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December 21, 2021
Check out my semi-snarky commentary on Ghostbusters: Afterlife here

And also...

Ghostbusters International: The Werewolf of Notre-Dame, Part Three
September 2022--Timeline Year Forty
Well, the ad hoc GBI team's found the werewolf. Now the big question is--can they survive long enough to find out why it's terrorizing Notre-Dame?

--Fritz V. Baugh

November 26, 2021
I still hope to have "The Werewolf of Notre-Dame" done soon, but until then it's that time again: the Ectozone Christmas Fan Fic List!

Ghostbusters: Mr. Stay Puft's Christmas Adventure
December 24, 1983--Timeline Year One
It's Christmas Eve. Venkman's in a foul mood. Ray misses his family. Egon is not sure how to react to Janine's elf costume. Winston has a fateful meeting. And then the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man shows up. Wait, what? How is that even possible?
(First Posted December 12, 2011)

Ghostbusters: Spirit of the Season
By Jason Knetge
December 17, 2003--Timeline Year Twenty-One
The Ghostbusters (???) are called to help stop a spook during the holiday season. .
(First Posted December 20, 2008)

Ghostbusters West Coast: Silent Night
By Mick Nielson
December 25, 2008--Timeline Year Twenty-Six
It's Christmas in LA...and everyone's lost their voices!
(First Posted December 25, 2008)

--Fritz V. Baugh

November 21, 2021

Ghostbusters: When I'm Sixty-Four
November 21, 2021--Timeline Year Thirty-Nine
A song on the radio inspires Professor Egon Spengler to muse about his life on the occasion of his sixty-fourth birthday.

--Fritz V. Baugh

November 19, 2021

It's been five years since the last time a Ghostbusters movie made it into theatres. It's been thirty-two years since the last one set in the universe of the original. To borrow a few phrases from myself five years ago: It's been a long, strange journey to get to this day--full of setbacks, reversals, joy, despair, and lots of dead ends and assorted moments of the internet at its best and its worst. The movie we're getting is, to borrow a phrase, the one a lot of Ghostheads wanted; time to see if it's the one we needed.

Whatever the end result, it's been quite a ride.

--Fritz V. Baugh

October 5, 2021

It's October, so time for the Pumpkin Head Spice theme and the Halloween Reading List!

Ghostbusters Nightsquad: All Hell Breaks Loose, Part One
By Bo Holbrook, Ben King, and Fritz Baugh
September 2003--Timeline Year Twenty One
It seems like just another day for the members of Ghostbusters Nightsquad. The original Ghostbusters are out of town, and a few small jobs keep things from getting too dull. But in the shadows, a sinister plot is being hatched...a plot that will change the team forever...
Guest stars Jeff Nash, Vincent Belmont, and Fritz Baugh.
(First Posted July 17, 2006)

Ghostbusters Nightsquad: All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Two
By Bo Holbrook, Ben King, and Fritz Baugh
September 2003--Timeline Year Twenty One
Catastrophe!!! The Extreme Ghostbusters defeated!!! Nightsquad's worst enemy has taken over Central Park!!! And Nightsquad can't do anything about it, because they're in jail!!!
(First Posted July 24, 2006)

Ghostbusters Nightsquad: All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Three
By Bo Holbrook, Ben King, and Fritz Baugh
September 2003--Timeline Year Twenty One
As if the Blair Witch wasn't enough...the cult's plot has drawn in another familiar face, one that had nearly defeated the original Ghostbusters more than once. Will Nightsquad, even with the help of Vincent Belmont, Jeff Nash, Fritz Baugh, and Roland Jackson, have a chance in hell against them?!
(First Posted July 31, 2006)

Ghostbusters Nightsquad: All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Four
By Bo Holbrook, Ben King, and Fritz Baugh
September 2003--Timeline Year Twenty One
It's the final showdown between Nightsquad, their allies, and the Hain Witch. The fate of the world is at stake (again), and even if the Ghostbusters are victorious they will pay a price in dearest blood...
(First Posted August 7, 2006)

Ghostbusters Nightsquad: Aftermath
By Bo Holbrook and Fritz Baugh
October 2003--Timeline Year Twenty-One
One week ago, the Hain Witch destroyed his headquarters and killed two of his friends. Now, the drunken wreck who was once Bo Holbrook is confronted with the chance to rebuild--problem is, he's not sure it's worth it.
(First Posted September 17, 2007)

