Last issue, Spider-Man's friend, bio-chemist Dr. Curt Connors, reverted into the savage Lizard for the third time, this time after his wife and son had been kidnapped by Silvermane and the Maggia during the Ancient Tablet storyline. The mobsters forced Dr. Connors to translate the tablet and Silvermane used the secrets within to attain eternal youth. Spider-Man rescued the Connors family, but the stress of their kidnapping forced Dr. Connors to transform into the Lizard again in Amazing Spider-Man #76. Spider-Man battled the Lizard after the monster rampaged through Manhattan and, as often happens when these two fight, the Web-Slinger took some lumps. However, he had concocted a plan to trap the Lizard when the Human Torch entered the battle, throwing off Spider-Man's attempted trap.

Even worse, he's afraid the Torch will inadvertently harm the Lizard, not realizing he actually is an innocent man who cannot help his transformations. Spider-Man neatly sums up his dilemma as follows. "If he isn't stopped, either the Torch...or I...or someone will be killed! And yet, with his uncanny super-strength, how do I stop him without harming Dr. Connors?" Good question, Spidey. But that's how the issue starts, with the Human Torch facing off with the Lizard and Spider-Man figuring out what to do next. He actually uses his webbing to stop the Torch from going after the Lizard at one point and tells Johnny Storm that his fight with the Lizard is a private matter. "A private fight? With the city practically under martial law because of that crawlin' creep? You've got to be kiddin', fella!" the Human Torch says. Spider-Man believes he can't tell the Torch the truth for fear of exposing Dr. Connors' secret identity.

Spider-Man perhaps shouldn't worry so much. The Lizard does just fine in his battle with the Human Torch. The Torch chases the Lizard to the waterfront, where the super-strong reptile wreaks havoc aboard a ship. "Can't take any more chances with him! He's deadlier than I thought!" the Human Torch thinks. The Lizard dives into the water, which, as a reptile, is right in his element. Johnny Storm boils the surface of the water with his high-powered flame, hoping to take the fight out of the Lizard. Spider-Man jumps in to save his foe, fearing the Lizard may be hurt. However, the Lizard grabs Spider-Man in a powerful hold. "He was playing possum!" Spider-Man thinks. "The heat didn't affect him." However, some quick thinking saves Spider-Man's life. He grabs the lapels of the Lizard's lab coat (the coat he wore as Curt Conners, which he always ends up wearing as the Lizard) and twists it around the villain's neck, choking him into unconsciousness.

After getting rid of the Human Torch with a made-up story about hearing a Fantastic Four distress signal, he takes the Lizard to a chemical warehouse where he plans to concoct an antidote that will turn the Lizard back into Curt Connors. But what he doesn't count on is Billy Connors, Curt and Martha's young son, seeing them entering the warehouse and following them. "Maybe they both need some help! Maybe there's something I can do!" Billy says. However, the Lizard escapes from the webbing where Spidey had entrapped him and goes after young Billy. He hesitates for a moment, though, as a small flicker of memory tells him he knows the boy (in general, the Lizard isn't aware that he and Dr. Connors are one and the same). That gives Spider-Man the chance to douse the Lizard with some dehydrating powder. "You gave me the clue yourself when you said water is a Lizard's natural element," Spider-Man tells him. "So anything that can dehydrate you...dry the moisture from your pores...has to weaken you!" In fact, the dehydrating powder weakens the Lizard so much that he reverts back into good ol' Curt Connors. "Man! If there's one thing I like, it's a happy ending!" Spider-Man says. But if you had too many happy endings, you wouldn't be Spider-Man, now would you, Pete?

In general, this wasn't as good as the Lizard's previous two appearances (in Amazing Spider-Man #6 and then in Amazing Spider-Man #44-45). In those battles, the Lizard had a plan and it was up to Spider-Man to stop him. Here, the Lizard generally is just doing his best Japanese movie monster impression by smashing up the city. There doesn't seem to be much of a point to his mayhem, other than a desire to get revenge on Spider-Man. I like the Lizard best when he has the audacious plans for reptiles to conquer the earth. But as in their previous two encounters, Spider-Man uses his scientific acumen to defeat the Lizard and that's always neat to see. And the Human Torch is a nice guest-star. Someday, Marvel should do a special edition to chronicle their team-ups over the years. The "Web-Head/Flame Brain" partnership goes back to the earliest days of the characters -- Spider-Man first encountered the Human Torch all the way back in Amazing Spider-Man #1. Throughout the years, Johnny Storm has proven to be Spider-Man's most loyal friend (and occasional rival) among the superhero set, with Daredevil ranking a close second. It makes sense, since both were teenagers when they first met, but Spidey's partnership with the Human Torch has been a somewhat underrated highlight of his history.

Next issue: Spider-Man must face a mysterious new villain, the Prowler! Or is he a villain...?


Reviewed by Bruce Buchanan.

Reprinted In:
Marvel Tales #58
Spider-Man Comics Magazine #9
Spider-Man Essentials IV