View source for Toxic!

{{Use British English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{about||other use of the term Toxic|Toxicity (disambiguation)|the 2000s comic with the same name|Toxic (magazine)}}
{{Infobox comic book title| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> 
| image =
| caption =
| schedule = Weekly
| format = 
| publisher = [[Apocalypse Ltd]]
| date = March 28 - October 24, 1991
| issues = 31
| main_char_team = ''[[Marshal Law]]''<br />''[[Accident Man (comic strip)|Accident Man]]''<br />''[[The Bogie Man (comic book)|The Bogie Man]]''
| writers = [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]]<br>[[Pat Mills]]<br>[[John Wagner]] 
| artists = [[Mike McMahon (comics)|Mike McMahon]]<br>[[Kevin O'Neill (comics)|Kevin O'Neill]]
| pencillers = 
| editors = [[Dan Abnett]]<ref>MCH. "Newswatch: Mature Comics Struggle to Survive in Britain", ''The Comics Journal'' #141 (Apr. 1991), p. 19.</ref>
| inkers = 
| colorists = 
| creative_team_month = 
| creative_team_year = 
| creators = 
}}
'''''Toxic!''''' was a [[British comics|British comic]] that was published weekly from March 28 to October 24, 1991, by [[Apocalypse Ltd]], with a total of 31 issues.<ref>[http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=specials&choice=toxic01 ''Toxic!''] at Barney, the 2000AD database</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=title|id=9129|title=''Toxic!''}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=[[Thrill-Power Overload]] |last=Bishop |first=David |author-link=David Bishop (writer) |year=2007 |publisher=[[Rebellion Developments]] |isbn=978-1-905437-22-1 |pages=260}}</ref>

==History==
''Toxic!'' was the idea of [[Pat Mills]], [[Kevin O'Neill (comics)|Kevin O'Neill]], [[Mike McMahon (comics)|Mike McMahon]], [[John Wagner]] and [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]].<ref>{{cite web | title=The John Wagner Interview: Part Two | website =The 2000 AD Thrill-Cast | url=http://2000adthrillcast.podomatic.com/entry/2016-02-23T21_00_00-08_00}}</ref> The aim was to provide creators an outlet for their work to be published with them retaining the rights and control of their work. This was in contrast to ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'', which Mills had also launched in 1977. ''Toxic!'' was to be the main rival of ''2000 AD'', and would be in full-colour throughout (as opposed to ''2000 AD'', which was still mainly published in black and white).

''Toxic!'' was published by [[Apocalypse Ltd]], an offshoot of [[Neptune Distribution]] based in South Wigston, [[Leicester]]. Neptune also owned [[Trident Comics]] which printed black and white comics by mainly new, unpublished creators.

The first issue of ''Toxic!'' was released in March 1991. ''Toxic!'' was initially dominated by Mills (Mills had rejected [[John Wagner]]'s proposal for ''[[Button Man]]'' based on its supposed similarity to ''[[Accident Man (comic strip)|Accident Man]]'';<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/2000-ad/the-john-wagner-interview-part-two|title=The John Wagner Interview: Part Two|website=Soundcloud|publisher=2000 AD Thrill-Cast|access-date=29 March 2016}}</ref> it later appeared in ''2000 AD''). His ''Marshal Law'' strip was seen as the flagship title and as a character to perhaps rival [[Judge Dredd]]. Mills also wrote ''Accident Man'' (with [[Tony Skinner]]) and ''Muto-Maniac'' in the first issue, which was rounded out by a short strip by [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]] and [[Simon Bisley]].<ref name=Bishop>{{cite book |title=[[Thrill-Power Overload]] |last=Bishop |first=David |author-link=David Bishop (writer) |year=2007 |publisher=[[Rebellion Developments]] |isbn=978-1-905437-22-1 |pages=142–143}}</ref>

This first issue set the tone of ''Toxic!'' as it upped the levels of violence, bad language and general [[anarchic]] tone that Mills had felt was lacking in ''2000 AD'' at the time. The second issue saw Wagner and Grant's ''[[The Bogie Man (comic book)|The Bogie Man]]'' strip start in an adventure called ''The Chinese Syndrome''. The strip did not fit comfortably with the others and ''The Chinese Syndrome'' stopped suddenly with issue nine, and a different story, ''The Manhattan Project'', started with issue eleven. The second issue also saw the launch of the love-it-or-loathe-it strip ''The Driver'' co-written and co-drawn by David Leach and Jeremy Banx, one episode of which resulted in a visit by the local constabulary to the offices of ''Toxic!'' after a complaint from an offended reader about ''Toxic!'' containing obscene material. Issue #15 saw the start of ''The Dinner Ladies From Hell'' written and drawn by David Leach, described as a cross between Dennis Wheatley and Robert Rankin.

