Warning! Spoilers for Earth-Prime: Batwoman #1
The world of The CW’s Arrowverse is expanding, and this means a fan-favorite Batman villain is getting his debut in the comics thanks to Batwoman. This happened in the first issue of Earth-Prime: Batwoman #1. The story was written by Natalie Abrams and Kelly Larson with art by Clayton Henry.
This series seeks to provide in-continuity stories for various CW superhero shows. The first issue focuses on Batwoman, specifically during the time of the show’s winter break when Mary, under the influence of Poison Ivy, went on the run with Alice. Also during this time, various trophies from the Batcave were released out into the public. During the show, there were appearances by updated versions of the Mad Hatter and Killer Croc. Also, there were influence of Mister Freeze and the Joker.
The comic continued this trend using Clayface’s mud. A boy that was being bullied by his classmates was pushed into the dirt, which just so happened to be a part of Clayface that was set free. The mud wrapped around the boy, empowering him with Clayface’s abilities. He didn’t just have Clayface’s mud powers, either. The boy could also impersonate people just like Clayface had. He even used this gift of mimicry to kidnap one of his bullies by posing as his mother. Another cool feature was when he was able to sneak onto a soccer field as mud to attack his bullies. Batwoman was eventually able to stop him using a Mister Freeze weapon, a callback to an episode on the show.
As with many of the other new versions of Batman’s rogues, this Clayface wasn’t just a reincarnation of the original. In the case of Mad Hatter and Killer Croc, the flaws and desires of those normal people were amplified by their new abilities. The same thing happened to Clayface as the boy was reluctant to relinquish the new power that allowed him the chance to get back on those who picked on him.
This trend continued and played a heavy part in last season’s Batwoman as one of the main characters became infused with Poison Ivy’s knack for botany. Mary Kane became Poison Mary and had control over plant life. She used these powers to lash out at those closest to her whom she resented. So it’s interesting to see that the dynamic of the new villains in the Batwoman show remains the same for this new version of Clayface in the comic.
