Toxic Avenger Team-Up Vol 1 Review

 

Writers: Mark Russell, Stuart Moore, Bryce Ingman, Tom Peyer, Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson 

Artists: Richard Pace, Ryan Kelly, Sandy Jarrell, Jamal Ingle, Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson

Colorists: Richard Pace, Casbri Studios,Lee Loughridge & Sandy Jarrell 

Letterer: Rob Steen

Logos: Rob Steen & Todd Klein

Cover Artist: Fred Harper

Editor: Sarah Litt & Tom Peyer

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: January 27, 2026

 

When an itinerant minister quarrels with a Tromaville megachurch, he ends up in court. Despite suffering from a toxic chemical spill, the railroad once again transports hazardous materials through this New Jersey town. Still, a benevolent industrialist has rebuilt the local stadium, thanks to his investment in the town’s future.

 

Outside of town, a magical diner materializes when Tromaville’s citizens need it. While in the nation's capital, the President of the United States grows concerned with the side effects of Artificial Intelligence. Can a hero arise to meet the dangers threatening Tromaville and the United States? And who must he partner with to prevent others from becoming mutants like himself? Let’s grab our mops, leap into Toxic Avenger Team-Up Vol 1, and see!

 

Story

As he did in Biblical times, Jesus Christ walks the Earth today. He still cares about social justice. Yet people who claim to honor him co-opt his principles. When the judge assigns Jesus community service, Jesus ends up working in a soup kitchen. Although Toxie reminds him of the lepers that his fellow Jews expelled from their communities, Jesus finds in Toxie a kindred soul. In Mark Russell’s story, his challenge is to help Toxie discern the difference between the law and justice.

 

In Stuart Moore’s story “Like Roaches to Sugar,” Toxie has fallen from an airplane. He awakens in the snow to spy a diner glowing like the sun. As Toxie struggles to remember what brought him to this remote location, he recognizes The Roach Diner. Yet as he battles the Jersey Devil in this “creepy but comfortable” setting, he confronts disturbing memories and sees how people get trapped in bad situations in Toxic Avenger Team-Up Vol 1.

 

Since he took up rat catching to help his community, Toxie's relationship with Yvonne has progressed. But lately, he hasn't needed to rescue the frightened critters from his neighbors' homes. While Yvonne objects to Roger Leeling bringing the fracking industry to Tromaville, Toxie sees the recent absence of rat infestations as a plus in Bryce Ingman's story. But while enjoying his favorite hip hop band with his new pal Acid Chimp in the newly renamed "Roger Leel's Awesome Fracking Dome, Toxie finds clues to the rats' sudden disappearance.

 

When freight rail service resumes in his town, Toxie doesn’t have to look far before he discovers that companies are transporting toxic chemicals through Tromaville. But as in “Like Roaches to Sugar,” Toxie gets attacked and awakens elsewhere. In Fortune City, he meets Dragonflyman, who is tackling crime alone in his sidekick's absence. In Tom Peyer’s story, Toxie discovers that hazardous materials can transform people in unexpected ways when he assists the costumed hero.

 

Pollution and chemical contamination don’t just afflict Tromaville and Fortune City. While Senator Greene investigates the effects of pollution in the United States, the President grows concerned about how the AI industry is polluting the planet. As Toxie represents the environmental problems afflicting her nation, she entrusts him with the task of transporting it off-world. But after an accident threatens the mission, Toxie must confront the Justice Warriors in Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson’s story “Inhale The Future.”

 

Art

After employing a bird's-eye view to show Jesus gazing up at his likeness adorning a billboard, he sits at a table before a judge. Richard Pace’s sketches reveal Jesus' disappointment with those who take advantage of others, and his happiness with those who help people without expecting a reward. Richard Pace and Casbri Studios’ colors provide shading and depth as gentle Toxie grows angry with those who prey on the less fortunate.

 

Lee Loughridge lavishes a vibrant palette on Ryan Kelly's detailed art as Toxie awakens in the snow-covered hillside surrounded by evergreens in “Like Roaches to Sugar.” Toxie’s sepia-colored memories contrast with the rich tapestry of life outside the roaming diner in Toxic Avenger Team-Up Vol 1. But a limited palette and subdued tones reveal that life inside the diner isn’t as bright and inviting as its outward appearance suggests.

