Every Wednesday we take turns to delve into our trusty longboxes, pluck out a dusty back issue at random, and give you our thoughts. We’ll also try and place it in the context of the time it was originally published.

A step into the slightly more recent past for this one – but hey, there’s only so often you can look at early ‘90s DC crossover madness, and I couldn’t quite bring myself to face Armageddon 2001 #2 this week (soon, though – you have been warned). So instead, let’s hop over to a tiny, struggling independent publisher called 88mph Studios (a name which, if you’re any kind of geek, should tell you everything you need to know about their intentions), and the first issue of a rather excellent little miniseries from four years ago – Ghostbusters : Legion.

The series puts something of a twist on the continuity of the movies – it’s designed as a continuation of the first film (ignoring the second in Superman Returns-esque fashion), taking place six months afterwards – but as if that film had happened in 2004 rather than 1984. It takes a little getting used to the fact that the characters who’ve only recently battled Gozer are now living in a world of mobile phones and internet, but once you get over that hurdle, it works rather well, and avoids any awkward anachronisms.

Where it really succeeds – surprisingly, perhaps, for a comic – is in maintaining the comedic tone of the films, rather than slipping into the more straightforward and earnest sci-fi of the cartoon series. There are genuinely funny gags, and the broad strokes of character as established in the film – Peter the slick charmer, Ray the earnest do-gooder, Egon living in his own bonkers world – are present and correct. It picks up on various subplot elements, too - Janine growing ever-more-desperate in her attempts to catch Egon’s attention (even down to a specific reference to his one-time fungi-collecting hobby), and Louis Tully still obsessing over Dana. Tully, in fact, represents perhaps the biggest departure from the original movie, in that he’s made the most of the fame brought upon by his involvement with the Ghostbusters, and become an overnight “geek superstar”. I’m not convinced it entirely works - it doesn’t square at all with his portrayal in the film - but it at least makes for a good visual gag with the “Keymaster Cologne” advertising hoardings.

Just as assured as Andrew Dabb’s writing is the art, by Steve Kurth. It’s a quite vibrant, slightly cartoony style - fairly reminiscent of Todd Nauck, as it happens, although it is a little loose and sketchy in places. Presumably for licensing reasons, there are no recognisable actor likenesses (except for on the variant covers by Dan Brereton) - but this actually works quite well, placing them somewhere between the Real Ghostbusters versions (there’s actually a nod to that in issue #2) and their film counterparts; although of all of them, it’s Ray whose redesign convinces the least, looking perhaps a bit too much like Matt LeBlanc as opposed to a character that could ever have been played by Dan Aykroyd.

It’s a shame that crippling delays and financial troubles put paid to anything further than the initial four-issue run (since we try not to do “industry drama” in our reviews, we won’t go into the story of what happened to 88mph, not least because there are conflicting reports and accusations flying around), as there’s definite potential here for a proper and worthy new entry into the franchise’s canon. Just like the movie, it’s a well-judged balance of action and character humour, and it pays due respect to all previous incarnations (well, except for Ghostbusters II, I suppose). It’s not earth-shatteringly brilliant work, but it’s an entertaining read, and if you’re a fan of the films, you should certainly enjoy it. The individual issues can still be found kicking around, and there was a simple trade collection put out by Titan here in the UK - it’s definitely worth a look.

Tags: 88mph Studios, Andrew Dabb, Ghostbusters, Steve Kurths
Publisher: Dusting Off, Other Publishers