Posted in: Ahoy, Comics, Comics Publishers, Conventions, Current News, Events, Pop Culture, san diego comic con | Tagged: lloyd kaufman, sdcc, toxic avenger

Ahoy Launches Toxic Avenger at San Diego Comic-Con With Lloyd Kaufman

The Ahoy Comics panel at San Diego Comic-Con next week will feature Toxic Avenger creator and director Lloyd Kaufman/

The Ahoy Comics panel at San Diego Comic-Con next week will feature Toxic Avenger creator and director Lloyd Kaufman, and comics creators Matt Bors, Mark Russell, Tyrone Finch, Melissa F. Olson, Juan Castro and Stuart Moore. And a free ashcan comic giveaway for their new Toxic Avenger five-issue series launching in October by Matt Bors and Fred Harper.

"There's a sweet spot in pop culture that's my favorite place to live, where high ideals merge with low trash and genius melds with drooling idiocy," said Ahoy Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. "It's in the anti-cynicism of old Mad magazines, the righteous settling-for-each-other that still drives The Simpsons, and the grossout fights for a just and unpolluted world in Toxic Avenger. For Ahoy Comics to join forces with Toxie is an honor we don't take lightly."

"Last year at Comicon I approached Lloyd Kaufman about an idea I had to revive The Toxic Avenger as a comic book," said writer Matt Bors. "This year, we're on a panel together to talk about the new series as well as all the abnormal mutations we've developed since our last meeting. We'll be showing a preview of the story I'm making with artist Fred Harper, where teenager Melvin Junko, his bullies, and the whole town of Tromaville find themselves knee-deep in toxic waste. A mysterious corporation Biohazard Solutions linked to the spill has the town under strict quarantine and definitely has everyone's best interests in mind, just trust them."

"Toxie loves comic books—but only the most fantoxic when it comes to the books he licenses!" said author and director Lloyd Kaufman. "Since it is known that Ahoy Comics are at the top of the mop, we are all honored and overjoyed: Michael Herz, the Troma team and I rejoice!"

AHOY Comics Gets Toxic panel takes place on Friday the 26th of July from 5–6 pm in Room 28DE (that's 1 am to 2am on the Saturday for me)

"AHOY Comics has made a name for itself on the comics scene with its acclaimed creators, witty satires, and commitment to bold and risk-taking storytelling. Join author and legendary director Lloyd Kaufman (Troma), comic creators Matt Bors (Toxic Avenger, Justice Warriors), Mark Russell (Second Coming), Tyrone Finch (Deadweights), Melissa F. Olson (Project Cryptid), Juan Castro (The Wrong Earth), and AHOY Ops guy Stuart Moore (Captain Ginger) for this can't-miss panel discussion about the future of the publisher that asks its readers to expect more. Get the scoop on exciting upcoming projects like award-winning writer Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows' sword-and-sorcery satire Babs; Pulitzer finalist Matt Bors and Fred Harper's take on Troma's Toxic Avenger; Tom Peyer, Jamal Igle and Castro's epic multiversal satire The Wrong Earth; Russell, Bryce Ingman and Peter Krause's gut-bustingly funny superhero parody My Bad; the star-studded, cryptid-packed anthology series Project: Cryptid; and so much more!"

The new comic is intended to combine elements of the movies with the 1991 cartoon Toxic Crusaders "to create an entirely new story that blends mutant gore and environmental satire." Previously, Marvel Comics had published a Toxic Crusader comic book in the nineties, and recently Frazer Brown intended to publish a Toxic Crusader comic after his West End production of the stage show in his crowdfunded but absent Tales From The Quarantine.

Bors says on the Ahoy Comics newsletter, "This is the first of three or four big projects I will announce this year and one I'm neck deep in writing at the moment. If you liked my mutant-laden political cartoons or the satire of Justice Warriors, then you will like the direction I'm heading in with this project. I have a lot planned for Melvin Junko, the 98-pound weakling who is transformed into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength. This will be the first Toxic Avenger comic book since a Marvel run in 1991 and we are having gobs of fun with this series. There is also brand-new movie starring Peter Dinklage that is expected to get a wide release this year, so the Toxic Avenger is back and all superheroes who aren't from New Jersey are over. Sorry. Whether you love Troma films, know nothing about the character, or I have just unlocked deep memories of watching the cartoon on Saturday mornings in the early 90s, there will be something here for you to enjoy. Much love to AHOY and Troma for letting me try something new with the character." Bors intends to update readers with its progress on his Substack.

"The Toxic Avenger delivers what Troma fans want," said Ahoy Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. "The series has violent action, gross mutations, bursting pustules, eye-popping visuals, and trenchant humor."

"If there was ever a superhuman hero for these toxic, miserable times, Toxie is the one!" said Lloyd Kaufman. "Only AHOY Comics and Bors & Harper could pull this off…er…mop this up! Toxie and the Troma Team can't wait 'til you read -no, experience – the art and stories that the Toxic Avenger Comic Book will explode in your brain, your soul, and your heart. Above all, remember – Toxie loves you and so do I."

"This series will combine elements of the original films with the Toxic Crusaders cartoon and characters in familiar ways, updated to tell a story of environmental devastation, corporate control, and social media mutation," said Bors. "The Toxic Avenger is first and foremost an environmental satire, one about a small town and its unremarkable people trapped and transformed by circumstances they don't control. The story Fred Harper and I are telling is about people frustrated by authorities telling them not to worry about their life, that things are fine, even as their dog mutates in front of their eyes. And at its core it is about a powerless boy, Melvin, who finds out he can be incredibly strong, hideously mutated, well-admired, and incredibly heroic… but still ultimately powerless over human behavior."

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!