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Toxic Avenger Comics #1 is out now!

Toxic Avenger Comics #1 drops in comic shops today, the launch of my first ongoing series. We kick things off with a stand-alone story called “Something is Mutating the Children,” a straight up horror comic illustrated by Fred Harper, who I think is doing the best work of his career on this book.

The first five issues rotate through different artists and genres as we build to a larger epic drawn by Harper and the launch of the Toxic Crusaders comic in September. We are doing Crime, Science Fiction, Romance, and Fantasy—each issue featuring a bizarre new mutant or deranged villain.

The story picks up right where we left off with the last issue of our Toxic Avenger miniseries, with the town of Tromaville in shambles after the toxic waste spill and quarantine. We will now explore the stranger ripple effects of this disaster, as Toxie’s actions in the previous issue literally haunt him while teenagers around town go missing.

Grab the collection of volume 1 here or, better yet, at your local comic shop when you pick up the new issue!

All Praise Fred

Last newsletter I mentioned Fred Spreads and I plan to write a bit more about how Fred and I collaborate. For now, I’ll link to this interview with Monkey’s Fighting Robots:

MFR: Fred Harper is coming back as the artist on the Toxic Avenger Comics. What makes Fred the perfect artist for Toxie? What’s it like working with him? What’s the process you guys use?

MB: We talk on the phone a lot. I write full scripts, but we riff too. Sometimes I start with imagery and draw something specific. Other times, I’m loose and toss it to him. Fred has this beautiful command of anatomy and texture that makes him perfect for Toxie. He’s sculpted him a chiseled physique and crooked face—equal parts alluring and revolting. Part of that, I think, comes from Fred’s own devotion to the gym, and the rest is from his devotion to the page. Fred got all his reps in on other books over the decades and is now doing the best work of his career. I load up all the plates for him—mutations, satire, gore—and watch him press it like a piston.

The Horror!

There are a number of covers for this issue—the main cover by Fred Harper, a cover by myself, and a blank sketch variant, and of course the main cover bagged with a trading card (of an important character, the mop). If you’re interested in a sketch variant that I draw on, you’ll have a couple of options. I’m doing a pile of them for a few stores that plan to offer them for sale, so more details on that as I get them.

Bat City exclusive

One more cover! I drew an exclusive cover for Bat City Comic Professionals that will be limited to 500 copies, featuring Toxie mopping up inside their Florida store. You can grab one from their website right here.

Signing this weekend in London, Ontario

I will be signing comics, including the new Toxic Avenger #1, at Heroes in London, Ontario, this Saturday July 12. If you are in the area, come on out. As you can see below, there is a ton of talent tabling with their comics.

Upcoming comics: Crime, torture, and snot rockets

I have some more comics coming in Oni’s EC revival, specifically in the horror title Catacombs of Torment. I wrote a story titled “Hostile Architecture” in the second issue drawn by Kano, an artist I’ve long admired. Inspired by my youthful days skateboarding and the ever-encroaching reach of hostile architecture into the public sphere—to deter sleeping, loitering, and simple sitting—our story imagines the next front in this school of architecture with some gruesome horror befitting a book bearing the title Catacombs of Torment.

Here are the upcoming comics from me in open order, meaning you can call you comic shop now and pre-order them. Both Toxic Avenger Comics #2 and Toxic Crusaders #1 will have exclusive trading cards drawn by me, so tell your shop you’d like the bagged trading card for only a dollar more—you rarely see deals like this anymore!

• Toxic Avenger Comics #2 - August 13

• Catacomb of Torment # 2 - August 20

• Toxie Crusaders # 1 - September 10

Also, I’ll be at San Diego Comic Con this year and have some panels and signings scheduled. In the next newsletter, I’ll drop those details for anyone who is interested.