(Okay, it technically didn't take place on Halloween...but c'mon, SAMHAIN!!!>

Ghostbusters West Coast: Flipped Out
October 31, 2006--Timeline Year Twenty Four
It's Halloween and something extra weird is going on...as our heroes are confronted with a team of opponents who are both shockingly wierd and very familiar. Not the least of them, a woman named Ellie...
(First Posted October 31, 2006)

Ghostbusters West Coast: HELLoween
By Aidan Munroe
With contributions from the entire GBWC team
October 31, 2007--Timeline Year Twenty-Five
Halloween is the busy season for a GBI franchise, and this year's no exception. It starts with a familiar ship full of ghostly pirates...and then gets even wierder from there!
(First Posted October 31, 2007)

Ghostbusters West Coast: The Masks We Wear
By Jason Knetge
October 31, 2009--Timeline Year Twenty-Seven
It's Halloween, and sure enough something weird has happened: everybody has turned into their Halloween costume! Join Doctor Who, Deadpool, The Wolfman, Ash Williams, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, and the Cat Girl as they try to figure out what caused this--and how to reverse it.
(First Posted October 31, 2009)

Ghostbusters West Coast: One Froggy Halloween
October 31, 2014--Timeline Year Thirty-Two
It's Halloween, which is seldom a quiet time for any Ghostbusters franchise, and this year is no exception for the West Coast office. A literature professor with personal ties to one of their own is being stalked by a froglike monster. Can they save him before he croaks?
(First Posted October 31, 2014)

Thanks for reading!

--Fritz V. Baugh

September 28, 2021
Look what we had this year!


"Chewy, we're home!!!"


"Chewy! Watch out for the sprocking Owlbear!!!"

After a year off because Covid, GenCon returned on September 16-19, 2021. There were a fair number of large vendors (Paizo) and small (PointyHat Games run by my old friend Vincent Belmont) who skipped it for various reasons, but there was still a lot to do.

For one thing, the vibe was a bit...off. I mean, there was no massive Will Call line all the way out the door and halfway down Maryland Street. No line at the coupon desk. And weirdest of all, I could go right into the bathroom and get a stall without waiting! What kind of GenCon is this?!?!

That's a bit different too.

Surprised I didn't see more of these.

One highlight is getting to meet artist Naomi VanDoren. I'd first seen her work in 13th Age Bestiary 2 (which I bought during GenCon 2017, and she also did the cover for the GenCon 2021 program book.

She's super nice, and signed both the program book and my favorite page of hers in Bestiary 2.

So here's this year's haul:

The newest Pathfinder Second Edition book (Paizo skipped the convention, so contracted their sales out to Troll and Toad), the latest Robotech RPG (mostly for the nostalgia), and a 13th Age supplement. I couldn't decide which of Ms. VanDoren's prints to get, so I got a book of her artwork instead.

The Crystal Caste dice I get every year. Behind them is 6D6 Games' "Covid Dice" set--I amused the guy at the booth a great deal by saying "This is arguably more of a memento of this year that even the Crystal Caste dice". Also two sets of dice from Gate Keeper Dice (There was also a Keymaster Games at the con, but thankfully their booth was elsewhere in the Exhibit Hall. Having to miss a year was bad enough--being the site of the return of Gozer would be bad for GenCon's business.) A hobgoblin mini because it reminded me of Styx and a Cable Heroclix just because I like Cable and it was cheap. The Kobold minis were being given away by Troll and Toad with Pathfinder purchases--they're marked "2020" so they were probably intended to be Paizo's promo last year.

A new game that appealed to my inner chemistry nerd, some dry erase grid tiles, and a stuffed Bulbasaur to keep the Oddish I bought in 2017 company.

Check back in later; I may have some Oddish eggs to trade...

Barring another unforeseen disaster (Omega variant, a new Civil War, Gozer steps on the Convention Center, etc.) only 310 days until the next one!!!

--Fritz V. Baugh

September 7, 2021

Good thing I stopped actually putting a date on that thing, I guess.

Another delay to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, though only a week this time.

--Fritz V. Baugh

August 10, 2021

Ghostbusters International: The Werewolf of Notre-Dame, Part Two
September 2022--Timeline Year Forty
As Charlene, TJ, and Marie investigate Notre-Dame, Holtzmann inspects the Eiffel Tower. None of them know the werewolf may be closer than they realize.

