maximum dinobots|transformers maximum dinobots|transformers: maximum dinobots|the transformers maximum dinobots|the transformers: maximum dinobots=The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots
premierecollection|premiere collection|the transformers: the premiere collection=The Transformers: The Premiere Collection
all hail megatron|transformers all hail megatron|transformers: all hail megatron|the transformers all hail megatron|the transformers: all hail megatron=The Transformers: All Hail Megatron
the idw collection|the transformers: the idw collection=The Transformers: The IDW Collection
the transformers|the transformers (ongoing)=The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers vol. 1
wreckers|last stand of the wreckers|transformers last stand of the wreckers|transformers: last stand of the wreckers|the transformers last stand of the wreckers|the transformers: last stand of the wreckers=The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers
the idw collection|g.i. joe: the idw collection=G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection
infestation=Infestation (IDW)|Infestation
infestation 2=Infestation 2
heart of darkness|transformers heart of darkness|transformers: heart of darkness|the transformers heart of darkness|the transformers: heart of darkness=The Transformers: Heart of Darkness
tdoop|death of optimus prime|the death of optimus prime|transformers: the death of optimus prime=Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime
more than meets the eye|transformers: more than meets the eye|the transformers: more than meets the eye=The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
robots in disguise|transformers: robots in disguise=The Transformers: Robots in Disguise
dark cybertron=Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron
drift:eos|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: empire of stone|transformers: drift: empire of stone|the transformers drift: empire of stone|drift: empire of stone=The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone
the transformers: windblade=The Transformers: Windblade
sins of the wreckers|transformers sins of the wreckers|transformers: sins of the wreckers|the transformers sins of the wreckers|the transformers: sins of the wreckers=The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
gijoe5|gijoevol5|g.i. joe vol. 5|gi joe vol 5=G.I. Joe vol. 5
hasbro heroes sourcebook=Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
micronauts=Micronauts (comic)|Micronauts
wrath of karza|micronauts wrath of karza|micronauts: wrath of karza=Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
first strike=First Strike
ROM
rom dire wraiths|rom: dire wraiths=Rom: Dire Wraiths
romamn|rom&mn|rom and the micronauts|rom & the micronauts=Rom & the Micronauts
rom vs transformers|shining armor|rom vs. transformers|rom vs transformers: shining armor|rom vs transformers: shining armor=Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
m.a.s.k.|m. a. s. k.|mask mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k. mobile armored strike kommand|mask: mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k.: mobile armored strike command=M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
scarletts strike force|scarlett's strike force=Scarlett's Strike Force
transformers vs visionaries|transformers vs. visionaries=Transformers vs. Visionaries
requiem of the wreckers|transformers requiem of the wreckers|transformers: requiem of the wreckers=Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{{series}}}
[[{{#switch:{{{series}}}
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
#| }}{{#if: |issues:}}{{#ifeq: | Category
[[Category:IDW {{#switch:{{#switch:{{{series}}}
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{{series}}}}}
{{#switch:prime
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{#switch:primeadaptation
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
{{#switch:ragedinobots
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
ragedinobots}}=Prime
{{#switch:rid2015
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Transformers: Prime (comic series)
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots
fulloffire|full of fire|full of fire!=Full of Fire!
