Tales of Horror #4

In "The Curse of King Kala," a desperate scientist’s experiment to elevate animal intelligence spirals into chaos when his super-intelligent rats seize control of a European city. With the U.N. forced to evacuate the population by sea and obliterate the city with a nuclear strike, the final horror lies in what escaped—rats now aboard the fleeing ships, carrying the threat beyond the flames. Illustrated by Myron Fass, this chilling tale from Tales of Horror #4 (1953) features a cover by Ernie Schroeder.