Luke Owen looks at Ghostbusters #6…
A ghost ship roams the waters off Long Island, leaving fear — and ice — in its wake. The governor calls on the Ghostbusters to stop these spectral sailors and their maritime malevolence… but they’ll have to do it without the aid of Egon Spengler, who is currently concerned with rescuing the stolen spirit of Janine Melnitz!
One of the most interesting factors within the Ghostbusters franchise is the ‘kind-of-but-not-really’ romance between Egon and the Ghostbusters’ receptionist Janine. In Ivan Reitman’s 1984 movie, the sexual attraction is often shown by Janine in her casual conversations to the seemingly oblivious Egon who is more focused on saving the world. The 1989 sequel seemed to ignore this plot thread by starting a relationship between Janine and Louis Tully while the cartoon spin-off The Real Ghostbusters expanded on the Egon/Janine relationship further.
Erik Burnham gets this.
Throughout his run on Ghostbusters, he has often dropped in subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) hints about the romantic angle between the two which recently came to a head when Janine started dating Roger (who is drawn to look like Egon from the 1997’s sequel to The Real Ghostbusters, The Extreme Ghostbusters). In the last issue, Janine was possessed by a spirit in the final panel and this issue deals with Egon and Roger walking through her subconscious in order to save her. It’s an in-depth look into the history of their relationship which could possibly serve as a wake-up call to poor, if a little dull, Roger.
Once again, Burnham and his team have turned out a great issue. Often ‘side story focused’ comics can feel like a stop-gap between the main plot line (which is sort of mentioned in the first couple of pages), but Ghostbusters #6 feels like a genuine step forward in the Egon/Janine dynamic. Egon has always known of Janine’s affections for him but now he has seen first-hand just how she feels about him. This isn’t a crush, this is love.
As one has come to expect from IDW’s run of Ghostbusters, there are a lot of references and in-jokes to all forms of the Ghostbusters franchise, in particular to the Egon/Janine dynamic. There are nods to their conversation about spore moulds and fungus and her revelation that he is going to die from the first movie and a very funny reference to her relationship with Louis in Ghostbustes II. Like every issue this team has created, there is a genuine love for this franchise which makes it a joy to read if you are a fan.
While the main plot line involving ghost ships is bound to take centre stage in the next issue, there is a chance that the love triangle between Egon, Janine and Roger will probably end up being the most interesting aspect. How will Roger cope now that he has seen all that he has seen? Will Janine ever realise that Roger is nothing but a replacement for Egon? And will all this affect the usual stoic and level headed Egon?
…He’ll probably just shrug it off and build something.
Originally published July 29, 2013. Updated November 7, 2019.
