Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 – Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Writer; Fran Galan, Artist; Patricio Delpeche, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Clayface has only had a few solo stories over the years, as the character more often plays a B-list villain role. But with a solo movie coming soon, partially spearheaded by master of horror Mike Flanagan, we get a new solo series leaning into the character’s two core themes – identity crisis and body horror. Clayface is locked up in Arkham again, convinced that he’s being held unfairly. After all, he’s legendary actor Basil Karlo. He’s got fans out there! But the new doctor at Arkham thinks differently, insisting that this Clayface is nothing more than a screwed-up impostor, an offshoot of the original who is a B-list wannabe. When he’s pushed too far, Clayface engineers an escape by literally crawling through the walls of Arkham. Doyle and Galan do an amazing job of depicting just how horrific Clayface’s powers are when they’re truly pushed to their limits.
And then he gets out…and he sees Basil Karlo’s face plastered everywhere. He’s not only free, he’s a household name again. Apparently he underwent an experimental treatment that stabilized his body and fixed his mind, and now he’s made a comeback as the top star of the summer movie season. There is some really funny commentary here about just how much the public is willing to forgive a good-looking celebrity for, with Karlo seemingly leaning into the nuttier parts of pop culture and giving people the talking points they want. But if Basil Karlo isn’t Clayface, who is? Is Clayface even human anymore? Are they one and the same? The ending of the issue seems to indicate that Karlo might not be nearly as cured as he wants everyone to think. There’s a pit of dread in your stomach with every scene, just waiting for the new horror or jump-scare to unleash itself on the reader.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
