Dr. K's Waiting Room

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Easily Marvel Comics’ most recognisable superhero, unsuspecting teenage nerd Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and learned the meaning of power and responsibility in August 1962. Since then, the Amazing Spider-Man has featured in cartoons, movies, videogames, and countless comic books. To coincide with his day of celebration, I’m dedicating every Monday of August to everyone’s favourite web-head!

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Story Title: “Face-to-Face with… the Lizard!”
Published: 8 August 1963 (cover-dated: November 1963)
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko

The Background:
After finding success with the Fantastic Four, Marvel editor and head writer Stan Lee dreamed up teenage superhero Peter Parker/Spider-Man, whose Amazing Fantasy debut became a best seller for Marvel Comics. Spider-Man’s subsequent popularity saw him headline numerous comics, including partnering with other, less mainstream superheroes in Marvel Team-Up, and amass perhaps the most colourful and memorable rogues gallery in all of comics. Doctor Curtis “Curt” Connors/The Lizard first appeared in the sixth issue of Spidey’s long-running Amazing Spider-Man book, courtesy of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Like many of Spider-Man’s villains, the Lizard was a tragic victim of science gone wrong and very much in the same vein as Doctor Henry Jekyll and Mister Edward Hyde: a seemingly normal man who underwent a horrific mental and physical transformation due to science. Spidey’s relationship with Dr. Connors became a complicated one, with the two often working together to try and cure the scientist or figure out solutions to Spidey’s latest drama, and them desperately trying to keep the doctor’s condition a secret from his family. Though he’s threatened to turn all of New York City’s inhabitants into lizards and even regressed into a monstrous form, the Lizard has turned towards the light before, though he’s primarily used as a low-tier supervillain in Spidey videogames. The Lizard has also featured in Spider-Man’s animated ventures. Most notably, he featured in the first episode of the 1990’s Spider-Man cartoon (Richardson, 1994) and later helped Spider-Man in the cartoon’s Secret Wars (Shooter et al, 1984 to 1985) adaptation. While we never got to see Dr. Connors (Dylan Baker) become the Lizard in Sam Raimi’s films, the Lizard was the main villain in The Amazing Spider-Man (Webb, 2012). While his design was heavily criticised, Rhys Ifans returned to voice the character nearly ten years later, and the Lizard is generally seen as one of Spidey’s more under-rated villains.

The Review:
Our story opens in “the murky swamps of Florida’s everglades”, where a group of…well, I assume they’re tourists but one of them has a gun so maybe they’re poachers? Or perhaps they just have a well-prepared tour guide? It’s hard to tell and ultimately inconsequential. Anyway, a group of men are suddenly attacked by a giant, man-sized lizard in purple trousers and a lab coat. As if the sight of a six-foot lizard wasn’t shocking enough, the creature speaks (and quite eloquently, too), voicing rage and displeasure at the men for venturing into his swamp. After proving bulletproof, the Lizard causes the trespassers to flee by uprooting a massive tree and waving it about in a threatening manner. Further reports of additional encounters and attacks soon spread, leading the locals to avoid the swamplands and live in fear of the man-lizard in the region. The news is so astonishing that it even reaches the streets of New York, courtesy of the Daily Bugle, whose editor, the miserly J. Jonah Jameson, wastes no time using his publication to challenge Spider-Man to defeat the Lizard. Though he scoffs at the headline, Spider-Man reasons that he might be able to convince Jonah to send him to Florida to snap some pictures of the Lizard. However, Jonah shoots him down, primarily because he believes the whole thing’s a hoax anyway (making me question why he’d risk the Daily Bugle’s reputation printing the headline). Though dejected, Peter heads to the Natural History Museum to brush up on his lizard knowledge. During a lecture on dinosaur anatomy, Peter’s spider-sense alerts him to two thieves, who he quickly subdues, and he’s so bolstered by his actions that he decides to approach Jonah in his masked identity. Spider-Man humiliates Jonah in his office and accepts his challenge, but on the caveat that Jonah sends a photographer to capture the fight, however Peter’s plan backfires somewhat when Jonah insists on tagging along! After saying his farewells to his doting Aunt May, Peter takes his mind off the uncomfortable plane ride by researching Dr. Connors, a lizard expert in the Everglades who he tags as a possible source.

After ditching Jonah, Peter checks out the swamp-like Everglades and is ambushed by the Lizard! Dragged underwater and nearly drowned, the web-slinger’s reflexes are all that save him from a swipe from the monster’s tail, though the Lizard proves to be as strong as he is fast as he sends the youngster flying with a flick of the appendage! Convinced that he needs more intel, Spidey drops by Dr. Connors’ house and finds his wife, Martha, in tears. She not only reveals that her husband is the Lizard but also fills Spidey in on the whole backstory. A former surgeon, Dr. Connors was forced to retire after losing an arm “during the War” and became obsessed with the unique regenerative properties of lizards. Hoping to not only regrow his arm but also help countless others, Dr. Connors worked tireless in his experiments, fully supported by his loving wife and awestruck son, Billy. After many months, Dr. Connors synthesised a serum from lizard DNA and successfully tested it on a rabbit. Emboldened by this, Dr. Connors wasted no time and downed the solution and, after a brief spot of agony, was delighted when his arm grew back! Unfortunately, his elation quickly turned to horror as he transformed into a hideous, half-human lizard. Although the monstrous Dr. Connors returned to try and reverse the process, his mind quickly degenerated and, with the last vestiges of his humanity, he begged Martha to get herself and Billy to safety. However, some trace of Dr. Connors obviously still remains in the Lizard as Martha’s story is interrupted by Billy being accosted by the creature outside. After getting Billy to safety, Spider-Man fights the Lizard again, this time noting the creature’s tough, dinosaur-like armour plating and ability to snap his webs! When Martha rushes to Billy, the Lizard flees in horror and Spidey spends the next few hours going through the doctor’s notes to try and create a cure.