 

Yvonne turns away from Toxie and crosses her arms over her chest as he pleads with her. When Yvonne faces him, her hands fall to her hips. Yet despite his appealing expression and upraised hands, Yvonne’s frown never relents as Toxie picks up his mob and heads out to see the Mix Bros. Sandy Jarrell applies bright colors to the cartoony art in "Fracking Awesome." Yvonne's white dress contrasts with Mayor Seiple's white jacket and hat. While his shirt links him with the rich industrialist, the liquid in Acid Chimp's vials links him with Toxie.

 

Lee Loughridge adorns Toxie with fern green skin as he tosses his cracked phone to his mother. Jamal Ingle shows Toxie racing across the railyard, leaping onto a freight car, and tearing open the steel siding. Like outside the glowing diner, the yellow light surprises Toxie inside the train car. While Dragonflyman sports a vibrant green, yellow, and purple suit, his sidekick’s fern green outfit links him with Toxie.

 

Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson open “Inhale The Future” with a montage showing the President, workers in hazmat suits, Toxie saluting while clutching a helmet, and a spaceship orbiting the Earth. As he floats in zero G, Toxie interacts with an AI “face” on a monitor that evokes a 3-prong electrical plug. Yet when Toxie returns to Earth, he discovers Humans displaying animal traits. Then Toxie meets the more alien-looking Justice Warriors in Toxic Avenger Team-Up Vol 1.

 

Lettering & Extras

Rob Steen places black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Toxie’s thoughts appear as lowercase black letters in melting green boxes, Jesus’s uppercase thoughts in yellow parchment, and Dragonflyman’s in yellow boxes with a green border. Caspr, the AI assistant piloting Toxie's spaceship, speaks into yellow rectangular balloons with lightning bolt arrows.

 

Amid all the colorful and inventive sound effects, the most eyecatching is the multicolored rumbling that provokes Yvonne’s ire. Extras include a script excerpt, a cover gallery, and the fronts and backs of the trading cards that accompanied each issue. Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Despite his fearsome appearance, Toxie is a gentle soul who enjoys having fun and yearns to help others. Yet as he teams up with heroes and antiheroes, Toxie discovers new facets of himself. Toxie grows as he combats rule-breakers, confronts his painful past, makes friends, and embraces his girlfriend’s causes. By the time he rises to serve his nation and defend his world, Toxie demonstrates that the student of social justice has become the teacher in Toxic Avenger Team-Up Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside:

 

For Toxie's Adventure with Jesus, see my preview of Toxie Team-Up #1.

 

For Toxie's Adventure with the Jersey Devil, see my preview of Toxie Team-Up #2. 

 

For Toxie's Adventure with Acid Chimp, see my preview of Toxie Team-Up #3. 

 

For Toxie's Adventure with Dragonflyman, see my preview of Toxie Team-Up #4. 

 

For Toxie's Adventure with the Justice Warriors, see my preview of Toxie Team-Up #5. 

 

 

Death Dog #2 Preview

 

Thirty years from now, in a world without dogs, Davis creates Cupid Canine. He designs his robot dogs to be loving, protective companions. But after an unfortunate incident, Davis sells his company to the Pappy Jeff chain. The company transforms Davis' software to power new militarized bodies to guard their stores. The dogs bite the hands that steal to feed. But something of Davis' loving, family-friendly code lingers in Pappy Jeff's Death Dogs.

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

DEATH DOG #2

Writer: Bryce Ingman

Artist & Cover Artist: Alan Robinson

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 3, 2025 

Concluding the touching pilot story of Wyatt, a near-future street kid, and Dog, a police robot-dog programmed to execute suspects on the street. Now the malfunctioning Dog protects Wyatt as he trespasses into a wealthy, gated community for a heartbreaking encounter.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

 

To see how this story started see my preview of Death Dog #1.

 

Death Dog #1 Preview

 

 

Properly trained, dogs can be your best friend. Or, like director James Gunn's canine pal, Ozu, they can become your worst nightmare: biting your feet, chewing apart your furniture, and destroying your laptop. Unlike Krypto, most dogs don't have superpowers. But when dogs go extinct, and scientists invent their replacements, people forge new relationships with their robotic companions.

