Happy 4th Of July, and welcome back to Rotten Ink and to a very special American Hero update as it’s connected to the “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” theme as for this Independence Day. We are going to be talking about a hero from New Jersey who is a hideously deformed creature of super-human size and strength that helps the good people of Tromaville and who has faced all types of criminals from killers to the corrupt. Of course I am talking about The Toxic Avenger, the cult classic hero that was created by Lloyd Kauffman and Troma Entertainment! That’s right, nothing says American hero in entertainment like a mop swinging monstrous hero that brutally murders evildoers. I mean Hell, he even defeated the Devil and an evil version of himself! So while the food is cooking on the grill and the fireworks are being prepped for the evening light show, let’s head to Tromaville, New Jersey and talk about The Toxic Avenger!
So let’s first start off by taking a look at The Toxic Avenger and his way of dealing with evildoers! The Toxic Avenger was originally Melvin Junko, a 98 pound weakling who worked as a janitor at a health club and was mocked and cruelly hazed by the members. One prank went terribly wrong, and Melvin fell into a barrel of toxic waste turning him into The Toxic Avenger, a hideously deformed creature of super-human size and strength! The Toxic Avenger is very gross in appearance as his skin is melted and even has one droopy eye, and this alone strikes fear into the heart of his enemies. Toxie also smells really bad, and the stench of him can repulse and burn the eyes of those in his way. The Toxic Avenger also has Tromatons, a chemical reaction in his body that alerts him when evil is around, and also when they go off it sets him off in a rage to destroy the evil that is around him in a violent way. Toxie is also very strong and can over power any man that he goes up against as he is also a skilled fighter. The strength of The Toxic Avenger allows him to break bones and remove limbs and guts from the baddies of the world, and this makes for a very gruesome scene. Toxie also uses a mop to beat the Hell out of evildoers, and this becomes his key weapon over the years of being a monster hero and early on his crime fighting ways he would ram mops down the throats of his victims. Toxie can also be around toxic waste as it no longer effects him, as his whole body has been changed by it. But while The Toxic Avenger is a powerful monster hero, he does have some flaws and weaknesses that can lead to his defeat. Toxie’s appearance leaves him at odds with the small people of Tromaville as they fear him and this makes it easy for criminals to set him up to look like a monster on the loose. Toxie can also doubt himself and get his feeling hurt and this can lead him on being on the losing side of a fight. He also loves his blind girlfriend Sara or is that Claire who can be used against him. But as of this update there is not clear way to defeat The Toxic Avenger, and thank goodness he is on our side.
So as you can see, The Toxic Avenger truly is a hideously deformed creature of super-human size and strength that keeps Tromaville safe and clean of evil! But now I think that it’s time we talk about his film that was released by Troma in 1984 and became a massive cult classic over the years! So like always, I will be taking the film’s write up from our good pals at IMDB, and then I will write about the film’s production and then my thoughts of the film. So with the hamburgers on the grill sizzling like Melvin Junko after falling into toxic waste, I think that it’s time to take a look at this truly fun horror film featuring a monster hero from New Jersey.
The Toxic Avengers (1984)
“Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.”
Llyod Kaufman & Michael Herz were the creators of Troma Entertainment that at the time was making and releasing mostly comedy films to theaters, but with the horror genre being blasted by mainstream media and critics, the pair decided to make a hybrid film a horror comedy that would be called The Toxic Avenger! Lloyd got the idea early on about setting a horror film in a spa when he was working on the set of Rocky (1976) and after a trip to the Cannes Film Festival in France is when the film truly came together. The original title was going to be “Health Club Horror” and was more of a spoof film, before turning into the cult classic film we all know and love. Writer Joe Ritter took the story by Kaufman and turned it into a script, and Stuart Strutin came on to produce along side Kaufman and Herz with the film having a budget of around $500 thousand. When casting the film actor Mitch Cohen would play The Toxic Avenger with Kenneth Kessler doing the character’s voice, and Melvin Junko, the nerd who falls into the toxic waste to become the hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, was played by actor Mark Torgl who had worked on Troma films of the past. Other names in the cast include Andree Maranda, Gary Schneider, Robert Prichard, Cindy Manion, Jennifer Babtist, Pat Ryan Jr. and Dick Martinsen to name a few, but one fun fact is that in the directors cut of the film, a young Marisa Tomei was one of the people at the spa. The film would mostly be shot in New Jersey and some in New York and once done it would be released to theaters on April 11, 1986 and was met with mixed reviews from critics, but viewers loved it and sparked it into a true cult classic that would spawn three sequels, a cartoon series as well as a remake film from Legendary Pictures. The Toxic Avenger was released in 1984 alongside such other horror films as A Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins, C.H.U.D., Hills Haves Eyes Part 2, Ghostbusters, The Terminator, Splatter University, Rocktober Blood, Razorback and Monster Dog. Truly Toxie is the character that built Troma into one of the biggest independent film studios in the world.
