CREDITS: Written by Kelley Puckett; art by Mike Parobeck and Rick Burchett.
REVIEW: This is a story that doesn't fit easily into the year's DCAU stories. The first and last time we saw Clayface, he was thought dead. Having him show up, become Batman's prime suspect, and his "death" never commented upon, when it's likely his next TV appearance WILL do that, gives it the sense that it's out of continuity. But these things happen with tie-in comics.
The story itself features some dynamic fight scenes between Batman and Clayface, though few of the crazy tricks the villain could already be recognized for at this point. His defeat is almost too easy at the end. His criminal angle, acting as an "invisible man", robbing banks with one look, then changing into another to escape, is a clever piece of misdirection, though the cover more or less spoils the mystery, as would even the most accidental of flip-throughs.
But where the story really disappoints is in its portrayal of journalist Summer Gleason as a lovesick bubblehead. She meets this tall blond guy in an alley and he saves her from muggers, and suddenly, she can't focus on work, and is even ignoring big stories. The relationship is superficial. Her attitude is a sexist cliché. And so the "Phantom of the Opera" moment that demoralizes Clayface when she sees his ugly visage (but doesn't even know it's her beau) falls flat. So Batman spares her from knowing she fell for a monster. So what? It's not like they even had a first date.
Comments