Trying to find an old comic book story

November 8, 2008 1:25 AM

Have you ever seen a snake-like arm and hand coming up out of the toilet?

Late fifties, maybe early sixties. My brother and I were big comic book fans, and eagerly took our allowance down to the drugstore to blow it on whatever was new that week.

One day though, we bought a comic book that contained a kind of horror story about a long snake-like arm and hand that came up out of the toilet, grabbed people, and dragged them to a porcelain death. It scared the s*#t out of us, and neither of us could get any sleep that night. "Mommmmmmmmmmmmm!" And I guess it was ages before we would go into the bathroom alone again. My mother took the comic away from us, threw it out, and removed our comic book 'privileges' for a while.

I don't have the slightest idea of the title, series, brand, etc. of this comic, but I would really like to see this again, and re-visit some of those memories. I think I can handle the stress now - without calling for help in the middle of the night. I think!

Any comic experts out there have any ideas what this might have been, and where I might be able to get hold of a copy?

posted by woodblock100 to society & culture (8 comments total)

I was thumbing through The Mammoth Book Of Horror Comics in a bookstore today - it had a story similar to what you're describing and appeared to be from the time period you're talking about, although without the toilet aspect.

Basically a huge scaly hand appeared through a man hole and pursued someone through houses and across streets. It looked like a big rubbery snake with a clawed hand on the end, by the end of the story the arm would have have been 200 metres long.

No idea what series the story was from, but it's probably worth a flick through the Mammoth book to find out - it's not great quality printing or format so I'm not recommending it in any other regard.
posted by backOfYourMind at 3:21 AM on November 8, 2008

This is probably not it, based on the time frame, but possibly Gory Stories Quarterly (halfway down)?
posted by triggerfinger at 3:22 AM on November 8, 2008

woodblock, I was thinking if we're talking the 50s, it might've been an EC Comic, but I haven't been able to find any toilet monsters at EC-related sites.

Maybe you and your brother just saw one of these?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:06 AM on November 8, 2008

You might check out the suggestions in my old AskMe thread.

You'll notice that the freakin' author of the comic answered my question
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:41 AM on November 8, 2008

Have you ever seen a snake-like arm and hand coming up out of the toilet?

Until I got in here and noticed that this was about a comic book, I got REALLY scared and was about to ask "Jesus, where the hell do you live that you've got human arms in the plumbing???"

My money's on the EC comics as well; I think they were known for the goriest tales. "Tales From The Crypt" started with them, if memory serves...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:37 AM on November 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Basically a huge scaly hand appeared through a man hole and pursued someone through houses and across streets.

Boy, this rings a lot of bells. Maybe there is also a scene in that one that involves a toilet, or maybe (no!) I've mis-remembered that part of it ... I'll look this up; thank you!

Until I got in here and noticed that this was about a comic book, I got REALLY scared and was about to ask "Jesus, where the hell do you live ...

Sorry 'bout that! :-) Just trying to write a good 'teaser' to get people to read the entry!
posted by woodblock100 at 3:16 PM on November 8, 2008

Could you possibly be conflating the comic book plot with Stephen King's short story "The Moving Finger"?
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:35 AM on November 9, 2008

Stephen King's short story ...

No chance of that ... I've never read any of his stuff. (Haven't read any fiction actually, in a great many years now ...)
posted by woodblock100 at 4:49 AM on November 9, 2008