The Toxic Avenger is a film that I have a very funny story about as when growing up my brother and I were always into horror movies and creature features and one we watched all the time when it was on TV was the Wes Craven film Swamp Thing based on the DC Comic series. So one evening at the video rental store my Dad saw the cover for The Toxic Avenger and thought that it would be like Swamp Thing, and after showing the box to us, that was one of the rental choices that night. With popcorn in hand, we prepared for the film to start, and then when it did and it was packed with nudity at the start, my Dad quickly stopped it and that ended movie night. It was a funny moment in my life as he truly thought it was going to be like Swamp Thing and not your typical Troma film. I would finally see the film sometime later as it was shown on USA Up All Night, and then I would end up buying on VHS when I found it at a second hand media store. The film just worked as it truly was a fun film that blended horror, comedy and superhero elements all together and added in some great kills like when Toxie makes a milkshake out of a guy’s head! In fact my brother one year got me The Toxic Avenger II on VHS for Christmas! It’s weird as looking back on it all The Toxic Avenger has been a big part of my youth not just for the films but also the Marvel Comic series, the cartoon Toxic Crusaders and the toys based on the toon were all big parts of my childhood. And as a kid The Toxic Avenger was a big hero, no different than Superman, Spider-Man, Batman and Captain America as he was a good guy who protected people and while he was more violent than them, he still fought for truth and justice. In art class in school I also use to draw The Toxic Avenger and would get good grades for it, so thanks, Toxie, for helping me get good grades in class! While The Toxic Avenger film series is not for kids, the character himself was very iconic for kids of my era and his legacy will live on forever as he is that iconic to fans of horror films.
So now that we have chatted about The Toxic Avenger the character as well as the film, I think that it’s time that we take a look at the comic series based on him! And I had a few to choose from as Troma Comics as well as Fester Comics both did comics based on him, but for me the Marvel Comics were the must as it was the first series to be made and are the ones I grew up reading! That is right when a youngster, The Toxic Avenger was a comic series I would read as I would find issues at both Mavericks Cards And Comics as well as Bookie Parlor, so a big thanks goes to both those comic shops for introducing me to the series based on a film I knew and finally saw thanks to USA Up All Night. And no joke I was a big fan of this comic series and can remember reading the issues several times as well as telling my friends at school about it. I would like to thank Lone Star Comics, Bell Book And Comic and Game Swap Kettering for having these issues in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to thank Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz for being the creators behind not only The Toxic Avenger but Troma Entertainment, one of the worlds best indie film studios. And like always, I would like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s enter Tromaville and see what Marvel Comics and The Toxic Avenger has in store for us.
The Toxic Avengers # 1 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 1 of 11
The Toxic Avengers is in the junkyard and he is very confused, but his body aka Tromatons alert him of trouble as three punks are near by and rush with guns in hand to his sounds with the intention to kill whatever made them. Toxic Avenger with his mop quickly kills to of the punks by blowing one up and the other melts in battery acid! The third punk runs away and speeds off in his car, Toxic Avengers follows in a cab when the driver gives it to him when he sees and smells him! A high speed chase takes place, and Toxie ends up crashing and having to chase after his attacker on foot all the while the people of Tromaville are scared of this monster hero who is confused about why he is this way. Meanwhile Ms. Mephi is trying to buy Pleasantview Haven Home For The Blind from its owner as she wants to use the land as a toxic dump site, and when he refuses she has her men cover the place with gas and burn it to the ground, and they have orders to shoot anyone who makes it out alive! But lucky for the blind people Toxie is running by and ends up doing what he can to save many of them and that means smashing the bad guys, but while doing this he meets Claire and falls for her beauty at first sight, but the two must run away when the citizens show up and blame Toxie for the fire. The two make it back to the junkyard where Toxie starts building them a house to live in, and after getting a kiss from Claire, he gets him memory back and remembers that he is Melvin Junko, a nerd that use to work for the towns health club, but was set up by his boss Mr. Ahriman and Linda, a woman who worked out there in a cruel prank that left him humiliated and falling into toxic waste an becoming The Toxic Avenger! We also learn that Apocalypse Inc. is moving into Tromaville and its Chairman is also coming and working for him is his nephew Mr. Ahriman, Ms. Mephi, a ton of punks and Eboni who acts as the general of the area as she is now given orders for her punks to go and get The Toxic Avenger!
The Toxic Avenger in his first Marvel Comic was a fantastic read as in this issue we get a backstory of how geek Melvin Junko fell into toxic waste and became the hero The Toxic Avenger and how he meets his blind girlfriend Claire and becomes the target of a corrupt toxic company Apocalypse Inc.! And man is The Toxic Avenger a hero as he brutally kills evildoers in the small town of Tromaville and even saves blind people from arson, but he is still very much feared by the townspeople as he looks like a monster and smells like a backed up sewer. And while at the start of the issue Toxic Avenger is confused, he soon remembers his past as a cleanup boy and knows that with these new powers he must help people. Claire is his blonde, blind and accordion playing girlfriend who falls madly in love with him once he saves her from the fire and being shot by a punk and says very nice things to her. The enemies of this issue are Apocalypse Inc. a corrupt group that hides toxic waste in small towns and seem to want to destroy the environment and turn America into a toxic dumpsite. And who knows how evil The Chairman is going to be as it’s clear everyone who works for him is very much scared of him as he sounds very cruel. The comic is lots of fun and The Toxic Avenger was a perfect superhero for the 90’s as Marvel Comics was doing really well with Spider-Man and X-Men comics, and this Troma Movie hero fit right in the mix. While this issue does not have blood, it does have its share of very gruesome deaths as Toxie punches a mans face in as well as tosses one into acid and pulls out his bones that still has some hair and flesh left…pretty gross stuff for a Marvel Comic. The story so far is also pretty cool as it’s the build of Toxic Avenger having to go up against Apocalypse Inc. in his own hometown, and you know that this hero is not going to go down without a major fight. The cover for this issue is very iconic for me, and if you’re a fan of The Toxic Avenger, I am sure you agree with me. The comic’s interior art is done by Rod Ramos and is really great stuff as I think he captures all the elements of the character as its party scary and part silly. Over all this is a great start to the series and truly held up for me after all these years. So let’s see if issue two does as well…shall we?
