In 2024, AHOY Comics made a significant splash by bringing back the cult favorite, The Toxic Crusader, in comic book form. This year, they're taking the excitement to new heights with the "Toxic Mess Summer" event, where Toxie will join forces with the heroes of the AHOY Universe, including an unexpected partner—Jesus Christ.
Kicking off in May, the celebration begins with the release of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, a showcase of various artists' unique interpretations of Toxie and his crew. Following this, AHOY will launch the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, featuring Toxie alongside a diverse lineup of characters such as Project: Cryptid's Jersey Devil, My Bad's Acid Chimp, The Wrong Earth's Dragonflyman and Stinger, Justice Warriors' Swamp Cop and Schitt, and, intriguingly, Second Coming's Jesus Christ.
Art by Fred Harper. (Image Credit: Ahoy Comics)
For those unfamiliar with the satirical superhero series, Second Coming features Jesus returning to Earth and rooming with a superhero named Sunstar. This series has attracted both praise and controversy since its debut, and the collaboration with Toxie is sure to stir more conversation.
Toxie Team-Up #1 is crafted by Second Coming's creative duo, Mark Russell and Richard Pace. Russell shared his enthusiasm in AHOY's press release, stating, “Toxic Avenger and Jesus Christ is the team-up that everybody has been clamoring for and I am not one to stand in the way. Just as in Second Coming, Christ shows that there are more tools in the box than just violence and that Tromaville, as strange as it is, is still a place that someone who grew up bullied by the jocks in the Roman Empire would recognize.”
AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer highlighted Toxie's cultural impact, saying, “Having already spawned five films, a cartoon, action figures, a musical, and a Marvel comic book series, the Toxic Avenger is a pop culture icon. The only question is: why doesn’t he have a church of his own?”
Art by Fred Harper. (Image Credit: AHOY Comics)
The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special is set to hit shelves on May 14, with Toxie Team-Up #1 following on June 11. Additionally, Matt Bors and Fred Harper's The Toxic Avenger miniseries will be available in a trade paperback edition starting April 1, and you can preorder it on Amazon.
Toxie's adventures aren't confined to comics; he's slated to return to the big screen in 2025. IGN's review of the 2023 'not remake' of The Toxic Avenger by Amelia Emberwing notes, "Troma and Legendary’s partnership on The Toxic Avenger’s 2023 'not remake' delivers a mixed bag. Director Macon Blair and the rest of the creative team may have more money to play with than Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman’s 1984 original, but it struggles to deliver on the schlocky goodness of Troma’s stronger films. Still, what it lacks in so-bad-it’s-good silliness it makes up for with its heart and mostly practical slaughterfests. Kevin Bacon and Peter Dinklage having an absolute blast in their roles doesn’t hurt, either."
