{"id":28023,"date":"2023-05-20T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=28023"},"modified":"2023-05-18T18:04:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T18:04:25","slug":"action-heroes-archive-volume-1-captain-atom-volume-2-captain-atom-blue-beetle-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2023\/05\/20\/action-heroes-archive-volume-1-captain-atom-volume-2-captain-atom-blue-beetle-the-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Action Heroes Archive volume 1: Captain Atom & volume 2: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle & The Question"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\" \"\"
\nBy Steve Ditko<\/strong>, Joe Gill<\/strong>, Gary Friedrich<\/strong>, Dave Kaler<\/strong>, Steve Skeates<\/strong>, Rocke Mastroserio<\/strong>, Frank McLaughlin<\/strong>, Al Milgrom<\/strong>, Roger Stern<\/strong>, John Byrne<\/strong>, Michael Uslan<\/strong>, Alex Toth<\/strong>, and various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-0302-3 (HB vol. 1) 978-1-4012-1346-6 (HB vol. 2)<\/p>\n

Clearly I\u2019m cashing in on the pre-release hype around a new DC Cinema blockbuster here, but I take honest refuge and some comfort in the fact that these books and the stories they contain are actually germane as well as being some of the best Silver Age comics ever crafted\u2026\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Despite being dead – and so very much missed – Steve Ditko remains comics\u2019 most unique stylist. Love him or hate him, you can\u2019t mistake his work for anyone else\u2019s. His career began in the early 1950s and, depending on whether you\u2019re a superhero fan or prefer deeper, more challenging experimental work, peaked in either the mid-1960s or 1970s.<\/p>\n

Leaving the Avenging World<\/strong>, <\/em>Mr. A<\/strong> and his other philosophically-derived creations for another time, the superhero crowd should heartily celebrate and clamour for new editions of these deluxe collections of the first costumed do-gooder that Ditko worked on. Although I\u2019m a huge fan of his linework – which is always best served by monochrome printing – the crisp, sharp colour of these Archive editions is still much better than the appalling reproduction on bog-paper that first displayed Charlton Comics\u2019 Atomic Ace and latterly the Bug Bombshell to the kids of Commie-obsessed America.<\/p>\n

As discussed in the Foreword <\/em>by historian and Ditko-expert Blake Bell, Action Heroes Archive volume 1: Captain Atom<\/strong> reveals – in all the full-on, simplistic furore of a 1950s B-Movie – how a Cold War-obsessed America copes with a modern-day miracle just as the concept of costumed superheroes was being reimagined…<\/p>\n

With covers by Ditko and\/or Mastroserio, this tome amasses pertinent tales from Space Adventures<\/strong> #33-40 & 42 (spanning cover-dates March 1960 to October 1961), augmented by the contents of the revived, solo-starring Captain Atom <\/strong>#78-82, as published for December 1965 through September 1966.<\/p>\n

In those simpler times the short, terse adventures of Captain Atom<\/strong> seemed somehow more telling than the innovative yet rather anodyne DC fare, whilst Marvel was still pushing romances, westerns and monsters in underpants, explorers in pith helmets and citizen scientists with labs in their garden sheds. Their particular heroic revolution was still months away even though Steve Ditko was producing top-flight work for both companies.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Ditko\u2019s hero was different and we few who read him all knew it\u2026.<\/p>\n

As scripted by Jo Gill and predating Fantastic Four<\/strong> #1 by more than 18 months, Space Adventures<\/strong> #33 even cover-featured the new sensation-in-waiting as \u2018Introducing Captain Atom\u2019<\/em> in a brief but vivid vignette, giving us a true American hero and man of his time before instantly killing him.<\/p>\n

Captain Adam<\/em> was an astronaut accidentally but literally atomised in a rocketry accident. Eerily – and the way it\u2019s drawn spooked the short pants off me when I first read it all those years ago – he gradually reassembles himself on the launch pad\u2026<\/p>\n