The Toxic Avengers # 2 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 2 of 11
A tank comes busting into the newly made home of The Toxic Avenger and his lady Claire, but with his mop, Toxie is able to blow up the tank when the mop plugs up the cannon right as they fire. Meanwhile The Chairman has arrived in Tromaville with his assistant Darkella, and he is happy with the new home base but is very mad over the setbacks and mistakes with the biggest being the creation of Toxie as each member has to tell of what operation they were doing and how he stopped them and even killed members in the process. The Chairman is not pleased as he angrily yells at his people and starts to almost turn into something demonic and hatred is in his eyes, as he wants to corrupt this city with no fight back. After killing the punk who got away from Toxie in the junkyard, he sets out his Red Team to start to work on bringing down the city from the inside and they are Demos, Luci, Asmo, Drekko and Astarte, and they all have their assignments to get those with local power to fall in line. The Chairman then orders another hit team to go after The Toxic Avenger and then sends more out to torment the people of the city. And oddly enough The Punks are not joined by mutated people who are monstrous in appearance as it’s clear that they have been around the toxic waste. Meanwhile Toxie takes Claire to meet his mom and it does not go well as she runs away from fear as his looks made her freak out. Aat the school’s gym, a group of mutants bust in to attack the cheerleaders as well as the jocks that don’t stand a chance against their power and strength. The Toxic Avenger shows up and makes short work of these mutants, but the cheerleaders still run from him think he is a monster! Once Toxie leaves, he is followed by the hit team and even saves an old human from more punks but again is called a monster! Toxie ends up going to the old gym he worked for as Melvin for a safe place to hide but finds that all the muscle heads have been turned into slime covered monsters thanks to the waste that was dumped in the pool by Mr. Ahriman. As the monstrous muscle heads go after Toxie, we see that The Chairman is getting news that the powerful people of the city are falling in line.
The cruel people of Apocalypse Inc. are truly taking over the town of Tromaville as they are bribing the town’s mayor, police chief and more with money, and they are sending out punks and mutants to torment the innocent people. All the while they have the goal of also killing off The Toxic Avenger as he has been a thorn in their side by beating them up at every evil attempt in town. And we also see that The Chairman is really The Devil as when he gets mad, his true appearance starts to show through and he even has small demons living inside him. He is all about destroying and killing. Plus it’s cool to see that he is the same character that was showcased in the films Toxic Avenger 2 and 3, as was Apocalypse Inc., but here they are done slightly differently to fit in the Marvel Universe and make them evil but slightly less crude evil. The Toxic Avenger is once more the monster hero we all know and love as he rushes around town and stops criminals, all the while he is being feared by all those he is saving and protecting…you have to feel bad for him as he is treated so poorly by everyone besides Claire who truly has fallen in love with him. The creators of this comic are doing a great job of capturing the heroic and yet sweet side of The Toxic Avenger and shows that no matter how bad he is treated he keeps trying to do the right thing and protect people. I myself cannot wait until we get the showdown between The Chairman and The Toxic Avenger, but first this issue ends on a cliffhanger as Toxie is surrounded by mutated meatheads as a punk hit squad is waiting in the shadows. So in other words, he will have one battle after another. And for those wondering about Claire, she was left at Toxies mom’s home so she is safe for now from all this madness. The cover for this issue is another great one and has Toxic Avenger fighting off mutants, and you guessed it, the comics interior art was done by Rod Ramos again and is solid stuff. Over all another great issue that makes you want to read the next to see how Toxie is going to get out of the mess he finds himself in.
The Toxic Avengers # 3 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 3 of 11
The Hit Squad doesn’t want to wait so they use a bazooka to try and blast Toxie, but they miss and hit the health club blowing it up and sending green meathead zombies all over the place as they fall from the sky. Toxie, meanwhile, dodges the explosion and takes the bazooka and bends it to make a double cannon blast and then uses his mop to take out the hit squad. As Toxie wonders what just happened, the people of Tromaville are running away from the meathead zombies as Mr. Ahriman exits the burning health club building and heads back to the Apocalypse Inc. headquarters. Downtown Tromaville is in a panic, and the police chief shows up and is taken back by all the destruction as back home Claire talks with Mom Junko about her son and tells her of the accident, and this causes her to kind of understand her son’s new monster like appearance. The Toxic Avenger returns to his mom’s home at early dawn he is a defeated hero as he never thinks the world will accept him as hero cause of his looks, and as his mother and girlfriend sleep he heads to his room for some shuteye. Meanwhile The Chairman is annoyed that Toxie has not been defeated yet as more of his Red Team get people of power on board for the destruction of Tormaville as they are being tricked into agreeing. And worse for Toxie, a tabloid magazine is now in town trying to get a picture to make him the next Bigfoot to sell papers, and he runs into their reporter on his way out to stop the meathead zombies after a quick nap. She of course screams and passes out. Toxie finds the zombies at the town’s lovers lane and saves the day by beating up the zombies and trapping them under a large fallen tree, but of course the lovers he saves are scared of him and hit him with their car and this angers him as it’s clear Toxie has hit his anger point.
