The Toxic Avenger Returns, Teams Up with Jesus Christ

In 2024, AHOY Comics made a splash by bringing back the cult favorite, The Toxic Crusader, in comic book form. This year, they're taking the excitement up a notch with "Toxic Mess Summer," an event where Toxie teams up with various heroes from the AHOY Universe, including none other than Jesus Christ.

The celebration kicks off in May with the release of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, showcasing diverse artistic interpretations of Toxie and his crew. Following this, AHOY will launch the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, where Toxie collaborates with a roster of unique characters including 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.

For those unfamiliar with this satirical superhero series, Second Coming features Jesus returning to Earth and rooming with a superhero named Sunstar. The series has stirred both acclaim and controversy since its debut, and the upcoming collaboration with Toxie is sure to continue this trend.

Toxie Team-Up #1 is crafted by the creative duo behind Second Coming, Mark Russell and Richard Pace. Russell shared 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 status as a pop culture icon, saying, "The only question is: why doesn’t he have a church of his own?"

The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special will 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. Fans can pre-order The Toxic Avenger on Amazon.

Looking ahead, Toxie is set to return to the big screen in 2025. In IGN's review of the 2023 'not remake', 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."