The Toxic Avenger had more influence in comics than people might realize, and a lot of it comes from being an 80’s New Jersey construct. Between the cult status of the movies made by Troma—a B-movie production company that helped launch the career of James Gunn (of Guardians of the Galaxy and DC Films)—and the 90s comics boom, The Toxic Avenger was prime for a comeback which is why its success at AHOY is unsurprising. Especially, as someone who grew up in New Jersey during that time.
To commemorate, AHOY Comics is announcing they’re including a collectible trading card by artist Steve Ellis (The Only Living Boy, High Noon) to be included in a newly added special variant edition of issue #2. All in part of the 5-issue comic series by political satirist and Pulitzer prize finalist Matt Bors and artist Fred Harper.
THE TOXIC AVENGER #1 Cover D will feature a collectible trading card by Harper on October 9th. THE TOXIC AVENGER #2 Cover D featuring Ellis’ collectible trading card will be released on November 13th.
“Speaking as a completely unbiased observer with absolutely no skin in the game, it feels like a very good time to be an AHOY fan,” said AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “We’ve had two runaway hits this year with brand new series THE TOXIC AVENGER and BABS by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows — both of which have been the most successful AHOY Comics launches since the delightfully controversial SECOND COMING by Mark Russell, Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk. Is AHOY Comics about to blow up and forget the names of all the small-timers who knew us when we were nobodies? Watch this space!”
Here’s the series official description accord to AHOY:
In THE TOXIC AVENGER, teenager Melvin Junko helps run his parent’s junkyard in Tromaville, a small town in New Jersey where nothing much ever happens — until an ill-timed train derailment of toxic waste transforms Melvin into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength: the Toxic Avenger! Under a media blackout imposed by Biohazard Solutions (BS) and their PR-spewing Chairwoman Lindsay Flick, Melvin emerges as a hero fighting against BS and the mutated threats that keep popping up around Tromaville. Eventually Melvin uncovers a vast conspiracy more far-reaching than he could have ever imagined — but he knows if everyone is simply made aware of the crisis, they’ll act to stop it. Right?
TOXIC AVENGER is the second comic book series from Bors, following the release of JUSTICE WARRIORS, his critically-acclaimed comic with artist Ben Clarkson which follows two police officers, Swamp Cop and Schitt, stationed in the world’s first perfect city. 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.
THE TOXIC AVENGER #1 will land in stores on October 9, 2024, with THE TOXIC AVENGER #2 following on November 13, 2024. You can check the Toxic Avenger #1 and Toxic Avenger #2 trading card just below.
