Recently posted on the GBN Blog, Newsarama posted an interview with Ghostbusters: The Other Side writer Kevin Champagne. You can read the full interview here.

So…I didn't really take what he said to be “pissing on RGB”


He seems like an intelligent guy. Certainly not someone who is obsessed with the franchise, but so what?

Not sure where the pissing on RGB comment came from MPB…

Good interview. Guy seems like he knows what he's doing and I for one am glad Slimer isn't going to be in this. We'll see him in the video game, and can rewatch all his stuff in the RGB DVDs… Slimer doesn't need to be in everything.

Though I must say, one of the most exciting parts of the interview (besides the details about the story, which I think is awesome)… is this part:

NRAMA: Besides Egon, Ray, Winston and Peter, what other characters from the movie might we see showing up?

KC: Did I mention you won't see Slimer? Pretty much everyone else is fair game. It depends on how much room we have to play with. If your favorite secondary character doesn't pop up in this series, I promise they will in the next one.

They're already planning another series!

Sorry, I should have clarified…in the comments of the interview there are a few people complaining because he seems to not care about the cartoons, etc.

Just bear in mind that lack of interest in RGB doesn't denote any incompetence in writing movie-based stuff.

Whilst I can appreciate his desire to want to take things back to the source material, but I think he shoud've been more careful with his comments on the other iterations of the franchise given how beloved they are… as those comments have been taken by a number of people to be derogitary of the instalments that came after the original movies.

I'm surprised Newsarama didn't mention the 88MPH comic seeing as they had a preview of it back in the day.

I think he is being a little disingenuous, personally. If not for RGB he wouldn't be writing a comic today - It was the cartoon that secured the second movie that secured the second cartoon that kept interest up over time for there to still be an audience for this. If it were only the first movie that had ever existed you can be sure nothing ghostbusters related would be happening in 2008 beyond a few ironic t-shirts and badges.

And yeah, it'll still read like RGB, as no-one has managed to move away from that template since the first episode aired.

not to say that I'm not intrigued and hopeful, just don't really see the business sense in patronising something your audience presumably holds dear.

robbritton
I think he is being a little disingenuous, personally. If not for RGB he wouldn't be writing a comic today - It was the cartoon that secured the second movie that secured the second cartoon that kept interest up over time for there to still be an audience for this. If it were only the first movie that had ever existed you can be sure nothing ghostbusters related would be happening in 2008 beyond a few ironic t-shirts and badges.

And yeah, it'll still read like RGB, as no-one has managed to move away from that template since the first episode aired.

not to say that I'm not intrigued and hopeful, just don't really see the business sense in patronising something your audience presumably holds dear.

So many incorrect statements, I don't know where to begin.

1) There's no way of knowing that a 2nd movie wouldn't have come about without RGB. Ghostbusters was one of the highest grossing movies of all time at the time. I'd actually say its likely there would've still been a 2nd movie based on that.
2) Again, no way of saying there wouldn't be any Ghostbusters related merchandise coming out right now if there wouldn't have been RGB. In case you haven't noticed, there is a tremendous surge of 80's reboots and rebrandings going on. With Ghostbusters again being one of the highest grossing movies of that time period, there's no reason to think it would be getting skipped over.
3) Nothing has ever gotten away from reading like RGB? I dunno about you, but Legion did not read like RGB to me, and I very highly doubt this comic will.

If I compare the real ghostbusters comics and the ghostbusters legion I have to say that I like the legion comic much more then the real ghostbusters comics. I think that the stories of the real ghostbusters where to short and there was not much characterbuilding in it. Also the comics where more aimed for younger public.

Legion brought the ghostbusters back in great format. One big story with a lot of characterbuilding.

I am very curious about the new ghostbusters comics. I do hope that the stories will have the same impact like the legion series. Also wondering what their aproach will be with the ecto containment unit.

Best regards,

Robert

Doctor Venkman

robbritton
I think he is being a little disingenuous, personally. If not for RGB he wouldn't be writing a comic today - It was the cartoon that secured the second movie that secured the second cartoon that kept interest up over time for there to still be an audience for this. If it were only the first movie that had ever existed you can be sure nothing ghostbusters related would be happening in 2008 beyond a few ironic t-shirts and badges.

And yeah, it'll still read like RGB, as no-one has managed to move away from that template since the first episode aired.

not to say that I'm not intrigued and hopeful, just don't really see the business sense in patronising something your audience presumably holds dear.

So many incorrect statements, I don't know where to begin.

1) There's no way of knowing that a 2nd movie wouldn't have come about without RGB. Ghostbusters was one of the highest grossing movies of all time at the time. I'd actually say its likely there would've still been a 2nd movie based on that.
2) Again, no way of saying there wouldn't be any Ghostbusters related merchandise coming out right now if there wouldn't have been RGB. In case you haven't noticed, there is a tremendous surge of 80's reboots and rebrandings going on. With Ghostbusters again being one of the highest grossing movies of that time period, there's no reason to think it would be getting skipped over.
3) Nothing has ever gotten away from reading like RGB? I dunno about you, but Legion did not read like RGB to me, and I very highly doubt this comic will.

hokay, i see where you're coming from - here's the reasoning i was using.

1) It WAS the success of RGB and the toyline that inspired the idea to make GB2. without them in the intervention it is much more likely they would have got together and made a completely different movie (this is referenced many times, it was not their intent to make a sequel when they agreed to work together again - somebody must have seen dollar signs where still being generated by the property). Five years is a long time in cinema and RGB was serving as fantastic market research for demand.

2) Absolutely there are, but it is the ones which had cartoon runs that the now 30ish disposable income crowd are picking up on in a big way. I'm not seeing Gremlins or Goonies video games being mooted to mass excitement. Basically RGB created longevity - you only have to take a headcount around these parts to see how many folk got into the first movie AFTER seeing the cartoon.

3) Egon talking nothing but science all the time, Ray's excitement at the special clown sauce, The whole sleepy venkman bit, sliding down ropes onto a moving subway train, revisists from prominent figures in the characters' youths, etc. It isn't a criticism in the slightest, just that the writers of season one nailed analogues of the characters so perfectly, even GB2 takes on aspects of them over the GB1 originals. Can you imagine anyone releasing something with Egon shouting, “YOUR MOTHER!” in it? He's RGB all the way. It's testament rather than criticism.

I never through these things out without at least believing them myself, totally happy to be argued with, though - it's nice to be shown things in a different light. I love how everyone has their own take on the GBs. Keeps it fresh, y'know?