Thanks to his scientific acumen, Spider-Man is successful and, right on cue, the Lizard attacks the lab. Overwhelmed by the creature’s speed, ferocity, and incredible strength, Spider-Man is beaten unconscious, allowing the Lizard to retrieve his serum to empower the local lizards in a mad plot to conquer the Earth. With no time to call for help and no choice but to pursue, Spidey whips up a pair of “web swamp-shoes” and goes paddling through the stream into the Lizard’s territory, pondering how he’s going to subdue the Lizard without harming Dr. Connors. Reaching an abandoned fort, Spider-Man spots the Lizard monologing to a congregation of alligators, who listen intently and obey his every command, attacking Spider-Man when instructed and forcing the hero to scale the fort’s tower to escape. Determined to keep the Lizard distracted, Spider-Man throws webs and his quick wit at the creature and stays on the move, eventually trapping them both within the fort. When the Lizard pursues him up the walls, Spidey makes a desperate gamble and plunges to the ground, tackling the Lizard in mid-air and forcing the antidote down his throat. Spidey is stunned by the Lizard’s powerful tail and left powerless but, just as the Lizard moves to strike, the antidote takes effect. In a few panels, the Lizard’s transformation regresses and Dr. Connors returns, human and sane again (though still missing an arm) to reunite with his family. After Dr. Connors vows to destroy his research, Spidey takes pity on him and promises to keep his secret, much to their relief. In the aftermath, Jameson destroys the photos Peter brings him, convinced the Lizard was all made up and the trip was a waste. He therefore refuses to pay Peter, adds the cost of the trip to his bill and, to make matters worse, Peter’s shot down by Elizabeth “Liz” Allen since she’s got the hots for Spider-Man!

The Summary:
It’s always funny to me to look back at these old stories and see these now-iconic and nuanced villains treated as simple, run-of-the-mill, monthly issues for our favourite web-spinner. “Face-to-Face with… the Lizard!” has a bit more meat on its bones than some stories from back then thanks to Dr. Connors’ tragic origin story, but it’s still full of a few blunders. I’m not the biggest fan of these single issues wasting time on Peter’s supporting cast and this issue definitely does that with Peter’s visit to the museum. It makes sense for him to brush up on his lizard knowledge, but he visits the dinosaur exhibit, which isn’t really the same thing, and later gets exposition from Martha so this feels like a waste. Sure, we get to see Spidey in action but I feel those panels could’ve been used to add to his later fights with the Lizard. And, yes, we see Eugene “Flash” Thompson and Liz Allen there and that ties into Peter’s ongoing social angst, but he also flirts with Jonah’s secretary, Betty Brant, so I do feel some reshuffling could’ve been done. The worst example, though, is the whole side plot with Jonah tagging along. He doesn’t factor into the story at all except as a bookend so it seems like a waste of time to have him go to Florida. It’s not like we cut away from the main story to see him searching for Peter, arguing with hotel staff, or trying to prove the Lizard is a hoax. He just belittles Peter, laughs at the idea of a man-lizard despite printing headlines about it, then disregards the photographic evidence and vows to make Peter reimburse him. I definitely think Jonah should’ve been taken out or reduced or had some significance to the plot if he was gonna be there. Perhaps he could’ve gotten involved in the Spidey/Lizard fight and the story would end with another outrageous headline claiming Spider-Man is in cahoots with the Lizard. As it is, it feels like unnecessary padding to add to the page count.

This is a shame at the best of times but particularly disappointing considering the unique tragic backstory of the Lizard. While we get a decent insight into this thanks to Martha, freeing up panels and page space could’ve gone into more detail about his accident, his drive to help similarly disabled people, and his loving relationship with his family. It also could’ve added to the Lizard’s fights with Spider-Man, which felt very rushed. I was hoping we’d see Spidey out of his element in the swamp and therefore at a disadvantage because of the trees, murky water, and aggressive wildlife and, while these elements are briefly touched upon, it’s nowhere near as in-depth as I’d expect. The fights aren’t given much time to breathe; the Lizard boasts of his superior strength and speed and demonstrates it, but it doesn’t have the impact I’d expect. It’s as though everything’s rushing along rather than having a more natural pace. I liked that Peter scientific acumen was put to the test but find it awfully convenient that he whipped up an antidote in a few hours. The reveal that the Lizard can command alligators was fun but underutilised; again, we could’ve had a few more panels of Spidey tangling with the ‘gators to add to the tension. The serum the Lizard steals disappears, never to be seen again; the Lizard’s said to be a ruthless and animalistic creature but he’s incredible articulate and calculating; and, while the idea that Spidey had to be careful not to harm Dr. Connors had legs, I never felt like there was a danger of that since Spidey couldn’t penetrate the Lizard’s hide and had a magic antidote to cure him. Everything’s very colourful, at least, and I liked seeing Spider-Man in a new environment. I also dug the tragedy of the Lizard and that Spidey took pity on him rather than bringing him to the authorities, especially as Dr. Connors didn’t really hurt anyone. However, I don’t think this is all it could’ve been and it felt very rushed and nonsensical at times. That might not be surprising given the rate Marvel were pumping out stories back then, but it is disappointing and hurt my enjoyment of this issue.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

What are your thoughts on the Lizard’s debut? Are you a fan of the character and, if so, what are some of your favourite Lizard stories? Did you also think the whole Jonah side plot was a waste of time? What did you think to the Lizard’s tragic backstory and his plot to conquer the world with lizards? Were you also disappointed with the pacing of the story? Which of the Lizard’s appearances outside of the comics is your favourite? Feel free to leave your thoughts on the Lizard below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other Spider-Man content.