In this issue poor Toxie finds himself the target of everyone in town as Apocalypse Inc. wants him dead, the meathead zombies want him dead, the people of Tromaville are chasing after him and even his own mother peaced out when she saw his face! And this whole time being hunted, feared and despised he still keeps on being a hero, that is until the end of this issue when he is hit by a car driven by people he saved and dragged around on the hood and then flung off while being insulted about his smell…then we start to see that he is cracking from all the fighting and lack of respect he is getting from those he saves. The Chairman himself also seems to be having his own personal war as the two little demons who live inside him keep telling him to do the opposite of the other, and this of course is making him even more cranky and wanting destruction. And you have to give Claire lots of credit as she is able to talk to Mom Junko and get her to see that Toxie is really her son Melvin and while he might look different, that good person is still there. The fight is fun and silly between Toxie and the meathead zombies and them attacking at a lovers’ lane truly reminded me of a drive-in B-movie, and that a great thing as it added to my enjoyment of this issue. That is one thing that is really great about this series is that from the start we get lots of Toxie fighting action and each of the baddies he is beating up all look different and weird making it really feel like a Troma film. This issue has lots of fighting but not as much death, but the more silly aspects of the character are at play here as I love that he ends up going home to take a nap before fighting the zombies that are loose in town, just really fun stuff. The cover for this issue is a little of a letdown as it’s just a still from the second film, but the Rod Ramos interior art makes up for the weak cover. Over all another great issue, and let’s see what Toxie does next as he is mad as Hell and might stop helping the people of Tromaville over the way they are treating him.
The Toxic Avengers # 4 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 4 of 11
The Toxic Avenger gets all the meathead zombies in a net and brings them back to Tromaville, and he is fuming over the way he has been treated. Meanwhile at his house, the tabloid reporter Miss Creach is having cake with Mom Junko and Claire as they talk about Toxie with his lady now being the only one taking up for him as the other two cannot get past his looks, and they end up calling him “Sludgeface” in the paper and do not want to report that he is a hero. Meanwhile Toxie brings the zombies to the police station and tells them what to do to lock them up and then is super firm with them that he is a hero and they better not call him a monster! But Police Chief Hoag busts out of his office along with Red Team member Luci and calls Toxie and monster and when he sees them, his Tromatons go crazy and the police freak out and starting shooting him. But the bullets do not hurt Toxie, and he shrugs them off and leaves knowing that he needs to be the town’s hero. Meanwhile Luci rushes back to Apocalypse Inc. in order to report her finding that Toxie is bullet proof as Miss Creach enters the police station to look for more information on “Sludgeface”. Meanwhile The Chairman gets the news about Toxie, and they also have the Linda Zombie that they plan to use against him; since she helped turn Melvin into Toxie, maybe she can help destroy him. On his way home Toxie gets his picture taken by Miss Creach who runs off and once more this makes him feel terrible, but once home he chats with his mother and Claire, and they make him feel a little better as does a phone call inviting him to a party at the mansion on top of the hill…the caller is Zombie Linda! As Toxie heads out of the house he finds himself surrounded by the police who open fire once more, annoyed Toxie walks past them all and heads to the mansion. Once inside Toxie finds Linda, but of course this is a trap and a steel cage falls on him and tons of punks, freaks and mutants appear with guns and all shoot into the cage and into Toxie…but our hero breaks free and starts massacring his enemies all the while The Chairman watches in amazement at the power of Toxie. As the fight is being lost, The Chairman and the rest of his goons leave the mansion and even possibly Tromaville as two toxic sludges mix and cause the mansion to explode! But Toxie is able to save Zombie Linda after he uppercuts her through the roof for breaking his mop and the catches her after the explosion and takes her to the police station to get help. Once home Toxic Avenger tells Claire that he thinks that the evil threat of Apocalypse Inc. is over as Mom Junko shows him the headline of the tabloid paper calling him Sludgeface and saying he is a terror to the city.
In this issue The Toxic Avenger has a showdown with Apocalypse Inc. at their own mansion base and shows them why he is a hero as he brings them all down and even causes The Chairman to flee the area with the thoughts of being defeated, but also with the idea of trying to get Toxie on their side. And of course as this is going on, Toxie is also dealing with the tabloid paper saying he is a monster and the local police force keep trying to shoot him every time they see him…but during all this Toxie finds his inner strength and sticks up for himself against foe and friend. And that is the thing, Toxie so far in the series has truly grown as a person and a hero and the creators of the comic are staying true to his nature, even if they sometimes add some truly cheesy jokes. Claire is also a hero as she is the only one who stands up for Toxie as she knows that he is a hero and not the monster the others are making him out to be, but it looks like Mom Junko is coming around as she likes that her son is becoming famous even if she faints when she looks at him. It is very interesting that The Chairman gave up his fight with Toxie so soon, but I am sure he and Apocalypse Inc. will return very soon to try and take over Tormaville. I also like that The Toxic Avenger is like Superman as they shoot him several times with many different guns and he is able to shake it off and beat up the bad guys. And we all know that the tabloid paper will I am sure give Toxie trouble as people will fear him and others might come to hunt him, so Toxie will have to use all his powers to survive what ever and who ever is thrown at him. The issue has lots of death as once more Toxie makes quick work out of many henchmen from punching into their skulls to even twisting a neck all away around, Toxie don’t mess around when it comes to stopping crime. The cover for this issue is great and has Apocalypse Inc. attacking The Toxic Avenger and like a broken record already the interior artwork by artist Rod Ramos is great stuff as I like how he draws Toxie. Once more a great issue that is doing justice to the film it’s based on with the only things lacking being lots of blood, nudity, crude humor and cussing…but what do you expect from a Marvel Comic.
