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DC Comics   ·   Released May 3rd, 1940

Detective Comics #40

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THE MURDERS OF CLAYFACE

Julie Madison is part of a new film called Dread Castle. One of Madison's colleagues and her boyfriend are murdered on the set of the film. When Batman investigates the murders, he finds the male victim right before he dies and he managed to identify his killer as "Clayface". Batman and Robin decide to take the investigation to the film's set and there, Batman stops some gangsters, but unfortunately they aren't behind the murders. Meanwhile, Robin finds the real killer and Clayface attacks him. Batman saves Robin, but Clayface manages to escape. The next day, one of the scenes with Julie is being filmed and Clayface is about to kill her when Batman and Robin intervene. Batman takes off Clayface's disguise, revealing his identity as Basil Karlo, the make-up man and embittered ex-actor who wanted to kill the actors that were remaking his own classic film, "The Terror".

THE FORGARIAN BALL

AN AMERICAN REPORTER IN LONDON…

THE MYSTERIOUS RAYS

While an armored truck was delivering currency deposits to the city bank, a criminal was overlooking the deposit with a telescope, from a building across a river. The sniper incapacitated the guards using a ray attached to the scope, then two criminals in a truck looted the armored truck and placed its money inside their own, then driving off. At the office of the Globe-Leader, Mac, one of the employees came in and informed Lee about the robbery. In response, Lee ordered Mac to start writing about it. Lee decided that he would investigate later that night as the Crimson Avenger. That night, Crimson went to the bridge by the river to investigate, when he spotted a shack and heard people conversing, when he got near it. Inside, a Mad Scientist was introducing his accomplice to his new invention, a ray gun, and telling him about his plan to rob another bank. When another bandit arrived at the shack, the Crimson attacked him by surprise, defeating him, then taking him to his car. A few days later, at the bandits' hideout, the scientist suspected that Butch had betrayed them due to his absence. However, he decided to proceed with the plan without him. Later, at the bank, the scientist used his ray to paralyze everyone present, allowing him and his accomplice to loot the armored truck without any intervention. As the two bandits drove away, Crimson and Wing How grabbed onto their truck and held on until they reached the hideout. When they reached the hideout, Crimson chased the scientist up the stairs, where the latter attempted to use his ray gun on the former without any effect, as the vigilante wore a protector suit. In response, the Crimson sprayed the scientist with his gas gun. In a newspaper article by the Globe-Leader, it said "MAD SCIENTIST CAPTURED." Lee was meeting with Mac, who expressed his curiosity on the identity of the Crimson Avenger.

THE JEWEL ROBBERS

THE PRODIGY

THE NEW PLANE

THE MURDER OF SLUGGER CARMEN

Format
Comic
Page Count
68 pages
Cover Price
$0.10
Detective Comics #40
PrevSeries Next
116
201
127

Creators

Bill Finger
Writer
Bill Finger
Gardner Fox
Writer
Gardner Fox
Jerry Siegel
Writer
Jerry Siegel
Jack Lehti
Writer, Artist
Jack Lehti
Writer, Artist, Letterer
Chad Grothkopf
Howard Sherman
Artist
Howard Sherman
Artist
Maurice Kashuba
Artist
Ken Ernst
Artist
Don Lynch
Fred Guardineer
Artist, Letterer
Fred Guardineer
Bob Kane
Penciller, Cover Artist
Bob Kane
Jerry Robinson
Inker, Cover Artist
Jerry Robinson
Whitney Ellsworth
Editor
Whitney Ellsworth

Characters

Bart Regan
Bart Regan
Earth-Two
Batman
Bruce Wayne
Batman
Earth-Two
Clayface
Basil Karlo
Clayface
Prime Earth
Cliff Crosby
Cliff Crosby
Earth-Two
Crimson Avenger
Lee Travis
Crimson Avenger
Prime Earth
Cyril Saunders
Cyril Saunders
Prime Earth
Julie Madison
Julie Madison
Earth-Two
Red Logan
Red Logan
Earth-Two
Robin
Dick Grayson
Robin
Earth-Two
Sam Bradley
Sam Bradley
Prime Earth
Shorty Morgan
Samuel Morgan
Shorty Morgan
Prime Earth
Steve Malone
Steve Malone
Earth-Two
Wing How
Wing How
Prime Earth

Key Events

First Appearance
Basil Karlo as Clayface Prime Earth

Collected In

  • Batman Archives Vol. 1 HC
    Batman Archives Vol. 1 HC
    Batman Archives (1997 - 2012)
  • Batman: Arkham - Clayface TP
    Batman: Arkham - Clayface TP
    Batman: Arkham - Clayface (2017)
  • Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
    Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
    Batman: The Golden Age
  • Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 TP
    Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 TP
    Batman: The Golden Age
  • The Batman Chronicles Vol. 2 TP
    The Batman Chronicles Vol. 2 TP
    The Batman Chronicles (2005 - 2012)

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