The Toxic Avenger Vs The Noxious Offender #2 Review
Writer: Matt Bors
Artist: Felipe Sobreiro
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Rob Steen
Flash Fiction Writers: Margaret Beeler, Mark Russell &
Stuart Moore
Flash Fiction Illustrators: Rob Steen, Ryan Kelly &
Thomas Napolitano
Cover Artists: Matt Bors & Felipe Sobreiro
Also Available: Troma Photo Cover
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Price: $4.99 US
Release Date: November 11, 2026
Everything seems against Melvin and Yvonne. But while an
uncertain future frightens Toxie, Yvonne remains optimistic. She and Toxie can
handle anything life throws at them if they stick together. Yet Melvin Junko's
parents didn't stick together. And after a toxic spill sent him to the
hospital, Melvin's mother refused to let his absentee father reconnect with
Hugh J. Payne.
His father has a coffee mug with Melvin's face on it. He
runs the Toxic Avenger "official" store. But can Toxie trust his
biological dad? And who is the lookalike who made Grosser 'N Grocer even
grosser? Grab your mop, leap into The Toxic Avenger vs. The Noxious Offender
#2, and see!
Story
Mrs Junko insists that Hugh J. Payne is a bad guy. As Yvonne
and his mother define his past and future, Melvin seeks to control his present.
Yet when he attempts to connect with his dad, someone who resembles Melvin
appears and subdues him.
In The Toxic Avenger vs. The Noxious Offender #2, Melvin’s
double takes over his life. This alternate version of Melvin may look like him.
But his outlook and sensibilities oppose those of the man Yvonne loves. Once, the
man may not have wanted children. Yet he slots into his role in Yvonne’s life
and his father’s plans for Tromaville.
While Matt Bors’ story builds on the events at Troma Craft
Con and Grosser ‘N Grocer, it also evokes incidents in Toxic Avenger Comics,
Toxic Crusaders, and Toxie Team-Up. As the issue expands Bors'
science-fictional tapestry, it revisits Toxie’s origins. And as the
doppelganger sows chaos and discontent, people remember how Melvin inspired
them in The Toxic Avenger vs. The Noxious Offender #2.
Art
The issue opens with Siamese twins in utero. Yet, their
environment evokes Blobby, Melvin's hovering alien friend. A gray-and-red
memory of a defining incident from Toxie's past takes a decidedly different
spin. As Melvin's double threatens to rip Blobby apart, the alien clings to the
man's head. Yet as a sign prohibiting fishing, swimming, and disposing of
radioactive materials rises above mutated flowers, two distant figures watch as
an object from Mrs Junko’s junkyard splashes into the river.
As Felipe Sobreiro shows the doppelganger confusing and
traumatizing Tromaville, Lee Loughridge adorns The Toxic Avenger vs. The
Noxious Offender #2 with a limited palette. In the low evening light, muted
colors contrast with a vibrant orange sky. Gray invades a memory and a place
some might consider sacred. The river becomes black, while electric green
evokes Melvin's identity as Toxie. Yet red splatters panels as
"Melvin" secures his hold on Tromaville.
Rob Steen fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase
letters. While the Noxious Offender’s green commentary fills black splotches, Blobby’s
small, hand-printed-style letters appear in pink clouds. Words in colored boxes
compare Yvonne’s view of men with the imposter’s view of women. Amid spiky
balloons and large colored letters, sparse sound effects reveal the lookalike’s
capacity for compassion. Yet thoughts in colored narrative boxes also reveal
how the real Melvin continues to inspire the residents of Tromaville.
Flash Fiction
In “Lake Effect,” Margaret Beeler peels away the illusion
that some people get everything they want in life. Mark Russell’s “Company
Policy Regarding Eels continues Margaret Beeler’s discussion of workplace
etiquette. After the two vignettes, Stuart Moore’s longer story, “Jewel-Eyed
Terror: From the Chronicles of Jace Duel, Earthman,” transports readers on a
cosmic odyssey.
Rob Steen celebrates the everyday working world. Then, Ryan
Kelly portrays Russell's otherworldly office politics. Finally, Thomas
Napolitano's final art contribution to the issue evokes the golden age of
science fiction. Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a
review copy.
Final Thoughts
An accident may have made Melvin Junko into a superhuman,
but the women in his life helped him become a superhero. Amid a struggle for
power and the battle of the sexes, a lookalike with a different heritage shows
how our influences shape us in The Toxic Avenger Vs The Noxious Offender #2.
Rating 9.4/10
To look inside see The Toxic Avenger Vs The Noxious Offender #2 Preview.
For how this series began, see The Toxic Avenger Vs The Noxious Offender #1 Review.
