Robert Louis Stevenson gave us Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Stan Lee and Steve Ditko gave us Dr. Curt Connors and the Lizard. Like his literary counterpart, Dr. Curt Connors unleashes a dark creature inside of himself -- a creature that proves too powerful for him to control. But unlike London in the Victorian age, the Marvel Universe has a spectacular Spider-Man to save the day!

The Lizard is one of Spider-Man's oldest, most dangerous and certainly most savage foes. However, he also is perhaps the most sympathetic, as unlike the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, etc., the Lizard is, at heart, a good man who cannot help his villainous actions. Dr. Connors, a noted biochemist and devoted husband and father, studied reptiles in an attempt to help amputees regrow their lost limbs. Since Dr. Connors himself has lost his right arm, he tried the formula on his own body. The serum worked too well -- he regrew his arm, but also gained other properties of a lizard, becoming, in effect, a human lizard.

The Lizard first menaced Spider-Man all the way back in Amazing Spider-Man #6, when Spidey battled the reptilian villain in the Florida Everglades. This issue marks his second appearance, although he is does appear in Untold Tales of Spider-Man #9, which is set before this issue, even though it was published nearly 30 years later. Back in their first encounter, Spider-Man nearly was overpowered by the Lizard, who is stronger than Spider-Man and covered in armor-like scales. To make matters worse, Spider-Man always has to hold back when fighting the Lizard, as he realizes that Curt Connors is an innocent man who cannot control what happens to him as the Lizard. However, Peter Parker used his scientific acumen and created an antidote to Dr. Connors' serum, which caused the Lizard to revert back into Dr. Connors, although he lost his right arm again in the process.

This issue begins with Peter sending Aunt May on a Florida vacation. Meanwhile, Dr. Connors is in New York City awaiting his wife, Martha, and son, Billy, to arrive from their Florida home. In Amazing Spider-Man #43, he helped Spider-Man defeat the Rhino. But now, his left hand is beginning to turn green and scaly. "It's mad -- insane! There's no reason for it! No reason --!" he thinks. He wonders if the chemicals he used in battling the Rhino may have triggered a relapse. Realizing he's about to change, he runs away from the train station down a subway tunnel. "If I don't get out of here in time...nobody will be safe!" he thinks.

Sure enough, Dr. Connors transforms back into the Lizard. Part of what makes him such a dangerous foe for Spider-Man is that, while he doesn't maintain the scientific knowledge he has as Curt Connors, the Lizard isn't a dumb brute. He has a cunning, calculating mind, even if that mind is usually focused on restoring reptiles to being the dominant creatures on earth. He smashes through the subway walls into some sewer tunnels. "I'm the strongest -- most dangerous being on earth! Before I'm through, I'll be the most feared of all! No one can stop me!" he declares.

The Lizard once again plans to organize the world's reptiles (he mentally can control any type of reptile), but first, he wants to get Spider-Man out of the way. He robs a jewelry store and frames Spider-Man for the theft, thinking that either Spider-Man will be on the run from the police or he will seek out the Lizard and get destroyed. He figures either way, he's in good shape. But Spider-Man learns that unlike many of his foes, the Lizard doesn't have a personal grudge - he just sees Spider-Man as a stumbling block in his way. The Lizard would just as soon see Spider-Man in police custody as defeat him himself, so Spidey won't be able to use the Lizard's pride against him, as he often does against his foes.

Spidey tracks him down, but finds the Lizard to be an even more formidable foe than he remembered. "Just as I feared! He's lost the last vestige of Dr. Connors' identity! He's totally evil now!" Spider-Man thinks. A punch to the jaw proves ineffective against the naturally armored Lizard.

The Lizard chases Spider-Man to the top of a building and knocks him to the ground below. Spider-Man cushions his fall with some webbing, but injures his left arm in the process. Nothing is broken, but his arm is badly sprained and will be in a sling for the time being. The Lizard leaves, believing he has gotten rid of Spider-Man. However, Spider-Man leaves his camera at the scene. He needs to sell those photos to the Daily Bugle to earn some money to support Aunt May. To add the proverbial insult to injury, Peter has to turn down a date with Mary Jane Watson, fearing that if people see his arm is hurt, they may figure out that Peter Parker and Spider-Man are the same. "What's wrong with me? Why do things work out this way? When will I come to my senses and stop bucking fate -- and give up being Spider-Man forever?!!" A classic "Peter Parker: Sad Sack" ending if there ever was one.

We get some good character development stuff in this issue, too. Peter joins Gwen Stacy for a study date at a local diner. There, they learn that Flash Thompson is about to get drafted into the Army. "They don't have cheerleaders for you in the Army" Peter tells Flash. At this point, the two still are rivals, although not as unfriendly as they were in high school. Mary Jane then walks into the diner and pulls Peter away from his studying with Gwen for a night on the town, even though Peter really needs to study. Gwen isn't exactly pleased by this development. The love triangle with Peter, Gwen and Mary Jane was just great here -- Peter and Gwen hadn't become a serious item yet, so Mary Jane still was in the picture. I always felt the one drawback of killing Gwen (and Amazing Spider-Man #121 is one of the greatest stories ever) was that it eliminated the romantic tension of a Peter-Gwen-M. J. love triangle. There was still more to be done with that.

Also, Frederick Foswell, who once was the criminal known as the Big Man, is suspicious of the connection between Peter and Spider-Man. Foswell now is working as a reporter at the Daily Bugle and suspects there may be some news there. This plot will continue to bubble in the next few issues, culminating with Foswell's death in a classic story in Amazing Spider-Man #52.

Next issue: With only one good arm, how can Spider-Man hope to defeat the Lizard?

Reviewed by Bruce Buchanan.

Reprinted In:
Marvel Tales #32
Marvel Tales #184
 Marvel Masterworks Vol. 22
Spider-Man Essentials III