Startling Terror Tales

A short-lived but distinctive horror anthology from Star Publications, Startling Terror Tales ran for five issues in the early 1950s, delivering the grim, twist-laden shockers typical of the pre-Code era. The series is most consistently associated with artists George Peltz, Jay Disbrow, and Ken Battefield, whose moody, often grotesque visuals gave the stories a raw, unsettling edge. Though brief, it stands as a solid example of the unvarnished horror comics that flourished before the industry's mid-decade censorship crackdown.