rid2015|robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015)|transformers: robots in disguise (2015 comic)=Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)
rid2015}}=Robots in Disguise (2015)
{{#switch:{{{series}}}
war for cybertron|warforcybertron|transformers: war for cybertron|transformers: war for cybertron (comic)=War for Cybertron
fall of cybertron|fallofcybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron|transformers: fall of cybertron (comic)=Fall of Cybertron
transformers: prime|transformers: prime (comic)|primeadaptation|prime adaptation|transformers: prime (comic series)=Prime
primerage|ragedinobots|rage of the dinobots|rageofthedinobots|primeragedinobots|transformers prime: rage of the dinobots=Prime – Rage of the Dinobots
maximum dinobots|transformers maximum dinobots|transformers: maximum dinobots|the transformers maximum dinobots|the transformers: maximum dinobots=The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots
premierecollection|premiere collection|the transformers: the premiere collection=The Transformers: The Premiere Collection
all hail megatron|transformers all hail megatron|transformers: all hail megatron|the transformers all hail megatron|the transformers: all hail megatron=The Transformers: All Hail Megatron
the idw collection|the transformers: the idw collection=The Transformers: The IDW Collection
the transformers|the transformers (ongoing)=The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers vol. 1
wreckers|last stand of the wreckers|transformers last stand of the wreckers|transformers: last stand of the wreckers|the transformers last stand of the wreckers|the transformers: last stand of the wreckers=The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers
the idw collection|g.i. joe: the idw collection=G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection
infestation=Infestation (IDW)|Infestation
infestation 2=Infestation 2
heart of darkness|transformers heart of darkness|transformers: heart of darkness|the transformers heart of darkness|the transformers: heart of darkness=The Transformers: Heart of Darkness
tdoop|death of optimus prime|the death of optimus prime|transformers: the death of optimus prime=Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime
more than meets the eye|transformers: more than meets the eye|the transformers: more than meets the eye=The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
robots in disguise|transformers: robots in disguise=The Transformers: Robots in Disguise
dark cybertron=Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron
drift:eos|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: empire of stone|transformers: drift: empire of stone|the transformers drift: empire of stone|drift: empire of stone=The Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone
the transformers: windblade=The Transformers: Windblade
sins of the wreckers|transformers sins of the wreckers|transformers: sins of the wreckers|the transformers sins of the wreckers|the transformers: sins of the wreckers=The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers
gijoe5|gijoevol5|g.i. joe vol. 5|gi joe vol 5=G.I. Joe vol. 5
hasbro heroes sourcebook=Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
micronauts=Micronauts (comic)|Micronauts
wrath of karza|micronauts wrath of karza|micronauts: wrath of karza=Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
first strike=First Strike
ROM
rom dire wraiths|rom: dire wraiths=Rom: Dire Wraiths
romamn|rom&mn|rom and the micronauts|rom & the micronauts=Rom & the Micronauts
rom vs transformers|shining armor|rom vs. transformers|rom vs transformers: shining armor|rom vs transformers: shining armor=Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
m.a.s.k.|m. a. s. k.|mask mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k. mobile armored strike kommand|mask: mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k.: mobile armored strike command=M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
scarletts strike force|scarlett's strike force=Scarlett's Strike Force
transformers vs visionaries|transformers vs. visionaries=Transformers vs. Visionaries
requiem of the wreckers|transformers requiem of the wreckers|transformers: requiem of the wreckers=Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers
maximum dinobots|transformers maximum dinobots|transformers: maximum dinobots|the transformers maximum dinobots|maximum dinobots=Maximum Dinobots
all hail megatron|transformers all hail megatron|transformers: all hail megatron|the transformers all hail megatron|all hail megatron=All Hail Megatron
the transformers|the transformers (ongoing)|the transformers (idw)=IDW The Transformers
wreckers|last stand of the wreckers|transformers last stand of the wreckers|transformers: last stand of the wreckers|the transformers last stand of the wreckers|last stand of the wreckers=Last Stand of the Wreckers
transformers drift|transformers: drift|the transformers drift|drifteos|drift:eos|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: empire of stone|transformers: drift: empire of stone|the transformers drift: empire of stone|drift: empire of stone|transformers drift: origins and empires|transformers drift: origins & empires|origins and empires|origins & empires=Drift
heart of darkness|transformers heart of darkness|transformers: heart of darkness|the transformers heart of darkness|heart of darkness=Heart of Darkness
tdoop|death of optimus prime|the death of optimus prime|transformers: the death of optimus prime=The Death of Optimus Prime
more than meets the eye|transformers: more than meets the eye=IDW More than Meets the Eye
