TOXX #2, from Blood Moon Comics on 8/16/23, recounts Axel’s steady decline into a mutant, leading to a meeting with a mutant leader gathering the outcasts to form an army.
The Details
- Written by: Evan Carothers, Eric Palicki
- Art by: Ben Worrell
- Colors by: Marta Gasperoni
- Letters by: Evan Carothers
- Cover art by: Brian Demarest (Cover A)
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: August 16, 2023
Is It Good?
TOXX #2 gives readers insight into the father of Claire’s baby when time and hope are in short supply in this dystopian Pandemic thriller from Evan Carothers and Eric Palicki. The ugly situation grows uglier when the residents of Tainer Town give up on love and relationships, leading to a somber, depressing story.
When last we left Claire and her fellow R.A.T.S, we learned how the global catastrophe came to be, the special purpose of Toxx as a vaccine, and the special nature of Claire as a pregnant woman when everyone believed humanity was sterile. Now, Carothers and Palicki step back in time to show the relationship between Claire and her baby’s father, Aexl, and what happened to Axel once the effects of Toxx wore off.
Be forewarned. TOXX #2 is a somber, depressing, nihilistic story. In fairness, nihilism is a core tenet of dystopian fiction, so the tone makes sense within the context of the comic, but you may want to have an emotional support system handy.
What’s great about this comic? Keying off the warning above, Carothers and Palicki successfully cast the world in a dark, depressing, hopeless light, which is as it should be for a dystopian sci-fi/horror story. Everyone acts and reacts with care for anything except basic survival. Even the intimacy of sex is treated as a throwaway activity to stave off the boredom of waiting for oblivion. If “hopeless” is the tonal objective, it’s successful.
What’s not so great about this comic? The character work for Claire may be intentional, but it paints her as a thoroughly unlikable, even nasty, individual. There are one or two moments where you start to think that if Claire is the best of remaining humanity, maybe letting go is the right move. Consequently, it’s tough to get behind a comic’s outcome when you actively begin to dislike everyone in it, including the protagonist.
How’s the art? Ben Worrell’s style is a solid fit for the material presented. Worrell’s strongest art elements are his camera angles and realistic visual flow. Worrell’s character designs are distinctive, including the mutants, and the overall look of the comic is solid.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our TOXX #1 review to find out how the world experienced a catastrophe.
We begin with a flashback to six months ago. Axel and Claire have a (very) brief sexual encounter before their next R.A.T.S. run. Claire is fine berating and insulting Axel over his lack of performance in front of their colleagues, but Axel takes it in stride.
Later, Claire, Axel, and Brody scavenge a few city sores when they catch sight of mutants headed in their direction. The mutants are discussing a leader named Lucian, who is summoning all mutants to join his cause.
Now, Axel’s Toxx injections have lost their potency, and mutation has taken hold. Choosing to exile himself from Tainer Town, Axel finds a gathering of mutants in the desert. We conclude the issue with words of war, news of a blessing, and hunger.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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TOXX #2 shows readers how desperate and hopeless the world has become in a grim, depressing entry in the dystopian sci-fi series. The depressing tone fits the world Carothers and Palicki created, but the main characters are as unlikeable as the world they inhabit, so it’s becoming tough to find the motivation to keep reading.
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