DEATH FLOWER!

Man-eating plants were a mainstay in the pulp magazines of the 30's an 40's and it's not surprising they found their way into comic books. "Death Flower" appeared in TALES OF HORROR #11 (A Minoan Magazine/Toby Press, Inc., June 1954). It was reprinted from THE PURPLE CLAW #3 (Toby, May 1953). Art is by Ben Brown and David Gantz.

The editor of this title, Elliot Caplin, was also the owner of Toby Press. The art director was "Mel" Lazarus and readers may recognize the name. Mell Lazarus created the newspaper strips MISS PEACH (1957) an MOMMA (1970).

WHAT WAS THE THING IN THE POOL?

Interested in buying an old house for cheap? The one in this story is up for sale after the previous occupants mysteriously disappeared. The back story of love, rejection and revenge will have you thinking twice before you sign on the dotted line, though.

"The Thing in the Pool" was published in the pre-Code TALES OF HORROR #2 (Toby Press/Minoan, September 1952) and reprinted in I.D.W./Super Comics' MYSTERY TALES #16 (1964), oddly with no Comics Code Authority stamp on the cover. Artwork is by Myron Fass with some Good Girl Art drawn in for good measure.

TOBY'S TALES OF HORROR

Founded in 1949 by Elliot Caplin, Toby Press published reprints of newspaper strips, licensed animated and movie characters, as well as their own original romance, war, westerns and more. Since superhero comics had cooled off after WWII, they avoided that market.

Caplin, a cartoonist himself, was the brother of Al Capp and he reprinted a number of his strips including Li'l Abner, Shmoo and Wolf Gal early on. Under the Minoan Publishing Corp. imprint, he published thirteen issues of the comic you see here, TALES OF HORROR from June 1952 until October 1954. He also published two other horror titles, the one-shot TALES OF TERROR in 1952 and three issues of THE PURPLE CLAW (January 1953 - May 1953).

Caplin pulled the plug on his comics business in 1955; sources blame the onset of the Comics Code Authority as the reason, but it's hard to claim that since he only published a total of 17 horror comics during the Pre-Code era.

The standout in this issue is Myron Fass exercising his predilection for grisly images in the story, "Who Shall Inherit the Earth?" He would use several stories from this issue later in the Eerie Publications reprints.

NOTE: Ads have been removed from this scan, except inside front cover w/indicia.

TALES OF HORROR

Vol. 1 No. 4

January 1953

Toby Press (Minoan Publishing Corp.)

Editor: Elliot Caplin

Cover; Ernie Schroeder

Page: 36

Cover price: 10 cents

CONTENTS

"The Curse of King Kala"

Script: ?

Art: Ernie Schroeder

"Death From the Sea"

Script: ?

Art: Ben Brown; David Ganz

"The Man Who Imagined a Monster!"

Script: ?

Art: Ernie Schroeder

"Who Shall Inherit the Earth?"

Script: ?

Art: Myron Fass