The Toxic Avengers # 5 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 5 of 11
The Toxic Avenger has rebuilt the shack home for him and Claire to live in the junkyard as he needed to get away from his mother who is still hanging around Miss Creach who is writing more false articles about him being a terrible monster. And when the meathead zombies start dying after being treated, Chief Hoag wants The Toxic Avenger arrested for their deaths. As the cops go to arrest him, he tries to clear his name but they once more try and shoot him…but when that fails, they agree to give him 48 hrs to clear his name and show who did this to them and why they are all dying. Meanwhile Apocalypse Inc. has moved to a new office and The Chairman has gotten mad scientist Dr. Chemo who has created a brain that has the worst parts of some of history’s worst killers, madmen and warriors and he is going to use the body parts of the newly dead meathead zombies to build the brain a body in order to fight The Toxic Avenger, and they head to the cemetery to get the parts needed. And Dr. Chemo brings life to his monster and names it Biohazard, and as Toxie gets to the cemetery his sees the black truck and knows that something is wrong and when he finds the open graves as well as mutant Demos of Red Team who attacks our hero and the two battle in the cemetery. After Toxie beats Demos, the trucks back doors open and out comes Biohazard who is looking to do one thing and that kill Toxie!
The Toxic Avenger thinks that Tromaville is safe now that he defeated Apocalypse Inc., but little does he know that they just moved and are still coming up with ideas on how to take over the city as well as kill The Toxic Avenger as they have two plans going. One is to frame him with the police as all the meathead zombies are dying and he is being blamed for infecting them with his toxic touch, and the second is they are building a Frankenstein’s Monster Creature called Biohazard that is built from the body parts of the meatheads and has only one mission and that is to kill Toxie. But our hero only has 48hrs to prove that he is innocent before he is arrested for crimes he did not commit. And that is the thing about Toxie in this issue he is now becoming a clue hunter and is getting very antsy to find the answers and it is going on a late night walk that he finds the answer he is looking for and that’s Apocalypse Inc. is back and is building a monster in the local cemetery, and this monster looks big and mean and it might just give Toxie a run for his money. The fight between Toxie and Demos is really cool as they really beat the heck out of each other, and it takes a tombstone over the head to knockout out the mutant pig man. Plus who knows if Dr. Chemo has any fighting skills as he as well is around in the cemetery and might just help in the fight that is coming in the next issue. And it’s a shame that the cops as well as the tabloids just will not leave The Toxic Avenger alone and they are both causing him lots of issues. This issue is clearly a build to the return of Apocalypse Inc. as well as the showdown between Toxie and Biohazard, and it works really well. The interior art is done by Rod Ramos like before and the cover for this issue is cool and has Toxie being shot by the cops. Marvel Comics and Troma made a great team here, and man I have really enjoyed rereading these again as they have all held up this far, so let’s see what the next issue has in store for us.
The Toxic Avengers # 6 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 6 of 11
Biohazard attacks The Toxic Avenger and this created life made of the corpses of the dead health club meatheads is tough as his punches pack a blast of electricity, and he is truly hurting Toxie and even knocks him down. But Dr. Chemo forgot one major thing and that’s the remote to control Biohazard who is now roaming out of the cemetery and into Tromaville! Meanwhile The Chairman has decided to also try and corrupt New York at the same time as Tromaville and also has decided to kick out the two little demons that live in his body from coming back inside him. Meanwhile Tromaville is having a flower show and all the big people in town are there including Mr. Ahriman, Mom Junko, Claire and Chief Hoag, and a big topic is Toxie as well as the destruction and deaths at the health club. But as people are enjoying the flowers, Biohazard shows up and Toxic Avenger is right behind him trying his best to keep the people safe and they are noticing, as they watch on in shock and even some start to cheer him on. And as they fight, Toxie uses wires from a generator to slam into Biohazard and causes the monster to fall into pieces, and with that, the town looks at Toxie as a hero. And after the fanfare is over Toxic Avenger finds Dr. Chemo and makes the mad scientist tell him where Apocalypse Inc.’s new headquarters is and for this information Toxie then smashes him into a wall, and thinks about heading there to once more kick some evildoer butt.
This is a monster fight issue as we have The Toxic Avenger fighting with the undead creature Biohazard in both the local cemetery as well as at the town’s flower show! And this issue also shows that while Toxie is super strong, he can be hurt by other monsters who can match him in power. Plus we also get to see the people of Tromaville start to understand that he is a hero and not a monster! And Toxie in this issue shows that he cares about the environment and also has a “don’t stay down” attitude when it comes to being beat up in a fight. In this issue, we also find that The Chairman is mad at the little demons who use to live inside him and has banned them from his body, and he wants to try and takeover New York and his first strike is buying up the corner food carts and having them mixed now with toxic sludge. Also Claire and Mom Junko are standing with Toxie and are helping the people to accept him as part of their city. And while it’s not said, I am going to guess that Dr. Chemo is dead as his head is rammed into a wall and is stuck in it, so yeah, I would guess he is dead and that makes one less baddie for Toxie to have to worry about. Now while this is a fun issue as who don’t like to monsters fighting, but I will also say that I wish that the fight would have been a little more epic…but a cool finish as I like that Biohazard falls apart due to a massive shock. One more thing I have to say is that the people of Tromaville are also turning on the people of power like the police chief and mayor as they can see that they are not doing anything about the rise in crime and monsters showing up. It’s a little bummer that Biohazard is dead as it would have been cool to see him return and have another fight with Toxie, but it’s clear that each of these issues wants to introduce or even have Toxie fighting someone different. The cover of this issue is my second favorite of the series only behind the first issue, and it has The Toxic Avenger standing in in the cemetery with the massive Biohazard lurking behind him. The interior art was done by Rod Ramos and while his work is good, I will say that I feel that his art in this issue seemed a little rushed and not as grimy as the past issues. Over all another great issue and if you like monsters fighting or just want to see Toxie become the hero in the eyes of the people, then make sure to give this issue a read.
