It wasn’t that they were lesser somehow — I just needed even more.
Because Toxic Crusaders #1 and #2 were both darn impressive starts to this enthusiastic cartoon recycle from Matt Bors and Tristan Wright. They quickly and effortlessly established Toxie and the team, including inter-group dynamics and sturdy backstories. They gave us a big bad in Mr. K and his similarly fleshed out mutant cronies. And they made Tromaville feel so alive and pulsing with texture and mystery. Heck, they gave us a giant chemical plant explosion in the debut!
But there were these things — less of a focus on Toxie that felt somewhat detrimental; a tenuousness that comes with entering a new world; and expectations from the existing stories, both Bors’ recent work and the originals — that maybe didn’t lend total pause but still colored my immersion. You could blame it on those issues being “baby steps” for Toxic Crusaders, but even then there was some part of me that could not fully and utterly engage what was becoming this really weird and wild ride into the heart of an ugly but endearing town.
Luckily, I’m all the way, and all it took was a mutant dog.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
More specifically, this issue serves as the origin of Junkyard, a woman who fused with her dog following the Tromaville Incident. And I got to be honest, Bors knows how to write freaks with so much humanity and depth, as Junkyard comes off very much in line with Toxie (a loser who has lots to teach us, in this case knowing yourself and finding your own path). There’s been other issues where other folks have played the star, including parts of Toxic Avenger where Major Disaster was the biggest player. The “problem” in those instances, then, is that’s where Toxie feels truly mitigated. And no matter the content of story at any given moment, I’ve constantly felt like I had to tap the sign that this is, indeed, Toxie’s story above all else.
Luckily, Junkyard managed to take up just enough focus and then act as a kind of thematic “guide” for the rest of the issue, addressing a major through-line of how everyone has to become something new in the face of this singular moment. And that places these mutants in a new, more exciting context, where their transformation isn’t just random, or fodder for great body horror (heaps of that in this issue!), but something that speaks to how we all might survive our current political moment. (Not by skinny dipping in toxic waste, but finding the courage to evolve and embrace that weird and ugly parts of yourself to counter some great tragedy.)
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
But then the question begs: Where was Toxie in all of this? Why dealing with the nefarious plans of K to foreclose on his home, of course! Admittedly, it’s not as thrilling as when they eventually fight a new group of mutants (more on that later), but Toxic Crusaders utilizes all of its many tools to tell a potent story. And that’s this idea that K and the Smogulans are taking advantage of our systems to commit evil acts. (Sound familiar?) That kind of “insidious bureaucracy” can be just as villainous as any extended fight scene and/or poisoning — in fact, it’s just another layer of absurdity for this series, and proof that the creative team understand the opportunities of this world and its satirical heft in a really meaningful way.
Now, actually seeing Toxie talk about foreclosures may be a bit boring, but the art team (with Wright joined by colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Rob Steen) handle it via a series of montages. They’re fun, bit-sized moments where you can see the story slow down just enough to feel real, but not enough that you forget the actual scope of this wild, wacky story. And it’s all part of a larger “approach” by the art team to bring us into this world in a novel way. There’s bits about the team hanging out in their clubhouse; Nesra, the young journalist, interviewing and writing pieces on the city; and little pops of Tromaville’s “culture” — all of it it’s just layer upon layer of vivid texture. They’re thing to remind us of the true scope of the world, the speeds at which we can meander this place, and what is happening when the they’re not fighting giant, uber gross mutations.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
It’s all extra charm and humanity that makes the city even more real, and you remember that there’s stakes to these misadventures that actually matter. There’s a whole town of “freaks” trying to re-build (in more than just the obvious ways), and we can see and feel it fully realized in a way that makes everything feel important and vital. There’s no bit players here, and even if this is decidedly a Junkyard-centric episode, the whole dang town matters and will feel the weight of the team’s decisions and/or inaction.
But, as mentioned, if you need extra freaky mutants and dope battles, this issue has them in spades. Specifically, the Toxic Crusaders come face-to-face with three mutant cops. I’m not spoiling anything here because the real magic are the team’s designs — of all the messed up -ish in the various Toxic books, these three will make your skin crawl and your stomach churn. (I like the purple one cause he reminds me of boiled cabbage.) Again, though, it’s not all just for the sake of sickening your readers; it feels like they’re a continuation of this issue’s theme of change.
More specifically, how everything is changing, and we have to face escalations and the idea that there are no more good old “precedented” days. Similarly, these cops serve as a reminder that our social norms might not have changed, but simply been revealed for what they’ve always been. (Cops as actual monsters shouldn’t be lost on anyone.) The fact that they’re gross ghouls made for bashing keeps our immersion breezy, but we never forget the subtlety and power of Toxic Crusaders’ brilliant social takedown. It’s another way this book has brought us in even further, and the weird and normal, the fun and the serious have mutated in our brains in such a way that we’re really in thick of this huge story.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
And there’s so much more stuff I’ve had to skip. Like more solid moments with Mesra. (Seriously, her monologue about the role of journalism is another masterclass in “blink and you’ll miss it” social commentary.) Or, Junkyard’s possible love interest, and what the future of that might look like. (Sweaty and furry!) There’s also more group stuff; the tension within the Fungirl-Nozone and the rest of the group is extra subtle but quite interesting. And even some small, but mighty stuff with the good Major. In the same way that that we got to see more of the city at large, these other threads and tidbits really flesh out the world and give us more to traipse and work through.
Now, it’d be easy to say Toxic Crusaders #3 is the best issue so far. (Likely ‘cause it’s true.) But it’s really that what’s worked so far has been given even more time and energy to grow and flourish like never before. Plus, the right focus on a new character, while still giving us so much “more” in the “background,” really felt like a shot in the arm to prime us for a truly packed issue. I wouldn’t say all of my concerns have been assuaged (mostly because they’re not just concerns of the story but an expression of my own complicated relationship with this franchise). But I can say that I’m feeling more and more jacked with each new issue.
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