Ahoy Comics – SMASH PAGES

Exclusive Preview | ‘Ancestral Recall’ races toward its finale

The penultimate issue of Jordan Clark and Atagun İlhan’s Afrofuturist thriller comes out Nov. 12.

The penultimate chapter of Jordan Clark and Atagun İlhan’s Ancestral Recall arrives next week, and we’ve got an exclusive first look at the issue.

The title from Ahoy Comics blends heritage, identity and science fiction elements into a story about a man with a unique power searching for his wife. For those who’ve been following Melvin’s journey, issue #4 delivers the moment we’ve been waiting for: Melvin has finally found his wife June. But as the solicit warns, even with the mysterious power that connects him to his “ancestors” in Black history, escaping from the corporation’s high-tech fortress won’t be easy.

You can check out the preview below, and then pick up Ancestral Recall #4 when it arrives Nov. 12.

The Toxic Avenger is heading to Washington in December

Take an exclusive look at the covers for ‘Toxic Avengers Comics’ #6 by Fred Harper and Erica Henderson.

Courtesy of Ahoy Comics, we’re pleased to present a look at the covers for Toxic Avenger Comics #6, which will arrive in stores on the last day of the year.

If you’ve been following along, you know that the new ongoing series written by Matt Bors (The Nib) started off with each issue being illustrated by a different artist and showcasing a different genre. That included horror and crime in the first two issues, which have already been released, and then sci-fi (#3), romance (#4) and fantasy (#5) in the September, October and November issues. Each issue also includes a two-page back-up story illustrated by Fred Harper that sets up the second storyline, “Toxie Goes to Washington.”

Which brings us to today’s cover reveals, as Harper and variant cover artist Erica Henderson bring the former janitor to the White House to help clean up Washington:

The Toxic Avenger meets the Justice Warriors in ‘Toxie Team-Up’ #5

Check out Ben Clarkson’s cover for the big event.

Ahoy Comics’ Toxic Summer has put the spotlight on the Toxic Avenger, with multiple titles like Toxic Crusaders and the Toxic Avenger Pin-Up Special arriving to support the re-emergence of the cult classic character into the pop culture sphere.

One of the more interesting titles has been Toxie Team-Up, a take on the classic team-up title that has featured Troma’s best boy meeting characters from other Ahoy titles, like the Jersey Devil from Project: Cryptid, Dragonflyman and even Jesus Christ from Second Coming. And in October, Toxic Avenger writer Matt Bors will have the chance to team up again with artist Ben Clarkson as they bring together the Toxic Avenger with Swamp Cop and Schitt, the breakout stars of the Justice Warriors.

Justice Warriors, if you aren’t familiar, started as a miniseries about two cops in the fictional series of Bubble City. It was followed last year by the graphic novel Justice Warriors: Vote Harder. Swamp Cop is a take off on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, while Schitt is, well … a living poop emoji. The satire poked fun at capitalism, law enforcement and “free” elections in a future of severe inequality — and one populated by mutants. Which makes them the perfect companions for someone like the Toxic Avenger.

Check out Clarkson’s cover for Toxie Team-Up #5 below, which we are pleased to debut today:

SDCC Slugfest | ‘Ultimate Endgame,’ ‘Cult of the Lamb,’ ‘Die!namite’ + more

The Ultimate Universe heads toward its ‘Endgame,’ ‘Cult of the Lamb’ returns and when Ahoy Comics invites you over for ‘Thanksgiving,’ politely decline the invite …

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

The annual San Diego Comic-Con will kick off later this week, and publishers have been releasing announcements in the lead-up to the event. We’re also in the middle of monthly solicitation time, where publishers are revealing what’s coming out in October. In an effort to keep up with all the madness, here’s a round up of recent announcements as we prepare for the big show.

Let’s start with a Marvel teaser for something coming late in 2025, Ultimate Endgame. Readers of Marvel’s Ultimate titles know that the clock is ticking on the return of the Maker, a.k.a. the Reed Richards from the original Ultimate Universe, and Marvel teases his return with a nod to the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Exclusive | Check out Lane Lloyd’s variant cover for ‘Toxic Crusaders’ #2

The five-issue miniseries will feature the Toxic Avenger and other characters from the 1990s animated series.

