Here, the adventures of Barney Google and his faithful Nag: Spark Plug, edited in 1923 and restored by Comic Books Restore. Spark Plug Beginning on July 17, 1922, the strip took a momentous turn in popularity with the seemingly innocuous introduction of an endearing race horse named "Spark Plug". Barney's beloved "brown-eyed baby" was a bow-legged nag that seldom raced, and was typically seen almost totally covered by his trademark patched blanket with his name scrawled on the side.