{"id":34851,"date":"2026-02-01T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T09:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=34851"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:31:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:31:24","slug":"barnaby-volume-1-1942-1943-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/02\/01\/barnaby-volume-1-1942-1943-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Barnaby volume 1: 1942-1943"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Crockett Johnson<\/strong> (Fantagraphics Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-60699-522-8 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here is one of those books that\u2019s worthy of two reviews, so if you\u2019re in a hurry…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Buy Barnaby now<\/strong> – it\u2019s one of the most wonderful strips of all time and this superb hardcover compilation and its digitised equivalent have lots of fascinating extras. If you harbour any yearnings for the lost joys of childish glee and simpler, more clear-cut world-ending crises, you would be crazy to miss this…<\/p>\n

However, if you\u2019re still here and need a little more time to decide…<\/em><\/p>\n

As long ago as August 2007 I started whining that one of the greatest comic strips of all time was criminally out of print and in desperate need of a major deluxe re-issue. So – as if by the magic of a fine Panatela – Cushlamocree! – Fantagraphics came to my rescue.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s newspapers – those that still cling on by ink-stained fingernails – have precious few continuity drama or adventure strips. Indeed, if a paper has any strips, as opposed to single panel editorial cartoons at all, chances are they will be of the episodic variety typified by Jim Davis\u2019 Garfield<\/strong> or reruns of old favourites like Calvin and Hobbes <\/strong>or Peanuts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You can describe most of these as single-idea pieces with a set-up, delivery and punchline, rendered in sparse, pared-down-to-basics drawing style. In that at least, they\u2019re nothing new. Narrative impetus comes from the unchanging characters themselves, and a building of gag-upon-gag in extended themes. The advantage to the newspaper was obvious. If readers liked a strip it encouraged them to buy the paper. If one missed a day or two, they could return fresh at any time having, in real terms, missed nothing.<\/p>\n

Such was not always the case, especially in America. Once upon a time the Daily \u201cfunnies\u201d -comedic or otherwise – were crucial circulation builders and sustainers, with lush, lavish and magnificently rendered fantasies or romances rubbing shoulders beside, above and across from thrilling, moody masterpieces of crime, war, sci-fi and mundane modern melodrama. Even the legion of humour strips actively strived to maintain an avid, devoted following.<\/p>\n

…And eventually there was Barnaby<\/strong>\u00a0which in so many ways bridged the gap between Then and Now…<\/p>\n

On April 20th<\/sup> 1942, with America at war for the second time in 25 years, liberal New York tabloid PM<\/strong> (a later iteration of which – The New York Star<\/strong> – launched and hosted Walt Kelly\u2019s wonderful Pogo<\/strong>) began running a new, sweet strip for kids which happened to be the most whimsically addicting, socially seditious and ferociously smart satire since the creation of Al Capp\u2019s Li\u2019l Abner<\/strong>… another utter innocent left to the mercy of scurrilous worldly influences…<\/p>\n

Crockett Johnson\u2019s outlandish regimented 4-panel daily was the brainchild of a man who didn\u2019t particularly care for comics, but who – according to preeminent strip historian Ron Goulart – just wanted steady employment. David Johnson Leisk (October 20th<\/sup> 1906 – July 11th<\/sup> 1975) was an ardent socialist; passionate anti-fascist; gifted artisan and brilliant designer who had spent much of his working life as a commercial artist, Editor and Art Director.<\/p>\n

Born in New York City, he was raised in the outer borough of Queens (when it was still semi-rural and apparently darn-near feral), very near the slag heaps which would eventually house two New York World\u2019s Fairs in Flushing Meadows. Leisk studied art at Cooper Union (for the Advancement of Science and Art) and New York University before leaving early to support his widowed mother. This entailed embarking upon a hand-to-mouth career drawing and constructing department-store advertising. He supplemented that income with occasional cartoons to magazines such as Collier\u2019s<\/strong> before becoming an Art Editor at magazine publisher McGraw-Hill. He also began producing a moderately successful, \u201csilent\u201d strip called The Little Man with the Eyes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Johnson had divorced his first wife in 1939 and moved out of the city to Connecticut, sharing an oceanside home with student (and eventual bride) Ruth Krauss: always looking to create that steady something, when, almost by accident, he devised a masterpiece of comics narrative. However, if his friend Charles Martin hadn\u2019t seen a prototype Barnaby<\/strong> half-page lying around the house, the series might never have existed. Happily, Martin hijacked the sample and parlayed it into a regular feature in prestigious highbrow left-leaning tabloid PM<\/strong> simply by showing the scrap to the paper\u2019s Comics Editor, Hannah Baker.<\/p>\n

