Ghostbusters Year One #4: That’s a Big Twinkie

This fourth and final issue of Ghostbusters: Year One focuses on the brains of the organization: Egon Spengler. I’ve always been a huge Ghostbusters fan, but one the internet came along and I kept going to the various websites I had NO idea that Egon had such a faithful, cult following. He’s the Leonardo of the Ghostbusters world! This issue author Erik Burnham teaches me why this sugar-addicted scientist is so beloved. From start to finish this is a great book, with a really different tone as the others. Burnham gives us a “…the next day” story as the events in this issue take place a couple of days after the battle with Gozer and holy cow, does the city have a mess on its hands. Everybody’s got their jobs, and I’m not going to tell you exactly what Egon’s job is, but I think you can guess. Burnham has Egon down pat from the laugh out loud unintentional jokes to his pauses and dry deliver. I’ve been reading Burnham’s Ghostbusters book since the began at IDW, and after years and years, he keeps getting better. How is this possible? The man started out writing A+ books, yet I enjoy each one more than I did the last!!

And Burnham is not alone. No, not by any means. Artist Dan Schoening is so schooled at drawing the Ghostbusters that if he’s not on an issue (which is like, never!) I’m immediately disappointed. He works his usual magic on this issue, hitting all the fundamentals exactly as they should, making the characters and those around them look amazing, but ladies and gentlemen, Dan Schoening is slipping. I don’t want to admit, but I have to be fair and call it as I see it. He. Is. Slipping. One of the most fun things to do when you look at one of his books is the cameos. The A-Team van, the Blues Brothers, Magnum PI, it was almost a game with your friends as to who could find them first. Sadly, there haven’t been any that I’ve seen in the past few issues. BRING BACK THE CAMEOS DAN!!!!! Aside from that, the art is perfect.

A special shout-out to colorist Luis Antonio Delgado. I can’t tell you why, but his work is on fire this issue!!!