Courtesy of the fine folks at Ahoy Comics, we are pleased to debut Lane Lloyd’s variant cover for The Toxic Crusaders #2, which will arrive in stores in October.

The five-issue miniseries will debut in September and is written by Matt Bors, former editor of The Nib and current writer of The Toxic Avenger Comics. He’s joined by artist Tristan Wright on the series, which will feature the Toxic Avenger teaming up with several other mutants who appeared in the Toxic Crusaders animated series back in the 1990s, including No-Zone, Junkyard, Major Disaster and the all-new character Fungirl.

Lloyd has drawn many comics and covers for Oni Press, Ahoy, Image Comics, Legendary and more, and I’ll point you to Someone’s Died at Adventure Mountain, his current project that’s up on Kickstarter.

“In the aftermath of the chemical spill that created Toxie, other mutants arose — and they have united to wage war against an alien conspiracy,” Bors said. “We are taking everything from the original Toxic Crusaders cartoon —gross mutations, evil aliens, and over-the-top ecological action — to bring readers a must-read mutant monthly.”

Melissa F. Olson + Sally Cantirino bring ‘Archaic’ to Ahoy Comics

The series features a woman on the run who ends up on an island populated by gods and monsters.

Urban fantasy novelist Melissa F. Olson will make her full-length comic debut with Archaic, a new miniseries coming from Ahoy Comics that will feature artwork by Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters, Human Remains) and colorist Gab Contreras (Witchblood, Mezo).

Archaic is about a woman looking for a place to hide from her husband’s misdeeds who inherits an island from the biological father she never met — an island filled with “retired” gods and legendary creatures.

“This is my first full-length comic book, but, weirdly, it’s also the most personal story I’ve ever written,” Olson said. “When the world came to a standstill during COVID lockdown, a lot of people had to re-think their place in the world, myself included. What does it really mean for me to be employed, to parent, to have purpose? What do I do with the instinct to protect my children from really big things I can’t control? Those are tough questions, and the more I considered them, the more I wanted to write about a character who was doing the same thing in a truly fantastical place. I’m so grateful I was able to connect with Sally, the best monster artist in the business, and honored that AHOY wanted to tell this story with us.”

Smash Pages Q&A | Matt Bors + Ben Clarkson on ‘Justice Warriors: Vote Harder’

The creators of the dystopian satire sequel graphic novel talk about their secret origins, being ‘plagiarized’ by real-world events, meatball riots, buddy-cop bro-mances and more.

I’m not sure if Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson could have asked for better timing for their new graphic novel, Justice Warriors: Vote Harder, which arrives in stores today.

Now, obviously, it is election season here in the U.S., and their sequel to the first Justice Warriors miniseries is focused on an election in the fictional city of Bubble City — so that tracks. But when the project was announced by Ahoy Comics, they had no idea that it would arrive the day after the second presidential debate or that said debate would feature different candidates than the first debate.

If you read the first Justice Warriors miniseries, you know that the story drew heavily from the headlines, twisting our reality into a dystopian satire series that poked fun at capitalism and law enforcement in a future of severe inequality — and one populated by mutants. This time around our two protagonists, Swamp Cop and Schitt, get pulled into the chaos of the first Bubble City elections that have happened in, like, forever.

I spoke with Bors and Clarkson about the new graphic novel, their work process, why they went with an OGN instead of another miniseries and more. I thank them both for their time — or at least the concept of their time.

The Gloucester Sea Serpent surfaces in a story by Carol Lay in next week’s ‘Project: Cryptid’ #10

Check out an exclusive preview of a new story coming in next week’s anthology from Ahoy Comics.

Courtesy of Ahoy Comics, we’re pleased to share a preview of a new story by Carol Lay from next week’s Project: Cryptid #10.

