"WHERE CRAWLS THE LIZARD!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: John Romita Sr./Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: Curt Connors transforms into the Lizard once again, and begins to wreak havoc in New York...
Review: The return of the Lizard was a long time coming. Until this issue hit the stands, he was the only major Spidey villain to have only appeared once, and so a rematch was definitely in order. What we get is more or less a rehash of the original Lizard story from ASM #6, only this time it's spread over two issues and the location is shifted to New York. In many ways, this is an improvement on the original, as Spider-Man will always feel more at home in the Big Apple than in the Florida Everglades; this just feels a bit more like a typical Spider-Man story than the Lizard's first appearance (although you could equally argue that Issue #6's different setting was a nice change of pace). I also much prefer the Lizard in an urban environment; it's great seeing him prowling around in the sewers and tunnels underneath the city. Like Spider-Man, the Lizard feels far more suited to New York than the swamps and bogs that we first saw him in.
In addition, I feel that this story better captures the tragedy of the character; we actually get to see how Curt Connors' transformation into his reptilian alter ego affects him and his family a lot more clearly than we did in Issue #6; the scene in the train station where he runs away from his family to spare them the horror of seeing him turn into the Lizard is genuinely rather heart-rending, and the way we see the Doc's slow mental degradation from kind-hearted scientist to merciless killer is chilling. We don't get much in the way of Spider-Man vs Lizard action until the very end, but it's a fun fight nevertheless, and Romita gets to add another classic Spidey villain to his arsenal; he really did define the looks for these characters during this period - the dramatic and triumphant pose that the Lizard strikes at the end of page 4 is fantastic.
This issue also features some great examples of Lee and Romita era cosiness: those scenes that just feature Peter and the gang hanging out and shooting the breeze. Here, we have a nice bit of repartee between Peter, Gwen, Harry and Flash in the Silver Spoon, before Mary Jane bursts in and sets the whole scene alight. She's just as much fun as ever, and poor old Gwen is left feeling forgotten as Peter quickly ditches their study session to go out with MJ. More and more the book is becoming like a teen soap opera, but I don't mind as long as the character interaction is this entertaining. MJ's pleasure at having, "three living, breathing males to only one gal" is hilarious, and Gwen huffily telling Flash to "stop breathing on me" at the end of the scene is a great capper. I also really love the little exchange between Peter and Betty at the Bugle, where he thinks to himself that he couldn't be happier for her that she and Ned are engaged. It's a wonderful moment for the two after all the turmoil their relationship went through; the fact that they can emerge the other side with a positive, healthy friendship is lovely.
The only real criticism that I can level at ASM #44 (and by extension, #45) is that it really is just a rehash of the earlier Lizard story, but padded out to two issues. This doesn't bother me all that much, however, as there's plenty to keep you entertained here, what with all the great scenes with Peter and his supporting cast, plus a much improved location when compared with the previous Lizard story. You've got to love the ending as well, with Spidey suffering a sprained arm during a fight with the Lizard, leaving him unable to leave the house in his civilian identity for fear his secret will be discovered. Overall, I'm tempted to say that it's actually a better version of the same story, but I'll have to reserve that judgment until I re-read the next issue.
Rating: 4/5
Next time, Spider-Man fights the Lizard one-handed, as the reptilian menace takes his master plan to the next stage...
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