By Kevin Coughlin
Superheroes come in all sizes.
So you may have to look hard to spot Robin the Boy Wonder in the Batmobile at Saturday’s Memorial Day Parade in Morris Plains.
That’s because, at age 7, Joey Clayton really is a boy wonder. But don’t let that fool you. This caped crusader from Rockaway is every inch as brave as anything Marvel Comics ever hatched.
“He’s very tough,” says his proud mom, Jenn Clayton.
Joey was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last December. So far, he’s endured three rounds of radiation and two rounds of chemotherapy. His weight has ping-ponged. His hair has fallen out, his hair has grown back.
Through all this, the second-grader shows up every day at the Dennis D. O’Brien Elementary School in Rockaway. He still plays basketball. He still plays soccer.
“It’s pretty amazing,” says his mother. “It’s so awesome. He never complains. He always has a smile on his face. If you would look at him, you would never think anything is wrong.”
Joey’s got some strong role models. His dad, Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Clayton, is a Marine Corps. recruiter at Picatinny Arsenal.
His other hero: Batman.
“Joey’s loved Batman since he was 2 years old,” Jenn says.
When the family was stationed in Oklahoma, Sgt. Clayton bought a collection of 70 figurines of the Gotham crimefighter.
“Joey carried them around in a backpack,” his mom remembers. There never are any surprises at Halloween, either.
But the boy is in for a giant surprise this weekend. His parents have not told him yet that he’s going to be riding shotgun with Batman himself in a vintage 1966 Batmobile — and wearing a Robin costume, too.
“I think he’s going to be kind of in shock,” said his mom.
A very good shock.
Make sure to give Joey a big wave. The Batmobile, from Characters for Hire in New York, will be near the back of the parade on Saturday, May 23, 2015. Events begin at 9 am, with a Memorial Day service at Robert’s Garden, corner of Glenbrook Road and Mountain Way. The parade — 90 units that include 14 bands, 15 llamas, a herd of sheep and a miniature cow — rolls from there at 9:30 am. Everyone will march down Speedwell Avenue to Route 53, ending with a cookout on the VFW grounds.
