"FACE TO FACE WITH...THE LIZARD!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Art Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: Peter Parker travels to the Florida Everglades to track down a rampaging monster known as the Lizard...
Review: ASM #6 will always hold a bit of a special place in my heart, as it was the first Spider-Man comic I ever read (after Amazing Fantasy #15). The year was 2012, and the first Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movie was about to be released in cinemas; I would have been 13 years old, and my obsession with the wondrous world of Spider-Man was only just beginning. To tie into the release of the film, a trade paperback - Spider-Man: Secret Origins - was released, containing issues that apparently informed the direction that the new film was going to take, and seeing as the Lizard was making his first big screen appearance, it was only natural that his first story from the comics be included, and the experience of reading it was nothing short of dazzling; really, I have this very issue to thank for making me the Spidey fan I am today. It's not quite a top tier story, but I have a great deal of affection for it nevertheless.
The real highlights of this issue for me are not the action scenes, which, much like the previous issue, don't quite pack the usual Ditko punch. The best moments in this issue come from the characters, as is so often the case with Spider-Man. I love seeing the relationship between Peter and Betty grow closer, I absolutely adore seeing Spidey suspend Jameson by a web from his office ceiling, and I get a huge kick out of seeing Peter and Jameson travelling to Florida together to cover the Lizard story; it offers some fantastic displays of Jameson pettiness, like complaining about how Peter owes him the money for a plane ticket and half the hotel bill. You've also got to laugh at Liz's sudden infatuation with Spider-Man, prompting Peter to think to himself: "Only a guy with my nutty luck could end up being his own competition!" We're starting to see Lee and Ditko become really confident telling stories with these characters, and it's a delight to read.
Of obvious interest too is the Lizard, who, like practically every Ditko creation (save for the Molten Man), remains one of my favourite villains, and he provides a nice change from the more typically evil characters Spidey's been pitted against so far. Yes, he does plan to take over the world with an army of reptiles - for reasons that are never made abundantly clear - but deep down, he's more of a victim than the web-head's other foes, a well-meaning and good-hearted scientist transformed into a monster after an experiment goes awry. This means that Spider-Man has to take care when fighting him - which would explain why the fight scenes themselves aren't too spectacular - and develop an antidote to cure Curtis Connors rather than shipping him off to the local police. As for the Lizard's design, this is one occasion where I think other artists improved upon Ditko's original; here the Lizard looks more like a man with reptilian skin, and I generally prefer him with a lizard's snout complete with sharp teeth for a more monstrous look, but I still love Ditko's rendition all the same, and you can never go wrong with the iconic white lab coat and purple trousers ensemble.
I guess the main thing I want to see in this issue is more. More action between Spider-Man and the Lizard, more attacks from the Lizard's reptile army, more of Peter and Jameson's holiday double act. It's a really fun issue, and as stated, one that I have a lot of fondness for, but it's just missing that extra something that would make it truly special. With that said, I love the Lizard, I love the change of scenery that the Everglades provides - especially that Spanish fort where the final battle is waged - and I love those wonderful little character moments that are becoming more and more common as the issues progress.
Rating: 4/5
Next time, we get our first returning villain, as the Vulture takes to the skies once more, this time in a full-length story!
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