Summary
- In Batman: City of Madness #2, Clayface reveals his true horrifying powers, making him more dangerous than ever before.
- Gotham City has been driven mad due to the influence of the Gotham Below, leading citizens to new heights of depravity.
- In the issue, Nightwing barely survives a deadly encounter with Clayface, showcasing the villain's unpredictable and terrifying nature at its most fully uninhibited for the first time in the character's eighty-three year history.
Warning! Contains Spoilers For Batman: City of Madness #2!
the Gotham Below, Clayface reveals the true horrifying extent of his powers like never before. This new transformation makes Clayface so dangerous that Nightwing its he barely escaped with his life.
Batman: City of Madness #2 – by Christian Ward and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou – finds Gotham going mad like never before due to the influence of the Gotham Below. With the gate between both Gothams open, the Lovecraftian nightmare of the Velow has begun infecting the citizens of Gotham Above, driving them to new heights of depravity. This was most apparent with the villain Clayface, who transformed into a truly eldritch beast, and nearly slaughtered Nightwing.
While Nightwing was able to subdue Clayface, it took a great deal of effort, and he even its that he barely managed to survive the encounter.
Batman: 9 Facts About Clayface Only Comic Book Fans Know
Clayface has always been a monstrous yet charismatic villain which is why he's so beloved, but even the fans might not know everything about him.
Clayface Ascends To A New Form As Gothem Succumbs To "Madness"
Basil Karlo is one of Batman's oldest enemies, first appearing eighty-three years ago as a serial killer. Basil was a former famous actor, but when he discovered that his iconic slasher film Clayface was being remade without him, he donned the iconic killer's mask and began hunting the cast and crew. This required Batman and Robin to get involved and stop the deranged actor-turned-murderer. Over time, Basil stole the shapeshifting powers from the other Clayfaces who would appear, eventually becoming the iconic mud monster that Gotham City knows him as now. However, despite having his powers for as long as he has, he's never truly let loose with them until now.
The Basil Karlo version of DC's Clayface first appeared in Detective Comics #40, from 1940. He was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.
Clayface's new form is full-on nightmare fuel, and it's made all the more terrifying by how feral he seems to be in Batman: City of Madness #2. While Clayface has always been dangerous, because of his unique physiology, he's usually taken down fairly quickly, with the right gadgets. It's certainly no surprise to hear that Nightwing could take down Clayface; what is a surprise is Nightwing nearly being killed in the process. Clayface is able to morph his body into weapons and other people, even morphing into a suit of armor for Batman once; what he doesn't usually do is go full-on monster transformation – until now.
This New Form Makes Clayface Unpredictable
Due to the influence of the Gotham Below, Clayface has seemingly been driven insane, with his powers going out of control to match, letting him truly show off how terrifying a villain he is. Batman has previously commented that the most dangerous villains are not the themed ones, but in fact, the ones with no theme or ones who don't stick to their themes. This was best demonstrated by Clayface, while he's usually happy to just use his body to transform into weapons or impersonate other people. Nightwing saw firsthand how terrifying this iconic Batman villain could be if he ever let his powers loose and became a true horror for Gotham City to deal with.
Batman: City of Madness #2 is on sale now from DC Comics!