robots in disguise|transformers: robots in disguise|ongoing2|exrid|the transformers (idw) vol. 2=IDW Robots in Disguise (2012)
dark cybertron=Dark Cybertron
the transformers: windblade|windblade2|windblade2015|the transformers: windblade vol. 2|the transformers: windblade (2015)=Windblade
transformers vs gi joe|transformers vs. g.i. joe=Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
sotw|wreckers2|sins of the wreckers|transformers sins of the wreckers|transformers: sins of the wreckers|the transformers sins of the wreckers|the transformers: sins of the wreckers=Sins of the Wreckers
lost light|transformers lost light|the transformers lost light|transformers: lost light|the transformers: lost light=Lost Light
till all are one|Till All Are One|transformers till all are one|transformers: till all are one|the transformers till all are one|the transformers: till all are one=Till All Are One
revolution=Revolution
revolutionaries=Revolutionaries
action man=Action Man
gijoe5|g.i. joe vol 5|g.i. joe vol. 5|g.i. joe volume 5|g.i. joe (vol. 5)|g.i. joe (volume 5)=G.I. Joe vol. 5
g.i. joe idw collection=G.I. Joe: The IDW Collection
first strike=First Strike
hasbro heroes sourcebook=Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook
micronauts=Micronauts
wrath of karza|micronauts wrath of karza|micronauts: wrath of karza=Micronauts: Wrath of Karza
rom=ROM
rom dire wraiths|rom: dire wraiths=Rom: Dire Wraiths
romamn|rom&mn|rom and the micronauts|rom & the micronauts=Rom & the Micronauts
rom vs transformers|shining armor|rom vs. transformers|rom vs transformers: shining armor|rom vs. transformers: shining armor=Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor
m.a.s.k.|m. a. s. k.|mask mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k. mobile armored strike kommand|mask: mobile armored strike kommand|m.a.s.k.: mobile armored strike command=M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand
scarletts strike force|scarlett's strike force=Scarlett's Strike Force
transformers vs visionaries|transformers vs. visionaries=Transformers vs. Visionaries
requiem of the wreckers|transformers requiem of the wreckers|transformers: requiem of the wreckers=Requiem of the Wreckers
{{#if: It's that darn ghost again. He just won't leave us alone! I guess we're going to have to move. | It's that darn ghost again. He just won't leave us alone! I guess we're going to have to move.}}}}
Cybertron has fallen, annihilated by the monstrous Gozer the Destructor. But when an Autobot rookie finds himself on a solo mission to track a rogue Cybertronian signal on a distant organic world... who is he gonna call?
For eons, war has raged between the Autobots and Decepticons on the planet Cybertron, until the day that the Autobots fled their blighted world aboard their starship, the Ark. Even though Megatron's Decepticons immediately made plans to pursue their ancient foes, they find their war interrupted by something far, far worse... for the extradimensional deity known only as Gozer has arrived on Cybertron! Flanked by its dread minions Vinz Clortho and Zuul, Megatron and his inner retinue—Shockwave, Soundwave, and Starscream—gather in front of the temple that Gozer has summoned. Though Shockwave advises caution, Starscream makes an impetuous stand against the deity, only for it to contemptuously blast all four of them with supernatural lightning. Soundwave suggests calling for assistance, while Starscream whines that they should've fled Cybertron, and Megatron shrugs them both off: he will deal with Gozer himself. Knocking Gozer's minion Clortho aside, the Decepticon leader confronts Gozer face-to-face only to be asked a simple question: to choose the form of the Destructor, the shape that Gozer will assume to annihilate the metal world.
Megatron only has a second before Gozer ominously anounces that the choice is made, and fades away... and a guilty Starscream reveals that, on hearing Gozer's words, a thought momentarily crossed his mind, his first concept of a being capable of destroying Cybertron. Megatron demands to know what Starscream could've possibly done, but no sooner has he asked the question then Gozer reappears, now clad in the form of a colossal, monstrous Starscream! Though Megatron and his forces rally to defend their world from the supernatural threat, they are swiftly vanquished, and Cybertron itself is utterly destroyed.
A thousand years later, the Autobots have turned the Ark into their new base of operations after fleeing Cybertron; the last members of their species, Optimus Prime and his troops are spaceborne nomads, left rudderless by the destruction of their homeworld. That's why the young scientist Ectronymous Diamatron is so shocked when, on one lonely vigil, he unexpectedly picks up a Cybertronian signal on his homemade sensor array, his shout of surprise drawing the attention of both Cliffjumper and Bumblebee. Even though "Eck" is irked by their refusal to acknowledge his full name—the pair, shocked by his findings, agree with his decision to inform Prime of the situation.
On the Ark's bridge, Optimus's advisors offer their own opinions on Ectronymous's report: Ironhide remains skeptical, believing it to be a trap, while Jazz puts the whole thing down to a bug in Ectronymous's systems. Angry by the lack of faith that the other Autobots have in him, Ectronymous passionately argues in the veracity of his data, and his conviction prompts Prime to agree with his findings, and allows him the freedom to investigate, though Prime warns him that he'll receive no backup on this mission. Following the signal, the Ark arrives over its source: a primitive organic world the locals call "Earth."