--Fritz V. Baugh

July 27, 2021
New Afterlife trailer!

Highlight:

Annie Potts: "Your father wasn't much of a homemaker"

I guess that doesn't necessarily clinch it that Callie's mother is exactly who it should be, but it's the strongest hint yet that she is.

Other than that...sigh...the last vestiges of hope that this wasn't going to be another Gozer retread fade away. That's not to say that they can't surprise us and do it well, though. I admit I still hope they will.

Also, just today a friend of mine who's a merchandiser for Hasbro sent some pictures of the "Fright Features" (2021 version) line. Nothing new there, except for the fact that this means they should be appearing on shelves any moment now.

--Fritz V. Baugh

July 6, 2021
A new story! This one features a strange mix of characters from three different teams, only one of which is from official Sony material, but after I had a story idea, I put the team together in my mind with a bunch of gags that came out of some of their situations, so here we go:

Ghostbusters International: The Werewolf of Notre-Dame, Part One
September 2022--Timeline Year Forty
Paris has been safe from the supernatural for the last thirty-seven years. Until now. GBI sends an eclectic ad hoc team to investigate--is a werewolf just a werewolf, or is there something wrong with the Eiffel Tower?

--Fritz V. Baugh

June 8, 2021
The Future Is Now.

June 8, 2021 marks thirty-seven years since opening of the movie Ghostbusters, the singular event from which two cartoon series, numerous comic books, two more movies (with a third already in the can and ready to be released as soon as it's safe to do so), as well as various web sites like this one sprang.

But for this particular web site in particular, June 8, 2021 means the future has arrived.

Back in 2003 I wrote the fan fic Future Shocks, set not long after the RGB episode "Robo-Buster" and having a time-travel element which I used to introduce the Ghostbusters of the far-off year of 2023. In hindsight, it was basically my "mission statement"--a lot of the stories I've written since then showed just how the Ectozone universe/timeline 8932 unfolded to lead to that future. A few years later, I began the origin story of the 2023 Ghostbusters, The Eye of Aretpo. The majority of which took place on June 8, 2021.

So yeah, like I said, the Future Is Now.

With this in mind, earlier this year I took a look at some of the existing material on the 202X team, and did some light editing and overhauling of it, not to mention fixing some bugs in the rendering of some puncutation marks that had somehow cropped up over the years. Nothing major, just little references that dated back from times before the timeline had fully gelled into it's more-or-less "final" form. The main ones are the aforementioned "Future Shocks" and "Eye of Aretpo", with the important Gemini Rising also seeing a few nips and tucks (and I actually fought off the temptation to do more, particularly to that one).

Along with that, the Ghostbusters New York profile pages have been updated. The status of the members of Team Extreme and the 202X characters has been updated, and along with that pages for Marie Lupin and TJ Anderson have been added.

I contacted Kingpin recently, asking him for permission to host a story of his on this site. That story, which features the 2023 team, is now available here:

Extreme Ghostbusters: Separated At Rebirth, Part One
September 2003--Timeline Year Twenty-One
20 years have passed and the Ghostbusters are about ready to celebrate the company's big 20. However, an old enemy from the past is sure to throw a spanner in the works... Guess Who's Back?

Extreme Ghostbusters: Separated At Rebirth, Part Two
September 2003--Timeline Year Twenty-One
The original Ghostbusters and the Extreme Ghostbusters are up against the wall. What surprising, and strangely familiar, group of Ghostbusters will they call upon for help?

But that's not all!!!

When I started the update process, I found myself inspired. We know all about the history of the Spengler Twins and Eric Stantz, and quite a lot of the history that brought Marie Lupin into being...so maybe, I thought, it would be a great time to put a slight bit of spotlight to the background of the 202X team's most mysterious member:

Ghostbusters 2021: Born To The Purple
June 2021--Timeline Year Thirty-Nine
Five days ago, Scotland Yard Occult Crimes Unit Detective Inspector Tessa Jane Anderson arrived in New York on an investigation of a mysterious death by zombies. She soon found herself facing the attempted return of a dark god, at the side of three second generation Ghostbusters and the daughter of a werewolf. They saved the world. Now, Inspector Anderson returns to her London home...no longer quite as certain where she is meant to be.

