I remember the first time I saw Ghostbusters, and how it made my little brain explode. Ghosts, people fighting them, AND bad words? It was a dream come true! But, in addition to all the paranormal going-ons, there was a brief mention of a book, used by Egon, for his research. As an avid reader, I wanted that book.
Years later, there have been various copies floating around the internet: one from a game, fan-made versions, and more, but now, thanks to Insight Editions, we can finally crack open a copy of Tobin’s Spirit Guide
for ourselves.
Though it says it is by Dr. Ray Stanz and Dr. Egon Spengler on the cover, we can truly thank Erik Burnham for writing it all down and Kyle Hotz for his art bringing it to life. Burnham was a perfect for this book, as he has written quite a bit of the Ghostbusters comic series, and knows his lore.
What I liked about the book is that it was all in-universe, and really played to its audience. In the beginning, it is mentioned that the REAL Tobin’s Spirit Guide is a large, unwieldly thing, too difficult for average joes like you and me to understand. So, in order to make it a little easier on our brains, Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stanz created this “mini” version of the essentials.
Basically, it’s a catalogue of all the baddies the Ghostbusters have faced.
And we’re not just talking about from the films. Oh, no, that wouldn’t be enough. The book covers everything from the films, the IDW comic book series, video game characters, AND stuff from The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters TV shows. How cool is that?!
The book is broken into several categories, like the ghosts you’d find in New York, powerful entities, Gozer’s minions, and more. Each one is given their own, in-universe back story, diving deep into all of the crazy spirits that the Ghostbusters have encountered. Seriously, Burnham was the guy for this job, because everything is done with the love and care you’d expect from a Ghostbusters fan.
Hotz, who has done pencils for the IDW Ghostbusters comic, has some fantastic portraits for every entry, really showcasing their unique traits. They are all recognizable, but with his own twist. Hell, even the front cover has a bad ass take on the “no ghost” logo we all know and love.
My only complaint about the book is that it was too short! I wanted more, more, more! It’s just under one hundred pages, and I could have easily read about hundred about ghosts within the universe.
Seriously, if you’re a Ghostbuster’s fan, you need to check out Tobin’s Spirit Guide: Official Ghostbusters Edition from Insight Editions. They did a masterful job of it, and it is really worth your time.
