Mary McBell, Serial Burglar Turned Crime-Fighting Clown
Clown Corps was created by Joe Chouinard, it can be read on its own website
Welcome back to the blog! Here's another case of me randomly reading a comic, only to become swiftly convinced that it's amazing and that I wanna cover it on my blog ASAP. Webcomics about crime-fighting clowns aren't as uncommon as you'd expect, and this is easily the best I've read among that niche. Clown Corps is easily one of my favorite series I've read this year, so I highly recommend checking it out. Alright alright, I'll stop clowning around and get to the meat of this. Enjoy!!
Background
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people holding their power over everyone else. It's why I started robbing billionaires. I just wanted to make things better. Still do. So if being a clown means I can help people... then sure. I want to be a clown."
Welcome to the city of Pinfall! This extraordinary city is known for its technological advancements and wonderful college programs, and it's so popular that it even attracts billionaires to live there. With all the glitz and glamor, there are those that seek to disrupt Pinfall's peace. Thankfully, the city is well equipped with a beloved—albeit eccentric elite law enforcement organization: the Clown Corps. As the name implies, it's a unit of highly trained clowns that take on missions to take down high profile criminals. They may deliver justice to baddies in nonlethal and comical ways, but their job is anything but funny business. The group's origins date back fifty years when firefighters were trained in the art of clowning to seem less terrifying to the children they rescue. But now they're more like a task force of special agents that are independent of the city's police force. For years the Clown Corps have been operating without much of a hitch, but there's a noticeable shift in the organization's future when a key player enters the fray.
Robberies are typically below the pay grade of clowns, but the schemes of a serial burglar named Mary McBell catch their attention. McBell has been leading heists targeting corrupt billionaires for years. With her quick thinking and inhuman improvisational skills, she's evaded capture for a while. She wasn't so lucky when she attempted to rob a casino owned by the corrupt CEO Alexander Platt. She may have been able to defeat five clowns on her own in her attempt to escape, but she is eventually caught by the seasoned agents Binky and Mustard.
After being arrested, she's driven away by a clown trainee to be jailed and questioned. Suddenly, their drive is thwarted by a bazooka blast shot by a mysterious armed soldier wearing a clown mask. This is the work of the Shadow Circus, a mysterious cult that seeks to take down the Clown Corps, and they had their eyes set on recruiting McBell. Looking into her background, she was a prime candidate to rebel against the Corps. Her outdated lifelong dream was to become a clown, even applying to the Clown College where eager youths are trained to join the Corps. Unfortunately her personal essay was rejected and her ingenious talents went unnoticed, leading her to turn to a life of crime. The Shadow Circus used this recruitment technique on others in the past: stage a freak vehicular accident, rescue them after they flee the scene, and recruit them with their leader's infectious ideology.
However, the Shadow Circus made one crucial error: misjudging McBell's character. She may be a criminal, but instead of saving her own hide she went out of her way to rescue the clown trainee that was driving her. This leads her to fall into the hands of the clowns and be tried for her crimes. Mustard acts as her lawyer, having looked into her background too. She argued that McBell's skills made her more than qualified to attend Clown College, even if she didn't make it in all those years ago. On top of that, her display of selfless qualities is worthy of recognition. Instead of going to the slammer, Mustard gives her the choice of serving four years as a student at Pinfall Clown College. Obviously she takes the better choice, who wouldn't wanna go to Clown College? Mustard sees her joining not only as a path to redemption, but also for self-discovery. It'll give McBell a chance to figure out who she really is. It's also a win for the Clown Corps since McBell is a suspicious character they want to prod for information, so now she'll always be in their line of sight.
Letting McBell enroll became a heated subject among the Clown Corps, but her criminal background was kept under wraps when she arrived on campus. McBell had lost her drive to become a clown like she had before. She thought of this opportunity as something she could cruise through and get over with, and she didn't have a plan on what she'd do after graduating. She'd try to avoid making friends and keep a low profile, but it's difficult for her to maintain that. She doesn't have a clown name or a routine (major) she's focusing on, she breaks all standard rules and traditions of combat, and word got out that she got into the school without taking the entrance exam. Not only that, but Mustard teaches at the campus too, and frequently has one-on-one chats with her, catching the attention of others.
As months pass during Mustard and Binky's investigation of the Shadow Circus, McBell is slowly starting to open up to others. Her criminal background does get unveiled to her dismay, but at this point most people suspected that was the case and was still largely accepted. She takes a liking to training in the ways of a field agent, but she still doesn't have a routine she follows. While her semester was filled with lots of field training, typical college shenanigans, and becoming more open to the idea of being a clown, everything would change during a field trip to the Pinfall Science Center. What started out as a fun outing learning about how their tech works turned into a clown-on-clown brawl against the Shadow Circus. If training against her peers didn't push her enough, then the Circus' secret weapon Echo the Mime forced her into a true life or death situation. Echo mastered all routines students at Clown College practice, so any wrong move and McBell would be toast. The evil mime would run circles around and counter any other clown, but this fight cemented to the Clown Corps that McBell was special. Since she didn't follow any routine and, Echo had no skills she could mimic. Thus, McBell's amazing improvisational skills drove her and the Shadow Circus away. What's especially inspiring is that she was the first one to jump into action during the Circus' raid. No clown dared set foot out of the room they were holed up in until McBell took it upon herself to rescue the missing dean. Ironically enough, the person who didn't want to be a clown acted the most like a clown out of everyone in the room. Others followed her example.
