Favorite Ghostbuster

[Fritz]

Yet another perennial topic...I'm surprised nobody started one already yet...

My pick?

I admit, if I'd only seen the movies, I'd probably pick Venkman. Bill Murray so completely dominated them that they're practically "The Adventures of Peter Venkman and His Ghostbuster Pals". But due to the animated series, the interesting twists brought to the character by J. Micheal Straczynski and the brilliant voice performance by Maurice LaMarche, my all-around favorite is thus Doctor Spengler.



He creates the first impression of your classic Mad Scientist/Nerd, but before long you start to see more. For one thing, and this was something I'd enver seen before in 1984, he gets women. A certain redhead flirting with him formed some of the most charming scenes of the first movie; in the animation he turns into a veritable Babe Magnet, with women in several episodes clearly "interested" in him (The librarian, the girl in Lupusville, Dixie, ect.) The animation slowly developed his relationship with said redhead, too, but that's a whole other topic in and of itself...

And the other interesting thing: every once in a while his logic breaks down to interesting effect. Probably the most famous example is the "Your Mother!!!" scene in GB1, where he tries to throttle Walter Peck; or when he looks about ready to do the same to Paul Smart in "Robo Buster"...one of LaMarche's best scenes, as Egon keeps a steady voice yet is clearly boiling over inside, uncharacteristically snide and rude.

By my personal estimation, the most complex and, well, "fascinating" of the four.

[The Joker]

My favourite has to be Ray. They did such a great job with him, given that he wasn't that well-developed in the movie. He's at heart a big kid (just like myself), but he's brave and industrious when the occasion calls for it. As someone once put it, he's the heart of the Ghostbusters. Who else would you find watching a kids' variety show one minute, and busting a powerful demon the next? Frank Welker does a fantastic job with the voice, and it's impossible to believe its the same guy who also does two-thirds of the Decepticon force from 'Transformers'.

[Silent Seraphim]

My favourite Ghostbuster is Peter.... and Egon. Yes, I admit, I can't really choose between the two. To even out the poll a little, I'm gonna default and go with Venkman, but if I could vote twice, I'd have gone for Spengler too. That's not to say I don't like Ray and Winston, because they are integral to the show, but in my eyes, Peter and Egon's characters are the best.

I love Peter's character. He is the stereotypical showman, but there is more to him than just that. He's the ladies man, but you know that if Dana came back he'd make every effort to be with her again. He is loyal to his colleagues, and considerate to those in need. He provides the comedy relief when the guys are in over their heads. I know Murray's Venkman was pretty much a one-trick pony, but then the film was only an hour long, and there wasn't much in the way of opportunity to delve deeper into the character's psyche. The Real Ghostbusters gave him much more depth, as only a long-running series can. It also gave him a father, and a backstory that would go a long way to explaining Venkman's vulnerabilities beneath that oh-so-confident exterior.

Egon's character is complex, and difficult to examine, and yet that complexity is what makes his character so wonderful. He, too, is a stereotypical character, like Dr. Spock, he gives away little in the way of emotion. He is a genius, dedicated to science, and yet he managed to become close friends with a character like Venkman. Again, the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series gave him a more detailed background, a prestigious family who owned their own laboratories, and a strict upbringing. Without Venkman, there is no doubt Egon would have literally turned into Spock. With Venkman's intervention, he retains a wickedly dry sense of humour, a little humility, and a sense of true family and companionship that he wouldn't otherwise have had. Like Dr. Baugh, I feel that the unguarded moments of Egon's are what make his character even more intriguing. The moments when he looses his cool, when he declares his love for Janine when he feels that he's about to die; those moments are rare, but when they happen they add that little extra dimension to an already multi-faceted character.

The best thing about Egon and Peter, are when they are together. Almost complete opposites, yet their friendship is probably the closest out of all of the guys. I'd love to know how those two characters first met and became friends, especially in a such a cliquey atmosphere as college, where Venkman was a frat boy and Spengler was a geek. Some fan fics take us back to Egon and Peter's college days, and we will possibly find out more from 88MPH studios. I think it's a shame that RGB didn't take us back to those days, either through a flashback or a spinoff. It would have been great to see the adventures between Egon, Peter and Ray back at college.

[Fritz]

Silent said:

. I'd love to know how those two characters first met and became friends, especially in a such a cliquey atmosphere as college, where Venkman was a frat boy and Spengler was a geek. Some fan fics take us back to Egon and Peter's college days, and we will possibly find out more from 88MPH studios. I think it's a shame that RGB didn't take us back to those days, either through a flashback or a spinoff. It would have been great to see the adventures between Egon, Peter and Ray back at college.

I know of one fan fic that did try to examine their actual meeting--I was involved with it: Ghostbusting 101 I hope you'll check it out (and you might find Venkman's comments about what kind of woman he'll need to find for Egon amusing) And sorry for pimping that in this thread...

Very thought out comments on this thread and the Supporting Characters thread, Seraphim. Thanks

[raysgal]

Well, if it isn't obvious I will have to say that my favorite Ghostbuster is Ray.

Why Ray? Well, it's not just because he's cute. Though he is in both the movies and the cartoon.