Now blessed with astounding powers, he reports to the President (Eisenhower) and is swiftly kitted up in a protective outfit, allowing contact with normal, non-irradiated humans and reassigned as a masked superhero who will be the USA\u2019s secret weapon\u2026<\/p>\n

Mostly written by or co-written with Joe Gill, the first wonderful, addictive run of 18 stories from Space Adventures<\/strong> #33-42 (and three of those were in fact drawn by uninspired, out-of-his-comfort zone Rocke Mastroserio) are a magnificent example of Ditko\u2019s emerging mastery of mood, pacing, atmosphere and human dynamics.<\/p>\n

In 1961, with Ditko increasingly doing more work for blossoming – and better paying – Marvel, Charlton killed the Captain Atom feature. However, when Dick Giordano jumped on the superhero bandwagon and created a costumed character line for Charlton in late 1965, the Captain was revived. Space Adventures<\/strong> was retitled, with Atom\u2019s first full length issue numbered #78.<\/p>\n

Since he was still drawing Amazing<\/strong> Spider-Man<\/strong> and Doctor Strange<\/strong>, Ditko could only manage pencils, so Mastroserio was recruited to ink the series, resulting in an oddly jarring finish. With #79, Ditko became lead writer too, and the stories took on an eccentric, compelling edge and tone, lifting them above much of the competition\u2019s fare. Eventually the inker adapted to Ditko\u2019s style and much of the ungainliness disappeared from the figurework, although so had the fine detail that had elevated the early art. This volume ends with issue #82, leaving six more published issues and a complete unpublished seventh for another time\u2026<\/p>\n

However, those early, Cold War-fired tales are a truly unique blend of action, tension and sheer whimsy which continued in Space Adventures<\/strong> #34 as \u2018The 2nd<\/sup> Man in Space\u2019<\/em> cheekily sees the magnanimous hero covertly undercut another Soviet space triumph by saving the USSR\u2019s first cosmonaut from his defective capsule, whilst #35#s \u2018The Little Wanderer\u2019<\/em> finds him traversing the stars to rescue the spirit of an little boy inadvertently abducted by a well-meaning cosmic traveller\u2026<\/p>\n

A thermonuclear double bill graced #36, beginning with \u2018The Wreck of X-44\u2019<\/em>, with a new craft detonating in space and leading Captain Atom to a deadly saboteur, after which \u2018Captain Atom on Planet X\u2019<\/em> finds him defending a US satellite from all-out attack by the dastardly ruthless Russians\u2026<\/p>\n

Geopolitics gives way to fantasy as #37 (December 1960) initially details a fusion-foiled invasion by \u2018The Space<\/em> Prowlers\u2019<\/em> before a US probe to the second planet is scuttled by svelte space sirens who score \u2018A Victory for Venus\u2019<\/em> over the stounded atomic Earthman\u2026<\/p>\n

Two months later and the count climbed to three stories, beginning with \u2018One Second of War\u2019<\/em>, wherein the Captain wrecks the doomsday missile attack of Dr. Claudius Jaynes<\/em>, a suicidal maniac with his own atomic arsenal, before repeating the feat in \u2018Backfire\u2019<\/em> when a tin-pot dictator seeks to nuke the USA. The issue ends with \u2018The Force Beyond\u2019<\/em> as an alien entity tries to destroy the world with meteors before encountering our nuclear nemesis\u2026<\/p>\n

Space Adventures<\/strong> #39 begins with a \u2018Test-Pilot\u2019s Nightmare\u2019<\/em> as arrogance threatens the life of a helpless jet jockey and Atom invisibly comes to the rescue after which Mastroserio limns \u2018Peace Envoy\u2019<\/em> with the energetic enigma turning back another alien invasion. Ditko is back for the final fling as Captain Adam goes undercover in Berlin (just before The Wall went up) to crush an espionage plot in \u2018An Ageless Weapon\u2019<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

The atomic experiment was coming to a close. After #40\u2019s \u2018The Crisis\u2019<\/em> – wherein the hero helps a diplomat call a tyrant\u2019s bluff and \u2018The Boy and the Stars\u2019<\/em> features another Earth tot transported into the wondrous cosmos – the costumed heroics were absent the next issue.<\/p>\n

