Clayfaces - Recap

The Joker is preparing his latest scheme: adding Joker venom to dog food to transform every canine in Gotham into a joker dog. However, he discovers that Clayface has disguised himself as henchmen Punch and Judy. After a brief struggle, Clayface captures the Joker just as Batman and Robin arrive. Clayface turns Joker over to them, reverts to his human/original form of Ethan Bennett, and surrenders himself to the police.

The dog food executives meet later and are running auditions for their latest commercial. Actor Basil Karlo comes in but he can’t act and they quickly dismiss him.

Bruce meets with Ethan in his cell and says they’re close to a cure, working from a sample of the mutagenic compound, but Ethan admits he isn’t sure if he wants to go back to normal. Batman warns that Ethan has never been particularly stable as Clayface and tells Ethan to think hard about his choice.

Basil is eating at a diner when he sees a TV report about Ethan’s arrest and WayneTech’s work with the mutagenic compound. Basil disguises himself as a scientist and tries to sneak in but doesn’t do well. The guards spot him and he ends up drinking the mutagen, then using his new transformative abilities to easily escape his pursuers.

Going over the security tapes, Bruce identifies Basil. The actor goes back in for the ad auditions in a new disguise but his acting is just as bad so he turns into a werewolf and attacks the executives. Basil wonders if he’s in over his head but is happy that he’s finally getting the publicity he thinks he deserves. He stages a bank robbery, playing for the security cameras, and manages to escape Batman and Robin when they come after him. Basil launches a one-man campaign to get sympathy for his “plight,” while Ethan asks Bruce to release him so he can help track down Basil. Bruce refuses, so Ethan escapes and Robin follows him. Batman goes to WayneTech and gets the antidote.

Batman meets with Robin at the Bat Signal but it’s Basil in disguise. However, it’s a double-swap of sorts as Ethan is actually disguised as Batman. The two of them fight until Batman and Robin arrives. Batman temporarily freezes Basil but when he tries to give the antidote to Ethan, the original Clayface sends it flying. Robin manages to catch the glass vial just in time, but Basil breaks free. Ethan pleads with Batman to let him help, and the Caped Crusader finally agrees. The three heroes take on Basil, who brings down the bridge they’re fighting on. Ethan protects Robin inside of his own clay body, while Basil absorbs the debris and grows larger. Ethan then insinuates himself into Basil’s body and immobilizes him just long enough for Batman to inject them both with the antidote.

Both Ethan and Bruce are happy to be back together with Ethan restored to normal. Basil is locked up at Arkham where the Joker taunts him about how he’s now powerless. Basil realizes that his powers are starting to come back…


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