"IN THE BLAZE OF BATTLE!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Buscema/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr
Synopsis: The Human Torch joins Spider-Man in the fight against the Lizard, but unlike Spidey, the youngest member of the FF has no qualms about hurting their reptilian opponent...
Review: In many ways, this issue is a rehash inside of a rehash. Continuing from last issue we have the same old Lizard story we've had three times now, and here we get a pretty typical conflict between two superheroes added to the mix, and whaddya know? The superhero that opposes Spidey in this is issue is none other than his old pal, the Human Torch. In other words, who it almost always is. I will admit that this issue isn't quite as weak as I remembered it, an in many ways it's an improvement over the last one.
We get no check-ins with the supporting cast, which is always a shame, but considering the few brief scenes we had with them in Issue #76 were so lacklustre, I don't really mind their absence here, as we would probably have got some similarly mediocre moments. The issue is pretty much entirely dedicated to the big fight between Spider-Man, the Torch and the Lizard, and it's not half bad. You've got some great action courtesy of Buscema and Mooney, and I like the added jeopardy of having the Torch involved; it really adds some extra tension to the fight by forcing Spider-Man to keep on top of two opponents, and is honestly one of the better examples of two superheroes being on opposing sides against a common foe, certainly of this era. The Lizard himself looks great, though I still wish that Buscema gave him some teeth; the poor guy looks like he's left them in his glass of water overnight.
It's also nice seeing Billy Connors (or 'Bobby', as he becomes halfway through the issue for some reason) rushing into the battle to try and save his dad from the Torch, though it is a tad contrived how he just conveniently stumbles onto the exact warehouse that Spider-Man takes the Lizard at the end; I know it's a comic book, but that's a leap of logic too vast even for me. Even more ridiculous is the way in which Spider-Man reverts the Lizard back to human form: by throwing some 'dehydrating powder' at him. This supposedly saps the moisture from the Lizard's body and weakens him, which I can just about buy, but asking me to believe that such a thing would revert Connors back to himself is a bit much.
By the final page, not a lot's happened, and the Connors family are once again thanking Spider-Man for helping them out; even Curt remarks that they seem to always be saying the same thing to the web-head (I wonder if this was Stan admitting that he'd run out of ideas for the Lizard by this point?). It's not a bad issue overall, and the fight itself is pretty fun, but much like part one, this is sorely lacking in innovation as a Lizard story, and features very little substance. It's fine enough for what it is, and I'm sure this two-parter handily filled the schedule for two months, but I'm glad we'll be getting back on track with the next issue.
Rating: 2.5/5
Next time, a new masked figure takes to the rooftops of New York, in the form of...the Prowler...
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