The Ghostbusters are back with the release of Frozen Empire, a spirited sequel to Afterlife. But how did Egon Spengler’s family make their way from Oklahoma to New York City? The answers lie in Ghostbusters: Back In Town — a four issue miniseries marking Dark Horse Comics’ takeover of the Ghostbusters comics.
Written by David M. Booher with art by Blue Delliquanti, Back In Town represents a fresh start for the franchise. The comic opens 18 months after the events of Afterlife, with Callie, Gary, Trevor, and Phoebe moving into the Manhattan headquarters of the original team. It is far from smooth sailing, however, as the Firehouse needs a lot of repairs.
Beyond that, Phoebe and Trevor face problems adjusting to their new schools. However, they also have much bigger problems than adolescent issues. An unseen evil is watching the new Ghostbusters, and determined to end their careers before they truly begin.
Ghostbusters’ History in the Comics
The new Dark Horse Comics miniseries represents a fresh start in another respect. The publisher recently took over the comic book rights for the franchise from IDW Publishing, which produced the Ghostbusters’ comics since 2011. IDW was widely praised for their Ghostbusters comics, which explored a multiverse of different teams. These included the animated incarnations from The Real Ghostbusters and the 2016 movie.
It is unknown at this time if Dark Horse Comics has plans to explore different incarnations of the Ghostbusters or if they will focus on the reality of the new films. In either case, they face a tall order in living up to the legacy of the IDW comics. Thankfully, Dark Horse Comics is not unused to handling popular science fiction franchises, having previously published comics based on the Star Wars, Aliens, and Predator licenses for years.
Ghostbusters: Back In Town #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 27, 2024.