Among her<\/em> other finds was a strip by cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel (who called himself \u201cDr. Seuss\u201d) which would run contiguously in the same publication. Despite Johnson\u2019s initial reticence, within a year Barnaby<\/strong> had become the new darling of the intelligentsia…<\/p>\n

Soon there were hardback book collections, talk of a radio show (in 1946 it was adapted as a stage play), accolades and rave reviews in Time<\/strong>, Newsweek<\/strong> and Life<\/strong>. The small yet rabid fanbase ranged from politicians and the smart set such as President and First Lady Roosevelt, Vice-President Henry Wallace, Rockwell Kent, William Rose Benet and Lois Untermeyer to cool celebrities like Duke Ellington, Dorothy Parker, W. C. Fields and legendary New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.<\/p>\n

Of course, those last two might only have been checking the paper because the undisputed, unsavoury star of the cartoon show was a scurrilous if fanciful amalgam of them both…<\/p>\n

Not since George Herriman\u2019s Krazy Kat<\/strong> had a scrap of popular culture so infiltrated the halls of the mighty, whilst largely passing way over the heads of the masses or without troubling the Funnies sections of big circulation papers. Over its 10-year run – from April 1942 to February 1952 – Barnaby<\/strong> was only syndicated to 64 papers nationally, with a combined circulation of just over 5\u00bd million, but it kept Crockett (his childhood nickname) & Ruth in relative comfort whilst America\u2019s Great & Good constantly agitated on the kid\u2019s behalf.
\n\"\"
\nThis splendid collection opens with a hearty appreciation from Chris Ware in the Foreword<\/em> before cartoonist and historian Jeet Heer provides critical appraisal in \u2018Barnaby and American Clear Line Cartooning\u2019<\/em>, after which the captivating yarn-spinning takes us from April 20th<\/sup> 1942 to December 31st<\/sup> 1943.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s even more elucidatory content after that, though, as education scholar and Professor of English Philip Nel provides a fact-filled, picture-packed \u2018Afterword: Crockett Johnson and the Invention of Barnaby\u2019<\/em>. Dorothy Parker\u2019s original \u2018Mash Note to Crockett Johnson\u2019<\/em> is reprinted in full, and Nel also supplies strip-by-strip commentary and background in \u2018The Elves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men\u2019s Chowder & Marching Society: a Handy Pocket Guide\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

The real meat (and no rationing here!) begins in the strip itself and starts when \u2018Mr. O\u2019Malley Arrives\u2019<\/em>. This saga ran from 20th<\/sup> to 29th<\/sup> April 1942, setting the ball rolling as a little boy wishes one night for a Fairy Godmother and something strange and disreputable falls in through his window…<\/p>\n

Barnaby Baxter<\/em> is a smart, ingenuous and scrupulously honest pre-schooler (4-year-old to you) whose ardent wish is to be an Air Raid Warden like his dad. Instead he is \u201cadopted\u201d by a short, portly, pompous, mildly unsavoury and wholly discreditable windbag with pink wings.
\n\"\"
\nJackeen J. O\u2019Malley<\/em>, card carrying-member of the \u201cElves, Gnomes, Leprechauns and Little Men\u2019s Chowder and Marching Society\u201d (although he hasn\u2019t paid his dues in years) installs himself as the lad\u2019s Fairy Godfather. A lazier, more self-aggrandizing, mooching old glutton and probable soak (he certainly frequents taverns but only ever raids the Baxter\u2019s icebox, pantry and humidor, never their drinks cabinet) could not be found anywhere.<\/p>\n

Due more to intransigence than evidence – there\u2019s always plenty of physical proof whenever O\u2019Malley has been around – Barnaby\u2019s father and mother adamantly refuse to believe in the ungainly, insalubrious sprite, whose continued presence hopelessly complicates the sweet boy\u2019s life. The poor parents\u2019 greatest abiding fear is that Barnaby is cursed with Too Much Imagination…<\/p>\n

In fact, this entire glorious confection is about our relationship to imagination. This is not a strip about childhood fantasy. The theme here, beloved by both parents and children alike, is that grown-ups don\u2019t listen to kids enough, and that they certainly don\u2019t know everything.<\/p>\n

