Those awaiting the next installment of DC’s One Bad Day line won’t be disappointed by this month’s killer dessert. Cooked by the rising star team of Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (Batman Beyond: Neo Year, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty), Xermanico (Flashpoint Beyond), and Romulo Fajardo, Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1 is a terrifying and haunting story of actors and screenwriters trying to make it big in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1!
The story follows Basil Karlo, the man known as Clayface, trying to make it back into the acting scene under a new name, face, and appreciation for the craft. Much like the previous installments, Clayface’s story is dark and stressful. He lives in a state of creative sorrow throughout the story as he takes out people who stand in the way of making “real” art.
DC Comics
It’s clear from the beginning that Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface is satirical in its morbid way. Lanzing and Kelly introduce us to Basil’s new life as Clay, a struggling actor trying to make it big. He believes himself in a lot of scenes as the last true storyteller. He finds himself battling casting directors who want to see “more lighthearted” and “funnier” takes on sick and twisted characters. It’s no surprise that the comic would pick fun at the modern-day movie scene given DC’s connection to the movie world itself. The criticism given by Basil, despite his horrific actions shown throughout the graphic novel, is that of someone from old Hollywood looking into new Hollywood.
When Basil, under the identity of Clay, loses a casting call for a fictionalized version of the serial killer The Red Hood (the original one) to his struggling comedian friend, he slaughters him and takes his identity. This shows us Basil’s new and very dangerous mindset throughout the story. He believes himself worthy of the role despite being cast aside for not having the “charisma” of a killer. He begins using this as a way to slaughter the studio from within. Many fans of the villain will enjoy how his mental state is expressed throughout the story. Xermanico brings this to the table with the art using pieces of the script and his afflictions as Clayface to further show how he’s falling apart as a person. Xermanico draws us a beautiful comic that allows us to see how fake of a man Basil is. Fajardo’s colors only lean into this idea presented with the unsettling warmness of the story.
DC Comics
What makes this comic book so unsettling is how despite Basil’s attempts at a new life he still struggles with the urge to kill. He will build a new life for himself, try to get back into the acting world, and even try to form new friendships, but that sadistic part of him that manifests under Clayface still exists to ruin his life. He can never be happy; he suffers a bad day because of the fact he finally snapped again. The writing further demonstrates this as we see everything go down with him. We are watching him slaughter everyone. We are the ones seeing his morning routines, his day job, and his life turned upside down. All of the One Bad Day books have a personal touch to them, but the comic allows us to walk beside Basil, making the horror of everything so much harder to stomach.
Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1 is a striking tale of creative violence and psychological horror. With its art, writing, and colors, this may be the strongest entry in the One Bad Day series yet.
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