Tobin (full name John Horace Tobin in the Role-Playing Game and Jonathon "John" Horace Tobin in IDW Comics) [1] [2] [3] is the author of Tobin's Spirit Guide, a book cataloging various known ghosts, goblins, spooks, spectres, and demons that is often used as a reference guide by the Ghostbusters whenever they fight an unfamiliar entity or to find information on a ghost they are trying to defeat.
History
NOW Comics
Tobin worked as a chronicler for The Council of Eight, but was imprisoned by a demon named Evil. Tobin rapidly aged during his imprisonment and called the Ghostbusters for help. When the Ghostbusters finally found Tobin and Evil, they were not able to save Tobin, but succeeded in defeating Evil. Even though he appeared to have died, it is implied that Tobin somehow managed to survive when Egon remarks that he thinks the Ghostbusters have not seen the last of Tobin and when Tobin's portrait on the back of the Spirit Guide smiles and winks.
Ghostbusters International - Tobin's Spirit Guide
John Horace Tobin was born in London in the 1870. He was the only child of a very affluent family and son of a successful businessman. Tobin studied at Oxford University where he earned two degrees, in Obscure Ancient Languages and Psychology. In the late 19th century, Tobin worked in middle management for a British trading company in Egypt, performing tasks such as record keeping. After the death of his father and an encounter with an Egyptian spirit named Ahagotsu in 1899, Tobin and his new friend Shrewsbury Smith vowed to spend the rest of their lives researching and fighting supernatural entities.
From 1901-1902, Tobin established an office in London with Smith then embarked on an extensive trip through the Low Countries, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands for the next three years. From 1905-1906, Tobin and Smith spent another period in their London office. In 1907-1911, they traveled to Eastern Europe then south from Turkey into Mesopotamia. Tobin spent the next two years on follow-ups and Smith would occasionally return to London to run errands. A return to Egypt followed in 1914-1916. They traveled along the Nile River, Alexandria to Aswan, by ship from Suez to Aseb, north to Damascus, east to Beirut, took a steamer to England. Luckily, they left the Middle East months before British forces began driving Turks out of Palestine.
Tobin and Smith spent another period of two years in London then made a trip to the United States of America. They mostly explored the eastern seaboard for two to three months then returned to London. In mid-February 1920, Tobin missed the deadline for his book. It didn't seem to cause any problems. On March 6th, he wrote the book's introduction and the first edition of Tobin's Spirit Guide was published in October. The rest of Tobin's life is unknown aside from the death of Shrewsbury Smith in 1924. [4]
IDW Comics
Jonathon Horace Tobin earned his education at Cambridge University. Tobin made a name for himself exposing fraudulent spiritualists. [5] In the early 1900s, he was called into investigate a creature preying on children in an East German village. Tobin encountered a Grundel. [6] In 1909, Tobin journeyed to Russia to meet with Vladimir Belascu in the Tunguska region. Something terrible happened and it was later known as the Tunguska Blast of 1909. [7] In 1912, Tobin went to Siberia. He stayed at the house of the alleged Witch of Krasnoyarsk. On September 14, 1912, Tobin met an explorer named Mikhael Gallon. Mikhael was investigating reports of Woolly Mammoths. Tobin revealed he had glimpsed one.
Together, Tobin and Mikhael mapped out where the Mammoths could be found. He decided to accompany Mikhael's group deeper into Siberia for his research. Days went by and no Mammoths were seen. Tobin recounted an old Russian folktale about The Undying Soldier and his Mystical Sack. While contemplating the truth of the story, Tobin stated, "Every myth grows tall from the tiniest seeds of truth" and noted the renowned historian Leon Zundinger documented the actual existence of Vigo from the folktale. The group discovered an old tower and Tobin became alert and documented everything. While Mikhael's team rested, Tobin explored the tower. He discovered the corpse of the Undying Soldier. He led Mikhael to the room and shared his findings. However, Tobin stared elsewhere at Death.
While researching Senta, Tobin created an illustration of it based on descriptions present in the journals of Heironymus. [8] However, while conducting research on this entity, Tobin passed away. [9]
In 1934, Sam Hain purchased the home of Jonathon Tobin - nicknamed Tobin's Mansion, the largest occupied residential compound in America, located in East Hampton, New York.
In the 1990s, the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission kept a file on Tobin, labeled #P012. [10]
Personality
Mikhael Gallon described Tobin as having a somewhat solemn and guarded demeanor that gave way to an almost childlike enthusiasm. [11]
Trivia
- It is not known how Tobin was able to record information on even the deadliest of ghosts and demons before the Ghostbusters existed, unless he himself had his own primitive methods of ghostbusting.
- Chekaren regards Tobin as "a man who stares into the shadows beyond the shadows." [12]
Appearances
Tobin was mostly mentioned in the movies and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, but never appeared, not even in flashbacks.
The Real Ghostbusters NOW Comics
- NOW Comics Spectacular 3-D Special
- NOW Comics Vol. 2-1
- NOW Comics Vol. 2-2
- NOW Comics Vol. 2-3
- NOW Comics Vol. 2-4
References
- ↑ Mohan, Kim (1989). Tobin's Spirit Guide, p. ii. West End Games, New York NY USA, ISBN 0874312590.
- ↑ Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #5" (2012) (Comic p.23). File says: "Hain famously purchased the home of Jonathon "John" Tobin (see: Tobin's Spirit Guide (file #SG1a) or Jonathon "John" Tobin (file #P012)) in 1934."
- ↑ Mikhael Gallon (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #8" (2012) (Comic p.20). Gallon says: "Still, for a man brave enough to venture into one of the harshest regions in the world on his own, and who seemed to instill more unease in the locals than their "witch," we'd be expected to meet Challenger himself... certainly not John Horace Tobin."
- ↑ Mohan, Kim (1989). Tobin's Spirit Guide, p. ii-iii, 2-3, 14-18. West End Games, New York NY USA, ISBN 0874312590.
- ↑ Mikhael Gallon (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #8" (2012) (Comic p.21). Gallon says: "A Cambridge-educated man, Tobin had made a name for himself exposing fradulent spiritulaists."
- ↑ Mikhael Gallon (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #8" (2012) (Comic p.21). Gallon says: "A few years ago, he was called to look into claims of a creature that had been preying on the children of an East German village..."
- ↑ Mikhael Gallon (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #8" (2012) (Comic p.21). Gallon says: "... and had journeyed to Russia to meet with Vladimir Belascu, in the Tunguska region just north of our then-current location. We heard something terrible happened... but Tobin seemed eager to find a change of subject."
- ↑ Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #6" (2012) (Comic p.23). Notation says: "Illustration by John Horace Tobin based upon the descriptions present in the journals of Heironymus Van Aachen."
- ↑ Tristan Jones post Ghostbusters Fans 1/3/12
- ↑ Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #5" (2012) (Comic p.23). File says: "Hain famously purchased the home of Jonathon "John" Tobin (see: Tobin's Spirit Guide (file #SG1a) or Jonathon "John" Tobin (file #P012)) in 1934."
- ↑ Mikhael Gallon (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #8" (2012) (Comic p.21). Gallon says: "When we revealed to him the purpose of our journey, his somewhat solemn and guarded demeanor gave way to almost childlike enthusiasm."
- ↑ Chekaren (2012).IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Issue #8" (2012) (Comic p.20). Chekaren says: "He is a man who stares into the shadows beyond the shadows."
Gallery
Overall
Primary Canon
Secondary Canon