Not only was McBell cleared of suspicion that day, but after her amazing showing and her lack of routine revealed as Echo's main weakness, the Clown Corps director gives her choice to be their secret weapon. This time, she's eager to take this opportunity. While having a new ace in the hole is a great boon for the Clown Corps, things aren't looking too well for them otherwise. The entire Corps is now aware of the Shadow Circus and Pinfall now knows something is up. The Circus' mission is starting to take root as the city's mayor starts cracking down on the Corps and issues some glaring changes. And then there's the Shadow Circus itself, which Binky and Mustard have been uncovering many disturbing developments regarding it.
Regardless, if there's one clown who will be able to shift the war in their favor, it's McBell. If she can really make things better for others if she's working as an agent, then she'll be a damn good clown.
Equipment
Pie Gloves
All clowns have a signature weapon or ability they use that correlates to their routine to non-lethally defeat criminals. McBell may lack a routine, but she's taken a liking to wielding a secondary weapon used by clowns: custard pies. Field agents are equipped with special gloves made by their very own technology department that function as teleportation devices. Teleportation tech is only limited to small objects with low density, so custard pies were the most fitting choice because of course they are. Pies are stored at a cache owned by the Corps, and are transferred through the fingertips of the gloves, appearing instantly and intangibly. This tech works by confusing an object's atoms into thinking they're in the incorrect place. Since it's a cache used widely by clowns, she can spam as many as she wants. There are different types of pie gloves that summon special variations of pies, but McBell was able to hastily rig her gloves so she could summon numerous types of pies in seven of her fingers. Here are the types of pies she has access to:- Capturing pies: The most standard of pies, their custard is incredibly sticky, making it an excellent tool to subdue foes. However, McBell has thought outside the box in her ways of using it. She can use them to safely scale down buildings or bandage up wounds (don't worry, they're made with nontoxic adhesives)
- Ossified wall pies: Throwing down this pie forms a rigid wall in front of her. It's great for blocking incoming attacks, but she's used it to build large stairs up buildings too
- Fire extinguishing pies: When broken, these pies unleash floods of red custard. Using this in conjunction with her other pies leads to some interesting results
- Elastic pies: These brand of pies are very bouncy, powerful enough to launch her ossified pie walls into the air
All clowns have a signature weapon or ability they use that correlates to their routine to non-lethally defeat criminals. McBell may lack a routine, but she's taken a liking to wielding a secondary weapon used by clowns: custard pies. Field agents are equipped with special gloves made by their very own technology department that function as teleportation devices. Teleportation tech is only limited to small objects with low density, so custard pies were the most fitting choice because of course they are. Pies are stored at a cache owned by the Corps, and are transferred through the fingertips of the gloves, appearing instantly and intangibly. This tech works by confusing an object's atoms into thinking they're in the incorrect place. Since it's a cache used widely by clowns, she can spam as many as she wants. There are different types of pie gloves that summon special variations of pies, but McBell was able to hastily rig her gloves so she could summon numerous types of pies in seven of her fingers. Here are the types of pies she has access to:
- Capturing pies: The most standard of pies, their custard is incredibly sticky, making it an excellent tool to subdue foes. However, McBell has thought outside the box in her ways of using it. She can use them to safely scale down buildings or bandage up wounds (don't worry, they're made with nontoxic adhesives)
- Ossified wall pies: Throwing down this pie forms a rigid wall in front of her. It's great for blocking incoming attacks, but she's used it to build large stairs up buildings too
- Fire extinguishing pies: When broken, these pies unleash floods of red custard. Using this in conjunction with her other pies leads to some interesting results
- Elastic pies: These brand of pies are very bouncy, powerful enough to launch her ossified pie walls into the air
Boxing Gloves
McBell has wielded boxing gloves during her sparring match against her friend and trainer Bout. Expectedly, she's managed to use these gloves in creative ways, like shooting both from the ring around a boxing ring like a slingshot. She also hides her pie gloves under those in case anyone dares underestimate her willingness to cheat
McBell has wielded boxing gloves during her sparring match against her friend and trainer Bout. Expectedly, she's managed to use these gloves in creative ways, like shooting both from the ring around a boxing ring like a slingshot. She also hides her pie gloves under those in case anyone dares underestimate her willingness to cheat
Abilities
Improvisation
Every clown has a routine they follow, which is their equivalent of a college major focusing on a specific clown proficiency. Take for instance a clown skilled in fighting with balloons or a clown specializing in skateboards. Because they’re locked in that single skill, that makes them easy to predict. McBell on the flipside doesn’t play by the rules. Sure she’s good with pies, but she doesn’t use them just for throwing. As described previously, she's used specialized pies outside their typical usage. And now that she has multiple types of pies at her disposal, she can use them in conjunction with each other in unique ways. She brainstorms insanely creative strategies on the fly and is highly adaptive to circumstance and fighting styles. No matter what setting she's placed in, she'll utilize everything in it to her advantage to get the jump on her opponent.
