Toxic Summer #1 came out the gate with a fun, funny, and lighthearted tale about two dudes trying to score at the most happenin’ beach around. What they found was a toxic waste spill and scary people with glowing eyes. So began their adventure, and in Toxic Summer #2, things go from bad to worse.
As penultimate issues go, Toxic Summer #2 sets up the level of monster our heroes are facing. The charm of the friend duo continues as the quieter and more reasonable Ben and the dramatic Leo are trying to get to a beach party. What they find is a fire with nobody around it. Things go from odd to outright scary as bonafide monsters attack them, and they run for their lives.
Essentially, what we have here is a caper, as Derek Charm fleshes out the threat, reveals where it may have come from, and puts Ben and Leo in close-quarters danger multiple times. It’s B-movie fun that is a page-turner.
The art is great, with a cartoony style that’s right out of Scooby Doo. The monster design is also solid, with an alien yet fishlike quality. They both belong and don’t belong at the beach. Much of the issue is caked in green gloom, which helps keep the “toxic” in the title and always feels present.
Credit: Oni Press
This issue leans much more into the thriller aspect of the premise. The first issue has a few charming comedic moments, which seem to have evaporated here. Ben still has his extra moments, but this is about scary monsters and running for your life more than anything else.
I’d guess Amy’s overly dramatic father was meant to be funny, but he’s too intense to garner a laugh. At least Ben gets a peek at some nude statues. Speaking of Amy, it’s a bit odd she’s so cool with her dad presumably dying, which threw me off. The comic is cartoony, but that took me out of the realism of it all.
Toxic Summer #2 is a good penultimate issue as it raises the takes, fully realizes the threat at hand, and pulls off a thriller horror story well. It lacks the comedy that made the first issue charming as hell, but it’s still a fun time.
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