Official Ghostbusters Edition - Tobin's Spirit Guide

I bounced between three and four stars for this. It's a bit of a letdown, since I had hoped for something that was actually supposed to be the book referenced in the movie, but this book is "written" by the Ghostbuster characters. So rather than being some kind of actual reference work, it's more a book with some anecdotes and stories about how the Ghostbusters dealt with various spirits...

So part of me was thinking just 2 or 3 stars, but people aren't buying this based solely on the contents, anymore than I purchased it for that. I saw this and had to snag it because of the tie-in to Ghostbusters. How cool is it to have the Tobin's Spirit Guide on the mantle?

So this is good for a collector, has catchy artwork on the cover, and inside as well. If you're a Ghostbusters fan, you understand. If not, then no amount of review can help you "get" it.

THIS is an amazing and almost the definitive take on the classic Tobin's Spirit guide; featuring the best of the best creatures and spirits featured in Ghostbusters lore that span from the original 1984 feature through to the current run of the ongoing comic book series.

The entries and the visual details are worth the price of admission; a lot of love and detail went into this book and is a must have for fans of Ghostbusters and the paranormal.

As the series grows I hope to see more like this - a very cool book

Tobin's Spirit Guide, named after the tome by John Tobin that is so important in Ghostbuster's lore is not a fictionalization of that tomeTobin's Spirit Guide: Revised 2016 Edition is that book. Instead this is a NEW Tobin's Spirit Guide, written by Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler themselves. It details the ghosts they have encountered in their days as Ghostbusters, along with some general overview on generic hauntings. The book seamlessly blends together multiple Ghostbusters continuities. You'll find specters and apparitions from the movies, Real Ghostbusters cartoon, the Activision video game, and IDW comic books (which are fantastic and you should pick them up via Comixology).

There isn't a lot of writing in the book. Each ghost only has a paragraph or three in background information on them. That's okay though, because it's the art that makes this book a must have. Each Ghost has a one or two page pieces on them and every last one is stunning. Well, if you can call things like a possessed toilet or an updated Boogeyman stunning. The art is something you have to see to believe but rest assured, if you are even slightly a fan of Ghostbusters (and if you aren't, why are you read this?), you will fall in love with this book's illustrations. By all means, give Kyle Hotz (the artist) never-ending praise once you see this book because he deserves it.

Words can't express how impressed I was by this book. Sure it's a bit on the short size, clocking in under 100 pages, so you might think the price tag is a little high. However, you are getting a hardcover boom (with embossed cover art) and amazingly high quality pages. Each page is about twice as thick as a normal book pages. They also look and feel like the pages you'd find in a much older tome, giving the book an air of faux authenticity. So the presentation of Tobin's Spirit Guide is top notch in every respect.

It's also worth noting that through the Charity Roots of Piece, two tress will be planted for every one used to make these books, which is a fantastic initiative. All in all, I can't recommend Tobin's Spirit Guide enough. This book will delight each and every Ghostbusters fan.

I grew up watching not only the Gbostbusters movies but also the cartoon. I believe it was my first Nerd obsession. I knew that the characters were fictional, but I always thought that Tobin's was real. Well, now it is. Everything about this book is amazing. The cover and the artwork by artist Kyle Hotz are just beautiful and the classification and breakdowns of the types of spirits are fun to see.

My only complaint is that it is written from the perspective of Ghostbusters Stanz and Spengler. The "Story" behind the book is that Ray and Egon have put together an abridged edition of the much larger text compiled by Tobin. This is an interesting concept, I just wish it was not written so conversational.

However, that one grievance does not deter me from giving this my own seal of approval.

I think die-hard Ghostbusters fans will enjoy this book, as it provides some background into the ghosts from the original two films in a handbook styled guide. Those familiar with the film will recognize those entities such as Slimer, Gozer the Gozerian and Prince Vigo of Carpathia among other unfamiliar specters which seem to feature in the upcoming all female reboot. To its credit, the book is well put together, arriving in a hardcover format with the pages being thick, quality stock. The hand drawn art by Kyle Hotz is also worth mentioning, calling to mind the art from old pulp horror comics from the 50's.

An interesting book that is based on the Spirit Guide that is seen in the film. The book discusses the various ghosts/spirits that appear in the film(s), and a little bit about each of them. The real standout here is the illustration; images of the spirits are quite detailed and it's a lot of fun to look at the various types of ghosts.

My entire family has been a fan of the Ghostbuster movies since they came out. This book "is written" by Dr. Ray Stanz, Dr. Egan Spengler, and Erik Burnham. The drawings look authentic, as if drawn by true hunters of ghosts, and the description of each ghost has a genuine "feel" to it, as though actually written by one of the three Ghostbuster scientists. The pages are made of quality paper that will last for years, and the cover is sturdy. This book would be the perfect gift for any Ghostbusters enthusiast.

Tobin's Spirit Guide is a delightful and fun book that describes the multitude of ghosts that the ghostbusters encountered in New York. The artwork is excellent and is almost on every other page. I found the book entertaining and loved the cover. Definitely a great coffee table book. Great gift for those who love the Ghostbuster movies. Loved it.

A beautiful reference of Ghostbuster Canon, from Ghostbusters 1 and 2, the videogames, the comics, and the cartoons, with classifications, descriptions, abilities, and other info. Great for Ghostbusters fans. Note for Newer Ghostbusters fans: This does not include info on Ghosts from the 2016 movie. For that, you have to get Ghosts from Our Past. This focuses on the 1984 team.