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

DEATH DOG #1

Writer: Bryce Ingman

Artist: Alan Robinson

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Release Date: November 5, 2025

Cover A: $4.99 Alan Robinson

Cover B: $4.99 Shannon Wheeler (1:3 unlock)

In a near-future America, Wyatt—an innocent 13-year old accused of shoplifting—is pursued by murderous robot police dogs. But an accident transforms one of his terrifying pursuers into a tame, docile, and affectionate robodog who tries to bond with and protect Wyatt! A touching tale of a terrifying future, from the deranged minds of Bryce Ingman (MY BAD) and Alan Robinson (New Fantastic Four).

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

 

 

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

Ancestral Recall #2 Review

 

Writer: Jordan Clark, Carol Lay & Bryce Ingman

Artist: Atagun İlhan, Carol Lay & Shawn Crystal

Colorist: Pippa Bowland

Letterer: Rob Steen

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Cover A: Atagun İlhan $4.99

Cover B: Jay Hero $4.99 (1:3 unlock)

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

Melvin is a world-famous artist. His mind ranges across time to paint scenes relevant to people today. The outside world confuses him. Melvin can’t even visit the local pharmacy without getting lost. But with his wife on bed rest, he takes the prescription and ventures outside.

 

Something strange happens when Melvin enters the pharmacy. Things don’t look right to him. As he passes a sign for the Modern Living Corporation, a woman offers to help him. Melvin tries to show her the prescription but drops it. His neighbor, Myran, picks it up and guides him to the counter.

 

Melvin hates relying on others. But when June vanishes, and he can’t find her again, his teenage neighbor again rushes to his aid. Can Melvin and Myran find his wife? And what role will Petunia, Myran’s animatronic panda, play in Melvin and June’s lives? Let's grab our VR glasses, leap into Ancestral Recall #2, and see!

 

Story

Like forgotten Inkling Charles Williams, Melvin is a dreamer. His wife serves as a buffer between him and the minutiae that keep the modern world spinning. Freed from time-consuming details, Melvin can concentrate on his passion. But when June disappears, all thoughts of painting vanish. Instead of meeting with the Smithsonian, Melvin spends the day searching his neighborhood without rest or sustenance.

 

While Melvin’s thoughts span a vast tapestry of space and time, Myran is a keen observer. The irrepressible teen sees things others miss. She has noticed other neighbors disappear. And she photographed people garbed in MLC coveralls carrying away what looked like a body bag. In Ancestral Recall #2, Myran aids Melvin in his quest to find his wife.

 

At the crux of Jordan Clark’s story is Mitchell Evans, an MIT graduate who founded the Modern Living Corporation. He doesn’t share society’s fears about Artificial Intelligence. Mitchell’s company contributed the software that helps Petunia interact with Myran like a living pet. Yet like Melvin’s mind, Mitchell’s creations span space and time. Perhaps this explains the futuristic robots prowling the streets at night, carrying their neighbors away in body bags.

 

Art

Atagun İlhan paints a convincing portrait of life in near-future Oakland. While his car may seem old-fashioned, it transforms when Melvin envisions a famous ancestor. Like Dorothy and Toto, the woman gets swept up in a tornado summoned by Melvin’s lively hair in Ancestral Recall #2.

 

While Pippa Bowland paints Melvin and Myran’s roadtrip with a loaded palette, she casts June’s adventures beneath a green pall. Like her fellow test subjects, June wears a sleek, dark uniform with a white M emblazoned on her chest. Amid this confining industrial setting, Myran appears clad in her familiar blue jeans and white-and-black crop top. And like Myran, Petunia has matured in Ancestral Recall #2.

 

Rob Steen portrays dialogue with black uppercase letters in white balloons. Jordan Clark’s narration appears as blue uppercase letters in light blue boxes. Vibrant sound effects enhance Melvin’s search for June and her imprisonment in the future. Yet most important is the enlarged text that appears behind Melvin as he studies Myran’s sticker-adorned laptop. Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Adherents insist that artificial intelligence will never replace human ingenuity. Yet as AI-created art proliferates, people craft stories, essays, books, and school reports with this emerging technology. While June finds solace with Myran in the future, Melvin returns the teen’s unflagging support in Ancestral Recall #2.