Just as the FF<\/strong> was about to go big, Space Adventures<\/strong> #42 (October 1961) arrived and depleted all the inventory tales at once beginning with a brace of Mastroserio drawn yarns and one last tantalising Ditko masterpiece. \u2018The Saucer Scare\u2019<\/em> is yet another mediocre space war clash whilst \u2018The Man in Saturn\u2019s Moon\u2019<\/em> sees the atomic ace hunting a Soviet dissent squirreled away by wicked commies. Those lesser efforts are utterly eclipsed by \u2018The Silver Lady from Venus\u2019<\/em> as another sexy extraterrestrial beguiles the humans of Earth before making a fool of the fiery champion\u2026<\/p>\n

And that was that the end until of 1965 when a global resurgence of costumed capers led to a new line at Charlton. Leading that charge came Captain Atom<\/strong> #78 (cover-dated December) when Gill & Ditko – with Mastroserio inking – revived the Atomic Adventurer in \u2018The Gremlins from Planet Blue\u2019<\/em>. The genre had moved on in four years and the stripped-back, pared-down B-Movie feel of those early tales had evolved into a more uniquely fulsome and flamboyant affair for this particular extraterrestrial infiltration. Here were subplots and supporting cast to spare, as the hero foiled alien sabotage and mind control at Cape Kennedy, romancing Leah Jupe<\/em> whilst her scientist father fell under the control of insidious infiltrators. There was even a new gadfly for Captain Adam in the grumpy form of martinet military man General Brill before ultimately saving Earth again\u2026<\/p>\n

In the next issue (February\/March 1966), a true but tragic supervillain arrives in the series as \u2018Captain Atom Faces Doctor Spectro, Master of Moods\u2019<\/em> when a spy hunt brings the hero into the orbit of an embittered recluse seeking to master light and colour to revolutionise medicine. Sadly, sudden success tips him over the edge and his newfound abilities drive him even more crazy\u2026<\/p>\n

Apparently destroyed, the miscreant is soon forgotten when a wandering planetoid nears Earth and sounds the \u2018Death Knell of the World\u2019<\/em> (#80, Ditko, Gill & Mastroserio). Happily, the High Energy Hero is up to foiling a cosmic tyrant and liberating his captive satellite people before confronting \u2018The Five Faces of Doctor Spectro\u2019<\/em> as the misunderstood miscreant reappears in five prismatic pieces with a plethora of different plans but one overriding goal: pulling himself together and finally splitting this atom\u2026<\/p>\n

The hero hosts a quick fact feature drawn by Frank McLaughlin in \u2018Captain Atom\u2019s Secret\u2019 <\/em>before this initial outing ends with a magnificent step up in tension and quality. Issue #82 – cover-dated September 1966 and by Ditko with Dave Kaler & Mastroserio – debuts not just the series\u2019 ultimate archfoe and a major story arc but also the company\u2019s first female superhero.<\/p>\n

With an enigmatic teleporting thief casually robbing the nation and the military of its wealth and top secrets, Captain Adam is sent undercover with mystery operative Nightshade<\/strong> in \u2018Captain Atom vs. The Ghost\u2019<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

Their mission introduces sleek scoundrel Alec Rois, channels the spy craze of the era and hints at a vast conspiracy underpinning a threat to Earth and even finds time to see the heroes battle an army of thugs and save Fort Knox from bold bullion banditry\u2026<\/p>\n

Over half a decade pioneers Steve Ditko and Captain Atom and paved the way and lit a path to a revolution in comics storytelling and these early exploits were only the start\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Action Heroes volume 2: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle & The Question<\/strong><\/p>\n

A second – far longer – volume completes Ditko\u2019s controversial Charlton Comics costumed hero contributions with the remainder of Captain Atom<\/strong>\u2019s exploits, the introduction of a new Blue Beetle<\/strong> and debut of his uniquely iconic vigilante The <\/strong>Question<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Following an effusive and extremely informative Introduction by original Action Line inventor and editor Dick Giordano, Captain Atom<\/strong> #83 (November 1966) starts the ball rolling again with a huge blast of reconstructive character surgery.<\/p>\n

