First Appearance Friday - Grandson of Clay!

- Claything 

Clayface 6, created from the son of Clayface 3 and 4. 

Clayface Legacy:

Basil Karlo - Clayface I

Clayface II - Matt Hagen

Clayface III - Preston Payne

Clayface IV - Sondra Fuller

We last saw the Clayfaces as the Mudpack

Basil used the other clays to become ultimate Clayface. He was defeated by Looker from the Outsiders.   

Mudpack did have a happy ending. Two clays found love. 

And Clayface VI, Cassius, was born. 

Cassius has now been captured and experimented on.

The experiment strikes back.

Introducing Clayface VII - Claything, Dr. Peter Malley

Claything is defeated by bonus first appearance Friday - Cameron Chase.

JH Williams III, Cameron Chase's personal artist? He drew her pages in this issue. 

Ms. Chase gets her own series shortly after this. 

I never read Chase's book so all I know about her I learned from this trading card.

Kelley Jones started on Batman after the Knightfall/Knightquest saga. His horror style looks better this second time around. I can enjoy it in smaller doses.

Batman #550 1998 Overstreet $3.50

Writer: Doug Moench

Art: Kelley Jones/J.H. Williams III

Here's Mud in Your Eye...and Everywhere Else - MudPack vs Batman

The four faces of clay team up to take on the Batman!

Basil Karlo - Clayface I, Matthew Hagen - Clayface II, Preston Payne - Clayface III and Lady Clayface - Sondra Fuller.

Basil has recruited his fellow Clayfaces in a mad scheme of revenge and power!

Revenge against Batman.

But mostly just power for Basil!

Power that is turned against him.

Looker to the Rescue.

Even through all the madness, some are able to find love.

The End.

Norm Breyfolge has to be one of my favorite Batman artists. He has such a distinct style, his art tells the story on its own.

The loss of his parents. The crippling of Barbara Gordon. You can feel the torture and torment Batman must be going through.



Detective Comics #604-607 1989
Writer: Alan Grant 
Art: Norm Breyfogle

That's Who? Who'sWho Thursday - 3 Faces, 1 Name

The three faces of Clayface -

Clayface I - Basil Karlo, 1st appearance Detective Comics #40

Clayface II - Matthew Hagen, 1st appearance Detective Comics #298

Clayface III - Preston Payne, 1st appearance Detective Comics #478

Art: Who'sWho - Marshall Rogers/Origins retold - Norm Breyfogle

A Pennyworth Tale - Who's Your Daddy?

It's Batman!

Bratty Bruce Jr can't keep a secret.

Don't forget to tell'em your Mom is Batwoman.

Batman #159 1963

Holy I'm-Not-Who-I-Used-To-Be Batman!

"The First of the New Adventures..."

Batman #408 is more than advertised. It's not just the death of Robin. It's also a rebirth.

Welcome to the DC Universe - New Earth, 1987.

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths things were different in the DC Universe.

Some characters had drastic changes to their origins. Like Jason Todd.

That's right, he's no longer a Dick Grayson clone. He's got street cred. 

Speaking of Dick Grayson. Some characters had changes to their endings. 

Instead of a falling-out with Bruce, his career as Robin ends with a bullet.

How many times can Joker kill Robin?

Hey look! Its art from the ad.

Some characters essentially remained unchanged. If it ain't broke.

After a life changing tragedy as a boy

Bruce Wayne

Becomes the Dark Knight!

The Batman Strut -

This has got to be one of my favorite comic panels ever. Of course Batman knows the pimps and hoes.

Batman #408 (The New Adventures) June 1987

Writer: Max Allan Collins

Art Team: Chris Warner/Mike DeCarlo

Overstreet Price Guide: '91 - $6 / '99 - $4 

Which Batman Have You Seen?

It's just another night in Gotham City.

Gotham isn't just another city though. It's the Batman's city.

Criminals threaten the lives of decent citizens.

Not in Batman's City.

A strung-out junkie has decided to end his life.

Not in Batman's city.

Orphaned children, homeless and living in a box under a bridge.

Not in Batman's city.

I always enjoyed these "Legends of the Dark Knight" style stories. They showcase one of Batman's greatest powers - versatility. That may be one of the reasons why various TV shows and movies have done so well.

Oops, can't forget to showoff the cover.

Todd McFarlane always seemed to draw Batman's cape like it was alive.


Batman #423 1988
Writer: Jim Starlin
Art Team: Dave Cockrum/Mike DeCarlo 
Cover Art: Todd McFarlane

Happy Valentine's Day!

From ThisMeansWhatWhy and DC Comics

  

Love the cards, hate some of the captions.

Hump Day Heroics with Hostess Cakes

The Whole World's Upside Down
  starring Batman

You'll flip for the "real" fruit filling.

Countdown to Christmas 12/24/12 - Toys for the Holidays!

Even though I want everything is this ad, there are a couple items that jump out at me.

"The maniacal Mangler actually eats your favorite superhero and spits him out - flat!" What?! Is this from an actual comic, or just some crazy toy? 

Why does the Wonder Woman action figure look like Conan in drag? 

Countdown to Christmas 12/22/12 - Toys for the Holidays

It's a galaxy of goodies for the DC Comics fan in your life.

Those kick-ass flashlights would make perfect stocking stuffers! 

Hump Day Heroics with Hostess Cakes

"The League of Assassins"
        Starring Batman

Holy Twinkies defense Batman!

Catching up with the Flash

Dear Comic Companies - If you are going to have a story re-cap page, skip the text, follow this example, and show me.

This isn't even at the beginning of the comic. 

It's a mail-order subscription ad for the Flash comic, $4.00 for 12 issues. Sounds like a deal to me!

Poor Iris.

The Flash on Angel Dust?

It sets up Flash #277, with Flash on the JLA satellite battling his teammates.

 

Awesome! Wonder Woman to the rescue!

Luckily Flash's super-metabolism helps his body deal with the effects of the drugs. 

He's able to recover without any adverse side-effects. 

It's what comes next that's the hard part.

The funeral for Iris West Allen.

Wally in tears, the heroes in their secret identities. What a powerful and moving scene.

The cover is drawn by comic legend Dick Giordano. His art was amazing and I love these kind of covers - The hero facing off against a look-alike.

Is there really another Flash?

No, it's what I like to call, the bait-and-switch cover.

It kinda matches an actual element of the story.

Mirror trap? That must mean Mirror Master.

I like the Flash's Rogues Gallery, but I thought after all the great stuff in the beginning, seeing Flash fight against Mirror Master was the weak spot in the book.

The issue wraps up with Barry deciding to give up being the Flash.

It's a familiar story trope, just like throwing your ring or costume in the trash.

Of course Barry realizes that he can't just quit.

The Flash is needed, people depend on him, and he's here to stay!

The End!

*phew*

Cary Bates and Alex Saviuk pack a lot of story and visuals into 17 pages. This is one of the things I love about these older comics, a lot happens in one issue. Just the way it should be too.

Flash #277 Sept, 1979
Writer: Cary Bates
Artist: Alex Saviuk/Frank McLaughlin