Batman: Shadow of the Bat #26 is an issue of the series Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1994.
Synopsis for "Creatures of Clay: Diary of a Lover"
Doctor Leslie Thompkins is counseling the orphaned kids that were in the bus that Abbatoir hijacked. She and Commissioner Gordon try to get some information that can help to capture the serial killer. Gordon leaves Dr. Thompkins with the kids and Graham Etchinson.
Batman is watching from a distance when he decides he can't spend a whole night looking for one murderer while there are several others around Gotham City. He saves one man from some thugs and as he is leaving a creature suddenly jumps over him and knocks him to the roof of a building. As they engage in combat, Batman wonders who is this creature. The creature looks like a gargoyle so Batman assumes it is The Gargoyle; but then the creature morphs revealing her true self, Lady Clay; which is possible since Lady Clay can adopt the form of anything she imagines. While fighting Batman, Lady Clay remembers the situation that has gotten her to do what she is doing. Her memories, displayed in a manner of a diary, shows her life with Clayface III and how they start a normal life outside of the city, near a forest and how the ailment of Clayface worsened. His pain would only stop by touching somebody and transmitting the contagion to that person and killing them in the process. One night, when the pain stopped they began the act of love and a few days later Lady Clay told Clayface they were to become parents.
Before she could recall the story to the present, Batman reacts and knocks Lady Clayface. Both of them fall from the rooftop they are at but Batman manages to grab a hold and Lady Shiva hits the pavement. At the same time, at the building where Dr. Thompkins, Graham Etchinson and the kids are, Clayface appears and kills some cops and demands that Graham come with him. Graham agrees and Clayface knocks him out and leaves the building.
Batman reaches the floor to watch the mass of clay on the street and just as he is leaving, a piece of clay grabs his leg, then another grabs his arms and body and after some struggles Batman is completely trapped in the grip of a giant clay snake.
Appearing in "Creatures of Clay: Diary of a Lover"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Clayface (Preston Payne) (Flashback and main story)
- Lady Clay (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Abattoir (Flashback only)
- Gotham City Police Department
- Deans (Single appearance; dies)
- Joe (Single appearance; dies)
- David
- Dwayne
- Graham Etchison
- Mike
- The Gargoyle (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
Notes
- This issue is part of the "Knightquest" saga. Knightquest: The Crusade continues on Batman: Shadow of the Bat #27.
- Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) appeared last in Showcase '94 #6.
- This issue is reprinted in Batman: Knightfall Volume Two - Knightquest and Batman: Knightquest - The Crusade Vol. 2.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Batman: Shadow of the Bat series
- Images from Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 26
