I've been traveling lately and fallen behind on sharing all the latest news with you. Still, I don't want you to miss out! Hot on the heels of the Toxic Avenger Pinup Special #1 comes this exciting announcement from Ahoy Comics:
AHOY Comics Launches TOXIC CRUSADERS,
An All-New Limited Series from Acclaimed Writer Matt Bors and Debut Talent Tristan Wright,
Featuring A Special Retroware Game Art Variant Cover
From The Highly Anticipated Toxic Crusaders Video Game
Join in the rebirth of the greatest and grossest animated-series sensation of all time: TOXIC CRUSADERS,
an all-new limited comic book series coming this September featuring
the Toxic Avenger of Troma Entertainment fame alongside fellow mutants
No-Zone, Junkyard, Major Disaster, and the all-new character Fungirl.
The five-issue series from acclaimed Syracuse-based comic book publisher
AHOY Comics will be written by THE NIB founder and two-time Pulitzer
Prize finalist Matt Bors — whose recent revival of the Toxic Avenger in
comics received widespread acclaim — and feature art by debut talent
Tristan Wright.
“In
the aftermath of the chemical spill that created Toxie, other mutants
arose — and they have united to wage war against an alien conspiracy,”
said writer Matt Bors. “We are taking everything from the original Toxic Crusaders cartoon —gross mutations, evil aliens, and over-the-top ecological action — to bring readers a must-read mutant monthly.”
In addition to a main cover by series artist Tristan Wright, TOXIC CRUSADERS will
feature an exclusive trading card variant, a variant cover by AR
Sullivan, and a special Retroware game art variant cover by Xander
Arnot, celebrating the all-new, highly anticipated upcoming Toxic Crusaders game. Issue #1 of TOXIC CRUSADERS will land in stores on September 10, hot on the heels of the all-new Toxic Avenger movie starring Peter Dinklage, which hits theaters on Labor Day Weekend.
Here are the other covers:
“Watch
the movie. Read the comic. Play the game. It’s like the ‘90s never
ended!” said variant cover artist and Retroware Art Director Xander
Arnot. “If there was ever (another) time to love the Toxic Avenger, or
his colorful crew of superhuman Crusaders, it’s now!"
AHOY Comics’ plans for a Toxic Mess Summer are in full swing following the publication of THE TOXIC AVENGER (tpb) in bookstores in April and the TOXIC AVENGER PINUP SPECIAL in May. An ambitious mini-series, TOXIE TEAM-UP,
launches in June that finds Toxie rubbing elbows with characters from a
number of other fan-favorite AHOY titles — followed by THE TOXIC AVENGER COMICS #1,
the first of an all-new ongoing series in comic shops, in July. It’s
all leading up to the action-packed Toxic Crusaders beat 'em up
videogame from Retroware, the highly anticipated Cineverse theatrical
release of The Toxic Avenger film starring Peter Dinklage as Toxie on
Labor Day weekend, and the launch of TOXIC CRUSADERS in September.
The Toxic Avenger first appeared in the 1984 cult classic film about a mutated weakling mopping up a corporate mess, directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and starring Mitchell Cohen. 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 — and
he is also perfect for AHOY Comics, a Syracuse-based publisher
dedicated to satirizing horror, space opera, social satire, sword &
sorcery, and superhero stories.
"Everyone
at AHOY Comics is delighted to publish a world-famous group of
characters who are as well-meaning, violent, and frankly disgusting as
we ourselves wish we could be,” said AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom
Peyer. “We’re also delighted to debut the work of talented artist
Tristan Wright. Matt found some of Tristan's work online and shared it
with me — and we both thought, where has he been all our lives? It's
solid, imaginative, amusing work, and we intend to extract as much as we
can, like the cold-blooded capitalists we are."
Here’s what folks are saying about AHOY’s revival of THE TOXIC AVENGER:
“An absolute delight…
Matt Bors[‘s] unique style of earnestly sardonic sociopolitical
commentary sets the perfect tone for artist Fred Harper's grotesquely
cartoonish line work.”
—BOING BOING
"A towering achievement, as important as it is entertaining!!
Tear up your lame Superman and Spider-Man comics, the definitive hero
for the 21st Century has arrived! Fun, funny, and cleverly told, a
worthy successor to the film series, and another winner from AHOY."
— John Layman, The Scorched, Titans
“An explosion of mighty storytelling…
Fred
Harper's art is gross, vivid, stylized, and always capable of robust
world-building. Matt Bors' story is a testament to how you do an
adaptation with respect, power, and humanity.”—AIPT
“The art is the star of this show from page one…. Don’t miss it.”
—COMICS BEAT
"Perfectly captures the perverse indie vibes of the original. Reminds me of how I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing when I saw the films for the first time."