Every clown has a routine they follow, which is their equivalent of a college major focusing on a specific clown proficiency. Take for instance a clown skilled in fighting with balloons or a clown specializing in skateboards. Because they’re locked in that single skill, that makes them easy to predict. McBell on the flipside doesn’t play by the rules. Sure she’s good with pies, but she doesn’t use them just for throwing. As described previously, she's used specialized pies outside their typical usage. And now that she has multiple types of pies at her disposal, she can use them in conjunction with each other in unique ways. She brainstorms insanely creative strategies on the fly and is highly adaptive to circumstance and fighting styles. No matter what setting she's placed in, she'll utilize everything in it to her advantage to get the jump on her opponent.
Fourth Wall Breaks
Of all the frequent fourth wall breakers in webcomics, I didn't expect McBell would be the first one I'd ever cover. Of course she cheated her way into that position, she's Mary honking McBell. McBell makes many meta jokes no one else understands. She repeatedly makes references to this world being a comic, commented on events in the story she isn't a part of and wouldn't know about without meta knowledge, addresses the readers, and she even sped up the continuity in her story by writing "later that day" on a piece of paper and holding it in front of the following panel. The author's alt text (hovering your mouse over the page on the Clown Corps site) for that page states "Don't worry she doesn't get to do that too often. Pretty sure it's a 9th level spell."
Of all the frequent fourth wall breakers in webcomics, I didn't expect McBell would be the first one I'd ever cover. Of course she cheated her way into that position, she's Mary honking McBell. McBell makes many meta jokes no one else understands. She repeatedly makes references to this world being a comic, commented on events in the story she isn't a part of and wouldn't know about without meta knowledge, addresses the readers, and she even sped up the continuity in her story by writing "later that day" on a piece of paper and holding it in front of the following panel. The author's alt text (hovering your mouse over the page on the Clown Corps site) for that page states "Don't worry she doesn't get to do that too often. Pretty sure it's a 9th level spell."
Enhanced Agility
Just look at her flippin' and dippin' all over the place
Just look at her flippin' and dippin' all over the place
Techniques
Martial Arts
She's skilled in at least three different martial arts, two of which are boxing and kickboxing
Feats
Overall
- Defeated five clown trainee agents while attempting burglary
- Scaled down Alexander Platt's tower using capturing pier
- Ringleader in various crimes of grand larceny. Over the course of a year, she stole $850,000
- Defeated Binky's boxer clown son Bout after he trained her. Bout had the highest score out of anyone in the entrance exams and was personally trained by Binky himself
- Forced the Shadow Circus’ mime Echo to flee
- Made a bunch of pie walls to run up like stairs, then used a fire extinguisher pie to flood down the steps to wash away Echo
- While her fight with Echo was on a rotating platform in the air, she backflipped off the platform as it rotated in her direction, landing on it as it flipped over
Strength
- Scales to Bout, who punched a barrel open
- Kicked Echo through a window
- Scales to Echo, who can punch holes through walls and once defeated Dean Squeaky—who can pop his latex steel balloons so loudly that the noise shatters nearby windows (wall level)
- Her capturing pies are so bouncy that they can launch her ossified pie walls into the air
- Broke the head off a TV satellite with an ossified pie wall
Speed
- Consistently dodges pies
- Can evade the attacks of PJ, who has enhanced reflexes when he sleeps. While he has lucid dreams, time moves slower for him
- Fought one on one with Bout, who’s so fast he has a technique called the double-punch technique. It’s multiple consecutive jabs that were so fast that they looked like a single punch
- Spun around really quickly on a spinning chair so she could tie up Echo
- Scales to Mustard, who evades the lasers from the Shadow Circus' troops (not lightspeed)
Durability
Weaknesses
- When it comes to by-the-books combat, McBell fights like someone who trained a lot while young, then took a few years off and didn’t return to basics
- After being rejected from Clown College before, she never truly recovered. Back then, she made becoming a clown her defining train, but without it she wasn't sure who she was anymore. Even after attending the school of her previous dreams, she doesn’t really understand herself yet
- She has physically and psychologically played herself on multiple occasions
Matchup Potential
McBell is such a fucking cool protagonist, one of my favorites I've encountered in any webcomic. She's a hilarious quip machine, her journey of self-discovery is relatable, and her fighting style is nothing like any I've seen before. She'd be such a fun character to include on Death Battle. If she were to fight anyone, I'd want it to focus less on her fighting another clown, and more so someone that's part of a nontraditional or wacky organization of special agents. Same goes for a reforming criminal who isn't afraid to break traditions to serve justice. Given the low scale of the series I doubt she'd win many matchups she'd potentially get, but she'd totally steal the show dynamically.
NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it
