Alright, as we all know, the announcement regarding a New Ghostbusters Comic Book has been made. The Comic will be strictly based on the Original Movie all the way down to the smallest details. The only influences from RGB will be techno babble and gizmos but very few. But earlier, Chad said
“Ketchup doesn't think they will target the young kids right away, maybe later in the year 2004. They aren't counting the kids out, the market is just different than 1986 so they have to take that into account.". So if this Comic is successful then there is the possibility that we may see a new Cartoon by 2004 or later.
Here’s how I see it. If the Comic is going to be strictly based on the Original Movie, then the Cartoon should be strictly based on the First Season of The Real Ghostbusters. After all, they’d be marketing it to Kids, and of course, the Ghostheads who loved RGB more than the movie want to see some sort of an RGB Revival. The Comic is a Ghostbusters Revival, so the Cartoon should be a First Season RGB Revival.
What I mean by
“the Cartoon should be strictly based on the First Season of The Real Ghostbusters”, are several things. The plot is same one as the First Season of RGB: They’re a New Company, the very first Company that deals with Professional Paranormal Investigations and Eliminations. They’ve just had their biggest bust (Gozer.), and they have a whole lot more money than what they started out with, and they’re still ready to believe you. And the Characters are exactly the same as they were portrayed in the First Season. The First Season was the by far the best season of RGB. The First Season wasn’t ruined by the Kid-Friendly changes and all that other nonsense that came along in the later seasons.
This is how it should be:
1.) Make it darker than the original RGB. Sort of like Batman: The Animated Series, and make the animation style more detailed. Give us good animation. Don’t have a lazy art style, where the Ghost isn’t in the No-Ghost Logo.
2.) Don’t make the Guys boring, incredibly dull all the time, or give them weak personalities. Don’t make them lifeless zombies. Use
THE GHOSTBUSTERS FACT LIST for characterization, information on how the equipment works, the Ghost Classification System, and to avoid errors in continuity and confusion. Give us that classic RGB Dialogue and those memorable lines.
3.) Lots of Ghosts and Monsters. A “Frighteners” feel to it with a touch of Poltergeist, and H.P. Lovecraft influences, with some Ghostbusters style humor. Give us good plots, and lots of comedy. If it’s possible, get J. Michael Straczynski to come back as story editor, and writer. Have the storylines taking place in the Present Time, Manhattan, NY, 2003, or whatever year this RGB Revival is released, should it ever happen. Don't give us completely recycled Story Lines. Give us new ones, but remain true to the Core Continuity of the Original Movie and the First Season of RGB.
4.) They’re a business! They don’t work for free! Have them hassle customers for their pay every now and then.
5.) They’re Scientists, in their case, Professional Paranormal Investigators and Eliminators, not Superheroes. And remember, the three original Ghostbusters are Doctors (Dr. Egon Spengler, Dr. Raymond Stantz, Dr. Peter Venkman, etc.), with degrees.
6.) Keep Slimer as their Pet, but don’t have him going with them on busts, or saving them all the time. Don’t change his name back to “Onionhead”, keep it “Slimer“.
7.) This is an RGB Revival, not an Original Ghostbusters Movie Revival. There’s no need for ”Four guys in tan who
kinda look like Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, and Hudson" or “a Crossbreed between the Movie Characters and the RGB Characters”, since that was for a Comic that was strictly based on the Original Movie. So that’s why the RGB Likenesses should be used in this RGB Revival. It’s no hassle to use their Likenesses. They don’t have to get copyrights or pay royalties. The RGB’s appearances are one of the things that made them recognizable and unique. And as several Members stated earlier, the RGB likenesses improved the look of the Ghostbusters. Plus, it will make it easier for the young Kids and even Us can tell them apart. I loved Mark Brooks/El Diablo's Character Art Work of the RGB Characters. His art style was very mature, and it was definitely detailed for ages 17 and up. They looked so real, yet they were just Two-Dimensional. They just needed some improvement. Those Study Cases should be used as the Characters, but with some improvement. Such as:
Dr. Egon Spengler: Put some meat on his bones. Make his glasses red.
Dr. Raymond Stantz: Make him thinner, but keep him a little chubbier than everyone else, like the way he was on RGB. Give him the same face and nose that he had on RGB.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Give him the same hairdo he had on RGB.
Winston Zeddemore: Tone him down. Don't make him so muscular. Give him the same body and face that he had on RGB.
