Basil Karlo

Basil Karlo was a celebrated horror film actor who snapped when he learned a remake of his classic film would be shot without him. Donning the mask of the monster he once portrayed on screen, he embarked on a murderous rampage against the cast and crew — launching his criminal career as Clayface.

Few villains can claim roots as deep as Basil Karlo, who first slithered onto the scene in Batman #1 back in 1940 — a genuine Golden Age original conjured by George Shute and Raymond Perry at the very birth of the Dark Knight's solo title. Over the course of an astonishing 86-year publishing history, Karlo has proven himself one of DC's most enduring presences, racking up 119 catalog appearances across Detective Comics, Batman, and Batgirl — with three of those issues recognized as collector-significant keys. He's kept dangerous company throughout, sharing pages with the likes of Robin, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, Batwoman, and Kate Kane, which tells you everything about how central he remains to Gotham's ongoing saga. If you're building a serious Batman collection, Basil Karlo is the kind of character whose longevity demands attention.