Toby Press was an American

comic-book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

company that published from 1949 to 1955. Founded by

Elliott Caplin Elliot Caplin (December 25, 1913 - February 20, 2000) was a comic strip writer best known as the co-creator (with Stan Drake) of ''The Heart of Juliet Jones''. His name is sometimes spelled with one extra letter: Elliott A. Caplin. He was the yo ...

, brother of

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

Al Capp Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (wi ...

and himself an established

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

writer, the company published reprints of Capp's ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn ...

'' strip; licensed-character comics starring such

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

properties as

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

and

Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charac ...

; and original conceptions, including

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, and

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

comics. Some of its comics were published under the

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

Minoan. Some covers bore the logo ANC, standing for American News Company, at the time the country's largest newsstand distributor. It is unrelated to the book publisher Toby Press, which was acquired by

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

in 2010.

History

entered the comic-book field as editor of ''True Comics'' for the Parents Magazine Institute.Benton, Mike. ''The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History'' (Taylor Publishing Company : Dallas, Texas 1989) p.148. Some years later, he founded Toby Press with reprints of his brother

's popular newspaper

'', a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

built around

hillbilly Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...

archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...

s. The first Toby comic-book series was ''Al Capp's Li'l Abner'', which began with issue #70 (May 1949), picking up the numbering from

Harvey Publications Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alf ...

' ''Li'l Abner Comics''.''Li'l Abner'' (Harvey, 1947 series)
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

. Harvey had published issues #61–69 (Dec. 1947 – Feb. 1949). It ran 28 issues, through #97 (Jan. 1955) Toby's second title was the three-issue ''Al Capp's Dogpatch Comics'', numbered #71, followed by #2–3 (June–Dec. 1949). These issues reprint ''Li'l Abner'' strips that the newspaper syndicate

United Feature United Feature Syndicate (UFS) is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company, it was part of United Media (along wi ...

had published in the omnibus comic-book ''Tip Top'' #112–114 (Nov. 1946 – Jan. 1947). Following through 1952 were ''Al Capp's Shmoo Comics'' #1–5 (July 1949 – April 1950); ''Al Capp's Wolf Gal'' #1–2 (1951–1952); and a series of pocket-sized, 6.75 × 3.5-inch,

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

comics produced as premiums for

Oxydol Oxydol is a brand of laundry detergent sold in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It was created in 1914 by Thomas Hedley Co. of Newcastle upon Tyne and purchased by Procter & Gamble in 1927. It was P&G's first laundry soap. In t ...

and

Dreft Dreft is a laundry detergent in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and other markets. First produced by Procter & Gamble in 1933, it was the first synthetic detergent. The Fairy brand of washing-up liquid and Cascade brand of dishwasher ...

detergents: ''Al Capp's Shmoo in Washable Jones' Travels''; ''Al Capp's Daisy Mae in Ham Sangwidges also Cousin Weakeyes'', and ''Al Capp's Li'l Abner in The Mystery o' the Cave!!'' Toby's next series was ''

Adventure Comics'', named after the actor and frequently featuring photo covers bearing scenes from his movies. It ran 31 issues (Winter 1949/1950–May 1955) and spawned its own Oxydol/Dreft pocket-sized premium, ''John Wayne: The Cowboy Trouble-Shooter!'' Further such premiums included '' Archie in Mask Me No Questions'', featuring the

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Paul Terry's Terry-Toon Comics'' (both 1950). In its brief existence, Toby Press published in a wide variety of genres, including

cartoon animal Talking animals are a common element in mythology and folk tales, children's literature, and modern comic books and animated cartoons. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities (such as bipedal walkin ...

, with the 42-issue

(1951–June 1955, taking over the numbering from the

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

series), which spawned spin-offs including ''Felix the Cat 3D Comic Book'' (1953); Western, with the likes of ''

Gabby Hayes Gabby is a given name, usually a short form of Gabriel or Gabrielle or Gabriella. Gabby or Gabbie may refer to: People with the name * Gabby Chaves (born 1993), Colombian-American racing driver * Guy Gabaldon (also "Gabby"; 1926–2006 ...

Western'', a one-shot starring the movie sidekick, and the 29-issue ''

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...

Adventure Magazine'';

war comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II. History American war comics Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began incl ...

such as the 15-issue ''Tell It to the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

'' and the six-issue ''Monty Hall of the U.S. Marines'' (no relation to the game-show host); the genre-evident ''Great Lover Romances'' and ''Tales of Horror''; the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

-adventure one-shot ''The Black Knight'', with art by

Ernie Schroeder Ernest C. Schroeder (January 9, 1916 – September 20, 2006)Ernest C. Schroeder
...

; and even a two-issue comic ''Captain Tootsie'', that starred the heroic mascot of

Tootsie Roll Tootsie Roll is a chocolate-flavored taffy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1907. The candy has qualities similar to both caramels and taffy without being exactly either confection. The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Indu ...

candy. Toby went out of business in 1955, a victim of the anti-comics sentiment stirred in that era by Dr.

Fredric Wertham Fredric Wertham (; born Friedrich Ignatz Wertheimer, March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and author. Wertham had an early reputation as a progressive psychiatrist who treated poor black patients at his Lafargue ...

's book ''

Seduction of the Innocent ''Seduction of the Innocent'' is a book by German-born American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was tak ...

'' and the

United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency The United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was established by the United States Senate in 1953 to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency. Background The subcommittee was a unit of the United States Senate Judiciary Co ...

.Aydin, Andrew
"The comic book that changed the world: Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story's vital role in the Civil Rights Movement,"
''Creative Loafing'' (Aug. 1, 2013). Toby's final comic, ''Felix the Cat'' #61, was cover-dated June 1955.

