Hooray for Internets and their unrelenting fan bases! Ghostbusters got two kick-ass wins this week. The first involving a much needed patch (plus possible DLC) for Ghostbusters: The Video Game’s online play. The second is IDW addressing why Schoening and Eatock’s comic wasn’t picked up.

Jame Eatock posted this earlier this week:

IDW explained to Schoening and Eatock why they turned down their 10-page pitch, as well as IDW’s plans for the franchise. Apparently these plans also involve the two of them working on a Ghostbusters related project. Which is pretty awesome.

IDW Editor, Tom Waltz explained where they were coming from on the GBFans Forum. I’m very surprised how out of their way IDW has gone to keep the Ghostbusters fan community happy. Included below is what Tom posted:

Hello, everyone.

First of all, let me thank every GB fan on this board for your dedicated support to this great franchise. It’s great to see fans interacting so passionately, no matter what the debate may be, or what side you happen to take. Just shows there is still a lot of Ghostbusters love in this world, and I’m happy for it.

Secondly, please know that we at IDW — starting with myself as the GB editor, and all the way through the editorial ranks and beyond — also love the Ghostbusters. We would never have taken on the license if we didn’t. We are passionate fans, too, first and foremost, and we want to do big, exciting things with the property and its beloved characters.

That said, we’ve been catching a bit of heat lately about Dan and James’ rejected pitch, and not always fairly. The truth is this — the pitch was rejected for many reasons that I won’t go into here, other than to say none of it had to do with quality. Dan and James put together a professional, high-quality pitch, and we did take notice. Matter of fact, I’ve been talking recently with both gents about doing some GB stuff for IDW in the near future — I love their work, as does the movie studio.

No, it won’t be their 10-issue story — right now, the direct market is not a viable avenue for a maxi-series of that sort. Sad but true. The direct market simply is what it is, and as much as we’d like to do a long series like the one James and Dan pitched, or even an ongoing series (and, trust me, I’d LOVE to be editing a GB ongoing), it isn’t feasible at this point in time. GB sales would have to jump dramatically for us to even consider it — and, again, it’s purely a business decision and has nothing to do with James’ or Dan’s creative talent, nor IDW’s perceived lack of love for the property. Comic books, though nobody likes to admit it, are a business, and we publishers are at the will of retailers and comics buyers — and right now, as popular as it is with folks on this forum, Ghostbusters is not getting the kind of direct market pre-orders/orders or interest that would justify anything beyond one-shots and/or four-issue mini-series. The numbers are good, but we need them to be great.

Furthermore, I have to admit to being offended by some who, because our previous offerings haven’t been to their tastes, are saying our past creators and editorial teams didn’t possess true love or understanding of the franchise. One, that is blatantly false — every creator we’ve worked with sought us out because they love GB and genuinely wanted to be a part of the universe. Two, everything we publish is first scrutinized and approved by the movie studio, and nothing goes to the printer until they bless it front to back, top to bottom — and, yes, we do rewrites and redraws all the time. I’d like to think that, after all this, if the studio gives it the thumbs up, then you as fans are, indeed, getting bonafide Ghostbusters stories, duly approved by the very people who brought you Ghostbusters in the first place. Does that mean you have to like what you get? No… you don’t, and we acknowledge and respect that not everyone will be happy with our output. But please never think we’re just doing these things on our own without any passion for the property, or any input from the studio, because that is just not true.

All this being said, I, like all of you, want more Ghostbusters. My goal as the editor of the property at IDW is to build our numbers to the point where we can do an ongoing series — and with your help, I might just be able to do that. How can you help? By letting your retailers know you want more Ghostbusters comics ordered and stocked in their stores, by positively supporting the books that have come before and are yet to be published (and we’ve got some good ones coming), and by making sure the next GB movie is a huge hit, which will carry over into comics sales, I have no doubt.

We are all on the same team, folks. Flame wars and in-fighting do nothing for the cause but weaken it. Instead, let’s get fired up and get the world thinking and talking about the Ghostbusters again in nothing but good ways!

I know I want that to happen… what about you?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I really do appreciate it.

I’ll see all of you in the funny books.

Tom Waltz
Editor
IDW Publishing

Thanks to Proton Charging for keeping up on GB news.

First and foremost, I’ll say this review will have “spoilers”. If you’ve read the comic, you have some surprises in store for you. But, for the most part it is a very loyal rendition of the comic.

I’m going to assume those of you reading this review, are familiar with Kick-Ass. Average teenage kid decided he’d rather not be so average, dawns a wet suit and tries to fight crime. Doesn’t work out so well, but he inspired a few others to rock their own super hero alter egos. Because of this he gets thrown in the middle of a mafia shit-storm.

Enough recap. You’re all here to see how it holds up to the book, some side by side comparison, right? First, I think it’s worth noting how perfect the casting for this movie was. And yes, Nick Cage is awesome and Big Daddy. Similar to Christian Bale growling when he’s Batman, Cage makes a transformation of his own when he’s Big Daddy. Although its a little more Adam West than growly Bale. McLovin’ was an awesome choice for Red Mist. And the rest being no-names worked out in the movies favor.

Kick-Ass the movie had a lot more back story on the Red Mist and his mafia father, as well as Big Daddy and Hit Girl. John Romita Jr. even helped create an animated comic book origin for Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Which, in my opinion, was a great addition. I feel like this will help the general audience not familiar with the comic to really enjoy the film. As a matter of fact, I think all of the changes will help this movie be enjoyed by a wider audience.

