Tag: Ben Clarkson

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: 

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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.

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‘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.”

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