And I'm already at work on another 202X story, which among other things will wrap up one little dangling reference going all the way back to "Future Shocks". I hope I'll have it ready soon.

I hope you'll give it all a look.

And thank you as always for sticking with me.

--Fritz V. Baugh

May 13, 2021
Holy cow. Eighteen years. Eighteen out of thirty-seven years--by next year I'l lhave done it, and been around for more than half the time since the first Ghostbusters movie came out.


The Ectozone's very first header picture

It's weird thinking that if this web site was a person, it would now by old enough to vote. Probably not in Georgia, though...too many dark colors in the style sheets.

And in just a few weeks, the thirty-seventh anniversary of the first movie. I've been working on something to have ready for that. If you remember from other places on the site the significance of June 8, 2021, you'll have a clue as to what it could be.

Thank you all for being there for it.

--Fritz V. Baugh
Once known as "Veedramon"

March 16, 2021

More Kenner RGB Repops On The Way!!!

Following the success of last year's Kenner Classics Real Ghostbusters toy reissues, Hasbro have unveiled their 2021 expansion of the range, bringing back some fan-favourites which are sure to provoke a lot of excitement:

  • Kenner Classics Ecto-1: $50
  • Kenner Classics Bug-Eye Ghost: $15
  • Kenner Classics Fearsome Flush: $15

    Like the previous release of figures, these will be an exclusive with Walmart in the United States (though it's likely that Forbidden Planet and Zavvi in the UK will stock these like they did with the 2020 release). The Ecto-1 and figures are scheduled for release in April, while pre-orders will be available from the 15th of March 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT.

  • I missed Fearsome Flush back in the day, because I thought it was a shitty idea.

    But hell yeah I'm buying that crap now!!!

    --Fritz V. Baugh

    January 26, 2021

    Yeah, here we go again.

    The more I think about it the less enthused I am about this movie. As has been discussed on the Ectozone Message Board, I'm really not sure about the directions of some of it. Gozer again? And...well...as I said in that post...

    On the one hand, we haven't seen the movie yet. We don't know exactly what's going to happen and exactly what the character's backstories will be.

    But what we do know...well, can easily take us to some dark places. It's hard to make child abandonment funny--there's just no good answer I can see to the question of why they refer to Egon as the father Callie "never knew". That at least doesn't make Movie Egon look like some combination of scumbag and/or completely out of touch with his humanity.

    Neither one is a direction I want.

    Egon Spengler is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time...but I realized a long time ago that's probably more to the credit of J. Micheal Straczynski, Maurice LaMarche, and other licensee creators than Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Ivan Reitman. After GB2 I just never found myself able to trust them again. I guess it's why I had to take a lot longer to warm up to the Video Game than practically everyone else. What we know of Afterlife is not helping a lot.

    Not a common sentiment, I know.

    I still hope I'm gonna be wrong, though.

    --Fritz V. Baugh

    January 1, 2021

    Illustration by John Tobias, Rich Rankin, and Suzanne Dechnik

    Holy crap! The year that felt like it'd never end...actually ended!!!

    Gregorian: Friday, 1 January 2021
    Mayan: Long count = 13.0.8.2.13; tzolkin = 12 Ben; haab = 16 Kankinr
    French: 12 Nivôse an 229 de la Révolution
    Islamic: 17 Jumada I 1442r
    Hebrew: 17 Teveth 5781
    Julian: 19 December 2020
    ISO: Day 5 of week 53 of 2020
    Persian: 12 Dey 1399
    Ethiopic: 23 Takhsas 2013
    Coptic: 23 Kiyahk 1737
    Chinese: Cycle 78, year 37 (Geng-Zi), month 11 (Wu-Zi), day 18 (Ji-You)
    Julian day: 2459216
    Day of year: Day 1 of 2021; 364 days remaining in the year
    Discordian: Sweetmorn, Chaos 1, Year of Our Lady of Discord 3187
    Order of Hermes: XII Day of Capricorn, XXX Age of Aquarius

    So anything of note on the horizon?

    Or at least, we think it's coming this year. We thought that last year too and look what happened.


    "I take no responsibility!!!"

    Yeah, but you're gone in three weeks, Jackass.

    Have a safe and happy Thirty First Year of the Age of Aquarius

    --Fritz V. Baugh

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