The Toxic Avengers # 7 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 7 of 11
The Toxic Avenger has made his way to New York as he is looking for The Chairman as he wants to stop him and his evil company Apocalypse Inc. once and for all, and he also notices that the New Yorkers seem to pay him no attention and don’t scream “Monster” at him. Meanwhile the food carts now owned by The Chairman are making food that causes some people to act weird and rush to hide in the sewers, as the food is changing them into something weird. Meanwhile The Chairman in his office is mistreating the two mini demons and is getting an update on his evil food plan and learns that those who are eating it are turning into weird creatures in the sewer that lose parts of their flesh that when in the nasty water can cause fires! He also learns that some of them will come together to create twisted creatures while others will come out of the sewer to eat and steal the flesh of the normal people. And best of all for The Chairman is that he will be the only one who has a cure for this sickness and this will cause a bidding war that he planes on making lots of money on. Meanwhile on the streets of New York, The Toxic Avenger is roaming around and comes across one of the meat eating infected who is trying to bite and attack the regular people, and with one punch Toxie knocks all the flesh off the poor soul and then realizes that something foul is happing in the sewers and heads down to check it out. Once down there, Toxie wanders around until he runs into the massive collected form of the infected that is calling it’s self The Gather Mass as well as a bunch of the ones that are turning into human meat eaters! They all attack, and Toxie does his best to defend himself but the odds are against him and he ends up being stuck in the mass of flesh and is dragged out of the sewer and to the Statue Of Liberty!
In this issue The Toxic Avenger arrives in New York in order to try and bring down The Chairman, but before he can find the new headquarters of Apocalypse Inc. he finds himself having to fight for his life against flesh eaters and a mass of human flesh that of course was created by the evil scheme of The Chairman and his goons. The Toxic Avenger in this issue goes to the Big Apple and finds that they people don’t fear him nor run away from him and this gives him more confidence in order to try and fight evil. And to prove that Toxie is a true hero, he is willing to go into the sewers of New York to look for the dwellers that are roaming around looking to munch on some human meat as well as squash together to become a massive being called The Gather Mass that is very creepy looking and wants all the infected people to join inside its mass. Think about the fact that these infected people who ate some food from the food cart as flesh that when falls off turns into fire…their flesh burns! And one has to wonder if these New York flesh eaters were based on the monsters from the 1984 film C.H.U.D., I think that they were! The Chairman is very angry ,and he really wants to destroy and bring down New York as well as he really hates The Toxic Avenger and wants him dead! And he is such a jerk as he is getting joy out of beating up the tiny demons as well as threatening and acting like a bully to those who work for him. I like the fact that Toxie is in New York, and I almost wish we would have had a Spider-Man or at least Peter Parker cameo in this issue as what an awesome team up that would be. The cover for this one is cool and has Toxie being attacked by The Gather Mass, and we have a new artist doing the interior artwork and that’s Val Mayerik. His style works pretty well for this series, and I will say I like it. Man, this series is holding up for me as I really am enjoying reading these again and I am looking forward to the next issue.
The Toxic Avengers # 8 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 8 of 11
The Gather Mass is climbing up the Statue Of Liberty, and The Toxic Avenger is inside this mass slightly losing touch of reality and who he is while across town The Chairman watches as the infected meat eaters are roaming the streets and causing panic in their quest for human flesh. Meanwhile Demos calls in and tells them of the failure in Tromaville and the deaths of Dr. Chemo and Biohazard, and The Chairman is really pissed off and orders Demos to bring in the body of Dr. Chemo. While back at the Statue Of Liberty attack helicopters are sent in to deal with The Gather Mass, and as they start shooting at it, the bullet holes allow fresh air in and this snaps Toxie out of his sluggish trance and he busts out and uses his mop to try and fight off The Gather Mass who is nearing the top of the statue, but it loses its grip and falls and lurks back into the waters heading deeper in as Toxie keeps trying to fight with it. Meanwhile back in Tromaville, Dr. Chemo is alive and being cut out of the wall when Demo in the van shows up and the two get away heading to New York. The Gather Mass has moved into Manhattan and is ramping up as Toxie armed with his mop is trying his best to bring down the beast, as The Chairman and his goons watch on the massive mass roams around and even Miss Creach is there to take pictures of it for her tabloid paper. But as Dr. Chemo arrives at the office of The Chairman, they make the mistake of trying to keep The Gather Mass from their building by using a device that ends up drawing the massive mass to them and as it busts out the windows it knocks over chemicals that end up melting it away. And as the NYPD attack our hero Toxie who as saved the day for the Big Apple, he starts walking back to Tromaville as The Chairman and his people are arrested, causing the little demons to have to follow and think of a way to break them all loose.
