It is unrelated to the book publisher Toby Press, which was acquired by Amazon.com in 2010.[1]
History
Elliott Caplin entered the comic-book field as editor of True Comics for the Parents Magazine Institute.[2] Some years later, he founded Toby Press with reprints of his brother Al Capp's popular newspaper comic stripLi'l Abner, a satire built around hillbillyarchetypes. 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' Li'l Abner Comics.[3] 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).[4] These issues reprint Li'l Abner strips that the newspaper syndicate United Feature 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 comics produced as premiums for Oxydol and Dreft 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!![4]
Toby's next series was John Wayne 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 teen-humor star; and Paul Terry's Terry-Toon Comics (both 1950).[4]
In its brief existence, Toby Press published in a wide variety of genres, including funny animals, with the 42-issue Felix the Cat (1951–June 1955, taking over the numbering from the Dell Comics series), which spawned spin-offs including Felix the Cat 3D Comic Book (1953); Western, with the likes of Gabby Hayes Western, a one-shot starring the movie sidekick, and the 29-issue Billy the Kid Adventure Magazine; war comics such as the 15-issue Tell It to the Marines 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-adventure one-shot The Black Knight, with art by Ernie Schroeder; and even a two-issue comic Captain Tootsie, that starred the heroic mascot of Tootsie Roll candy.[5]
Under the imprint Minoan, which featured a Minotaur head as the company logo, Toby Press published Dr. Anthony King, Hollywood Love Doctor, a four-issue romance comic; the seven-issue Western series Return of the Outlaw;[7] and the 13-issue Tales of Horror.[8] Minoan also published Bust Out Laffin', a digest-sized, single-panel cartoon.[4]
Al Capp's Dogpatch Comics, issue #71 (June 1949), followed by #2–3 (Aug. & Dec. 1949)[10] Comic-strip reprints. One source gives a fourth issue, contents unknown.[11]
Al Capp's Li'l Abner, issues #70–97 (May 1949 – Jan. 1955) Comic-strip reprints. Numbering continued from Harvey Publications' Li'l Abner Comics.[3]
