Francis Harding [1] is a ghost in search of his father Captain Harding in the Atlantic Ocean.
History[]
In mid-February 1858, the John Milton was caught in a winter storm while returning to the United States of America from the Chincha Islands. To make matters worse, Captain Harding misidentified a lighthouse and took the ship the wrong way. The John Milton ran aground and killed everyone on board. Most of the frostbitten bodies of the crew washed ashore soon after. Some were never recovered, like the captain's teenage son Francis.
The Ghostbusters' escape from the Collectors' Limbo generated a ripple in the dimensional fabric and added extra juice to the P.K.E. field. As a result, some entities became stronger than normal. [2] [3] The ghost of Francis Harding was one of these entities. He used his power to generate a construct of the John Milton but with the added benefit of being bigger than it looked from the outside. Francis began his search for his father.
Later in the summer, in the Atlantic Ocean, a pair of New York fishermen named Ben and Tony braved strange weather and took their ship the Applegon to fish a few miles off the coast of Montauk Island, Long Island. Tony saw ice in the ocean and Francis Harding told them to leave as they were frozen solid. Francis created a construct of the John Milton ship. Sightings of the ship prompted The Governor to issue a request to Walter Peck to have the Ghostbusters deal with it immediately. Time passed and the ship wasn't dealt with. The Governor called Peck and made sure he understood he wanted the ship dealt with. Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Kylie Griffin disembarked on Marine Ecto-8 and found the Milton after one hour of searching. They were immediately surrounded upon entering the ship. Kylie shot a hole in the floor and the trio descended into a vast ice cavern. Francis appeared to them in a giant form made of ice and demanded they leave. Peter was concerned with shooting Francis while he was a part of the ship construct. Peter promptly antagonized Francis who disengaged from the ship.
Peter, Ray, and Kylie opened fire on Francis and dissipated his icy exterior. Francis attempted to flee but Kylie wrangled him into a Trap thrown out by Ray. Surprisingly, Francis' desire to find his father was so strong that even being trapped didn't sever the connection to the Milton. [4] [5] Peter realized what Francis wanted and convinced Ray to take a trip to Vineyard Haven. They released Francis and directed him to Captain Harding's grave. Francis showed his true form and became content. Soon after, the John Milton sailed off into the sky.
Powers[]
In his encounter with the Ghostbusters, Francis was stronger than normal. He was able to manifest a construct of the John Milton with traits of a massive extradimensional expansion. [6] Francis was able to affect the weather in the vicinity of the ship and freeze anything. He could also create a giant body, made of ice, to inhabit.
See Also[]
Appearances[]
- IDW Comics
- Insight Editions
- Tobin's Spirit Guide
- Section II: Assorted Apparitions
- Mentioned on Page 32. [7]
- Section II: Assorted Apparitions
- Tobin's Spirit Guide
References[]
- ↑ Kylie Griffin (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8" (2013) (Comic p.10). Kylie says: "I, well - the captain's son, Francis was one of the bodies that was never recovered and laid to rest."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8" (2013) (Comic p.10). Ray says: "Sometimes anniversaries can spur a restless spirit to action. So can being poked with a metaphorical stick, such as with a similar accident bearby, or a - or a ripple in the dimensional fabric."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8" (2013) (Comic p.11). Ray says: "Our escape from the other dimension could have sent out y'know ripples. Stirred things up in the psychokinetic muck of the world."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8" (2013) (Comic p.15). Ray says: "You just trapped the ghost that's making the boat. Typically, that would make the boat go away."
- ↑ Kylie Griffin (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8" (2013) (Comic p.15). Kylie says: "This kid is really hanging on. Whatever he's after the Trap isn't severing the connection to his construct here."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #8" (2013) (Comic p.4). Ray says: "Man, look at this place. It's incredible. I mean I've seen massive extradimensional expansion before but this is... it's..."
- ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.32). Paragraph reads: "They tend to disperse peacefully as soon as they are able to remember their past life, such as the case of the elemental spirit of Francis Harding, a teenager lost in the sinking of the John Milton, a ship captained by his father, in 1858."
Gallery[]