If you’re not familiar with Ahoy’s first ongoing title, Project: Cryptid is an anthology of “unbelievably hilarious and hilariously unbelievable tales about cryptids from around the world.” Lay builds her story around the Gloucester Sea Serpent, which was first “discovered” in the early 1800s off the coast of Massachusetts. The creature shows up at just the right time for a young girl who could use some luck.

Lay, the creator of Murderville, Good Girls and Lay Lines, has had her work featured in The New Yorker, Mad Magazine, the Village Voice and many other publications. She’s also done several back-up pieces for Ahoy and was one of the contributors to their “Partially Naked Came the Corpse” round-robin story that ran through several of their titles last year. Her graphic novel, My Time Machine, will be published by Fantagraphics in September.

Lay’s story is accompanied by “Family Tree” by Atagun Ilhan, and the issue will arrive in stores on June 26. Check out the preview below.

‘Justice Warriors’ returns this fall as an original graphic novel

‘Justice Warriors: Vote Harder’ takes aim at politics and elections.

Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson’s Justice Warriors will return from Ahoy Comics this fall as a full-length graphic novel, titled Justice Warriors: Vote Harder.

A dystopian satire series that pokes fun at capitalism and law enforcement in a future of severe inequality, the first Justice Warriors miniseries was released in 2022 and collected in 2023. This new graphic novel takes aim at politics and elections, which no doubt makes it the perfect companion to what’s happening in America this year.

“Bubble City is having its first ever mayoral election and mutant cops Swamp and Schitt are pulled in to special duty to protect the vote from the people,” Bors said in his newsletter. “Ben Clarkson and I have been hard at work, along with our colorist Felipe Sobreiro, to top our first volume of the series and bring you an election year satire for the ages.”

‘Toxic Avenger’ returns to comics courtesy of Matt Bors + Fred Harper

Ahoy Comics takes us back to Tromaville this fall.

The Toxic Avenger, the star of the 1984 Troma movie of the same name, will return to comics this fall in a new series by Matt Bors (The Nib, Justice Warriors) and Fred Harper (Snelson).

Ahoy Comics will publish the series, which Bors says will combine elements of the original films — it had several sequels — and the Toxic Crusaders cartoon. The original film was about a New Jersey teenager named Melvin who fell into a vat of toxic waste while fleeing bullies and became the Toxic Avenger.

“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,” Bors said. “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.”

Ennis + Burrows bring ‘deeply disrespectful humor’ to the fantasy genre in ‘Babs’

The new miniseries debuts from Ahoy Comics in July.

Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows’ partnership is going on about 20 years now, having started at Avatar with 303 and continued into Crossed, Punisher: Soviet and the upcoming Get Fury. But the duo will head into a different direction this summer in Babs, a sword-and-sorcery satire coming from Ahoy Comics.

This sounds like something that will appeal to fans of Ennis’ work on titles like Hitman and Dicks.

“Writing Babs was an absolute hoot,” said Ennis. “The character is one of my favorite types—good at the job but crap at life, with a lousy attitude to boot—and the world of ‘Sword & Sorcery’ provides endless opportunities for deeply disrespectful humor. Having our heroine smash her way through goblins, ogres, imps, incels and other vermin was extremely satisfying; nobody’s going to be Making Middle Earth Great Again while she’s around.”

Villains search for normal lives in ‘Deadweights’ by Tyrone Finch + Sebastián Píriz

The miniseries kicks off in April.

What happens when super villains are fired for being bad at their jobs and try to integrate back into society? They become Deadweights, and the subjects of a new miniseries by Tyrone Finch and Sebastián Píriz.

The six-issue miniseries from Ahoy Comics will follow Cannonbulk and Bounder, two evil mutants trying to go straight.

“At its core, Deadweights is about friendship,” Finch said. “It’s the story of two people who have been relentlessly beaten, battered, tossed off of bridges and forced to live in hideouts with no electricity or plumbing. But somehow, the two of them have never given up on each other or their dreams. When you look past their costumes, battles and vows to subjugate the human race; they’re just a couple of guys looking to find a place for themselves in this crazy, mixed-up world.”

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