In Brooklyn, four such locals are having problems of their own; the four-man band of paranormal investigators known as the Ghostbusters are on the trail of another ghost, one responsible for plunging their ride, the Ecto-1, into a massive sinkhole. Though the four men—Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Peter Venkman, and Ray Stantz—briefly mourn the loss of the Ecto-1, they're forced to continue their hunt on foot as they set off into the nearby Prospect Park... unaware they're being watched by a Cybertronian probe. The probe promptly scans their downed vehicle for the benefit of Ectronymous, who gladly assumes this new disguise.
In the park, even the advanced proton packs of the Ghostbusters are having trouble against their latest quarry: only barely able to restrain the gigantic, tentacled ghost, the Ghostbusters are only able to overpower their foe after Ray hurls a ghost trap at the creature, at which point it is safely sucked into the device and neutralized. The job done, the gang head back to the sinkhole to check on their car—unaware that the local police have just had a run-in with Ectronymous, who's easily convinced them to leave after disintegrating their parking ticket.
Confused to find the "Ecto-1" parked on the grass, Peter confirms that the other Ecto-1 is still stuck in the sinkhole. Egon checks his PKE meter, confirming another spectral presence in the area... a spectral presence that manifests as a ghostly Starscream! Starscream tells the humans to leave so that he can speak to the Autobot... only for the humans to easily catch and restrain the spectral Cybertronian with another well-slung ghost trap. Though Peter enthuses at the prospect of overtime pay, Egon is concerned; the second phantom's readings are wildly inconsistent with any of the other phantoms they've dealt with.
It's Winston, however, who asks the more salient question: what is an Autobot, anyway? That question is answered a second later when the mysterious Ecto-1 transforms, and Ectronymous introduces himself to the Ghostbusters!
"It's Ectronymous Diamatron, Bumblebee, please. I worked hard for my title—the least you could do is respect that."
—Eck..., sorry, we mean, Ectronymous Diamatron, gets tetchy
"We need to inform Prime at once!" "That's Optimus Prime, Eck. You don't want to be all disrespectful, like me."
—Eck and Bumblebee
"The Dodgers? Seriously? You have two and a half perfectly good teams within 100 miles of here, so... why?" "Caught a game on vacation when I was a kid and liked what I saw." "But the song clearly tells you to root, root, root for the home team, Winston."
Before we begin, it might be worth going over the Ghostbusters' own history with IDW Publishing. Much like IDW's Transformers output, the team starred in a variety of ongoings and one-shots from 2009 to 2020, forming a long-running universe that picks up around 1994, five years after the events of [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Ghostbusters II|{{#if:||Ghostbusters II}}]] and three years after [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Ghostbusters: The Video Game|{{#if:||Ghostbusters: The Video Game}}]]. Unlike IDW's Transformers comics, however, which relegated the vast majority of its crossovers (Mars Attacks,Star Trek, etc.) into various micro-continuities entirely divorced from its primary universe, Ghostbusters took the opposite tack, and worked a variety of crossovers directly into its canon. Over the course of their adventures, the Ghostbusters have encountered a variety of other characters: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The Real Ghostbusters|{{#if:their animated alter-egos|their animated alter-egos|The Real Ghostbusters}}]], and even [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Ghostbusters (2016 film)|{{#if:their female counterparts|their female counterparts|Ghostbusters (2016 film)}}]], though this Transformers comic is one of the few crossovers achieved without any interdimensional travel taking place.
In addition to the traditional proton pack, Winston is depicted wielding a unique "proton pistol" as a sidearm. This weapon didn't appear in either of the Ghostbusters films, but was instead a development that first appeared during the Ghostbusters' involvement in IDW's Infestation crossover event, and has since become one of Winston's signature weapons in the IDW comic universe.
Moreso than the recently published Star Trek vs. Transformers miniseries, the opening scene of this issue takes some direct cues from the Sunbow Generation 1 cartoon, featuring a battle on Cybertron that's clearly inspired by the opening act of "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1," featuring Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Jazz, Laserbeak, and the Seekers in their cartoon-accurate Cybertronian forms, and even featuring an original, Sunbow-styled Cybertronian form for Trailbreaker.
The Temple of Gozer is backlit by a swirling, psychedelic vortex of colour. This isn't something that appeared in the actual Ghostbusters film, however; instead, it's sampled from the opening credits of The Transformers: The Movie.