— Mark Russell, Second Coming, Batman: Dark Age
“[A] smash-hit… It’s Tromaville at its most Tromaville-y… Fred Harper’s artwork is a grotesque tour de force, perfectly aligning with the story’s over-the-top ambiance…
This radioactive revival is operating at full throttle.”
—COMIC CRUSADERS
"I'm so happy Melvin is back and more relevant than ever.
Is it just me or does Fred draw him kinda hot, too? What a hunk."
— Sophie Campbell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
“A version that amps up the grotesque and slaps on the ‘certified: fun’ sticker… The result is evolving The Toxic Crusader into more of a three-dimensional radioactive dispenser of justice.”
—MY KIND OF WEIRD
“Matt Bors and Fred Harper bring the irradiated, insectoid action and sharp political satire.”
—GRAPHIC POLICY
"An old favorite gets the toxic reboot it deserves!
Thank you Matt Bors and Fred Harper! Consider me Tromatized!"
— Keith Knight, The K Chronicles, Woke
“Each panel feels like an adventure of its own…
This is one of the most fun series in all of comics today.”—NERD INITIATIVE
TOXIC CRUSADERS #1 will land in comic shops on September 10, 2025. Meanwhile, issue #1 of the TOXIE TEAM-UP series will be published on June 11, 2025, followed by THE TOXIC AVENGER COMICS #1 on July 9, 2025.
Here are some screenshots from the upcoming Toxic Crusaders game:
About AHOY Comics
AHOY
Comics debuted in the fall of 2018 with the bold promise for readers to
expect more from its line of comic book magazines, featuring comic book
stories, poetry, prose fiction, and cartoons. The independent,
Syracuse-based company is the brainchild of publisher Hart Seely, an
award-winning reporter whose humor and satire has appeared in The New
York Times and on National Public Radio. AHOY’s editor-in-chief Tom
Peyer is committed to publishing comics with a (dark) sense of humor
with titles like the religious satires SECOND COMING and HIGH HEAVEN,
the superhero parodies THE WRONG EARTH and MY BAD, the sci-fi spoofs
CAPTAIN GINGER and HIGHBALL, the time travel tales PLANET OF THE NERDS
and G.I.L.T., and the humor/horror anthology series EDGAR ALLAN POE’S
SNIFTER OF BLOOD.
About Troma Entertainment, Inc.
Established
in 1974 by Yale friends Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, Troma
Entertainment is the longest-running, independent movie studio in North
America, and it's one of the very few genuine brand names in the
industry. Troma is worldfamous for producing & distributing classics
such as Kaufman's "The Toxic Avenger", Trey Parker's "Cannibal! The
Musical", "Poultrygeist", "Class of Nuke 'Em High", Charles Kaufman's
"Mother's Day" & "Tromeo & Juliet". Many of today's luminaries
can be found in Troma's library of 1000 films, TV shows & shorts.
Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, Fergie, Vincent
D'Onofrio, Samuel L. Jackson, James Gunn & Eli Roth are just a few
notable Troma-lumni. Troma Blu-rays, DVDs, books, shirts &
Tromabilia can be purchased at www.tromadirect.com. Troma's classic & new films & exclusive extras can be viewed at www.troma-now.com.
About Retroware Games
Retroware Games
is an independent game developer and publisher founded in 2017, based
in Chalfont, Pennsylvania. The company is dedicated to delivering "retro
experiences with modern conveniences" by blending nostalgic aesthetics
with contemporary gameplay. Retroware is known for titles like Prison City, a dystopian side-scrolling action game inspired by NES classics, Iron Meat, a run-and-gun shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world, and The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, a parody platformer. Their upcoming game Toxic Crusaders
revives beloved characters in a modern beat 'em up format. Retroware
also operates physical arcade locations, like their Lansdale, PA space,
where classic and modern gaming meet. Through game development,
publishing, and arcades, Retroware keeps retro gaming alive for new and
longtime fans.
About the creators
Matt Bors
is a cartoonist, writer, editor, and publisher who founded the comics
publication The Nib. His work has appeared in The Nation, CNN, The
Guardian, The Village Voice, Daily Kos, and was collected in the book We Should Improve Society Somewhat. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize Finalist for his political cartoons and drew the graphic novel War Is Boring.
Artist Tristan Wright,
a New Jersey native (like the Toxic Crusaders!), now resides a mile and
a half inland from San Francisco Bay, where he raises two small
children and creates self-published comics, multimedia projects, and
bone-crushing Toxic Avenger/Crusaders art.
For more updates on AHOY Comics, visit them on X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram.
For more updates on the Toxic Crusaders video game, visit Retroware’s website.
