If you haven't seen the shipping list on Diamond Comics's Website, the issue #3 of legion is coming out on November 10th. It has been delayed for only a week of the mentioned date.

Can't wait for that one!

i got my copy of the comic today and layed down in my bed and reread all the other books and then #3 it was great!!!!
love the art
the plot
and peter's classie puns!
My favorite scene so far has been the egon hair scene(where he changes his hair)
and when janine starts wearing makeup and peter says I LOVE KISS!
that rocked(the characters are such great copies to the movies the way they should be)thanks
aaron(slayerghost, class10specter, and now oldcschoolbuster)

i got mine yesterday, i liked it othere than the fact that it seemed short , and didnt have much ghostbusting in it (the only proton pack i saw in the whole thing was on the cover lol) but i cant wai for #4 it looks great
!

Okay, I'm gonna cheese off some ghost-heads out there, so let me finish my rant and then you can feel free to flame away until you've contented yourself.

I've had some major problems with the new GB comic so far. All of them coming directly from the writing. I don't have the individual copies in front of me as I type this, so I can't call out specifics in issue 1 or 2, but issue 3 gave me some pretty significant cause to pause.

These aren't just random typos either… heaven knows I'm capable of those myself. All too often. No, these are true out-and-out MISTAKES that are tell-tale signs that the writer isn't fully paying attention to his work.

Rules: As declared by the publisher, these comics take place in-between GB1 and GB2 in a comic version of the movie continuity. That puts them in the period of late 1984 through late 1989. (We discount the flashback sequences in this). Also, this comic is written in the Americanized version of the English language.

Problems: In issue #3 specifically, Peter makes a joke about Egon setting up his own website at “nudeghouls.com”. WHAT?? Even if I let slide the fact that Egon would be well ahead of his time (as would be his character) and had his own little ectoplasmic corner of ARPANET, Peter Venkman wouldn't have clue ONE about what he was doing, much less be in command of a joke about the world-wide-web… which didn't get rolling or appear in the wide public eye until the early 1990's.

And then we come to the one that really bugs me.

The author used the words “per say”.

I'm sorry, but not only is the author unfamiliar with our language, so evidently is the EDITOR who should have caught a 6th grade mistake like that before sending this comic to press. Its not like they didn't have enough time to check the script… the book is late.

The word is “per se” and it is derived from Latin (around the 1500s) and it means “intrinsically” or “in and of itself”.

A writer's job is to know the language. Like a mechanic knows the tools. Like a painter knows the medium. If you're a professional writer, you should either know what it is you're trying to say, or look it up so you do. There are things called “books” that other writers have written to help you with that. Most notable among them is a little tome I like to call “Webster's Dictionary”. Its really helpful. And even more amazing is that there is an internet version! You don't even have to lick your finger to turn a page! Amazing!

An editor's job is to READ what the writer has WRITTEN and make corrections. One of these two people didn't do their job and as a result, ave made themselves look like pikers in a magazine that is being distributed all over the world. Not something I'd put in my portfolio.

If any one you on this board were hired to pen the continuing adventures of Peter, Egon, Ray and Winston, I'd lay money down and bet that you'd check and re-check your work. You'd do the best job possible. Hell, you'd probably do it for free because you love GB so much.

But these guys are getting PAID. Is it too much to ask that they do their jobs for that money?

I've got no personal beefs with the writer, the publisher or the editor of GB Legion. Really. I don't even know them. But if you're going to old your work up to the world and say “Hey World, waddya think?” you'd better be ready for the critique.

And this has been mine.

Thanks for reading, folks.

Soapbox ends.


-Gordon Smuder

I'm not gonna comment on the spelling mistakes, because they happen. Even in full-time magazines and comics. Mistakes happen, people aren't perfect. But as for the time period continuity issue. Its been said MANY times that it is set 6 months after GB1, but is set in the present day. Sort of like a time warp. This way, they don't have to set it in 1984, and have jokes related to that. They can have modern day jokes.

Not a spelling mistake, oh god, the world has come to an END. Geez, man, it's human to make an error, nobody's perfect.

You can see all the errors made in the 88 comic on my site, the NYGB COMICGUIDE. Had you done so, Gordon, you could've saved yourself some embarrassment over the whole time-frame bitch ya just laid out.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was mentioned that the comics are taking place after the events of GB1 but during “present time”. Thats why they put in that website joke.

That's what we've been saying.

You know what? You're absolutely right.

I pick up a comic book. It looks like a continuation of the Ghostbusters. It takes place after the first movie but before the second movie.

There is no mention within the body of the story that somehow, magically, the sequence of events has been shoved forward into “modern day”.

I guess I'd better take down that “psychic for hire” shingle outside my door. It obviously isn't working. If it was, I'd be just as magically aware of Ecto-1's site that would have prevented me from incurring your wrath. Either that or I missed the multi-million dollar ad campaign to raise GB public awareness somehow.

But it is my fault though. I accept that. I guess I should have taken the responsibility to inform myself about the specifics of the comic book continuity that I was reading by visiting all the blogs and boards and seeking out all the advance promo hype. Picking up a story and reading it just won't do, evidently.

That having been stated, I can't release the “per say” issue. The writer used the word without KNOWING it. Its not just a spelling error. Its a function of the author never having seen the word on the printed page. He's heard it, but wrongly assumed that it had to do with the act of “say-ing”. He didn't know the spelling or the meaning. He was faking it and failed. Once again, it was the editor's job to catch that and fix it. Just “spellchecking” won't do it because both parts of the word were spelled properly in their incorrect context. Yes, I'm being all spikey and “French” about it (to paraphrase from Eddie Izzard). When I release my comic series, I invite all of you to be as critical of me. Truly, please.

Look fellas, I like GB too. Like you, I wish they'd overcome all the problems and make a GB3 movie. Also like you, I want to see the best treatment of the comic property that can be achieved. The only way to make sure you get MORE GB comics is to get other people to read them and capture the casual reader. If the casual reader doesn't understand why this storyline is different from the movies, then they are going to assume that the differences are mistakes. Just like I did.