AHOY Comics Launches TOXIC CRUSADERS: “Join in the rebirth of the greatest and grossest animated-series sensation of all time: TOXIC CRUSADERS, an all-new limited comic book series coming this September featuring the Toxic Avenger of Troma Entertainment fame alongside fellow mutants No-Zone, Junkyard, Major Disaster, and the all-new character Fungirl. The five-issue series from acclaimed Syracuse-based comic book publisher AHOY Comics will be written by THE NIB founder and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Matt Bors — whose recent revival of the Toxic Avenger in comics received widespread acclaim — and feature art by debut talent Tristan Wright.
“In the aftermath of the chemical spill that created Toxie, other mutants arose — and they have united to wage war against an alien conspiracy,” said writer Matt Bors. “We are taking everything from the original Toxic Crusaders cartoon —gross mutations, evil aliens, and over-the-top ecological action — to bring readers a must-read mutant monthly.”
In addition to a main cover by series artist Tristan Wright, TOXIC CRUSADERS will feature an exclusive trading card variant, a variant cover by AR Sullivan, and a special Retroware game art variant cover by Xander Arnot, celebrating the all-new, highly anticipated upcoming Toxic Crusaders game. Issue #1 of TOXIC CRUSADERS will land in stores on September 10, hot on the heels of the all-new Toxic Avenger movie starring Peter Dinklage, which hits theaters on Labor Day Weekend.
“Watch the movie. Read the comic. Play the game. It’s like the ‘90s never ended!” said variant cover artist and Retroware Art Director Xander Arnot. “If there was ever (another) time to love the Toxic Avenger, or his colorful crew of superhuman Crusaders, it’s now!”
AHOY Comics’ plans for a Toxic Mess Summer are in full swing following the publication of THE TOXIC AVENGER (tpb) in bookstores in April and the TOXIC AVENGER PINUP SPECIAL in May. An ambitious mini-series, TOXIE TEAM-UP, launches in June that finds Toxie rubbing elbows with characters from a number of other fan-favorite AHOY titles — followed by THE TOXIC AVENGER COMICS #1, the first of an all-new ongoing series in comic shops, in July. It’s all leading up to the action-packed Toxic Crusaders beat ’em up videogame from Retroware, the highly anticipated Cineverse theatrical release of The Toxic Avenger film starring Peter Dinklage as Toxie on Labor Day weekend, and the launch of TOXIC CRUSADERS in September.
The Toxic Avenger first appeared in the 1984 cult classic film about a mutated weakling mopping up a corporate mess, directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz and starring Mitchell Cohen. Having already spawned five films, a cartoon, action figures, a musical, and a Marvel comic book series, the Toxic Avenger is a pop culture icon — and he is also perfect for AHOY Comics, a Syracuse-based publisher dedicated to satirizing horror, space opera, social satire, sword & sorcery, and superhero stories.
“Everyone at AHOY Comics is delighted to publish a world-famous group of characters who are as well-meaning, violent, and frankly disgusting as we ourselves wish we could be,” said AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “We’re also delighted to debut the work of talented artist Tristan Wright. Matt found some of Tristan’s work online and shared it with me — and we both thought, where has he been all our lives? It’s solid, imaginative, amusing work, and we intend to extract as much as we can, like the cold-blooded capitalists we are.”
TOXIC CRUSADERS #1 will land in comic shops on September 10, 2025. Meanwhile, issue #1 of the TOXIE TEAM-UP series will be published on June 11, 2025, followed by THE TOXIC AVENGER COMICS #1 on July 9, 2025.
For more updates on AHOY Comics, visit them on X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram.
For more updates on the Toxic Crusaders video game, visit Retroware’s website.“
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BLUMHOUSE DEVELOPING FILM ADAPTATION OF HIT PARANORMAL HORROR GAME “PHASMOPHOBIA”: “As part of its first-ever The Business of Fear event today in Hollywood, examining the growing power of horror subgenres, Blumhouse announced that it is developing a film adaptation of the popular and acclaimed paranormal horror game Phasmophobia.
Since its early access launch in 2020, Phasmophobia has surpassed 23 million in global sales and has become a genre-defining title in multiplayer horror gaming. Its unique blend of immersive paranormal investigation and co-operative gameplay has cultivated a passionate global community and earned critical acclaim, including the Best Debut Game award at The 2020 Game Award while PC Gamer called it “the best ghost game ever made.” The film will be produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster in association with Kinetic Games Limited, based on the video game Phasmophobia by Kinetic Games Limited.
The Paranormal subgenre represents one of the 24 thriving subgenres Blumhouse identified in a research study* last year that aimed to assess the state of horror. Additional examples include Survival, Slasher, Psychological Thriller, and more. During its first The Business of Fear event today, Blumhouse CEO/Founder Jason Blum and President Abhijay Prakash, Atomic Monster’s Alyona Glasthal and horror analyst/author Stephen Follows spoke about the ways in which horror has grown and expanded in recent years, with subgenres an important way to entertain the diverse tastes of its audience.
*The 2024 Genre Categorization Survey (2,000 respondents) aimed to classify 100 prominent horror films from the past 50 years into sub-genres. This research was conducted by Sage Outcomes and commissioned by Blumhouse in July 2024.”
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Final Girl Energy: Killer Shorts Contest Returns for Season 7 Amid Industry Shake-Up: “Horror fans, sharpen your pens (or sacrificial blades) — Killer Shorts, the premiere contest for short-form horror, is officially open for its seventh season. Now accepting both short horror screenplays and prose stories, the competition runs through December 31, 2025.
While major contests and platforms like WeScreenplay, ScreenCraft, Tracking Board, and Coverfly have vanished from the landscape, Killer Shorts continues to thrive — a rare constant for emerging genre writers.
“If screenwriting contests were a horror movie, Killer Shorts is the Final Girl. You can’t kill us that easily,” says Contest Director Alison Parker.
A Killer Addition: Tananarive Due Joins the Jury
New to this year’s all-star jury is Tananarive Due, award-winning author, screenwriter, and professor known for The Twilight Zone and The Reformatory. Celebrated for her fierce storytelling and dedication to emerging creators, Due will help select this year’s winning talent alongside her friend and returning juror Melody Cooper (Two Sentence Horror Stories).
They join an impressive panel of horror icons and genre insiders including Gregory Nicotero (Creepshow), John Zaozirny (Bellevue Productions), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Culture Shock), Julian Terry (Don’t Peek), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), and many others.
Screenplays & Short Stories Welcome
Returning this season is Killer Shorts’ category for short horror fiction. Writers can submit either screenplays or short stories, all judged by industry professionals. The contest recognizes that producers are increasingly seeking new IP in all forms — not just for the screen.
This Year’s Theme: Folk Horror
Season 7 invites entrants to explore the eerie world of folk horror with its tagline: Submit or Be Summoned. The haunting new artwork hints at themes of ritual, isolation, and ancient terrors that may — or may not — unfold as the season progresses.
Prizes & Perks
Finalists receive industry exposure, access to top managers and producers, and the coveted Skull Typewriter Trophy — hand-sculpted by FX artist Tyler Green (SyFy’s Face Off). Past winners have gone on to land reps, sell scripts, and join writers’ rooms.
Key Dates:
- Early Deadline – August 1, 2025: The First Script is the Purest
- Regular Deadline – October 3, 2025: The Fire Grows Hungry
- Late Deadline – December 5, 2025: The Script Demands Blood
- Extended Deadline – December 31, 2025: Past the Threshold, the Price Increases
Submissions accepted via KillerShorts.com, FilmFreeway, and Network ISA.
Follow @KillerShorts on X, Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.”