Minoan

Under the

Minoan, which featured a

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...

head as the company logo, Toby Press published ''Dr. Anthony King, Hollywood Love Doctor'', a four-issue

romance comic Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published t ...

; the seven-issue Western series ''Return of the Outlaw''; and the 13-issue ''Tales of Horror''. Minoan also published ''Bust Out Laffin'', a

digest-sized Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...

, single-panel cartoon.

Titles published

Source:

Toby Press

*''A-Laff-A-Minnit #1-2 (1953?-1954?) / ''A-Laugh-A-Minnit'' #3-14 (1954?-1956). Issues #15-16 under Minoan. * ''Al Capp's Dogpatch Comics'', issue #71 (June 1949), followed by #2–3 (Aug. & Dec. 1949) Comic-strip reprints. One source gives a fourth issue, contents unknown. * ''Al Capp's Li'l Abner'', issues #70–97 (May 1949 – Jan. 1955) Comic-strip reprints. Numbering continued from

' ''Li'l Abner Comics''. *''Al Capp's Li'l Abner Joins the Navy'' #1 (1951) * ''Al Capp's Shmoo Comics'' #1–5 (July 1949 – April 1950) * ''Al Capp's Wolf Gal'' #1–2 (1951–1952) *''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'' #1-4 (June 1951 - Feb. 1952) *''Belly Laffs'' #1-6 (1955 - 1956) *''Big Tex'' #1 (June 1953) *''The Big Top Comics'' #1-2 (1951) * ''

Adventure Magazine'' #1-29 (Oct. 1950 –

une Une is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Eastern Province, Cundinamarca, Eastern Province, part of the Departments of Colombia, department of Cundinamarca Department, Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located at an altitude of at a dista ...

1955) * ''The Black Knight'' one-shot (May 1953) *''

Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...

'' #100-101, 9 (Jan., May & June 1951) Comic-strip reprints. *''Bust Out Laffin #1-15 (1954 - 1955) * ''Captain Tootsie'', #1-2 (Oct.–Dec. 1950) *''Danger Is Our Business!'' #1-3 (Dec.] 1953 - April 1954) *''Dick Wingate of the United States Navy'' #1 (Jan. 1951) *''Dogpatch Styles Presents Li'l Abner'' (1949? giveaway) *''

'' #20–61 (May 1951 – June 1955) Numbering from the

series. Also a 1953 annual publication, summer annual and a 1954 winter annual. * ''Felix the Cat 3D Comic Book'' (1953) *''Felix the Cat and His Friends'' #1-3 (Dec. 1953 - July 1954) *''Fighting Leathernecks'' #1-6 (Feb.-Dec. 1952) * ''

Western'' #1 (Dec. 1953) * ''Great Lover Romances'' (March 1951 – May 1955); issues #3-4 titled ''Young Lover Romances'' *''He-Man'' #1-2 (May–July 1954) * ''

Adventure Comics'' #1-31 (Winter 1949/1950 – May 1955) *''Johnny Danger Private Detective'' #1 (Aug. 1954) *''Jon Juan'' #1 (Spring 1950) *''Judy Joins the Waves'' #1 (1951) *''Kokey Koala'' #1 (May 1952) *''Mammy Yokum and the Great Dogpatch Mystery'' (1956 giveaway) *''Meet Merton'' #1-4 (Dec. 1953 - June 1954) * ''Monty Hall of the U.S. Marines'' #1-11 (Aug. 1951 - April 1953) *''Pin-Up Pete'' #1 (1952) *''Ramar of the Jungle'' #1 (1954) *''Return of the Outlaw'' #107 (Feb. 1953 - 1955) *''Sands of the South Pacific'' #1 (Jan. 1953) *''Sorority Secrets'' #1 (July 1954) *''Super Brat'' #1-4 (Jan.-July 1954) *''T.N.T.'' #1-10 (1954 - 1956) *''Tales of Horror'' #10-13 (April- Oct. 1954). Issues #1-9 under Minoan. *''Tales of Terror'' #1 (1952) *''Tell It to the Marines'' #1-15 (March 1952 - July 1955) *''True Movie and Television'' #1-4 (Aug. 1950 - March 1951) *''Two-Bit the Wacky Woodpecker'' #1-3 (1951 - May 1953) *''Washable Jones and Schmoo'' #1 (June 1953) *''With the Marines on the Battlefronts of the World'' #1-2 (1953 - March 1954) *''Yo' Bets Yo' Life!'' (1955 giveaway) *

and

premium one-shot digest titles (1950): ** ''Al Capp's Daisy Mae in Ham Sangwidges also Cousin Weakeyes'' **Al Capp's Li'l Abner in The Mystery o' the Cave!! ** ''Al Capp's Shmoo in Washable Jones' Travels'' ** '' Archie in Mask Me No Questions'' ** ''John Wayne: The Cowboy Trouble-Shooter!'' ** '' Paul Terry's Terry-Toon Comics''

Minoan Publishing

Source: *''A-Laugh-A-Minnit'' #15-16 (1956). Issues #1-4 under Toby, above. * ''Dr. Anthony King, Hollywood Love Doctor'', #1-4 ( an.1952 – May 1954) *''The Purple Claw'' #1-3 (Jan.-May 1953) *''Tales of Horror'' #1-9 (June 1952 - Feb. 1954) Issues #10-12 under Toby, above. *''Wise Cracks'' #1-12 (1955 - 1956)

History

Minoan

Titles published

Toby Press

Minoan Publishing

References

Further reading