Iconography in front of the Temple of Gozer depicts a pair of Quintesson heads, and an exact replica of the mural of Menonia that appeared in "Madman's Paradise." Now, Ghostbusters lore has established that Gozer itself cannot enter a dimension unless it is specifically summoned by someone or something from within; the Generation 1 cartoon, meanwhile, established that the Quintessons do possess knowledge of the supernatural. All of that, combined with the fact that the Brooklyn ghost bears a very strong resemblance to a "prosecutor"-type Quintesson, certainly suggest there's more going on than appears at first glance...
Gozer's monstrous Starscream form is shown wearing the iconic crown that first appeared in the 1986 film, and has subsequently gone on to make several appearances in other continuities. "Starscream" also sports a necklace of severed heads; in addition to his obvious rivals Megatron, Optimus, and Shockwave, there's also Jetfire, presumably referencing their old friendship as seen in "Fire in the Sky."
Ectronymous muses that the signal on Earth might emanate from a "lost colony;" while this obviously isn't the case here, it was so in IDW's 2005–2018 Generation 1 comics, which would eventually include Earth as part of the mythical "thirteen colonies" of ancient Cybertronian lore.
Ectronymous's use of a Sky Spy probe to scan the Ecto-1, and the translucent "cube" it projects over the vehicle, are both evocative of the sequence from "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1".
"Tim" and "Frank", the two police officers who try to ticket Ectotron, are modeled on Joe and his coworker from "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1" (albeit, of course, in police uniform instead of hard hats).
Finally, the concept of Starscream—and Starscream alone—somehow being able to cheat death by persisting as a "ghost" is a concept that began in the The Transformers episode "Starscream's Ghost," but still sees frequent use to this day.
The opening scene—which features the Temple of Gozer, its two minions Vinz Clortho and Zuul, and a rite in which Gozer forces its supplicants to choose "the form of the Destructor"—are all straight from the ending of the original Ghostbusters movie. Starscream's blunder, in which he inadvertently provides Gozer's Destructor form, similarly evokes of the film's climax, in which Gozer picks up on one of Ray's stray musings and uses it to transform itself into a rampaging Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Gozer's first form in the comic is a suitably Transformer-ized version of its androgynous humanoid avatar, played by Serbian model/actress [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Slavitza Jovan|{{#if:||Slavitza Jovan}}]] in the first Ghostbusters film.
Winston mentions watching a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Los Angeles Dodgers|{{#if:Dodgers|Dodgers|Los Angeles Dodgers}}]] game; his love of baseball is a long-running character trait across a variety of continuities.
The parking ticket getting disintegrated is a callback to a cut scene from the original Ghostbusters film, where Ecto-1 does the same thing before a befuddled police officer's eyes. The scene was included in the movie's novelization.
While assessing the damaged Ecto-1, Egon muses that they can hoist the car and repair it; Ray agrees that they have the technology, and Peter sardonically agrees that it'll be "better, stronger, faster," lines from the opening narration to [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The Six Million Dollar Man|{{#if:||The Six Million Dollar Man}}]].
[[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Prospect Park|{{#if:||Prospect Park}}]] is a real location in Brooklyn.
The "song" that Peter and Winston discuss is presumably the children's song "[[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Take Me Out to the Ball Game|{{#if:||Take Me Out to the Ball Game}}]]."
Retailer incentive cover C: A black blackground of retailer incentive cover A
Ghostbusters FanFest exclusive cover: Ectotron poses with a photo of the cast and director of Ghostbusters II, by Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado
Fan Expo Dallas exclusive cover: Autobots and Ghostbusters take on Megatron and Gozer, by Clayton Crain
SDCC exclusive cover: The Ghostbusters and Optimus Prime, in his Ghostbusters-inspired livery, by Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado
Ectotron (2021) pack-in cover: Ectotron and the Ghostbusters aim their protons beams skyward while the Temple of Gozer, ghostly Decepticons, and Kremzeeks approach from behind, in homage to the classic poster for The Transformers: The Movie, by Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado
{{#if: It's that darn ghost again. He just won't leave us alone! I guess we're going to have to move. |
Ray may be in over his head here.
Extreme Ghostbusters?
Louis Tully was out sick.
Mr. Stay Puft just can't help being happy.
Black redeco cover.
Hey, who are these weird guys?
Man, I just had this hand replaced.
Yes, we will get this redeco.