 

The issue also includes two prose stories. Carol Lay contributes a contemplative and affecting story about inventors and survivor’s guilt in “The Unhappy God of Children”. Then, Bryce Ingman compiles residents’ complaints about local wildlife in the wildly humorous “Animal Control Incident Reports: 437 Red Cedar Lane.”

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Ancestral Recall #2.

 

For how this series began, see my review of Ancestral Recall #1. 

 

Ancestral Recall #2 Preview

 

Melvin Waring is a famous artist. While he pours his heart and soul into his paintings, his wife functions as his connection to the outside world. But when June goes missing, Melvin must abandon his safety zone to find her. Aided by a teen photographer and her animatronic panda, Melvin will hit the road to find his beloved Junebug. Just one question, Melvin: Do you know how to drive?

Here's all the info:

 

Ancestral Recall #2

Writer: Jordan Clark, Carol Lay & Bryce Ingman

Artist: Atagun İlhan, Carol Lay & Shawn Crystal

Colorist: Pippa Bowland

Letterer: Rob Steen

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Cover A: Atagun İlhan $4.99

Cover B: Jay Hero $4.99 (1:3 unlock)

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

 

Painter Melvin Waring sets out to find his missing wife June, and solve a series of supernatural disappearances. He is armed with the literal power of Black history, and aided by a smart but awkward teenage friend. But the futuristic Modern Living Corporation has other plans for June. 

 

This gripping new saga from the two Milestone Initiative members uses science fiction and comedy to explore the importance of Black history, the connections between the past and present, and learning to push through difficult life changes. Jordan Clark's writing credits include Aquaman and Star Wars Adventures. Atagun İlhan's previous projects include Poison Ivy and Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet. 

 

Ancestral Recall #2 also includes two short prose stories. Carol Lay writes and illustrates The Unhappy God of Children. Then, Shawn Crystal illustrates a Bryce Ingman story, Animal Control Incident Reports, which previously appeared in Bronze Age Boogie #1.

 

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

 

 Thanks to Ahoy Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

Toxie Team-Up #3 Review

 

Writers: Bryce Ingman, Hanna Bahedry & Kek-W

Artists: Sandy Jarrell, Carol Lay & Steve Conley

Colorist: Sandy Jarrell

Letterer & Production: Rob Steen

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Cover Artists: Fred Harper & Shannon Wheeler

Trading Card Artist: Greg Scott

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

Melvin has bought tickets to see the Mix Bros, but Yvonne won't attend the concert. It's not that she dislikes hip-hop. Yvonne refuses to enter the remodeled Troma-Dome while Roger Leeling's name adorns the marquee. For Yvonne, Roger Leeling exhibits the worst of corporate America. She refuses to associate with any man who is making Tromaville a worse place to live. What has gotten Yvonne so riled? And will Melvin attend the concert of his favorite hip-hop band alone? Let’s grab our mops (and earplugs), leap into Toxie Team-Up #3, and see!

 

Fracking Awesome: Story

Despite missing Yvonne, Melvin can't contain his excitement when he enters the renamed Roger Leeling's Awesome Fracking Dome. He can't wait to see his favorite band perform. Melvin inadvertently makes a friend when he calls Acid Chimp a monkey. Trouble rears its distorted head when an earthquake hits Tromaville.

 

In Bryce Ingman’s story, earthquakes and sinkholes have been plaguing Tromaville since Roger Leeling brought his Awesome Fracking business to town. While Yvonne complains in principle about these visual eyesores, the noise from the rigs is getting on her nerves. But Roger Leeling declaims any responsibility for the earthquakes and sinkholes. His Awesome Fracking rigs are reducing Americans’ dependence on foreign oil.

 

Fracking Awesome reminds us that everything we gain comes at a cost. It also forms a sequel to “It’s A Girl,” the five-page story in The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special #1. While reminding us of how the rich and powerful form cults of personality, the comic tale in Toxie Team-Up #3 reminds us of the unifying power of music.

