Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1
Chad Burdette
Recap
A Hollywood scandal, a monstrous legacy, and a villain with a messy past is the basis for the a new Batman universe noir horror comic book miniseries from Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Fran Galán, Patricio Delpeche, and Tom Napolitano, about Basil Karlo’s twisted journey through fame, transformation, and self-destruction
Starring Basil Karlo in a twisted tale of fame, transformation, and self-destruction,the six-issue series follows the classic Batman villain as he escapes Arkham Towers, ready to stage his comeback, only to discover that someone else has stolen his name, his face, and his long-lost stardom.
Dig into the legacy of the Clayfaces and the long shadow Basil Karlo has cast over the DC universe. As Basil confronts a doppelgänger who has achieved everything he ever wanted, the series examines fame, self-reinvention, and the price of trying to control the way the world sees you.
When Basil Karlo breaks out of Arkham, he’s ready to reclaim the Hollywood crown he lost years ago. But the world he returns to is stranger than ever: a creeping new plague is twisting ordinary citizens into clay-warped reflections of his own nightmares, and a charismatic body double has taken over Basil’s life, becoming a bigger movie star than the real Basil ever was.
As a disturbing pattern begins to emerge around this new celebrity, Basil must confront the darkest parts of his past and trace both mysteries to their source. His search leads him deep into the history of the Clayface family and face-to-face with one of its most dangerously unstable members.
Review
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 is the first installment of the new five-issue limited series staring Clayface. Doyle does a solid job of reestablishing where Basil Karlo current finds himself, in Arkham Tower, while reminding readers of Clayface’s recent past, such as being part of Team Batman and the fact that he is one of many Clayfaces.
The premise for the story is built as the shrink talking to the incarcerated Clayface, and informing him that he is not Basil Karlo, as Karlo is experiencing an acting resurgence in Hollywood. The mystery deepens as Karlo escapes only to be confronted by the fact of someone is impersonating him or he is not in fact who he thinks he is. Readers are given not only a look into Karlo as Clayface, but who is / was as a actor.
The art by Galen and colorwork by Delpeche work togethwr excellently to set the tone and feel of the story. Galen’s depictions of Clayface, in his human and monster form hit the bullseye, as well as his amorphous forms in-between the two.
Given what is established in this issue, it is clear that Doyle has a great grasp on the character of Clayface and it will be interesting to see how deep into the Clayface mythos and other Clayface’s the story will explore in the remaining issues.
Final Thoughts
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 - is a solid and strongly written, drawn, and colored forray into the character of the Bat villian / sometimes ally that establishes an exciting mystery and storyline sure to keep this series on the Top Of The Stack.
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