The Toxic Avenger does it again…or is that toxic chemicals does it again? As The Gather Mass is taken down when it attacks the new base of Apocalypse Inc. and chemicals spill on it and that melts it away into a pile of goo! But while it was around, The Gather Mass really was a massive mess of skin that was stomping around New York causing panic and distress, and it looked like neither Toxie and his mop nor the attack helicopters were going to be able to stop it from its rampage. And let’s also not forget that the streets were also being infected by the meat eating people who made the mistake of eating from the Apocalypse Inc. owned food carts, so terror was all around New York. The Chairman in this issue loses his temper and then loses his freedom as he and his crew are arrested, and you know this Hellspawn is not happy about this! We also learn that Dr. Chemo is still alive even after getting is face rammed through a wall, but little does it do him any good as he is arrested alongside many others in New York after the defeat of The Gather Mass. The two little demons who are named Rahd and Bahd are being tormented by The Chairman who in this issues even has them by the neck on a string wearing them like a necklace, but even after all this cruel torture, they still at the end of the issue want to find a way to free The Chairman and the others from jail. One thing that I have noticed is that as this series goes on the more grimy and brutal elements are being phased out and they are going more in a silly route as it’s clear they started to get cold feet when it came to killing off punks and evildoers. Plus I miss the interior art style of Rod Ramos as he had more of a darker style, and Val Mayerik has more of a comedic, but I want to stress that Mayerik’s work is good stuff. The cover for this issue is cool and has Toxie fighting The Gather Mass on the Statue Of Liberty and its fun, silly and best of all eye catching. Over all a good issue that allows Toxie to once more defeat The Chairman and even takes our hero out of New Jersey and into the streets of New York. Let’s see what the next issue has is store for us.
The Toxic Avengers # 9 **
Released in 1991 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 9 of 11
The Toxic Avenger along with Mom Junko and Claire are rapping in the junkyard as Toxie is telling a story of how after a bad stomachache, he was adducted by aliens. Toxie is on the UFO that heads into space and this is when our hero decides to attack and with his mop he fights with the aliens who are no match for his superhuman size and strength. After defeating them and not knowing how to fly the UFO, it lands on a strange planet where Toxie is attacked by different aliens who seem very mean, and once more with his mop he starts butt kicking and once done more aliens appear and this time he understands that they brought him to this planet to help them repair their nuclear plant that as sprung a leak and is releasing harmful radiation into the air. Toxie tries his best to help and even eats the radiation core but this backfires as when he passes the radiation out, it infects the aliens and turns them into mutants who once more attack our hero who all of a sudden wakes up in his bed but looks over head and sees a UFO flying off as it appears this was no dream and for some reason they brought him back to Earth where he decides to hold this rap concert.
This is a very silly and goofy issue that I am not really a fan of as it’s all done in rap rhymes that are sometimes eye rolling bad and the action is really just Toxie beating up some small aliens that are really no threat, even when they are mutated. Toxie in the issue finds himself in space thanks to some aliens who bring them to their home world in order to help with a leak at their nuclear power planet only for Toxie to kind of fail to help and be brought back to Earth where all of a sudden he wants to rap for the people of Tromaville…and yeah, that’s the story for this issue….and the only major change that happens is that he raps….just bad stuff here. The issue truly feels like a novelty and is out of place in the story arc as well as in tone and mood, and this issue truly jumps the shark. While reading this issue I found myself laughing about just how weird and silly it was and that is the only reason I am giving it two stars as it did make me chuckle, otherwise this would have gotten one and a half stars. The cover is goofy and has Toxie dressed like an early 90’s pop rap star. The interior art is done by Rod Ramos, and it’s good, but man, I wish his return to this series was not the worst issue. Not much more to say besides I disliked this issue when I was young and still am not a fan as an adult, so let’s just get to the next issue. Man this one is just so silly and truly a product of its time.
The Toxic Avengers # 10 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 10 of 11
The Chairman in a New York jail cell is very upset and is yelling at his people all the while the little demons Rahd and Bahd have arrived and have an idea how to get their fellow evildoers and with the help of matches and some bullets, they are able to get the cell keys and set everyone free. They even are allowed to go back inside the stomach of The Chairman who says that Apocalypse Inc. is going legit in Tromaville now! The Toxic Avenger and his lady Claire decide to take a three week vacation as Tromaville is very peaceful now that Apocalypse Inc. is gone and the townspeople are planting trees and picking up trash. but once Toxie’s vacation is over, he returns home to find it a mess as traffic is bad and big business has moved in and the people of the town have turned into yuppies who only care about money and expansion. Toxie has seen enough and heads to have a chat with the city council and after roughing up the mayor, the beans are spilled that Mr. Ahriman is behind this change in Tromaville and that he even rebuilt the health club, and with this news Toxie heads out to pay him a visit. And after beating up some goons and meatheads, he makes his way to the office of Mr. Ahriman and threatens him just as the police come in and arrest Toxie as he has broken many laws in a matter of minutes and committed crimes against people who have done nothing illegal and even Claire alerts him that he is in the wrong. And the handcuffs are placed on his wrists and Toxie is taken in.
