The first to be called Clayface was an actor named Basil Karlo, who first appeared in Detective Comics #40 (June 1940).
The original Clayface didn't have any shape-shifting abilities back in the Golden Age. He was just an actor who was also a skilled makeup expert. He was able to disguise himself as a horrible monster for the movies (and later for his crimes of revenge).
One of my favorite stories from the late 50's/early 60's is BATMAN #159 "The Great Joker-Clayface Feud".
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Here is Clayface(Matt Hagen) turning into "Superman". Never read WFC #140 but I plan on getting the 2nd World's Finest Omnibus next spring which
reprints that story.
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Speaking of Hagen, the second Clayface was introduced in Detective Comics #298 (December 1961).
Unlike his predecessor Basil Karlo, Hagen wasn't an actor. He also didn't use makeup to achieve his Clayface personae.
Hagen was later died during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
I was disappointed all those times that DC seemed determined to forget that they had a plethora of Clayfaces and either tried to consolidate them into one person or just invent a new one this week. I liked Karlo in TEC where he was playing a good guy, but I honestly loved the idea of having so many different villains with some similarities but a lot of power differences.
Honestly, it feels like the kind of thing that should be adopted to other media. I'd love to see Lady Clay played up as a power copier, Preston Payne as a super strong and horrifying opponent, Hagen as the classic shapeshifter who maybe has physical photographic memory, and Karlo as the Ultimate Clayface.
Honestly, Karlo's evolution never got used to its potential.
Like action, adventure, rogues, and outlaws? Like anti-heroes, femme fatales, mysteries and thrillers?
I wrote a book with them. Outlaw’s Shadow: A Sherwood Noir. Robin Hood’s evil counterpart, Guy of Gisbourne, is the main character. Feel free to give it a look: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asi...E2PKBNJFH76GQP
I don't mind more then one Clayface's to a degree, but I can understand the thought behind consolidating them so there aren't a bunch of people running around with the name Clayface in the same universe.
"Team Clayface" sounds like an interesting episode of a Batman cartoon .
The story of the third Clayface, Preston Payne, was told in Detective Comics #478 (cover-dated July-August 1978), though he first made a brief appearance on the last page of the previous issue.
From issue #477:
From issue #478:
By the way, on the first page of issue #478, I'm pretty sure the one burglar on the left on the first page was Len Wein . . .
Does anybody remember who the one with long hair was?
Odd thing was just about 20 issues after the debut of CLAYFACE III, Michael Fleisher brings back the Original Clayface, Basil Karlo in DETECTIVE #496.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_496
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Clayface II(Matt Hagen) teams up with Brainiac in WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #144.
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