The Toxic Avenger is one of the odder R-rated movies from the 1980s to spawn a franchise aimed at children. The horror movie inspired an animated series, Toxic Crusaders, action figures, video games, and a Marvel Comics series. Now, the Toxic Avenger is returning to comics in a new series from Ahoy Comics.
“The Toxic Avenger delivers what Troma fans want,” said Ahoy Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “The series has violent action, gross mutations, bursting pustules, eye-popping visuals, and trenchant humor.” Despite this, the series is also sarcastically smart, making the satire-focused Ahoy Comics the perfect publishing partner in bringing Toxie back to comics.
Ahoy Comics Series to Feature Classic Toxic Avenger
The foremost question of franchise fans is upon which of the Toxic Avengers the new series is based. Troma Films released a reboot film in 2023 starring Peter Dinklage as a new incarnation of the titular hero. However, the Ahoy Comics series stars the classic Avenger, teenager Melvin Junko.
A janitor and junkyard worker, Melvin was forever transformed after being exposed to toxic waste. Melvin fought crime and exposed corruption with his newfound powers. However, he also made many enemies among the establishment of Tromaville, New Jersey.
The new series will pit Melvin against a corrupt corporation called Biohazard Solutions (BS) and their PR-spewing Chair, Lindsay Flick. Eventually Melvin uncovers a vast conspiracy covered up by BS. This leaves Melvin fighting both the mutant monsters created by BS’s pollution and the apathy of Tromaville’s citizens to the looming crisis.
In addition to the classic Toxic Avenger, writer Matt Bors says the new series will include elements of the Toxic Crusaders cartoon. However, Bors main concern is staying true to the original film’s themes of environmentalism and the power of the individual.
“The story (artist) Fred Harper and I are telling is about people frustrated by authorities telling them not to worry about their life, that things are fine, even as their dog mutates in front of their eyes,” Bors notes. “And at its core it is about a powerless boy, Melvin, who finds out he can be incredibly strong, hideously mutated, well-admired, and incredibly heroic… but still ultimately powerless over human behavior.”
Toxic Avenger #1 spills into comic shops everywhere on October 9, 2024