This was not the only strip which suffered problems, ''Marshal Law'' began to miss issues, and some of the material replacing it proved not to be as popular. Some strips meant to be published by [[Trident Comics]] were even used to provide filler material. This hurt the title, as although it had sold well initially, sales were dropping, and it became clear that there were problems with Apocalypse paying creators. These problems meant many creators such as [[Mike McMahon (comics)|Mike McMahon]] saw work published which he had not been paid for. After 31 issues, the comic was cancelled and shortly afterward Apocalypse went bankrupt.<ref name=Bishop /> This meant many involved were never paid and some of those never worked in comics again.{{cn|date = July 2024}}

==Legacy==
''Toxic!'' may have ended up being a failure but it proved a full colour weekly comic could be done. This changed ''2000AD'' as it was forced to change its format to mirror the full colour format of ''Toxic!''. It also gave some creators their first major break into comics, [[Mike Carey (British writer)|Mike Carey]] being one of several examples.

Several strips did go off to other publishers. Mills took ''Marshal Law'', ''Sex Warrior'' and ''[[Accident Man (comic strip)|Accident Man]]'' to [[Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse]], Wagner and Grant took ''The Bogie Man'' to [[Atomeka Press]], and several other strips were recycled in ''2000AD''.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

In September 2002 [[Egmont UK]] launched a boy's magazine entitled ''[[Toxic (magazine)|Toxic]]'', which has proven to be very popular, but apart from the title, there is no connection with the comic of the nineties. ''Toxic'' does contain some comic strips of the juvenile [[toilet humour]] variety.

==Notable stories==
* ''[[Marshal Law]]'', these were new adventures of Mills and O'Neill's [[superhero]]-hunter, previously published by [[Marvel Comics]]' [[Epic Comics|Epic]] imprint. This was the most consistently popular story but suffered from missing issues and ending abruptly during a storyline. The story was eventually completed and published by [[Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse]].
* ''[[Accident Man (comic strip)|Accident Man]]'', an assassin who makes his hits look like accidents, written by Mills and Tony Skinner and drawn initially by [[Martin Emond]], later by Duke Mighten and John Erasmus. This also ended up at Dark Horse and was optioned to be made into a film in 1997.<ref>[http://www.thezreview.co.uk/comingsoon/a/accidentman.htm News article about the ''Accident Man'' film]</ref> A [[Accident Man (film)|film]] was finally made in 2017.
* ''Muto-Maniac'', a [[science fiction]] series about a man who attracts bad luck, by Mills and McMahon. This story was uncompleted.
* ''[[The Bogie Man (comic book)|The Bogie Man]]'', Wagner and Grant's delusional [[Glasgow|Glaswegian]] would-be [[Humphrey Bogart|Bogart]], drawn by [[Robin Smith (comics)|Robin Smith]] and [[Cam Kennedy]]. Both of the stories which ran in ''Toxic!'' were completed at [[Atomeka Press]]. ''The Chinese Syndrome'' was also renamed ''Chinatoon'' at Atomeka. A television film version was shown in 1992, starring [[Robbie Coltrane]]. A third series ran in the ''[[Judge Dredd Megazine]]''.
* ''Makabre'', a religious vigilante of the future, by Alan Grant and [[Enrique Alcatena]]. This story was uncompleted.
* ''Sex Warrior'', by Mills, Skinner and [[Will Simpson (comics)|Will Simpson]], a war in which sexual energy is used as a weapon, satirising the concept that "old people make wars... young people fight them". The story was revamped for a two issue mini series published by Dark Horse.
* ''Brats Bizarre'', a team of decadent superheroes, by Mills, Skinner and Duke Mighten. This story was uncompleted.
* ''The Driver'': A man known only as The Driver drives a five-mile-long truck full of toxic and industrial waste (including wreckage from the Challenger Shuttle disaster) through the middle of middle America only to fly tip it into Meteor Crater, Arizona, in the process he uses a small town as a brake. On the back of the Driver, Banx and Leach were commissioned by Marvel US to write and draw ''[[Toxic Crusaders]]'' both for the regular title and then for an aborted 4 issue mini series. The Driver himself featured in the following year's comic convention [[UKCAC]] logo.
* ''The Dinner Ladies From Hell'' by David Leach. In the story, the wives of the Four Riders of the Apocalypse have six days, six hours and six minutes to corrupt seven children with the deadly sins and only one man and God's cook book stand in their way.
* ''Detritus Rex'': Written and drawn by Banx and coloured by Leach, this bizarre and twisted post-ecological-apocalypse tale was uncompleted.

== See also ==
* ''[[Crisis (Fleetway)|Crisis]]'', published by [[Fleetway Publications]] from 17 September 1988 to October 1991
* ''[[Deadline (magazine)|Deadline]]'', published by Deadline Publications Ltd. from October 1988 to October/November 1995
* ''[[Revolver (Fleetway comics)|Revolver]]'', published by Fleetway from July 1990 to January 1991

==References==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{gcdb series|id= 47489 |title=''Toxic!''}}

== External links ==
* [https://2000ad.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/toxic-the-comic-throws-up/ ''Toxic!'' article] at ''2000 AD'' fansite

[[Category:1991 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct British comics]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1991]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1991]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in the United Kingdom]]