About 4 years ago when I was putting together the old sub site I knew I wanted to add The Real Ghostbusters comic books. For personal reasons it had to be put on hold indefinitely or 2012. Before I started writing about Kenner toys I knew I was getting a little closer to when I could start adding comics to Ectocontainment.™

After Paul from Spook Central and Matthew from GB Wiki began launching the Ghostbusters PDF eBook Preservation Project which is to include Ghostbusters comics I chimed in about contributing to the digital preservation of Ghostbusters comics, beginning with The Real Ghostbusters issues from NOW Comics. (Ghostbusters Firehouse) Just as I had with The Real Ghostbusters Magazines. (Ghostbusters Firehouse) At the time I didn’t know when I could start this as I was getting ready to write about the history of Ghostbusters toys.

This week I scanned Issue 1 (Ghostbusters Firehouse) cover-to-cover and restored it as kids and teens probably would have seen it at comic book shops and finer retailers in August 1988. Their could be slight imperfections mainly with advertising which contains a dark background. With comic book pages some imperfections were left intentionally as that’s how it was originally printed. It gives the comics a bit of a nostalgic charm.

From NOW™ – February 1991

Hat Trick!

Story: James Van Hise

Pencils: Neil Grahame

Inks: Jim Brozman

Colors: Tony’s Angels

Letters: Caren Skibell

Art Director: Michele Mach

Editor: Katherine (as Kate) Llewellyn

Editor-in-Chief: Tony Caputo

Cover: Joseph Allen & Jim Brozman

Scanned and restored in April 2012 by Richard Roy

“The Ghostbusters experience some down time, and Egon and Janine decide to take advantage by having a stroll through Central Park. They eventually wind up at the estate her cousin Michele had just inherited and learn that the place is haunted. They meet a ghost named Aaron whose mother was possessed by the spirit of the evil witch Ginerva and ritually killed him. With Ginerva’s host body dead, her essence lies in the hat that Michele had found and put on! With Ginerva in Michele’s body, Alec’s life is in danger unless Egon and Janine can stop her.”

1. Info: This issue’s title, Hat Trick is a play on words. One definition for hat trick is: “an extremely clever or adroit maneuver.”
2. Goof, perhaps because no one cared: Issue 28 was published in December, its cover date is marked as February.
3. Info: When Issue 28 was being published, NOW Comics had filed for bankruptcy. All their comics were cancelled.

NOW at Ghostbusters Firehouse:

• The Real Ghostbusters Issue 28.