Despite looking like a complete fraud – he never uses his magic and always wields one of Pop\u2019s stolen cigars as a substitute wand – O\u2019Malley is the real deal, he\u2019s just incredibly lazy, greedy, arrogant and inept. He does (sort of) grant Barnaby\u2019s wish though, as his midnight travels in the sky trigger a full air raid alert in \u2018Mr. O\u2019Malley Takes Flight\u2019<\/em> (30th<\/sup> April-14th<\/sup> May)…<\/p>\n

\u2018Mr. O\u2019Malley\u2019s Mishaps\u2019<\/em> (15th <\/sup>– 28th<\/sup> May) offer further insights into the obese ovoid elf\u2019s character – or lack of same – as Barnaby continually fails to convince his folks of his newfound companion\u2019s existence, before the bestiary expands into a topical full-length adventure when the little guys stumble into a genuine Nazi plot with supernatural overtones in the hilariously outrageous \u2018O\u2019Malley vs. Ogre\u2019<\/em> from 29th<\/sup> May through 31st<\/sup> August.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mr. O\u2019Malley\u2019s Malady\u2019<\/em> (1st <\/sup>– 11th<\/sup> September) dealt with the airborne oaf\u2019s brief bout of amnesia, even as Mom & Pop, believing their boy to be acting up, take him to a child psychologist. However, \u2018The Doctor\u2019s Analysis\u2019<\/em> (12th <\/sup>to 24th <\/sup>September) doesn\u2019t help…<\/p>\n

The war\u2019s effect on the Home Front was an integral part of the strip and \u2018Pop vs. Mr. O\u2019Malley\u2019<\/em> (25th<\/sup> September – 6th <\/sup>October) and \u2018The Test Blackout\u2019<\/em> (7th<\/sup> – 16th<\/sup> October) see Mr. Baxter become chief Civil Defense Coordinator despite – not because of – the winged interloper, but not without suffering the usual personal humiliation. There is plenty to go around and, when \u2018The Invisible McSnoyd\u2019<\/em> (17th <\/sup>– 31st<\/sup> October) turns up, O\u2019Malley gets it all.<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Leprechaun, although unseen, is O\u2019Malley\u2019s personal gadfly: continually barracking, and offering harsh, ribald counterpoints and home truths to the Godfather\u2019s self-laudatory pronouncements. In \u2018The Pot of Gold\u2019<\/em> (2nd <\/sup>– 20th <\/sup>November) perpetually taunting and tempting JJ to provide a treasure trove of laughs.<\/p>\n

When Barnaby wins a scrap metal finding competition and is feted on radio, O\u2019Malley co-opts \u2018The Big Broadcast\u2019<\/em> (21st <\/sup>– 28th<\/sup> November) and brings chaos to the airwaves, but once again Mr. Baxter won\u2019t believe his senses. Pop\u2019s situation only worsens after \u2018The New Neighbors\u2019<\/em> (30th<\/sup> November – 16th<\/sup> December) move in and little Jane Shultz<\/em> also starts candidly reporting Mr. O\u2019Malley\u2019s deeds and misadventures…<\/p>\n

Barnaby\u2019s faith is only near-shaken when the Fairy Fool\u2019s constant prevarications and procrastination mean Dad Baxter\u2019s Christmas present arrives late. The Godfather did accidentally destroy an animal shelter in the process, so \u2018Pop is Given a Dog\u2019<\/em> (17th <\/sup>– 30th<\/sup> December) which brings a happy resolution of sorts. A perfect indication of the wry humour that peppered the feature is seen in \u2018The Dog Can Talk\u2019<\/em> – which ran from 31st <\/sup>December 1942 to 17th<\/sup> January 1943. New pooch Gorgon<\/em> can indeed converse – but never when parents are around, and only then with such overwhelming dullness that everybody listening wishes him as mute as all other mutts…
\n\"\"
\nPlaying in an old abandoned house (don\u2019t you miss those days when kids could wander off for hours, unsupervised by eagle-eyed, anxious parents; or were even able to walk further than the length of a garden?) serves to introduce Barnaby & Jane to \u2018Gus, the Ghost\u2019<\/em> (18th<\/sup> January – February 4th<\/sup>) which in turn involves the entire ensemble with ration-busting thieves after they uncover \u2018The Hot Coffee Ring\u2019<\/em> (5th <\/sup>– 27th<\/sup> February). Barnaby is again hailed a public hero and credit to his neighbourhood, even as poor Pop Baxter stands back and stares, nonplussed and incredulous…<\/p>\n