He's a scientist, but he's also a normal person at the same time. Of course, normal is a relative term considering Ray Stantz. You find out quite a bit about him in the cartoons like he has weird relatives and has an interest in animated shows. In the movie he put another mortgage on his parents home and was really eager about moving into the firehouse:

Wow! This place is great! When can we move in? You've got to try this pole! I'm gonna get my stuff.

Ray is smart, he's funny and he loves his job possibly more than any man should, but how many jobs let you save the world from the things that go bump in the night?


Look at him. He is just too cute. ;D

[Silent Seraphim]

Fritz said:

I know of one fan fic that did try to examine their actual meeting--I was involved with it: Ghostbusting 101 I hope you'll check it out (and you might find Venkman's comments about what kind of woman he'll need to find for Egon amusing)

I'm not quite sure how I missed this fic, but it's got a very good scenario of how Egon and Peter first met and slowly became friends at college. I really like their reaction to the ghost at the Chumboro house, I think it's quite reminiscent of the guys' reaction to the New York Library ghost in the first film.

Fritz said:

Very thought out comments on this thread and the Supporting Characters thread, Seraphim. Thanks

Why thank you kindly, Dr. Baugh.

Winston hasn't fared well in this poll so far, poor bloke! Surely someone out there loves the Zedd man?!

[The Joker]

Winston hasn't fared well in this poll so far, poor bloke! Surely someone out there loves the Zedd man?!

What would spice things up now would be for someone to come on this thread and accuse us all of being racist. ;D

Anyway, on a serious note, I suspect the reason why Winston is the least popular is because he doesn't have any outstanding personality points, beyond his love of mystery novels. You have Ray the boyish enthusiast, Peter the wisecracker, Egon the quiet, reserved scientist. Winston's very much the straight guy in a cast of loonies.

[ECTO-1]

Ecto-1. Hey, the vehicles are characters all in themselves. Look at KITT. Look at the General Lee.

[Miss Janine]

Since I couldn't vote for Janine...Egon.

[Fritz]

I decided to avoid some of the political hair splitting and just put the four full-time Ghostbusters on this poll. If I'd put Janine on it I could have people arguing "but what about Slimer, since he actually did more busting in the cartoons that she did?" (But most of the cartoons where he did that sucked) "Or what about Louis? He gets to put on a pack in GB2?" (Don't. Get. Me. Started.)

So everyone else is in the "Favorite Supporting Character" poll elsewhere in the forum. Janine is running away with it, by the way.

[SuperStantzio]

Hey my favorite is Ray from the movie and the cartoons. He's just a big kid and the heart of the ghostbusters. He's very smart and funny as well. He is sweet.

[Yami Mirai]

My favourite ghostbuster is Egon, though Peter is a very close second.

My reasoning for liking them is pretty much the same as what Silent Seraphim wrote.

[BlackMaria]

Egon: the freakiest Ghostbuster as 1 site dubbed him. Complex, cool, bizarre, crafty, dramatic, droll, dry sense of humor...there's more below the surface than meets the eye.

[JECrazy]

I like Peter heaps. He's so damn funny! (At least when Lorenzo did his voice) He always me laugh. ;D

But I have to choose Egon. He makes me giggle a lot too! even when he's not trying to be funny.
He's cool, brave, insightful, yet silly, he has his fears and absent-minded.
He's always cool, calm and collected in the face of danger. The others would be lost without him, he's almost always the one to rely upon.
But once it comes to Janine all that goes out the window! He stutters, blushes and generally loses it! I think that's one of the main reasons he's my favourite.
It's classic! The absent-minded Professor with the pretty girl chasing him and not knowing what the bloody hell to do about it. Sigh! That never fails to make me laugh! ;D
Oh and I love the weird blond hair. It suits his personality. The blond is soft and subtle rather like his demeanor and the style... you know it's eccentric and reflects that huge intellect, just as a genius' should. (Anyone ever heard of Einstein?)
It's funny in the 88MPH comic when he looks in the mirror and tries to style it that way and he doesn't like it. I think it was a their nod to the cartoon version.
Not a character to be underestimated.

I like Ray a lot too. He's like me in some ways. A big kid. I get excited about my favourite stuff too. I gasp like he does when I see some thing for sale in the shops that I've been waiting for for ages. (The recent Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles DVD for example.) In "Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin" when Ray is playing with those toys it makes me think of me and my friend who collect toys when we get bored and silly at times.

Winston I do appreciate. But I didn't take to him as much as the others for some reason. However I think "Night Game" is a real showcase for him and "Boodunnit" is good for him too. He also saves the day in the Sandman ep.

[Dr. Simeon Spengler]

Ooh, don't make me choose!

But too tell my opinion: Ray!

Why? Because he is the most sociable of them. I can go with such enthusiastic guys always ready for something new to try. Ray is someone who would only then say no when it wouldn't hurt other's feelings.

I don't think I could stand Peter's presence because I am really sarcastic some times. Two of them - Bad Mojo!

Winston is one I would know from church, so maybe he would be a good friend, too.

As for Egon...
I like him, but I would lose my patience with him very soon.