Acclaimed Syracuse-based comic book publisher Ahoy Comics Has announced the launch of The Toxic Avenger Comics, an all-new ongoing series masterminded by The Nib founder and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Matt Bors, who will be writing the series. Following the announcement, Ahoy has shared a first look at the cover art for issue #1.
Each issue of The Toxic Avenger Comics first story arc will be illustrated by a different artist and showcase a different genre. The series launches in July with a horror-themed story written by Bors and illustrated by Fred Harper, with covers by Harper and Bors as well as a sketch variant cover and a trading card variant cover. Subsequent issues will be told in the tradition of crime comics (issue 2), sci-fi comics (issue 3), romance comics (issue 4) and fantasy comics (issue 5), with each drawn by a different top secret and yet-to-be-announced artist.
The series’ debut comes in advance of the action-packed Toxic Crusaders beat ’em up videogame from Retroware and the highly anticipated Cineverse theatrical release of The Toxic Avengerfilm starring Peter Dinklage as Toxie on Labor Day weekend.
“When I first approached Lloyd Kaufman and Troma about reviving the Toxic Avenger in comics, I wasn’t modest,” said Bors. “I pitched a new origin, outrageous new characters, and a fully mapped-out, mopped-up, multi-year storyline. Now, Fred Harper and I have been given the green light to go fucking nuts.”
In the debut issue’s self-contained horror story, kids are disappearing from Toxie’s hometown of Tromaville, NJ. Did they simply run away from the chemically polluted town? Or is the real explanation even more frightening? Each issue of the first story arc — issues one through five — will feature the first appearance of an entirely new character and have a two-page story illustrated by Fred Harper that sets up the second story, “Toxie Goes to Washington” that starts with issue six.
Ahoy Comics recently announced plans for a Toxic Mess Summer, which kicks off with the publication of The Toxic Avenger trade paperback in bookstores on April 1, 2025. In May, a slew of incredible artists and writers will team up for for The Toxi Avenger Pinup Special, followed by an ambitious mini-series, Toxie Teamp-Up, that will launch in June and find Toxie rubbing elbows with characters from a number of other fan-favorite Ahoy titles, including Jesus Christ (from the pages of Russell and Pace’s controversial SECOND COMING), the Jersey Devil (from the creature-packed anthology PROJECT: CRYPTID), Acid Chimp (from Russell, Bryce Ingman and Peter Krause’s absurdly hilarious MY BAD), Dragonflyman and Stinger (from Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle’s multiversal saga THE WRONG EARTH), and Swamp Cop and Schitt (from Bors’ and Ben Clarkson’s satirical smash hit JUSTICE WARRIORS).
The Toxic Avenger first appeared in the 1984 cult classic film about a mutated weakling mopping up a corporate mess, directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and starring Mitchell Cohen. 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—and he is also perfect for AHOY Comics, a Syracuse-based publisher dedicated to satirizing horror, space opera, social satire, sword & sorcery, and superhero stories. Toxic Avenger is the second AHOY comic book series from Bors, following the release of Justice Warriors, his critically-acclaimed comic with artist Ben Clarkson which follows two police officers, Swamp Cop and Schitt, stationed in the world’s first perfect city.
“Toxic Avenger has always been a genre mashup of horror, comedy, and superhero,” said Bors. “I wanted to lean hard onto what stories are possible with this specific character in this specific medium — comics. In these first five issues, we are delving into the crime rotting the heart of Tromaville, the romance between Toxie and his girlfriend Yvonne, the science fiction of mutant powers, and more. Me — and the talented they won’t let me announce just yet! — are adding new mutated heroes, demented villains, and horny losers to every single issue. These are characters you will see again, as we lay the groundwork for a real ongoing series with years of stories ahead.”
The Toxic Avenger Comics #1 will land in comic shops on July 9, 2025. Meanwhile, The Toxic Avenger graphic novel hits stores on April Fool’s Day, followed by The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special on May 14, 2025 and issue #1 of the Toxie Team-Up series on June 11, 2025.