As Johnson continually expanded his gently bizarre cast of Gremlins, Ogres, Policemen, Spies, Ghosts, Black Marketeers, Talking Dogs and even Little Girls (all of whom can see O\u2019Malley), the unyieldingly faithful little lad\u2019s parents were always too busy and too certain that the Fairy Godfather and all his ilk are unhealthy, unwanted, juvenile fabrications.<\/p>\n

With such a simple yet flexible formula Johnson made pure cartoon magic. \u2018The Ghostwriter Moves In\u2019<\/em> (1st <\/sup>– 11th<\/sup> March) finds Gus reluctantly relocating to the Baxter abode, where he\u2019s even less happy to be cajoled into typing out O\u2019Malley\u2019s odious memoirs and organising \u2018The Testimonial Dinner\u2019<\/em> (12th<\/sup> March – 2nd<\/sup> April) for the swell-headed sprite at the Elves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men\u2019s Chowder & Marching Society clubhouse and pool hall…<\/p>\n

With the nation urged to plant food crops, \u2018Barnaby\u2019s Garden\u2019<\/em> (3rd <\/sup>– 16th<\/sup> April) debuts as a another fine example of the things O\u2019Malley is (not) expert in, whilst \u2018O\u2019Malley and the Lion\u2019<\/em> (17th<\/sup> April – 17th<\/sup> May) finds the innocent waif offering sanctuary to a hirsute circus star even as his conniving, cheroot-chewing cherub contemplates his own \u201creturn\u201d to showbiz, after which \u2018Atlas, the Giant\u2019<\/em> (18th<\/sup> May – 3rd<\/sup> June) wanders into the serial. At only 2-feet-tall, the pint-sized colossus is not that impressive… until he gets out his slide rule to demonstrate that he is, in fact, a mental giant…
\n\"\"
\n\u2018Gorgon\u2019s Father\u2019<\/em> (4th <\/sup>June – 10th<\/sup> July) turns up to cause contretemps and consternation before disappearing again, before Barnaby & Jane are packed off to \u2018Mrs. Krump\u2019s Kiddie Kamp\u2019<\/em> (12th<\/sup> July – 13th<\/sup> September) for vacation rest and the company of \u201cnormal\u201d children. Sadly, despite the wise matron and her assistant never glimpsing O\u2019Malley and Gus, all the other tykes and inmates are more than happy to associate with them…<\/p>\n

Once the kids arrive back in Queens – Johnson had set the series in the streets where he\u2019d grown up – the Fairy Fathead shows off his \u201cmechanical aptitude\u201d on a parked car with its engine wastefully running… and breaks the idling getaway car just in time to foil a robbery…<\/p>\n

Implausibly overnight he becomes an unseen and reclusive \u2018Man of the Hour\u2019<\/em> (14th <\/sup>– 18th<\/sup> September) before preposterously translating his new cachet into a political career by accidentally becoming patsy for a corrupt political machine in \u2018O\u2019Malley for Congress!\u2019<\/em> (20th<\/sup> September – 8th<\/sup> October). This strand gave staunchly socialist cynic Johnson ample opportunity to ferociously lampoon the electoral system, pundits and even the public. Without spending money, campaigning – or even being seen – the pompous pixie wins \u2018The Election\u2019<\/em> (9th<\/sup> October – 12th<\/sup> November) and actually becomes \u2018Congressman O\u2019Malley\u2019<\/em> (13th <\/sup>– 23rd<\/sup> November), with Barnaby\u2019s parents perpetually assuring their boy that this guy was not \u201chis\u201d Fairy Godfather\u201d…<\/p>\n

The outrageous satire only intensified once \u2018The O\u2019Malley Committee\u2019<\/em> (24th<\/sup> November – 27th<\/sup> December 1943) began its work – by investigating Santa Claus<\/em> – despite the newest, shortest Congressman in the House never actually turning up to do a day\u2019s work. Of course that can\u2019t happen these days…
\n\"\"
\nRaucous, riotous sublimely surreal and adorably absurd, the untrammelled, razor-sharp whimsy of the strip is instantly captivating, and the laconic charm of the writing well-nigh irresistible, but the lasting legacy of this groundbreaking feature is the clean, sparse line-work that reduces images to almost technical drawings: unwavering line-weights and solid swathes of black that define space and depth by practically eliminating it, without ever obscuring the fluid warmth and humanity of the characters. Almost every modern strip cartoon follows the principles laid down here by a man who purportedly disliked the medium…<\/p>\n

