"Toxic Avenger Returns, Teams Up with Jesus Christ"

In 2024, AHOY Comics made a significant splash by bringing back the cult favorite, The Toxic Crusader, in comic form. This year, they are gearing up for a special event called "Toxic Mess Summer," featuring Toxie teaming up with various heroes from the AHOY Universe, including an unexpected partner—Jesus Christ.

The event kicks off in May with the release of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, showcasing unique interpretations of Toxie and his crew by various artists. Following this, AHOY will launch the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, where Toxie collaborates with notable characters such as Jersey Devil from Project: Cryptid, Acid Chimp from My Bad, Dragonflyman and Stinger from The Wrong Earth, Swamp Cop and Schitt from Justice Warriors, and, intriguingly, Jesus Christ from Second Coming.

For those unfamiliar with the satirical superhero series, Second Coming follows Jesus as he returns to Earth and becomes roommates with a superhero named Sunstar. The series has stirred both acclaim and controversy since its inception, and the collaboration between Jesus and Toxie is expected to continue this trend.

Toxie Team-Up #1 is crafted by the creative duo behind Second Coming, Mark Russell and Richard Pace. Russell expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “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. 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 highlighted Toxie's iconic status, saying, “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 is set to hit the shelves on May 14, with Toxie Team-Up #1 following on June 11. Additionally, Matt Bors and Fred Harper's The Toxic Avenger miniseries will be available in a trade paperback edition starting April 1, which you can preorder on Amazon.

Looking ahead, Toxie is slated to return to the big screen in 2025. In a review by IGN, Amelia Emberwing commented on the 2023 'not remake' of The Toxic Avenger, stating, "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."