Fun book for any fan of the original Ghostbusters movies or 80s cartoon that many of us grew up with. Based on the reference book mentioned by Egon in the movie, this compendium of ghosts, demons and deities is laid out with high production values and artwork that kind of reminds me of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark". Of course there is Gozer, Zuul, Vigo and Slimer, as well as backstory for spirits like the Librarian and an entry for Staypuff Marshmellow Man. I remember the Boogeyman from the cartoon and you'll find entries for others from that series such as Cathulhu. Less than 100 pages, it's short so it's best suited for the coffee table around Halloween or a gift to a Ghostbusters fan.

An amusing and possibly collectible companion to the Ghostbusters films and games. Some very creepy-looking pen and ink illustrations of some of the creatures, with detailed and funny descriptions. However, it is from the perspective of the Ghostbusters, not Tobin or someone else, so it is more of a catalog of their encounters. Still, it is great fun!

A fun, well-illustrated guide to the spooks, ghouls, goblins, etc. of the "Ghostbusters" world, "Tobin's Spirit Guide: Official Ghostbusters Edition" is a good way to take your mind off of the egregious and unnecessary remake of the 1986 classic that will be hitting screens in July 2016.

Though true to the source material and reverential to the beloved franchise, Erik Burnham's light touch and always-clever wordplay is evident throughout this codex version of Tobi's Guide. Fans will find plenty to delight in this catalogue of ghosts, demons and other things that go bump in the night. As always, Burnham captures the tone of the characters to perfection juts as he did in the many comic stories he's written of Venkman, Stanz and the others. Good stuff!

I love the Ghostbusters franchise and this book is the perfect gift for anyone who loves the franchise too. It's such a great compilation of characters. I pretty much went through the entire book before gifting it. Totally worth the buy if you're a fan. It's such a great book to own.

Fun book for any fan of the original Ghostbusters movies or 80s cartoon that many of us grew up with. Based on the reference book mentioned by Egon in the movie, this compendium of ghosts, demons and deities is laid out with high production values and artwork that kind of reminds me of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark". Of course there is Gozer, Zuul, Vigo and Slimer, as well as backstory for spirits like the Librarian and an entry for Staypuff Marshmellow Man. I remember the Boogeyman from the cartoon and you'll find entries for others from that series such as Cathulhu. Less than 100 pages, it's short so it's best suited for the coffee table around Halloween or a gift to a Ghostbusters fan.

An amusing and possibly collectible companion to the Ghostbusters films and games. Some very creepy-looking pen and ink illustrations of some of the creatures, with detailed and funny descriptions. However, it is from the perspective of the Ghostbusters, not Tobin or someone else, so it is more of a catalog of their encounters. Still, it is great fun!

A fun, well-illustrated guide to the spooks, ghouls, goblins, etc. of the "Ghostbusters" world, "Tobin's Spirit Guide: Official Ghostbusters Edition" is a good way to take your mind off of the egregious and unnecessary remake of the 1986 classic that will be hitting screens in July 2016.

Though true to the source material and reverential to the beloved franchise, Erik Burnham's light touch and always-clever wordplay is evident throughout this codex version of Tobi's Guide. Fans will find plenty to delight in this catalogue of ghosts, demons and other things that go bump in the night. As always, Burnham captures the tone of the characters to perfection juts as he did in the many comic stories he's written of Venkman, Stanz and the others. Good stuff!

Great part of the Ghostbusters franchise. I was VERY disappointed that the book did not contain the classification system the Ghostbusters use to rate the spooks, specters, and ghoulies. That would have been AWESOME.

This text was enjoyable enough purely as Ghostbusters fan-fodder, but it was plagued by editorial problems, such as incoherent sentences and words that were obvious victims of bad autocorrection. I also found the explanation of the Sedgewick spud to be unnecessarily skeevy. That Slimer is the ghost of John Belushi is fanon-- that it was "born" of a living woman who had sex w/ Belushi? Ugh. Where did THAT idea come from?

The writing is pretty good, the art is fantastic. The writing "feels" like it might have come from the Ghostbusters. This includes canon from both movies and at least the first cartoon. Probably not the second cartoon, although I never watched it. It also seems to include material from 1991 Ghostbusters video game (not clear which, definitely not the NES one, though). I'm not sure what else it covers, since I didn't ever read or watch most of the rest of the marginalia of the Ghostbusters series.

I have to say that I am a bit disappointed. Tobin's Spirit Guide (or Tobins' Spirit Guide, perhaps) is a weighty tome (or series of tomes) with an immense collection of paranormal information, likely continually supplemented as new details are discovered. This book has 96 pages. Of those, probably 12 are centered on the Gozerian cult, it's followers, and associated paranormal materia. Since the ending of Ghostbusters is always a bit anti-climactic, it feels like a waste of space a bit.

I'm generally not the world's biggest fan of this kind of thing. Realistically, going in you know that this is not going to be as good as it would have to be if it weren't tagging along with something more well known. And generally, the more famous and beloved the thing that the garbage is tagging along with, the worse that the tag-along can be and still get away with it, because that good will carries pretty far. It's hard to name anything from the 1980s with much more good will than Ghostbusters. Despite the abominable sequel and the laughable cartoon series (both of them), Ghostbusters carries a lot of good will. Naturally, this is part of the reason that there is yet another movie being made, hence the conspicuous timing of this book, some 32 years after the movie and 25 years after the cartoon's ending.

Pretty disappointed in this book. I could have written this book in an off weekend sitting around on the couch. If you have any knowledge of the ghostbuster movies or cartoons, all this is, is a rehash of things said in the movies/cartoon about some randomly selected ghosts.... And not even all the good ones from the cartoon. I actually read the entire book in about 15 minutes. Not worth buying unless you have never seen the shows.