“The Toxic Avenger” is one of those cult classic films that have gotten bigger than was expected. One way was a cartoon adaptation in the 90s called “The Toxic Crusaders,” which, despite its short thirteen-episode run, has garnered fans and comic book adaptations. One of the more recent ones, called simply “The Toxic Crusaders,” is by Matt Bors with artists Tristan Wright and Lee Loughridge.
The evil corporation, APOC, led by the alien Mr. K, is mass-producing toxic waste to destroy the entire planet. The Toxic Crusaders are now trying to prevent that from happening, even if they can’t agree on how to go about it. It’s a plot straight out of the cartoon, but not as corny or oozing with ’90s everything. The writing is more serious, like the movie with talks of terrorism, death and other politics. It will make any Toxie fan want to continue reading. The artwork appears to be from that era, with shading that seems a bit too dark for modern audiences, and Toxie having hulking muscles that suggest he’s on steroids. Basically, exactly what Toxie fans want.
The first short story, “Guitars VS Rayguns! Last Stand on Uranus by Carl Cafarelli, is about a band of captured Earthlings getting into a raygun fight with a bunch of people from Uranus because the lead singer said, “I hate the fucking Eagles!” That’s it. You’ll get a chuckle out of it if you’re familiar with the underground rock and roll scene or have played in an underground rock and roll band. “Hotel California” is serious business.
Lastly, “The Last Monologue” by Larry Hodges is the typical “James Bond” satire where he gets captured and instead of killing him, the bad guy gloats, but instead the bad guy kills Bond. Next.
The first issue of “The Toxic Crusaders” is exactly what Toxie fans want, with polluting villains, retro-style art and anti-pollution messages. The first short story is OK, while the other is skippable.
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