(April 1, 2025) Acclaimed Syracuse-based comic book publisher AHOY Comics is launching 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. 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 TOXIC AVENGER COMICS’ 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 Avenger film 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 (tpb) in bookstores on April 1, 2025. In May, a slew of incredible artists and writers will team up for for THE TOXIC AVENGER PINUP SPECIAL, followed by an ambitious mini-series, TOXIE TEAM-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.”
Here’s what folks are saying about Bors’ and Harper’s THE TOXIC AVENGER:
“An absolute delight… Matt Bors[‘s] unique style of earnestly sardonic sociopolitical commentary sets the perfect tone for artist Fred Harper’s grotesquely cartoonish line work.”
—BOING BOING
“A towering achievement, as important as it is entertaining!! Tear up your lame Superman and Spider-Man comics, the definitive hero for the 21st Century has arrived! Fun, funny, and cleverly told, a worthy successor to the film series, and another winner from AHOY.”
— John Layman, The Scorched, Titans
“An explosion of mighty storytelling…
Fred Harper’s art is gross, vivid, stylized, and always capable of robust world-building. Matt Bors’ story is a testament to how you do an adaptation with respect, power, and humanity.”—AIPT
“The art is the star of this show from page one…. Don’t miss it.”
—COMICS BEAT
“Perfectly captures the perverse indie vibes of the original. Reminds me of how I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing when I saw the films for the first time.”
— Mark Russell, Second Coming, Batman: Dark Age
“[A] smash-hit… It’s Tromaville at its most Tromaville-y… Fred Harper’s artwork is a grotesque tour de force, perfectly aligning with the story’s over-the-top ambiance…
This radioactive revival is operating at full throttle.”
—COMIC CRUSADERS
“I’m so happy Melvin is back and more relevant than ever.
Is it just me or does Fred draw him kinda hot, too? What a hunk.”
— Sophie Campbell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
“A version that amps up the grotesque and slaps on the ‘certified: fun’ sticker… The result is evolving The Toxic Crusader into more of a three-dimensional radioactive dispenser of justice.”
—MY KIND OF WEIRD
“Matt Bors and Fred Harper bring the irradiated, insectoid action and sharp political satire.”
—GRAPHIC POLICY
“An old favorite gets the toxic reboot it deserves!
Thank you Matt Bors and Fred Harper! Consider me Tromatized!”
— Keith Knight, The K Chronicles, Woke
“Each panel feels like an adventure of its own…
This is one of the most fun series in all of comics today.”—NERD INITIATIVE
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.
For more updates on AHOY Comics, visit them on X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram.
About AHOY Comics
AHOY Comics debuted in the fall of 2018 with the bold promise for readers to expect more from its line of comic book magazines, featuring comic book stories, poetry, prose fiction, and cartoons. The independent, Syracuse-based company is the brainchild of publisher Hart Seely, an award-winning reporter whose humor and satire has appeared in The New York Times and on National Public Radio. AHOY’s editor-in-chief Tom Peyer is committed to publishing comics with a (dark) sense of humor with titles like the religious satires SECOND COMING and HIGH HEAVEN, the superhero parodies THE WRONG EARTH and MY BAD, the sci-fi spoofs CAPTAIN GINGER and HIGHBALL, the time travel tales PLANET OF THE NERDS and G.I.L.T., and the humor/horror anthology series EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF BLOOD.
About Troma Entertainment, Inc.
Established in 1974 by Yale friends Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, Troma Entertainment is the longest-running, independent movie studio in North America, and it’s one of the very few genuine brand names in the industry. Troma is worldfamous for producing & distributing classics such as Kaufman’s “The Toxic Avenger”, Trey Parker’s “Cannibal! The Musical”, “Poultrygeist”, “Class of Nuke ‘Em High”, Charles Kaufman’s “Mother’s Day” & “Tromeo & Juliet”. Many of today’s luminaries can be found in Troma’s library of 1000 films, TV shows & shorts. Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, Fergie, Vincent D’Onofrio, Samuel L. Jackson, James Gunn & Eli Roth are just a few notable Troma-lumni. Troma Blu-rays, DVDs, books, shirts & Tromabilia can be purchased at www.tromadirect.com. Troma’s classic & new films & exclusive extras can be viewed at www.troma-now.com.
About the creators
Matt Bors is a cartoonist, writer, editor, and publisher who founded the comics publication The Nib. His work has appeared in The Nation, CNN, The Guardian, The Village Voice, Daily Kos, and was collected in the book We Should Improve Society Somewhat. He is a two time Pulitzer Prize Finalist for his political cartoons and drew the graphic novel War Is Boring.
Fred Harper has illustrated stories for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Most memorable (at least to Fred) would be penciling for Animal Man at DC Vertigo. He started out with Savage Sword of Conan at Marvel, followed by Ghost Rider, Vengeance, and Doctor Strange. He went on to do illustrations for White Wolf and Magic the Gathering as he transitioned to magazine illustrations for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, The Week, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Muscle and Fitness, Men’s Health, and Muscular Development… to name a few. Fred currently resides in an apartment where he conducts experiments about the effects of copious amounts of espresso on an artist’s brain. Results have been inconclusive, but sometimes secrets take time for the beans to spill.
