INTERVIEW: Get ready because Toxie is coming back, this time in comic form
Image courtesy of AHOY Comics / Provided by Superfan Promotions with permission.
The Toxic Avenger, the classic Troma film, is proving to be one of the most adaptable and versatile creative properties of the past half century. This little-film-that-could is an absurd and absurdly hilarious film about a young man who is turned into a monstrous creature nicknamed Toxie. As the tagline states, “He was 98 pounds of solid nerd until he became … The Toxic Avenger.”
That original film, which is now a certified cult classic, is more than four decades old. Since its initial release, the movie has spawned sequels, an off-Broadway musical and a comic book series. There’s now a reboot starring Peter Dinklage scheduled for release later this year, and fans of Toxie can enjoy yet another comic series, this time from AHOY Comics.
The new Toxic Avenger series will be written by Matt Bors, creator of The Nib comics collection and a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. What’s unique about the new series is that the first five issues will each feature a different genre and a different artist. The first installment comes in July, with Bors writing a horror-themed storyline, featuring art by Fred Harper, according to press notes. Future issues will include crime, sci-fi, romance and fantasy themes. After the first few issues, Harper takes over full-time duty.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Bors and Tom Peyer, AHOY Comics’ editor-in-chief. Bors is known for his political cartoons and the graphic novel War Is Boring; he has also published work in The Nation, The Guardian, The Village Voice and Daily Kos. AHOY Comics, for the unbeknownst, has been going strong since 2018, according to the company’s official biography. Some of their top releases include Second Coming, High Heaven, The Wrong Earth and Planet of the Nerds. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
When did you first watch The Toxic Avenger, and what did you like about the film?
BORS: What I liked most about the film was Toxie putting a guy‘s hand into a VHS rewinding machine and watching it rip his fingers off before he pulled someone’s intestines out and started jumping rope with them. That’s what stuck in my mind when I saw it at a far too young age. I also watched the Toxic Crusaders cartoon and had some of the toys, which all came out in 1991, so I would have been around 8 years old. I think I saw the movie first! I don’t remember the first time I ever saw it because I was so young. In those beautiful days, you just rented whatever you wanted from the video store based on cool cover art — and The Toxic Avenger beckoned many of us.
Why do you think this property has endured in popularity?
BORS: It’s schlocky and charming. I think people of a certain generation have an affection for it because, again, we watched it when we were children and it stuck in our brains. For older people there were screenings at independent cinemas, and it became a cult film, in part, because it showed that you didn’t have to have a high budget or a polished script to make a fun or successful movie. It was quite hostile to the Hollywood machine and even mainstream horror movies. That’s why they call it Grade-Z cinema. It’s beyond low budget and revels in that. That’s the Troma promise and their legacy right there.
Will your comic book feature new adventures for Toxie?
BORS: Absolutely, we have an all new origin story for Toxie that updates it for a Tromaville of 2025. The Toxic Crusaders are being integrated into the story, and we have just an incredible amount of new characters and villains that are going to be introducing in every single issue — from new villains, bizarre gangs, a new Toxic Crusader and, of course, a crazed killer robot.
Does jumping around genre make this series fun?
BORS: Oh, I can’t wait for everybody to see what we’re cooking. Toxic Avenger started as a mashup of the horror, comedy and superhero genres. We’re gonna add a few more and really lean into them because I think it’s a versatile character. So, for instance, in the science fiction issue, we’re gonna focus on the Toxic Crusaders and their powers and this strange new villain that will be sort of a counter balance to them. And in the romance issue, we are still gonna have all the gore and satire that you’ve come to expect in the series, but we are really going to focus very earnestly on the budding relationship between Toxie and his girlfriend Yvonne.
How did AHOY nab the rights to The Toxic Avenger?
PEYER: It started with Matt! He broke the ice with Troma and came to us. He’d wanted to work on this character since he was a kid watching Toxic Crusaders. So he willed this thing into existence. As did Hart Seely, our publisher, and Lillian Laserson, our fixer. I didn’t have to do anything! But I still get my name in every issue, in a prominent spot. Life is good when you know how to take advantage of people. They practically beg for it!
There are many fan bases for Toxie: older crowd who grew up in the ’80s, younger crowd who remember the cartoon, nostalgia hounds. Who’s in your target audience for this release?
PEYER: I wouldn’t think about excluding anyone! We want you all! It’s impressive how many shades are in Toxie’s palette. There’s violence, there are gross-outs, but there is also humor, and a feeling for outcasts, there are notes of politics and environmentalism. There’s something in Toxie for different appetites, different preferences. And Matt and Fred’s work is so smart and funny and affectionate toward the characters. Whatever you like, you might really like this.
What motivated the decision to go with a different artist for each issue?
PEYER: Matt has placed each of the first five self-contained stories in a different genre: crime, science fiction, horror, etc. We’re lining artists up who are sensitive to these genres. Now, Fred could handle all of those himself; he’s so capable. But all of these artists will give him time to get the jump on a big epic that starts in #6. Since Toxic Avenger Comics is an ongoing series — there won’t be any breathers like the ones we plan between miniseries. And we don’t want to work anyone to death. So you’ll see artists poking their noses in now and then. But Fred’s presence will be felt in those first issues. He’ll do a cover and a short interior piece every month.
Why is Matt Bors the right person for the job?
PEYER: I ask myself that every night. Just kidding. I don’t. If it weren’t for Matt, the job wouldn’t even exist. His head is full of Toxie characters, Toxie plans. He understands all this in a way that could only be managed by someone with a lot of skill who really loves the material.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Toxic Avenger, written by Matt Bors, will be released by AHOY Comics in July. Click here for more information.
