The Clay Camel (plus Women's Lib!)

The Clay Camel (plus Women's Lib!)
Start date:	November 2nd, 1970
End date:	March 6th, 1971
# of strips:	126 (18 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"Hojo's Tale"
Followed by:	"Narda and the Cats"

"The Clay Camel (plus Women's Lib!)" is the 145th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

One day at Singatraz prof. Lipton came to interview the Clay Camel. He wanted to study Clay's methods of instant desguise and brought with him Clay's desguise kit.

Desguised as Lipton, Clay manage to escape the maximum security prison. He had threat to kill Mandrake when he came out and at once started to play a cat and mouse game with Mandrake.

Narda and Karma had joined a woman's liberation group, Clay read that they were arrested while picketing without a permit and made a plan. Desguised as his aunt Aggie ha manage to infiltrate the group and become their president. Led by Aggie the woman's liberation group invades a jewelry store - a sit-down protest. Stealing diamonds for a million, and with Narda as hostage, Aggie got away - in a 1968 gray motly sedan.

Mandrake turned Clay's game against him. Mandrake was aware that Clay had a weakness, he wants the world to know how clever he is. Mandrake asked the police chief not to give Clay credit for the jewel robbery in any interviews. Clay was furious and started calling newspapers, the police chief and Mandrake. Tracing Clay's phone they found his hideout. Desguised as an old woman Mandrake manage to catch Clay once more.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• Karma
• Hojo
• The Clay Camel
• The Police Chief

One-time characters

• Professor Lipton, visit the Clay Camel in prison to make an interview.
• A butcher, one of Clay' disguise.
• A policeman, one of Clay' disguise.
• Aggie Clay, truck driving aunt of Clay and one of Clay' disguise.

Locations

• Xanadu
• Singatraz, a maximum security prison.
• Tiffier's, best jewelry store in town.
• Pamet Warehouse, (refering to Lee Falk's summer house near Truro at Cape Cod) mention only.
• A farmhouse on Depot road, Clay's hideout.

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story taken from the strip of November 5, 1970 (Tomorrow: "The Clay Camel"). The sub title "(plus Women's Lib!)", is lifted from the plot.
• In Clay's desguise kit; wigs, grease, paint and a mysterious plastic film. Clay use the plastic film to form a mask just in a few seconds. The mask is a perfect copy of any face.
• The Clay Camel, reading a Phantom Comic Book.
• The Clay Camel have prison number 39013.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "A Volta do Camelo", Mandrake #184 (1971)
• "O Camelo de Barro", Os Grandes Inimigos do Mandrake #2 (1989)
• "O Camelo de Barro", Os Grandes Inimigos do Mandrake (Minissérie Encadernada) (1989)

India

• "The Master of Disguise" Indrajal Comics #153 (1972)
• "The Maze of Deceit", Indrajal Comics Vol. 25 No. 32 (1988)

Spain

• "El camello de Barro", Supercomics Garbo #2 (1976)

Turkey

• "Kil Deve", Mandrake #19 #20 #21 #22 (1974)
• "Kil Deve", Mandrake Albüm #7 #8
• "Kil Deve", Mandrake Süper Albüm #21 #22

Yugoslavia

• "Kralj maski", Super EKS Almanah #11 (1980)