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, to the comic book world. This year, they're diving into a unique event called "Toxic Mess Summer," where Toxie collaborates with various heroes from the AHOY Universe, including an unexpected partner—Jesus Christ.

The celebration begins in May with the launch of The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, where a diverse range of artists will showcase their unique interpretations of Toxie and his crew. Following this, AHOY will roll out the miniseries Toxie Team-Up, featuring Toxie teaming up with an eclectic mix of characters: Project: Cryptid's Jersey Devil, My Bad's Acid Chimp, The Wrong Earth's Dragonflyman and Stinger, Justice Warriors' Swamp Cop and Schitt, and, notably, Second Coming's Jesus Christ.

For those new to this satirical superhero saga, Second Coming follows Jesus returning to Earth and rooming with a superhero named Sunstar. The series has stirred both praise and controversy, and the teaming up of Jesus and Toxie is likely to continue that trend.

Toxie Team-Up #1 is crafted by the creative duo behind Second Coming, Mark Russell and Richard Pace. Russell humorously remarked, “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 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?”

The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special is set to hit 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.

Toxie is also slated to return to the big screen in 2025. In IGN's review of the 2023 'not remake' of The Toxic Avenger, Amelia Emberwing noted, "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."