In this issue The Chairman and the rest of Apocalypse Inc. have been set free from jail and have a new idea on how to corrupt Tromaville, and they will go about it the legal way and with the help of Mr. Ahriman, they do just that as the turn the small town into a cesspool of greed and companies and the people forget all about the beauty of nature as they want money in their pockets. And during all this terrible change Toxie and Claire just wanted to enjoy a few weeks away at the beach, but return to find their hometown is now a terrible place to live. And with his town turning to big business and once more all the people of power taking money, The Toxic Avenger snaps and wants answers and roughs a few people up and this is not good as our hero is now breaking the law as the ones he has attacked have not done anything wrong! And what a great way to bring Apocalypse Inc. back by having them be as scummy as ever but play by the rules in order to get those changes done that will ruin Tromaville. Mr. Ahriman is the nephew of The Chairman, who is calling the shots once more from the shadows. Toxie’s rampage to get answers also makes Claire see him in a different light as she knows her hero boyfriend is going out fighting this change all the wrong way. And we all know that Mr. Ahriman and the others are doing illegal things but the people and the law of the town don’t know that. And now that Apocalypse Inc. has once more decided to focus on Tromaville you know that the people, the environment and The Toxic Avenger are all in deep trouble as The Chairman really just wants to bring chaos, pain and sadness. And it’s crazy that we only have one issue left in this series as Toxie is under arrest and Tromaville is changing for the worse. So it makes you as a reader wonder how they are going to wrap this all up. Like before I really enjoyed reading this comic again after all these years, and it was great to have the series back on track after the last issue being such a disappointment. The cover for this issue is kind of weak as once more it’s just a still from the movie, the third one to be exact. The art by Rod Ramos for the interiors is really good like always, and with that let’s head to the final issue in The Toxic Avengers run at Marvel Comics.
The Toxic Avengers # 11 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $1.50 Marvel # 11 of 11
The Toxic Avenger is arrested and found guilty in the court of law and must be humiliated at the town square for 90 days in order to shame him and warn others not to break the law in Tromaville. Meanwhile The Chairman gets word of Toxie’s arrest and is cheerful in his enemy’s shame and when talking to his nephew Mr. Ahriman he tells him that the major change from the townspeople came from help of a chemical that he placed in the water that makes people more greedy. And then later The Chairman gives a speech to his workers about taking over Tromaville, and it’s over heard by some hippies who go to the junkyard and find Claire and together they all go to Toxie who is bound in town square and talk him into breaking free to try and stop The Chairman from poisoning the water and land anymore. Toxie breaks free and first stops the polluting of the water, and then breaks up a beer drinking contest set up by the Mayor before heading to The Chairman’s mansion and turns the whole home over on its side and then enters the mansion and beats the heck out of all the workers of Apocalypse Inc. and then punches The Chairman so hard that he lands in the some waste and he then opens the jaw of The Chairman wide and pours down his throat toxic waste and then tosses in a lit match that causes his mouth to be on fire and then the earth opens up and The Chairman, the mansion and all his goons fall into the hole that is filled with flames and then seals up. In the end the people of Tramaville go back to normal but do miss their money and stuff as Toxie and Claire confess their true love for one another.
In the final issue The Toxic Avenger finds himself being convicted of all the crimes he did that including assault and destruction of property and is placed in towns square bound so that the people can mock him for his crimes, but once he finds out that The Chairman and his goons are the ones truly behind the big change in his home town he breaks himself free and heads to The Chairman’s mansion and kicks some major butt! And that is the thing, The Chairman was not ready for the full on attack from The Toxic Avenger who makes quick work of all his goons and beats them up very badly, before he basically murders The Chairman and sends him and all his people back to Hell. I like that Toxie once the chains come off and his Tromatons go wild, he goes crazy for justice and rampages through the evildoers mansion. The Toxic Avenger really is a big hero and a protector of the innocent people and will do whatever he can in order to keep them safe. And thanks to Claire and the hippie protesters they give Toxie the will to break free from his punishment for “breaking the law” by smashing some bad people’s property. The Chairman really thinks that he and the rest of Apocalypse Inc. have won, as they have fully curropted Tromaville and also got Toxie arrested and convicted of crimes, but instead he finds himself with a mouthful of toxic waste that gets lit on fire and a one way ticket back to Hell. And man the final fight between Toxie and The Chairman is one sided as our hero truly beats the heck out of him! It’s a shame that Marvel Comics cancelled this series as it really was a great one and better than most of their other series running at the time. It was said that Marvel Comics and Troma were planning to bring back The Toxic Avenger comic, but Marvel ended up not coming through with it breaking the contract and from what is said had to pay Troma money by doing so. The cover for this issue is fun and has a still photo of Toxie with a mushroom cloud going off behind him. It’s eye-catching for fans of Toxie for sure. The interior art for this final issue is done by Rod Ramos and is good for the most part, but some panels to seem a little rushed. Over all The Toxic Avenger from Marvel Comics is a great series and is a great mix of horror, comedy, superhero action and for the most part does justice to The Toxic Avenger film series just a little more “Marvel” friendly as the gore and blood is cut down as is the sex and nudity. Checkout the artwork below to see some of the style used in this comic series.
See I told you, The Toxic Avenger is a true American Hero and was the prefect topic for this holiday update, and Toxie’s Tromatons are much like the fireworks on the fourth of July! And it really was a missed opportunity from Marvel to have Toxie crossover with New York superheroes like Spider-Man, Daredevil, Luke Cage and The Fantastic Four to name a few. And like always, thanks for spending a small part of your holiday with me here at Rotten Ink as I am sure you are like me and are looking forward to eating some hamburgers off the grill and maybe a hot dog or two all while getting ready to watch the fireworks in the sky. But don’t worry, our next update will keep us in the word of horror comics based on horror films as it will be all about the 1933 film King Kong! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local horror host! See you next update for a spooky trip to Skull Island, the home of Kong! Also hope you had a great July 4th!
