In 2024, AHOY Comics made a significant impact by bringing back the cult favorite, The Toxic Crusader, in comic book form. This year, they're launching a thrilling event titled "Toxic Mess Summer," where Toxie collaborates with various heroes from the AHOY Universe, including the unexpected pairing with Jesus Christ.
"Toxic Mess Summer" kicks off in May with the release of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, showcasing diverse artistic interpretations of Toxie and his crew. Following this, AHOY will roll out the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, featuring Toxie teaming up with characters like 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.
For newcomers, Second Coming is a satirical superhero series where Jesus returns to Earth and rooms with a superhero named Sunstar. The series has stirred both acclaim and controversy since its inception, and the collaboration between Jesus and Toxie is likely to continue this trend.
Toxie Team-Up #1 is crafted by the creative minds behind Second Coming, Mark Russell and Richard Pace. Russell expressed his excitement, saying, "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 the cultural significance of the character, noting, "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?"
The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special is set to launch 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, which you can preorder on Amazon.
Fans of Toxie can also look forward to his return to the big screen in 2025. In a review by IGN, Amelia Emberwing commented on the 2023 'not remake' of The Toxic Avenger, stating, "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."