8.) As for the equipment, make all of the equipment (The Boots, the Gloves, the Elbow Pads, the Proton Packs/A.L.I.C.E. Frames/Neutrona Wands, the Pistol Belts the Walkie-talkies, the Circuit Board Pouch, the Ghost-Sniffer, the Ecto-Goggles, the Ghost Traps, the P.K.E. Meter, and the Ecto-Scope.), the Ecto-1, and the Firehouse appear EXACTLY the same way as they did in the Movie. The only equipment that should remain true to RGB, are the Ecto-2, Ecto-4 (From the NOW RGB Comic series, this is a small gyrowing Aircraft designed and built by Dr. Egon Spengler. It can hold it's pilot and at least four passengers. It's equipped with a proton gun, but it's real jewel is the built-in Transdimensional Drive, an evolution of Egon's earlier Dimensional Gate technologies from
“Egon's Ghost”, and
“The Copycat”. The drive is hideously expensive to build and operate, however.), and the Giant Ecto-Containment Unit, that was re-built.
9.) As I stated before, they should keep the multicolored RGB Jumpsuits. That also would make it easier for young Kids and Us to tell them apart. Give them Nametags (In the same font that was used in GB II.). And of course, keep the original Ghostbusters Logo. But put it on the right shoulder of the Jumpsuit.
10.) Try to get the original Voice Actors back. Frank Welker (Dr. Raymond Stantz and Slimer.), Maurice LaMarche (Dr. Egon Spengler.), Arsenio Hall (Winston Zeddemore. But if he’s unavailable, We could always use Buster Jones again.), Someone who sounds almost
EXACTLY like Lorenzo Music (Dr. Peter Venkman. Please
DO NOT, I repeat,
DO NOT give us Dave Coulier again!
), Someone who sounds almost
EXACTLY like Laura Summer or Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz. Please
DO NOT, I repeat,
DO NOT, give us Kathie Soucie again!
), and Rodger Bumpass (Louis Tully, should he ever be on there.).
11.) Don’t use this Cartoon just as an excuse to promote a Toy Line. That was one of the things where EGB went wrong. Remember that the main reason this Cartoon exists, is to entertain the Viewers - Us, the Ghostheads who loved RGB more than the Original Movie. Speaking of a Toy Line, of course you’ve got to have one! But it needs to be a high-quality Toy Line. Don’t get Trendmasters to do it. Theirs were too small, and broke easily. Kenner is out of business. They were bought out by Hasboro. I don’t know if it would be a good idea to have Hasboro do it. Their Toys’ Likenesses (Yes, even Cartoon ones.) aren’t very good, and their toy-making technology isn’t very modern. Palisades would be a PERFECT company to make the toys. So get them to do that.
12.) A few more miscellaneous notes that I’d like to add: Egon always takes his P.K.E. Meter with him on busts (And just about everywhere else, too.). So why not give him his Ecto-Scope (Enhanced Stethoscope he’s seen wearing in the NY Public Library at the beginning of the First GB Movie.) to wear too? It was the second most important piece of Equipment to him, the P.K.E. Meter being the first. Speaking of how Egon always has the P.K.E. Meter on busts, Ray should always have his Ecto-Goggles with him on busts. He always had them in the Movie, although sometimes he just left them on his pistol belt. And remember, Ray is the equipment/gadget guy. He’s always the one with the Ecto-Goggles and the Ghost Trap. And last, but not least, how about J. Michael Straczynski (If it’s possible to get him to come back as story editor, and writer.) does an adaptation of Citizen Ghost for this RGB Revival?
Things that
SHOULD NOT, I repeat,
SHOULD NOT be in this RGB Revival:
1.) Crime-Busting.
2.) Blue cartoony-looking equipment.
3.) Anything from or like Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters.
4.) Professor Dweeb.
5.) Slimer with totally coherent speech. Slimer being called “Onionhead”.
6.) Junior Ghostbusters.
7.) The “new” Peter (Dave Coulier’s Dr. Peter Venkman, W/ his acceptance of Slimer, and calling him “Spud” in a good way.).
8.) The “new” Janine (Replacing Laura Summer with Kath Soucie, and making her a Kid-Friendly Mother-Figure W/ an irritating annoying Helium-sounding voice.).
9.) Politically Correct Nonsense.
10.) Cartoony-looking art style, like the kind on Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters or a Lazy art style, where the Ghost isn’t in the No-Ghost Logo, like on EGB.
Well, that’s about everything that I can think of for now. So what do you guys think? :0
:O