Although \u2018Finally Falls the Mighty!\u2019 <\/em>was inked by Mastroserio and scripted by relative newcomer Kaler, thematically it\u2019s pure Ditko. Plotted and drawn by him, it sees an ungrateful public swiftly turn on the Atomic Ace, due to the manipulations of a former colleague turned cunning criminal.<\/p>\n

Intended to tone down the character\u2019s sheer omnipotence, the added approachable empathy-inducing humanity of malfunctioning powers made his struggles against treacherous Professor Koste<\/em> all the more poignant.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the sheer visual spectacle of his battle against a runaway reactor is some of Ditko\u2019s most imaginative design and layout work. The tale ends on a cliffhanger – a real big deal when the comic came out every two months – and with the last 7 pages dedicated to debuting a new superhero with one of the oldest names in the business.<\/p>\n

The Blue Beetle<\/strong> first appeared in Mystery Men Comics<\/strong> #1, released by Fox Comics and cover-dated August 1939. Created by Charles Nicholas (nee Wojtkowski) the character was inexplicably popular: surviving the collapse of numerous publishers before ending up as an acquired Charlton property in the mid-1950s. After releasing a few issues sporadically, Charlton shelved him until the superhero revival of the 1960s when Gill and latterly young Roy Thomas revised and revived the character for a combined 10-issue run (June 1964 – February 1966).<\/p>\n

Here however, Ditko accepts but sets aside all that history to utterly recreate him. Ted Kord<\/em> is an earnest young scientist with a secret tragedy in his past, which Ditko and scripter Gary Friedrich sagely forbear revealing in deference to intrigue and action, in a taut, captivating crime-thriller where the new hero displays his modus operandi by stopping a vicious crime-spree by the Killer Koke Gang<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This untitled short has all the classic elements of a Ditko masterpiece: outlandish intense, fight scenes, compact, claustrophobic yet dynamic layouts, innovative gimmickry and a clear-cut battle between Right and Wrong. It\u2019s one of the very best introductory stories of a new hero anywhere in comics – and it\u2019s 7 pages long\u2026<\/p>\n

The remodelling of the Atomic Ace concludes in the next issue with \u2018After the Fall a New Beginning\u2019. <\/em>Once again Ditko rattled his authorial sabre about the fickleness of the public as the villainous Koste exposes the hero\u2019s face on live TV. Escaping, Atom gets a new costume to match his curtailed powers \u2026and consequently, a lot more drama drapes the series.<\/p>\n

Now there is a definite feeling of no safety or status quo. The untitled Blue Beetle back-up (scripted by Friedrich with full art from Ditko) pits the new kid against a Masked Marauder<\/em>, but the real kicker is the bombshell revelation that Homicide detective Fisher<\/em> – investigating the disappearance of Dan Garrett<\/em> – suspects a possible connection to Kord\u2026<\/p>\n

Whilst extending a running plot-line about the mysterious Ghost and his connection to a lost civilization of warrior women, \u2018Strings of Punch and Jewelee\u2019 <\/em>introduces a couple of shady carnival hucksters who find a chest of esoteric alien weapons and use them for robbery. Although Cap and partner Nightshade<\/em> are somewhat outclassed here, the vigour and vitality of the Blue Beetle is again undeniable as a mid-air hijack is foiled and a spy sub and giant killer octopus are given short shrift by the indomitable rookie crusader.<\/p>\n

Captain Atom<\/strong> #86 finally brings the long-simmering plot-thread of tech thief The Ghost<\/em> to a boil as the malevolent science-wizard goes on a rampage, totally trouncing Nightshade and our hero before being kidnapped by the aforementioned mystery maidens. \u2018The Fury of the Faceless Foe!<\/em> is by Ditko, Kaler & Mastroserio whilst in the (still) untitled Blue Beetle strip by Friedrich & Ditko, the cobalt crusader confronts a ruthless scientist\/industrial spy he\u2019s convinced he battled before…<\/p>\n

