The Toxic Avenger Is Back, and He's Teaming Up With... Jesus Christ?

AHOY Comics' 2024 revival of cult hero Toxic Crusader continues this year with "Toxic Mess Summer," a crossover event uniting Toxie with AHOY's diverse roster of heroes, including a surprising collaboration with Jesus Christ.

The summer extravaganza begins in May with The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special, showcasing various artists' interpretations of Toxie and his cohorts. This is followed by the Toxie Team-Up miniseries, featuring Toxie teaming up with characters from Project: Cryptid, My Bad, The Wrong Earth, Justice Warriors, and, notably, Second Coming's Jesus Christ.

For those unfamiliar, Second Coming depicts Jesus' return to Earth and his roommate relationship with a superhero. This unlikely pairing has generated significant buzz, and the Toxie collaboration promises more of the same.

Toxie Team-Up #1 is written and illustrated by Mark Russell and Richard Pace, the creative team behind Second Coming. Russell commented in AHOY's press release, "Toxic Avenger and Jesus Christ is the team-up everyone's been waiting for. Christ demonstrates that there are solutions beyond violence, a message relatable even in the bizarre setting of Tromaville."

AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer added, "The Toxic Avenger is a pop culture icon, having appeared in films, cartoons, and even a Marvel comic. The only question is: why doesn't he have his own church?"

The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special releases May 14th, followed by Toxie Team-Up #1 on June 11th. A trade paperback collection of Matt Bors and Fred Harper's The Toxic Avenger miniseries arrives April 1st. Pre-orders are available on Amazon.

Toxie's cinematic return is also slated for 2025. IGN's review of the 2023 Toxic Avenger film described it as a "mixed bag," acknowledging its budgetary advantages over the original but noting a shortfall in the "so-bad-it's-good" charm of Troma's earlier work. However, the review praised the film's heart and practical effects, as well as the performances of Kevin Bacon and Peter Dinklage.