 

Fracking Awesome: Art

Sandy Jarrell portrays Yvonne's ire when she pulls back the drapes. While Rob Steen fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text that grow bold for intonation, swells for raised voices, and rarely shrinks, he helps us hear what Yvonne finds so objectionable. Readers see earthquakes with closely aligned art and sound effects. The clash of red and blue may make readers reach for their 3D glasses.

 

Toxie wears his pink shirt bearing the lead singer’s face until Acid Chimp splashes him with a vial of green acid. His pink shirt links him with the maroon seats and the strip of purple infrastructure supporting an upper section of seats. The acid also links with Toxie's skin, forming a further connection between the new friends. The dark blue marque sporting yellow letters gets a neon makeover when another earthquake occurs. Like Captain Kirk and Mr Spock, Toxie and Acid Chimp venture into the darkness in Toxie Team-Up #3.

 

The Daily Jed, Episode 117: Entering The Snakepit

Jed Weldon wants to share his insights with you. Today’s technology reduces the barriers, allowing anyone to become a trusted news source. This second story in Toxie Team-Up #3 reminds us that in the competitive environment, “news” providers can easily spice up their "unbiased views" with conspiracy theories. Hanna Bahedry’s story forms a corollary to Roger Leeling’s view of the world in Fracking Awesome. Carol Lay’s drawing symbolizes the dilemma that prompts Jed’s latest bout of watered-down journalism.

 

A Brief History of Science Fiction

The narrator displays a reverence for his ability to spin a yarn as he rewrites Human history through the lens of classic novels and popular movies. His ability to twist the truth in delightful ways recalls Ash Williams' compelling watchability. Steve Conley provides a drawing that perfectly illustrates Kek-W's story.

 

As the narrator closes out this final story in Toxie Team-Up #3, he forms a triumphant trio with Jed Weldon and Roger Leeling. They may evoke the Japanese pictoral maxim "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." But please, don't call them the three monkeys! Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Toxie Team-Up #3 delivers a triple dose of fun. The comic tale muses on our complicity in corporate and governmental corruption, while also reminding us of our responsibility to care for our delicately balanced ecosystem. The short stories likewise provoke introspection while delivering a healthy dose of laughs straight from unhealthy (but always compelling) Tromaville.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of Toxie Team-Up #3.

 

To check out Matt Bors' story "It's A Girl," see my review of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special #1. 

Toxie Team-Up #3 Preview

 

 

Have you heard about the chip who throws acid in people's faces? It's a good thing Melvin has thick skin. He'll need it if he's going to partner with Acid Chip to investigate a mystery of toxic proportions. 

A word of advice: Acid Chip doesn't like being called a monkey. Whatever you do, don't get Acid Chip angry! You wouldn't like him when he's angry!

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

TOXIE TEAM-UP #3

(W) Bryce Ingman 

(A) Sandy Jarrell

Cover A by Fred Harper: $3.99

Cover B by Shannon Wheeler: $3.99 (1:3 unlock)

Cover C by Fred Harper Bagged with Exclusive Trading Card by Greg Scott $4.99 (open order)

Release Date: August 20, 2025

Acid Chimp—AHOY’s most cheerful character, who lives to splash corrosive acid on people—hits the Tromaville concert scene, where he collides with an acid-immune fellow music-lover, the Toxic Avenger himself! Will they destroy each other? Or will they instead team up against an evil concert-arena developer? What do YOU think?

 

This new mini-series finds Toxie rubbing elbows with characters from a number of other fan-favorite AHOY titles — in this case, Acid Chimp from Mark Russell, Bryce Ingman and Peter Krause’s absurdly hilarious MY BAD. Issue #1 found Toxie working alongside Jesus Christ (from the pages of Russell and Pace’s controversial SECOND COMING) to protect residents in a homeless shelter. Issue #2 saw Toxie and the Jersey Devil (from the creature-packed anthology PROJECT: CRYPTID) facing off in a remote diner. Future issues will include Dragonflyman and Stinger (from Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle’s multiversal saga THE WRONG EARTH) and Swamp Cop and Schitt (from Bors’ and Ben Clarkson’s satirical smash hit JUSTICE WARRIORS). 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

Here is another cover option:

 Finally, check out the trading card:

 

 Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.