In 2024, AHOY Comics made a splash by bringing back the cult favorite, The Toxic Crusader, in comic form. This year, they're celebrating an event called "Toxic Mess Summer," where Toxie will collaborate with various heroes within the AHOY Universe, including the iconic Jesus Christ.
"Toxic Mess Summer" kicks off in May with the launch of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, showcasing diverse artistic interpretations of Toxie and his crew. Following this, AHOY will unveil the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, featuring Toxie partnering with an array 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, notably, Second Coming's Jesus Christ.
For those unfamiliar with the satirical superhero series, Second Coming portrays Jesus returning to Earth and living with a superhero named Sunstar. The series has received both praise and controversy since its debut, and this dynamic is expected to continue as Jesus teams up with Toxie.
Toxie Team-Up #1 is crafted by the creative duo behind Second Coming, Mark Russell and Richard Pace.
“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,” Russell remarked in AHOY's press release. “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 added, “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 will hit shelves on May 14, followed by Toxie Team-Up #1 on June 11. Additionally, Matt Bors and Fred Harper's The Toxic Avenger miniseries will be available in a trade paperback edition on April 1, which can be preordered on Amazon.
Toxie is also set to return to the big screen in 2025. In her review for IGN, Amelia Emberwing noted, "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."