This leads directly into the first issue of his own comic book. Blue Beetle<\/strong> #1 (cover-dated June 1967) is an all-Ditko masterpiece (even scripting it as \u201cD.C. Glanzman\u201d) with the hero in all-out action against a deadly gang of bandits. \u2018Blue Beetle\u2026 Bugs the Squids\u2019 <\/em>is crammed with the eccentric vitality that made Amazing Spider-Man<\/strong> such a monster hit, with justice-dispensing joie de vivre<\/em> balanced by the moody, claustrophobic introduction of Ditko\u2019s most challenging mainstream superhero creation.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Question\u2019 <\/em>is Vic Sage<\/em>, a TV journalist with an uncompromising attitude to crime and corruption, employing an alter-ego of faceless, relentless retribution. In his premiere outing he exposes the link between his own employers\u2019 self-righteous sponsors and gambling racketeer Lou Dicer<\/em>. This theme of unflinching virtue in the teeth of both violent crime and pernicious peer and public pressure marked Ditko\u2019s departure from straight entertainment towards philosophical – some would say polemical – examination of greater societal issues and the true nature of both Good and Evil that would culminate in his controversial Mr. A<\/strong>,<\/em> Avenging World<\/strong> and other independent ventures.<\/p>\n

In Captain Atom<\/strong> #87 (August 1967), \u2018The Menace of the Fiery-Icer\u2019 <\/em>presaged the beginning of the end for the Atomic Ace as Kaler, Ditko & Mastroserio dialled back on plot threads to deliver a visually excellent but run-of-the-mill yarn about a spy ring with a hot line in cold-blooded leaders.<\/p>\n

Blue Beetle<\/strong> #2 however – another all-Ditko affair from the same month – showed the master at his peak. Lead story \u2018The End is a Beginning!\u2019 <\/em>at last reveals the origin of the character as well as the fate of Dan Garrett, and even advances Kord\u2019s relationship with his assistant Tracey<\/em>. The enigmatic Question, meanwhile, tackles flying burglar The Banshee<\/em> in a vertiginous, moody thriller reminiscent of early Doctor Strange<\/strong> strips.<\/p>\n

Frank McLaughlin joins as inker for a satisfying no-nonsense escapist romp \u2018Ravage of Ronthor\u2019 <\/em>(Captain Atom<\/strong> #88, October 1967), as the hero answers a distress call from space to preserve a paradise planet from marauding giant bugs. Blue Beetle<\/strong> #3 was another superbly satisfying read, as the eponymous hero routes malevolent, picturesque thugs \u2018The Madmen\u2019 <\/em>in a sharp parable about paranoia and misperception. Equally captivating is the intense and bizarre Question vignette wherein a murderous ghostly deep-sea diver stalks some shady captains of industry\u2026<\/p>\n

Cover-dated December 1967, issue #89 was the last Captain Atom<\/strong> published by Charlton: an early casualty of the burn-out afflicting the superhero genre and leading to a resurrected horror and mystery craze. This resurrected genre would form a new backbone for the company\u2019s 1970\u2019s output; one where Ditko would shine again in his role as master of short story horror.<\/p>\n

Scripter Kaler satisfactorily ties up most of the hanging plot threads with the warrior women of Sunuria in sci-fi-meets-witchcraft thriller \u2018Thirteen\u2019<\/em>, <\/em>although the Ditko\/McLaughlin art team was nowhere near top form.<\/p>\n

The next episode promised a final \u2018Showdown in Sunuria\u2019<\/em>, but never materialized\u2026<\/p>\n

Blue Beetle<\/strong> #4 (released the same month) is visually the best of the bunch as Kord follows a somehow-returned Dan Garrett to an Asian backwater in pursuit of lost treasure and a death cult. \u2018The Men of the Mask\u2019 <\/em>is pure strip poetry and bombastic action, cunningly counterbalanced by a seedy underworld thriller as the Question seeks to discover who gave the order to \u2018Kill Vic Sage!\u2019 <\/em>Scripted by Steve Skeates (as Warren Savin) it was the last action any Charlton hero saw for the better part of a year\u2026<\/p>\n

