Comic Title: Detective Comics #40
Publisher: DC (Detective Comics, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: June 1940
Approx. On Sale Date: May 7, 1940 Copyright Date May 3, 1940
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1940
Until 1958 DC did not report actual on sale dates to the copyright office
The publication dates listed in LoC records are NOT release dates.

Frequency: Monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 64
Editor: Fredric Whitney Ellsworth

Notes:
This issue's cover which features the Joker, was originally intended for the fifth story of Batman #1. The Joker does not appear in this issue.

Title: (The Murders of Clayface)
Pages: 12

Feature(s):
Batman (of Earth-2)

Writer: Bill Finger
Penciller: Bob Kane
Inker: Jerry Robinson

Reprinted In:
Batman from the 30s to the 70s HC (1972)
Batman Archives Vol. 1 HC (1990)
Batman Chronicles Vol. 2 TPB (2006)
Batman:The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2016)
Batman:The Golden Age Vol. 1 TPB (2016)
Batman Arkham:Clayface TPB (2017)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (last appearance in Batman #1; next appearance in New York World's Fair Comics (#2))

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Batman #1; next appearance in New York World's Fair Comics (#2))
• Julie Madison (last appearance in Detective Comics #39; next appearance in Detective Comics #49)

Villain(s)

• Clayface (Basil Karlo; next appearance in Detective Comics #49)
• Roxy Brenner and his men (gangsters; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Mr. Bentley (head of Argus Pictures; next appearance in Detective Comics #49)
• Lorna Dane (a movie star; dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Fred Walker (Lorna's boyfriend; dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Kenneth Todd and Ned Norton (an actor and a director; no further appearances)

Comments:
This story was not originally titled.

Synopsis:
Julie Madison gets a part in the movie Dread Castle. One of the stars, Lorna Dane is murdered on the set. Lorna’s boyfriend is also killed, but he mumbles the word Clayface. Batman investigates and prevents the killer from getting Julie. When the killer is captured, he is revealed to be the make-up man, ex-actor Basil Karlo.