Toxic! #1

28 Mar 1991. Cover price 99p.
36 pages. Full colour contents.
Apocalypse Ltd.

The Comic Throws Up!

Edited by

Cover by Kevin O'Neill.

Contents:

 2 Welcome to Our Dump! editorial by (uncredited); illustrations by Kevin O'Neill. / Indicia

 3 Marshal Law The Hateful Dead!, part one, Rise of the Zombies w: Pat Mills; a: Kevin O'Neill, lettering by Steve Potter.

12 Aliens - The Comic Magazine advertisement.

13 Accident Man UNTITLED [Money for a Bimota] w: Pat Mills & Tony Skinner; a: Martin Edmond.

21 Mutomaniac Space Cannibals w: Pat Mills; a: Mike McMahon.

27 Coming Soon... Sex Warrior preview; a: Will Simpson.

28 Once Upon a Time in the West w: Alan Grant; a: Simon Bisley.

35 Burning Rubber in Hell! The Driver pin-up; a: David Leach.

36 Do Your Friends Have Mad Comic Disease? pin-up; a: Kevin O'Neill.

Punning on Strip's boast with its line "The Comic Throws Up!" may be immature, but little regarding this title which could be considered mature. To compound matters, in opening the first issue with Strip's lead character, Marshal Law, there is a sense of Toxic! engaging in one-upmanship, while providing a counter-point to the much more staid and respectable title. Make no mistake though, this is a minor masterpiece of comic-book creation, ticking every box as it unfolds.

Kevin O'Neill's cover is a fantastic, powerfully dramatic image of Law, carrying the type of immense weapons which would dominate 90s superhero titles, and several imaginatively-designed 'capes' - one of which is modelled after a dinosaur. Mirrored in the line of dialogue is an echo of the exclamation mark from Toxic!'s logo, which adds to the title's interconnected imagery, and even the barcode is slanted at an angle. Details, seemingly insignificant, build into style.

There's no respite in the opening introduction, which is signed 'Doc. Tox' - an unseen Tharg-like figure who is ostensibly in charge of the title. Personally connecting to readers, in however manufactured a manner is essential in presenting possibly-difficult material - and as this title is a determined assault on the senses, every bit of assistance is required. A wonderful sense of anarchy is created through O'Neill's imagery, and the issue's preface adds in one further minor example of brilliance:

No cash prizes for the best bile!

Readers, pop in the bile box and trash any one or anything you hate.

Providing an outlet for readers to vent their frustrations is a masterstroke, guaranteeing that those who send in suggestions will hang around to see if their choice is published. While I have reservations about the use of the word 'hate' in such a prominent position, it is a notion which has previously provided a deal of entertainment in other forms.

It's the war of the future.

With Shocc Troopers - genetically altered warriors - fighting battles of such savagery as to resemble a Halloween night in Hell.

It's otherwise known as The Zone".

Now the conflict's over... And men with superpowers designed for war...

Have to find a peacetime use for their talents.

Peacetime uses are less noble than fighting in apocalyptic wars, with locales such as the "Foul Play" club having sprung up, where heroes fight each other for the entertainment of wild crowds. Other heroes have taken to working in stress relief parlours, where regular citizens pay for the pleasure of beating them up. It is in one of these establishments, the Cobweb Palace, that Marshal Law discovers the badly-mangled corpse of a man who had paid for the pleasure of beating on Razorhead, though after uncovering a Kalinga big game knife the case appears to be justifiable homicide.

While the story pauses on the revelation that Law was once just such a hero, leaving the murder unsolved, there is a solid introduction to the world, brimming with ridiculously attired characters possessing absurd powers. Far more interesting than the abilities of the characters is their status in a place which has changed drastically around them, leaving them behind as society has moved on.

He should be home soon.

A man shouldn't be late for his own death.

10 millimetre climbing rope. 1,100 lb breaking strain.

I'm the best. I only use the best.

When I'm going to hit someone, I always make it look like an "accident"...

...or a suicide.

Accident Man is a contract killer with a knack for disguising his hits, though the murder seen in the opening installment appears to be rather less than perfect. We get a fight sequence with random people, then are introduced to other hit-men, in a story which isn't quite as polished as the rest of the issue's contents, though has potential. Introducing so many characters in the first part of a story, and in rapid succession, makes it difficult to care about them, and the main character is quite unlikeable - even the slightly amusing incidental jokes don't play as well as those in Marshal Law.

Prisoner Edward Ross has been diagnosed as suffering from mutomania, a condition which makes him prone to an irresistible urge to disobey. Attempts have, of course, been attempted to cure him of this by Edutechs, though his condition is terminal - expelled from the penotech, he is to be expelled into space. The door, alas, doesn't work. Ordered to shoot Ross by the governor, a guard finds that his gun has jammed. Escaping, Ross is warned that he won't get far...

McMahon's art is, in its own way, gorgeous, and the story is packed with interesting concepts which cry out or development - of the material in the first issue, this is the strip which - at first blush - appears to hold the most promise. A penal colony in space, a man blessed with luck, and on the run. This is high concept storytelling with its tongue firmly in cheek, and delightfully mad.

Once Upon a Time in the West is notable for some wonderful Bisley art, though the case of mistaken identity here has, I'm afraid, been rather overdone. While not a top-tier story, it doesn't take up too much room in the telling.

With only two immediately engaging strips, this is a title which doesn't provide a wholly positive first impression, but a strong visual identity for the title, and the promise of forthcoming strips, gives hope that things will improve in future issues.

Toxic! (Apocalypse Ltd.)

#02