Then, cover-dated October 1968, The Question returned as the star of Mysterious Suspense<\/strong> #1, with Ditko producing a captivating cover and three-chapter thriller (with Mastroserio providing a rather jarring full-page frontispiece). \u2018What Makes a Hero?\u2019 <\/em>(probably rescued from partially completed inventory material) sees crusading Vic Sage pilloried by the public, abandoned by friends and abandoned by his employers yet resolutely sticking to his higher principles in pursuit of hypocritical villains masquerading as pillars of the community. Ditko\u2019s interest in Ayn Rand\u2019s philosophical Objectivism had become increasingly important to him and this story is arguably the dividing line between his \u201cold\u201d and \u201cnew\u201d work. It\u2019s also the most powerful and compelling piece in this entire book.<\/p>\n

A month later one final issue of Blue Beetle<\/strong> (#5) was published. \u2018The Destroyer of Heroes\u2019 <\/em>is a decidedly quirky tale featuring a nominal team-up of the azure avenger and the Question as a frustrated artist defaces heroic and uplifting paintings and statues. Ditko\u2019s committed if reactionary views of youth culture, which so worried Stan Lee, are fully on view in this charged, absorbing tale.<\/p>\n

Other material had been created and languished incomplete in editorial limbo. In the early 1970s a burgeoning and committed fan-base created fanzine Charlton Portfolio<\/strong>. With the willing assistance of the company, a host of kids who would soon become household names in their own right found a way to bring the lost work to the public gaze. Their efforts are also included here, in monochrome as they originally appeared.<\/p>\n

For Charlton Portfolio<\/strong> #9 and 10 (1974), the unreleased Blue Beetle<\/strong> #6 was serialized. \u2018A Specter is Haunting Hub City!\u2019 <\/em>is another all-Ditko extravaganza, pitting the hero against an (almost) invisible thief. Follow-up magazine Charlton Bullseye<\/strong> (1975) finally published \u2018Showdown in Sunuria\u2019 <\/em>in its first two issues.<\/p>\n

Behind an Al Milgrom Captain Atom cover, Kaler\u2019s plot was scripted by Roger Stern (working as Jon G. Michels) and Ditko\u2019s pencils were inked by rising star John Byrne – a cataclysmic climax almost worth the 8-year wait. But even there, the magic doesn\u2019t end in this magnificent Archive volume.<\/p>\n

Charlton Bullseye<\/strong> #5 (1975) offers one last pre-DC tale of The Question<\/strong>: 8 gripping, intense and beautiful pages plotted by Stern, scripted by Michael Uslan and illustrated by the legendary Alex Toth. This alone is worth the price of admission.<\/p>\n

These weighty snapshots from another era are packed with classic material by brilliant craftsmen. They are books no Ditko addict, serious fan of the genre or lover of graphic adventure can afford to be without. It\u2019s impossible to describe the grace, finesse, and unique eclectic shape of Steve Ditko\u2019s art. It must be experienced, and this is as good a place to start as any. It\u2019s just a shame DC have let these tales languish so long, but hopefully the power of Hollywood will induce a revival\u2026
\n\u00a9 1966, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1976, 2007 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Steve Ditko, Joe Gill, Gary Friedrich, Dave Kaler, Steve Skeates, Rocke Mastroserio, Frank McLaughlin, Al Milgrom, Roger Stern, John Byrne, Michael Uslan, Alex Toth, and various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012-0302-3 (HB vol. 1) 978-1-4012-1346-6 (HB vol. 2) Clearly I\u2019m cashing in on the pre-release hype around a new DC Cinema blockbuster here, but I … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Action Heroes Archive volume 1: Captain Atom & volume 2: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle & The Question”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[110,319,76,127,96,156],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blue-beetle","category-captain-atom","category-dc-superhero","category-nostalgia","category-the-question","category-world-classics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7hZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28023"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28031,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28023\/revisions\/28031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}