Most of the changes from the comic to the film are in the last act of the movie. The confrontation between Big Daddy, Kick-Ass and the mafia. How Big Daddy bites the big one. As well as the climax with mafia boss Frank D’Amico. Certain additions to the final fight I will leave as a surprise for you. They had me literally laughing out loud at the awesomeness on screen.

Some of the other movie patrons scoffed at the “unrealistic” new ending. Because they felt the comic was completely based in reality. I would call bull shit on this criticism. As much as I love the comic, no eleven-year-old girl could be turned into a mercenary like Hit Girl (Who gets an laugh out loud first person shooter sequence. No joke, and it’s totally awesome.).

To wrap this all up, hands down this is one of my favorite super hero movies. It would make the top five with no problem. I also feel that the movie rendition was better than the comic. It had better pacing and I think that my concerns about a wider audience enjoying the film were put to rest. Word of mouth will hopefully make this a box office hit.

Also stay tuned for some exclusive interviews with Mark Millar and John Romita Jr!

James Eatock (Cereal: Geek Magazine) and “Dapper” Dan Schoening (Ghostbusters Wii Art Direction) came up with a really great pitch for a Ghostbusters comic. The pitch was sent to IDW, but unfortunately was turned down.

IDW already has a few Ghostbusters mini-series and single issues that they are producing. So they aren’t far off from wanting an ongoing series.

Dan and James have released the pitch online for everyone to see, and probably to help show there is a fan base for the series. I highly recommend check it out.

Thanks to Proton Charging as always for keeping us up to date on GB news.

Not much that needs to be said about this gadget. Andy Kurovets with Yanko designed this mouse and I still can’t stop laughing. I think in this case, the pictures are definitely worth 1000 words.

Alright sports fans, time for a little run down on some recent happenings in the Ghostbuster’s community. We’ll kick it off with the biggest story revolving around Bill Murray and possible spoilers.

Bill Murray sat down with the UK’s Mail Online to talk about Fantastic Mr Fox. Of course Ghostbusters 3 comes up:

I’ll come back in Ghostbusters III only if I get to be a ghost. I said to them, ‘I’ll do it if you kill me off in the first reel.’ So now they are going to have me as a ghost in the film.

The first 45 minutes of the original Ghostbusters is some of the funniest stuff ever made. The second one was disappointing, because the special-effects guys took over. I had something like two scenes – and they’re the only funny ones in the movie.

Personally I’m taking this news with a grain of salt. This has been a rumor for a long time, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Murray was just throwing out curve balls. Plus, what sense does it make for him to be a ghost if he hated the restrictions of the special effects in the second movie. Moving on…

Looking for a kick-ass background for your iPhone, check out some of Glennz artwork. Samples included below:

Lost Gozer costume found in a surplus store of all places. Sounds like they are going to restore it to its original condition. There’s a thread on GB Fans following the story.

And last but not least, a little fan film by The New Hampshire Ghostbusters. It’s got a Proton Pack in it, that means it has to be awesome.

As always, thanks to ProtonCharging.com for their dedication to Ghostbusters fans over the years. They’re our news source for the latest on Ghostbusters.

Q TV interviews Peter and Dan about Peter’s book “A History of Ghosts; The True Story of Seances, Mediums, Ghosts and Ghostbusters. Some fun insight into Dan’s fascination with the paranormal.

Toy News International announced this new series of Minimates to be released later this month:

The first two-pack will feature the brilliant Egon Spengler in his Ghostbusters 2 uniform (the last missing Ghostbuster in that style) paired with the Titanic Ghost seen captaining the ill-fated luxury liner in the second Ghostbusters film. Two exclusive sets will complete the Courtroom set started with last year’s Peter Venkman by pairing Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler with the dreaded Scolari Brothers – Nunzio and Tony. The final set combines two of our favorite Ghostbusters 2 characters: the near-unstoppable Vigo the Carpathian and Peter Venkman in his “World of the Psychic” ensemble – which of course includes his signature hairless cat!

I had a hard time tracking down waves 1 & 2. I would recommend frequenting the Toys ‘R’ Us online store and pre-ordering them as soon as they pop up. Trying to catch them in stores could prove difficult.

For those unfamiliar with the press release Hitler is referencing, I will include it below.

MARVEL OFFERS RETAILERS COMICS FOR COMICS

In an effort to provide assistance to comic retailers in 2010, Marvel is offering retailers an opportunity to turn unsold comics into an extremely rare Siege #3 Deadpool Variant!

Retailers – for every 50 stripped covers of the following comics sent to Marvel, you will qualify to receive one FREE Siege #3 Deadpool Variant. The 50 stripped covers can be any combination of the comics listed below and all submissions need to be received at the Marvel office at the address below by Tuesday 2/16/2010. Also included with the stripped covers must be your store contact information including Diamond Account # and email address.

Stripped Covers To Be Sent:

Adventure Comics #4

Booster Gold #26

Doom Patrol #4

Justice League Of America #39

Outsiders #24.

R.E.B.E.L.S #10

Address To Send Submission:

James Nausedas

Marvel Entertainment, LLC

417 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Information To Be Included With Submission:

Store Name

Store Address

Contact Person

Email Address

Phone Number

Diamond Account #

List of stripped covers being returned and their quantities

All the directions above must be adhered to in order to receive the free Siege #3 Deadpool Variants and the submissions must be received by Tuesday 2/16/2010 in order to qualify.

Please note that this is not a Diamond-affiliated promotion and Diamond should not be contacted. Retailers will be contacted via email once Marvel receives the submissions. Retailer with further questions should contact helpme@marvel.com.

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit www.comicshoplocator.com

Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics). Marvel’s strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world, including feature films, consumer products, toys, video games, animated television, direct-to-DVD and online. For more information visit www.marvel.com.