Matt Bors on The Toxic Avenger

A common complaint within the comics discourse is that new books can’t get past the sixth issue. Well, friends, have you been reading The Toxic Avenger over at Ahoy Comics? Cartoonist Matt Bors, along with several other artists, has been building a massive universe of stories at Ahoy, and they’ve radically upgraded the Troma superhero for the modern era. These are books with bite, and stories stuffed with relevance. Bors is back on the podcast this week to explore how he became the one to shape the comic book Toxie. We discuss his earliest encounter with the character in cartoons and films, and how those experiences were his first foray into the taboo and into challenging the system. We talk about maintaining the Troma spirit, making filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman proud, and creating space to tell your own damn stories. Next month, Toxie and Yvonne find themselves pregnant in the new Ahoy series, The Toxic Avenger vs. The Noxious Offender. Parenthood will challenge them in ways they can not possibly imagine, especially when Toxie's evil doppelgänger makes his first comic book appearance. We’ve read the first two issues, and they’re dynamite. Bors and artist Felipe Sobreiro deliver another essential Toxic Avenger story packed with genuine emotion and powerful pertinence. If you’re looking for a universe to get lost in, you must seek it out. Before diving into our conversation with Matt Bors, we also review the new documentary, The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman, directed by Bart Simpson (no, not that one). We connect the dots between Kurtzman and Bors, and celebrate the massive reach Mad (and so many other Kurtzman creations) has had on all of us. The Toxic Avenger vs. the Noxious Offender #1 [https://comicsahoy.com/comics/toxic-avenger-vs-noxious-offender-1] lands in shops on October 7th, but FOC is this upcoming Monday. Call your shops if you want this book in your box. It’s written by Matt Bors, illustrated by Felipe Sobreiro, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Rob Steen. Make sure you’re following Bors on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mattbors] and BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/MattBors]. Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode: * Subscribe to the Comic Book Couples Counseling YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/@comicbookcouplescounseling] * Watch The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KJl0kQ3Xg0&list=PLZ9-G4ZBT-OYYT5dxpm_JmWSlHqidK84J] * Subscribe to the CBCC [https://www.patreon.com/cbccpodcast/posts/our-psychic-book-167148019]