder where they were intending to go with this. There's also the mention of them both being in the tabloids in Volume 2 issue #17.
It's like the narrative was heading towards something and then came to a screeching halt after Volume 2 finished...
I'll stick my neck out here and say that I think Volume 2, issue #6 confirms that Egon reciprocates Janine's feelings, and I think it was slowly built up from the very first issue of Volume 1. Bear with me for my long and convoluted interpretation of how I think Egon gets to realise this:
The first issue of Volume 1 establishes Janine's relationship with Roger; he sends her flowers. In issue #4, Venkman comments that Egon is getting snippy. His snippy behaviour could be because Ray is in danger, or it could be because of personal reasons. It is not clear if he knows about Janine and Roger or not, but he must have noticed the large bunch of flowers she has received, which she places in full view on the filing cabinet behind her desk (and is seen repeatedly in issues #3 and #4).
In issue #5, Egon signs his autograph on the breast of a female fan. In the same issue, Winston comments that Janine seems aggressive lately. The reason for this seems unclear. It could be work-related, as Peter seems to be needling her but maybe she is also frustrated that Egon isn't noticing her, or asking about the flowers which she has placed in an obvious position. In issue #6, Ray reveals to Peter that Egon has written a book about a computer programme he created which positively stimulates the female brain. The exact reasons why Egon did this are currently unknown, but he's possibly trying to attract Janine, post-Louis. If he began this programme before Janine dated Roger, then seeing the flowers would be an obvious sign that his attempts to begin a relationship with Janine have already been frustrated by someone else.
It isn't until issue #8 that it is made clear on-panel that Egon discovers she is dating Roger, when they are formally introduced to each other. Egon is dismissive, and doesn't shake hands with Roger. He rushes off to continue his investigations into his old friend, Eugene Visitor.
In issue #10, Egon is given the gris-gris. Marie Laveau says that there is more to living than breathing, which he denies. She tells him there is love, which turns the whole world, and that someday soon he would notice. She suggests he puts it away and forgets about it until he's finally ready to be alive. He places the gris-gris in his pocket, for later use. There is obviously something in what she says that makes him decide to keep it instead of handing it back to her or discarding it.
Issue #14 is when Egon reveals he has evaluated Janine's behaviour; that he thinks she is trying to make him jealous, and when he doesn't respond to her advances she finds someone who shares superficial characteristics with him until she becomes disinterested and then aggressively flirts with him which starts the process again. He states he has made a flowchart of her dating behaviour for contrast, he admits that her dating Roger might have succeeded in making him jealous, and he wants to run an analysis of that when he finds the time.
So, at the end of Volume 1 Egon admits he takes an interest in her behaviour towards him. He knows she flirts with him; he even studies the characteristics of the men she is dating. He admits he is jealous. These are the first steps that indicate he is beginning to realise what he feels towards her are more than friendly.
In Volume 2, issue #3 Janine kisses Egon after he returns from the dimension they were taken to by the Collectors. He seems to be taken by surprise as she kisses him. She apologises to him afterward, but this is the first time they have actually kissed in the IDW Prime canon universe (from GB1-IDW Vol. 1).
In issue #5, Egon attempts to use the gris-gris. It is an attempt which fails, but considering that Marie Laveau told him to use the gris-gris on the basis of three things; that there is more to living than breathing, that there is love, and that he should use it when he is finally ready to be alive, then we can attempt to determine the circumstances in which he
assumed it would need to be used.
He explains to Roger that the gris-gris wards off evil spirits, which it technically does, but it was handed to him by someone who had also given him some form of instruction about the circumstances in which it is meant to be used. Marie Laveau had given it specifically to Egon for his own personal use. If it were to be used to ward off any evil spirit, then she could have been given to any of them, or even all of them as a group. When Peter quizzes him about the gris-gris in Vol. 1 issue #10, Egon denies that it means anything. Rather than telling Peter that it is a gris-gris to ward off evil spirits just in case Peter would need to use it, he keeps its purpose to himself. If he considered it just as a talisman to ward off evil spirits, then why would he keep the purpose of it to himself? He is obviously aware that it is for his own use, and that although it wards off evil spirits, it is meant to also be used in the context which Marie Laveau explained when she gave it to him.
So, considering those contexts include love, and are seemingly related to his own emotional state, it is telling that his first attempt to use it is on Janine when she is in danger. I am cautious that Erik Burnham has mentioned that the gris-gris might not specifically be used in that particular context and we have still to discover in what context it is actually going to be used (for instance, the love Laveau speaks about might be familial, or it might be the brotherly love he has for his colleagues, and his need to be alive could mean either physically alive, or emotionally). However, I am trying to determine how in issue #5 Egon
believes it is to be used, as he is as much in the dark about its specific use as we are.
By attempting using the gris-gris on Janine specifically, we could interpret this as being an acknowledgement by Egon that he loves her. Of course, we also can't dismiss the possibility that he used the gris-gris specifically as he told Roger he was using it - as a talisman to ward off evil spirits. But taken with what we already know about Egon's attention toward Janine - that he has studied her behaviour; that he knows she flirts with him; that he has admitted he is jealous of Roger, then I think it is safe to assume that he is also in love with her, and that this is the first signal which he gives that he himself is aware that he is in love with her.
Then issue #6 follows on from that neatly, with Egon almost admitting how he feels towards her and by equating his own feelings with that of her actual boyfriend, Roger.
It really does seem as if in Volumes 1 - 2 Egon slowly realises how he feels about Janine. He hasn't said it out loud, but he knows. He just hasn't acted on it or admitted it to anyone else.
Whether he ever will or not remains to be seen. But I think it's there if you want to look for it.
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Yeah, I know, I am beyond help…
Yeah, me too!
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