One Bad Day: Clayface

One Bad Day: Clayface

Originally released in 2023

Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing

Art by Xermanico

I'm a sucker for a good redemption story, though I realize that in the context of comic book characters, that can often feel like Sisyphus trying to push a boulder up a massive hill.  No matter how thoroughly a character is redeemed, the status quo is going to return eventually, whenever someone wants to write a Galactus or Mr. Freeze story with those characters as the antagonists. There have been times where characters started out evil only to switch sides and stay that way, but they feel few and far between, particularly if they weren't reluctant beforehand. (Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver started out as villains, but they didn't feel comfortable in the role and were basically blackmailed into working for Magneto to begin with)

At first, it seems like Clayface is heading this way as he tries to turn over a new leaf.  He's made his way to Los Angeles, where he intends to return to acting. His new identity, Clay, is a little on-the-nose, but he's a shapeshifter so nobody would have any reason to suspect him.

As he performs his monologue, it becomes clearer that the movie he's auditioning for is The Killing Joke, which seems like it would be seen as being in spectacularly poor taste in universe. (Not to mention the sort of thing that would cause the Joker to murder everyone involved on principle) Clay's acting is intense, but he's ultimately not seen as the right fit for the part.

However, Clayface is a full-on diva.  He believes he's the only one who truly understands the material, and nobody is going to prevent him from performing it the way that it was meant to be performed. He doesn't take criticism well, and he doesn't take "no" for an answer.

The artwork is great, doing an excellent job with showing Clayface shift and flow like liquid as he struggles to keep himself together physically and mentally. While not as much of a tragedy as it could be (it doesn't take long before Clayface jumps straight to murder; he does legitimately audition for the part, but that's about it), the writing does a good job at showing Clayface's attempts at getting a big break in a city that can be more cutthroat than Gotham in its own way.

Clayface is getting a solo movie later this year, a rarity for a comic book villain.  While I know it's taking inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series (and justifiably so - Feat Of Clay was amazing), I hope they take some inspiration from this.  There's an exchange where Batman confronts Clayface over his actions that, while short, effectively cuts down Clayface's attempts at justification and self-pity, and I could easily see this being used as a way to reveal the new cinematic universe's Batman.

While this wasn't quite the attempt at a redemption arc that I initially expected, I still found it interesting and engaging.  I wasn't familiar with the writers or artist behind this, but now I'd definitely like to see more of their work; I'm curious about what else they've worked on.