DC Comics Announces New Batman Universe Noir Horror Comic Book Miniseries - Clayface: Celebrity Dirt

By Chad Burdette

on April 16, 2026

A Hollywood scandal, a monstrous legacy, and a villain with a messy past

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt, 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?destructi

DC Comics just announced Clayface: Celebrity Dirt, a new Batman universe noir horror comic book miniseries 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.

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This new DC comic book series explores the duality at the heart of Clayface—the billboard-sized glamour Basil Karlo still craves and the grotesquerie he can never escape. Galán brings that contrast to life with bold visuals that swing between Hollywood sheen and theatrical horror, grounding the story in noir shadows while pushing Clayface’s powers into visceral, unsettling territory.

Acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle teams with artist Fran Galán, colorist Patricio Delpeche, and letterer Tom Napolitano, on Clayface: Celebrity Dirt for a story that balances body horror, the studio spotlight, and Gotham City noir. Galán’s expressive and unsettling artwork brings Clayface’s shape-shifting terror to life, while Doyle explores the fractured psychology of a villain who can become anyone but still struggles to face himself. Clayface: Celebrity Dirt blends psychological suspense, body horror, and dark satire into a story only Basil Karlo could star in…a cinematic nightmare where neon fame curdles even the most carefully sculpted façade.

Doyle and Galán pull the story between spotlight-bright glamour and sewer-slick horror, revealing the toll of transformation and the danger of chasing the version of yourself you wish you were.

In the press release announcing the series, writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle

“Basil Karlo is one of the most beautifully flawed and human characters in the Batman universe,” said Doyle. “He can become anybody he wants, but he can never escape himself; he looks perfect when the cameras are on him, but he’s a disintegrating mess behind the scenes.”

Mike Del Mundo Variant Cover:

Dave Johnson Variant Cover:

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt

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.

Creative Team

Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Artist: Fran Galán
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artist: Fran Galán
Variant Cover Artist: Mike Del Mundo; Dave Johnson

The 32-page debut issue arrives July 8, 2026, priced at $3.99 US for the main cover, with card stock variants available for $4.99 US. For readers who crave horror with theatrical flair, this is Clayface as he’s never been seen before, a tale where glamour fractures, monstrosity spreads, and every spotlight casts a darker shadow.

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