COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - TOXIC CRUSADERS: THE SERIES (TROMA BLU-RAY)
Time changes a lot of things, most noticeable is age and perspective. The reckless abandon we exhibit as children is fueled by the recognition that being a child is about discovering, learning, and of course growing. As we grow, so do our tastes which can sometimes mean things we cherished may not resonate the same way with us, and this is no more apparent than watching old cartoons. While there are fandoms that live in the nostalgia of their adolescent years, and we don’t judge, many of us in a sense “grow out of it” to some extent. This means that there is a good chance we will circle back to these things at a later point in life, and with that arises an opportunity to rediscover something and judge it with more experienced eyes, for better or worse. This kind of “nostalgia bait” may seem more frequent, but that is in large part due to the changing ages of different generations as millennials become the new Gen X, and Gen X move onto the new phase. One title that straddled the generational divide is Troma’s short-lived, “Toxic Crusaders: The Series” which they’ve just released in HD for the first time ever. Is this childhood memory worth remembering?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Watch the classic Saturday morning cartoon-like never before! Based on Troma's cult classic smash The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Crusaders animated series follows the adventures of that lovable deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, Toxie! Along with his new friends Yvonne, No-Zone, Head-Banger, and Junkyard, watch as Toxie stands up for truth and justice against the evil Dr. Kilemoff and his hoards of heinous henchmen in this complete series collection!
HOW IS IT?
Full disclosure, we were huge fans of the “Toxic Crusaders” when we were younger. In fact, it was our gateway to Troma as the show laid the groundwork for the discovery of the actual “Toxic Avenger” in our later years and the deluge of VHS films from “Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD” to “Bloodsucking Freaks” (with a special shout-out to the Suncoast employee who sold us that tape when we were 13, but that’s another story). Our love of Troma happened in large part because of Toxie, No-Zone, Head-Banger, Yvonne, Mom, and Junkyard, and the cast of incompetent villains led by Dr. Kilemoff. Time does change things, however, and while the charm of “Toxic Crusaders” is still well-intact, it certainly doesn’t hold up for the audience it is aimed at and serves best as a collector’s item more than something you’ll find yourself rewatching.
“Toxic Crusaders” is unashamed for being a riff on the highly popular “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but it owes a lot of the format to that show and the slew of others that 80s and 90s kids were indoctrinated with. It borrows elements from “He-Man” and “G.I. Joe” in terms of the cast of strange characters and the formulaic comic book format for each episode. They all follow the same pattern, Dr. Kilemoff aims to pollute and harm the town of Tromaville, NJ and the Toxic Crusaders rise up to thwart his efforts and return things back to normal. We can’t knock the show for being so rinse and repeat because remember this was made for kids, but it does wear a bit thin after a few episodes despite some uneven attempts to create consistency and world-building. The best episodes are the ones where you can tell the writers were doing their best to please both adults and kids by slyly inferring meta-jokes that break the fourth wall. These kinds of things registered differently as kids, whereas now they feel more like attempts to demonstrate that Troma is still behind this and goes as far as to even give head honcho Lloyd Kaufman an outstanding camel in “The Pollution Solution” episode. The iconic obese mayor of Tromaville is here, although not played by Pat Ryan (RIP) who was the de facto Tromaville mayor in their films for decades.
The things that still stand out about “Toxic Crusaders” and most cartoons of this era are the creative and strange character designs which border on cool to silly. Take No-Zone as an example of the latter, and Dr. Kilemoff as an example of the former even if Kilemoff’s lackeys, Bone Head, and Psycho look cooler than they actually are. The designs aren’t enough to keep your interest across thirteen 23-minute episodes, which is the biggest problem that “Toxic Crusaders” has going for it, it’s just not made for adults. Even the most die-hard Toxie fans over the age of 13 will struggle with the redundancy of the stories and the silliness factor, which again, is not the fault of the series since it was made at a different time for a different audience. But it is worth mentioning to older fans like us so that at the very least the blow from it not being what you remembered is softened some. Perhaps fans with kids can tell us how their young ones receive it, and if it still holds up for that age group as well, but regardless of their answer, Toxie fans should be rejoicing that we now have a definitive series in HD to have in our collections.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
For context, “Toxic Crusaders” was released in the early 90s and the 1.33:1 aspect ratio was the go-to for TV shows of the time. As such, that aspect ratio is maintained here and Retroware, the team behind the coming soon some day “Toxic Crusaders: The Video Game” have taken it upon themselves to handle the upscaling from SD to HD. It is worth noting that this is an upscale and not a new transfer since there are no negatives, just tapes of the old episodes. In all fairness to Retroware, they did a great job with this despite the challenges that upscaling tapes face, but it certainly isn’t going to be a benchmark for your new TV or screen. Images from this release are used throughout this review.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
While the visual assets look as good as possible, something must’ve gone awry when it comes to the sound mix. All episodes are offered in Dolby Digital 2.0, which sounds almost as if it was ripped from the TV itself, and some episodes have a noticeable change in sound quality with some parts sounding like only the highs and mid-high ranges come through as if you’re listening to it in a tin-can.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
When it comes to special features, expectations must be set appropriately with studios like Troma and Full Moon, as they often take liberties with what is defined as “special” and not just archival. “Toxic Crusaders” is a prime example of the smorgasbord of varying supplemental features included which range from toy ads and vintage PR videos to a feature-length documentary about the upcoming “Toxic Crusaders: The Video Game.” The small clips and ads are usually under 5 minutes each and serve as nice little nostalgia nuggets for the superfans and morbidly curious, but nothing too insightful or revelatory about the series, the people behind it, or the production process. Most of the effort is funneled into a 73-minute documentary about the Toxic Crusaders video game and features interviews with different members of Retroware as they talk about their approach to making the game in laborious detail. It comes off more like an over-long sales pitch for a game that people watching this are probably inclined to want to play outright, so its inclusion here feels odd and self-serving rather than something the fans would enjoy. Most of the team making the game are from the UK, so their familiarity with this show is low from the start, but hopefully, this symbolizes that the game is coming soon as it was supposed to be out last year. A full list of special features are listed below.
Special Features
New introduction by Lloyd Kaufman
Original Toxic Crusaders toy commercials and TV spots
Feature-length documentary about the making of the Toxic Crusaders video game from Retroware
Long lost archival footage of your favorite mop-wielding mutant
Bonus cartoons
LAST RITES
“Toxic Crusaders” is something for the true Toxie fans, and maybe their kids. While our adult sensibilities will make some of these episodes a chore to get through, one can’t help but be happy to know that these episodes are now available in HD and are likely in the best shape they ever will be. The special features feel more like a garage sale of content than something made with fans in mind, but again, we don’t want to look this toxic gift horse in the mouth too long and just be happy with what we have!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD Entertainment for providing a review copy for the crypt! Toxic Crusaders: The Series is available now and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!
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