Toxic Avenger Returns, Joins Forces with Jesus Christ

AHOY Comics has made a splash in 2024 by bringing back the beloved cult hero, The Toxic Crusader, in comic book form. This year, they're set to celebrate "Toxic Mess Summer," where Toxie will collaborate with various heroes from the AHOY Universe, including a notable partnership with Jesus Christ.

The celebration kicks off in May with the release of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, showcasing different artists' interpretations of Toxie and his crew. Following this, AHOY will launch the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, featuring Toxie teaming up with characters like Project: Cryptid's Jersey Devil, My Bad's Acid Chimp, The Wrong Earth's Dragonflyman and Stinger, Justice Warriors' Swamp Cop and Schitt, and, intriguingly, Second Coming's Jesus Christ.

Art by Fred Harper. (Image Credit: Ahoy Comics)For those unfamiliar with the satirical superhero series, Second Coming follows Jesus returning to Earth and rooming with a superhero named Sunstar. The series has seen its share of praise and controversy, and the inclusion of Jesus teaming up with Toxie is likely to continue stirring the pot.

Toxie Team-Up #1 is both written and drawn by the creative team behind Second Coming, Mark Russell and Richard Pace.

“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,” said Russell in AHOY's press release. “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 added, “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?”

Art by Fred Harper. (Image Credit: AHOY Comics)The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special is slated for release 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.

Toxie is also set to return to the big screen in 2025. In IGN's review of The Toxic Avenger, Amelia Emberwing notes, "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."