The major difference between then and now should also be noted, however. Johnson despised doing shoddy work, or short-changing his audience. On average each of his daily, always self-contained encounters built on the previous episode without needing to re-reference it, and offered three to four times as much text as its contemporaries. It\u2019s a sign of the author\u2019s ability that the extra wordage is never unnecessary, and often uniquely readable, blending storybook clarity, the snappy pace of Screwball comedy films and the contemporary rhythms and idiom of authors like Damon Runyan.<\/p>\n

Johnson managed this miracle by typesetting narration and dialogue and pasting up the strips himself – primarily in Futura Medium Italic, but with effective forays into other fonts for dramatic and comedic effect. No sticky-beaked educational vigilante could claim Barnaby<\/strong> harmed children\u2019s reading abilities by confusing the tykes with non-standard letter-forms (a charge levelled at comics as late as the turn of this century), and the device also allowed him to maintain an easy, elegant, effective balance of black & white which makes the deliciously diagrammatic art light, airy and implausibly fresh and accessible.<\/p>\n

During 1946-1947, Johnson surrendered the strip to friends as he pursued a career illustrating children\u2019s book such as Constance J. Foster\u2019s This Rich World: The Story of Money<\/strong>, but eventually he returned, crafting more magic until he retired Barnaby in 1952 to concentrate on books. When Ruth graduated she became a successful children\u2019s writer and they collaborated on four tomes – The Carrot Seed <\/strong>(1945), How to Make an Earthquake<\/strong>, Is This You?<\/strong> and The Happy Egg<\/strong> – but these days Crockett Johnson is best known for his seven Harold<\/strong> books, which began in 1955 with the captivating Harold and the Purple Crayon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

During a global war with heroes and villains aplenty, where no comic page could top the daily headlines for thrills, drama and heartbreak, Barnaby <\/strong>was an absolute panacea to the horrors without ever ignoring or escaping them.<\/p>\n

For far too long, Barnaby<\/strong> was a lost masterpiece. It is influential, groundbreaking and a shining classic of the form. It is also warm, comforting and outrageously hilarious. You are diminished for not knowing it, and should move mountains to change that situation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not kidding.<\/p>\n

Liberally illustrated throughout with sketches, roughs, photos and advertising materials as well as Credits<\/em>, Thank You<\/em> and a brief biography of Johnson, this big book of joy will be a welcome addition to 21st<\/sup> century bookshelves – especially yours.
\nBarnaby<\/strong> and all its images \u00a9 2013 the Estate of Ruth Kraus. Supplemental material \u00a9 2013 its respective creators and owners.<\/p>\n

Today in 1940 science fiction author and Buck Rogers<\/strong> scripter Philip Francis Nowlan<\/strong> died as did fellow pulp star and DC comics writer Edmond Hamilton<\/strong> in 1977. Birthdays include Editor\/writer Dian Schutz<\/strong> (1955), Love and Rockets<\/strong> superstar Gilbert Hernandez<\/strong> (1957) and superhero artist Ron Frenz <\/strong>(1960).<\/p>\n

In 2003 Ryan North <\/strong>launched his Dinosaur Comics<\/strong> webcomic dodging so much tribulation print stuff endures. For example legendary French magazine Charlie Mensuel<\/em><\/strong> launched today in 1969, closed today in 1986 and merged with Pilote<\/em><\/strong> to form Pilote et Charlie <\/em><\/strong>which ran for only 27 issues before dying in 1988 – but in July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Crockett Johnson (Fantagraphics Books) ISBN: 978-1-60699-522-8 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. Here is one of those books that\u2019s worthy of two reviews, so if you\u2019re in a hurry… Buy Barnaby now – it\u2019s one of the most wonderful strips of all time and this superb hardcover compilation … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Barnaby volume 1: 1942-1943”<\/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":[280,78,102,125,97,127,111,169,93,156],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animal-antics","category-comic-strip-classics","category-fantasy","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-nostalgia","category-satirepolitics","category-spy-stories","category-war-stories","category-world-classics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-947","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34851","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=34851"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34858,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34851\/revisions\/34858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}