Jean l'Ecorcheur [1] (translated as John the Skinner) was an assassin who formerly served the French royalty. [2]
History[]
Jean l'Ecorcheur carried out many assassinations and was said to enjoy skinning people alive. He was eventually killed near the royal residence in the Tuileries Garden. It was said his ghost haunted the grounds for years and whoever saw him died soon after, except for Napoleon Bonaparte. [3] In the present, Jean was drawn to the Louvre Museum and took possession of the Poveglian Artifact from the Unknown Soldier Ghosts some point after they arrived. The Ghostbusters encountered Jean in the Mona Lisa room as they tracked down the artifact. Ray Stantz advised everyone to exercise caution but Lieutenant Philip Constantin suddenly shot Jean with the Ghost Taser, a purely defensive weapon. Jean swung his giant meat tenderizer and sent out a wave of energy. The David, the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and Code of Hammurabi are animated and surrounded the Ghostbusters and Constantin. They dissipated the Animated Louvre Art with their Slime Spritzers to Constatin's dismay. The Ghostbusters realized the animations were a distraction and left the museum to pursue Jean to the Tuileries Garden.
They found Jean encased in a protective energy field attempting to bond with the artifact in order to evolve into a higher spectral class. [4] [5] He began to transform in appearance and the Proton Streams couldn't penetrate the field but he did have to act to protect the artifact. He retaliated by spewing what appeared to be blood at the Ghostbusters. Luckily, the evolution kept him too occupied to attack more. Constantin suggested they fire at Jean while he sneaked around and took a shot at the artifact. The Ghost Taser fried the artifact and Jean was trapped.
Description[]
Jean's physical size is comparable to that of a giant. As a result of his favorite method of murder, skinning people alive, his ghost form has no skin, showing only muscle, his jacket included, with the exception of his eyes, which are orange with small black pupils. On the shoulders of his jacket, he has what appears to be two objects that resemble flutes. In his hand holds an enormous meat tenderizer he uses as a weapon. After he escaped, Jean went through what an be only described as "evolution", as he becomes larger and more disfigured than his original form.
Classification[]
Jean was originally anchored to the Tuileries Garden. [6]
Trivia[]
- Jean l'Ecorcheur is a local legend in Paris. He was a originally a butcher hired by Catherine de Medicis, Queen of France in the 16th Century, as her assassin. But in the end, he knew too many secrets about the royal family and was assassinated in the Tuileries Garden.
- Incidentally, his last words before his death was "I will be back" much like Vigo.
- Ray mentions Napoleon Bonaparte, who saw Jean in 1815 before his defeat at Waterloo.
- He also appeared to Queen Marie-Antoinette in July 1792, while she was in jail in the Tuileries Castle just before her execution.
- In 1824, he appeared to Louis XVIII before his death.
- The last report of him was May 23, 1871 when a fire destroyed the Tuileries Castle. He was seen by the fire starters. Jean was looking through a window of the room of Marshalls.
Appearances[]
- Ongoing Series
- Volume 3
- Ghostbusters International #5
- Ghostbusters International #6
- Alluded to in What Came Before Page! [7]
- Volume 3
References[]
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.9). Ray Stantz says: "Criminy... I think that's Jean l'Ecorcheur."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.9). Ray Stantz says: "He used to be an assassin for French royalty."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.9). Ray Stantz says: "Liked to skin people alive. Scary guy. He was killed nearby, in the Tuileries Garden, if I remember right. Haunted the grounds for years. Everyone who laid eyes on the ghost died -- except for Napoleon Bonaparte."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.9). Ray Stantz says: "He's bonding with the artifact!"
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.9). Ray Stantz says: "We could be witnessing a ghost's evolution into a higher spectral class."
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.14). Ray Stantz says: "It must've gone back to the Tuileries Garden. That's where it was originally anchored."
- ↑ What Came Before! Page (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #6" (2016) (Comic What Came Before! page). Narrator says: "What they found was the aggressive ghost of a pre-Napoleonic French assassin."
Gallery[]
