Clayface has always been a favorite of mine when it comes to the Batman’s rogues gallery. That largely comes from the stellar two parter “Feet of Clay” from Batman: The Animated Series, a series of episodes that condensed the long and convoluted story of Clayface into a singular and tragic narrative.
While the comics have rebooted the character to make him more streamlined, Clayface’s comic book roots have still been pretty, well, malleable. He’s been a villain, an ally for Batman (during the criminally underrated Rebirth era of Detective Comics), and now resides as a sort of antihero on the outskirts of Gotham’s most wanted. But since he’s the next DC Character to get marquee billing in this fall’s Clayface film, DC has decided to give Basil Karlo the miniseries treatment in Clayface: Celebrity Dirt from Jude Ellison S. Doyle and artist Fran Galan. In doing so, we have the makings of another stellar installment of DC’s already mega-successful All-In initiative.
Basil Karlo wants out of Arkham Towers. He’s done the work, he’s mentally fit, and he doesn’t need to be there anymore. But the guards and doctors at Arkham don’t believe him when he says this, or when he says he’s Basil Karlo. There are eight other Clayfaces out there, all with their own names and identities and, weirdly, the same DNA profile. The “real” Basil Karlo is in Hollywood on a hot comeback streak after a major public fallout, so the Basil that’s in Arkham Towers can’t be the real one. Frustrated and annoyed, there’s only one way for Karlo to find out, and that’s by busting out of Arkham Towers and making his way to California to find the answers for themselves. But are we following the real Karlo, or is this just another confused offshoot of the real Clayface?
That’s clearly a question that Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Fran Galan are going to play with in the issues to come, but what a hook that is for this first issue. Doyle’s script is full of fun surprises and nods to the entertainment industry, but what surprised me the most was how much they played around with the idea of identity with Clayface. This is a character who has had four different identities and versions throughout their publishing life and only recently was all of that melded together into something more manageable for creators and readers. The fact that Doyle uses the character’s long history to craft something about identity and mental health is a fascinating angle to take with Clayface, and the nods to previous Clayface stories like the fantastic One Bad Day one-shot from a few years ago add to the history of this take on Clayface, while also maintaining the accessibility for anyone who’s out of the loop on the character and picking this up out of curiosity.
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What also surprised and delighted me was how much fun Doyle has poking at modern celebrity as well. Many times these prods and attempts at satire can feel a little too on the nose, but under the guise of a character like Basil Karlo (real or clone), it really makes the idea of heightened celebrity stand out. There’s a fantastic set piece in the middle of the issue where Karlo sees a news clip of his potential double in the middle of a huge comeback tour. In our celebrity obsessed world, it’s a fascinating skewering of how some famous people can do some pretty dark things and be welcomed back, while some go away forever. It’s something I wasn’t thinking a book about Clayface would ever touch, but after seeing it in this book, I’m shocked I never put two and two together like Doyle did.
Doyle’s past work on horror books like BOOM! Studios’ Maw and The Neighbors is also in full effect with some truly unnerving and creepy moments for Basil as he makes his escape from Arkham Towers. Those scripted moments are even more jaw-dropping thanks to Fran Galan’s art, which takes the idea of a clay monster man and absolutely runs with it. I previously saw Galan’s art in Marvel’s Undead Iron Fist and it was impressive there, but with Clayface he’s on a whole other level, depicting the tragedy and horror of the character in equal moments, delivering a comic that’s truly something to behold for Batman fans and horror fans alike. Karlo’s entire escape sequence is something that truly got under my skin and will say with me for some time.
I was curious about Clayface: Celebrity Dirt when it was first announced, but I was a little concerned it would feel a little too close to the already mentioned One Bad Day one-shot. I shouldn’t have been worried at all, because Celebrity Dirt is a comic that does the impossible: it’s accessible to new readers, it’s a great story for longtime Batman fans, and it’s a great title for fans of horror comics or superhero fans who maybe want to try out horror comics. Celebrity Dirt is truly something special and one of the coolest debut issues of the year, and if the upcoming Clayface movie is half as effective as this comic is, we’ll be in for a good time at the cinemas. As it stands right now, this comic alone is worth the price of admission and I can’t wait for more clay creepiness from Doyle and Galan.
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