Spider-man Meets… The Iguana?!

Tags

Bill Mantlo, Curt Connors, Frank Springer, iguana, Jim Mooney, lizard, Lizard Men, Night of the Iguana, Spider-man

We couldn’t help but snag this one from the back issue bin. With the title on the cover “The Rage of the Reptile,” it seemed right up our alley. Here, Spider-man meets up with his pal Dr. Curt Connors, better (or worse?) known as The Lizard. Something’s not right about Dr. Connors and a little iguana he’s got in his lab. Well, guess what? The cute little vegetarian reptile turns into a hideous villain ready to kick Spidey’s butt! Not the greatest Spidey issue ever produced, but you can’t argue with this splash panel at the end. They even used Spider-man’s often-forgotten Spidey spotlight in his utility belt!

Collector’s Guide: From Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #32; Marvel Comics, July 1979. Script by Bill Mantlo, art by Jim Mooney and Frank Springer.

The Lizard Has Only One Desire that Will Never Die!

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Amazing Spider-man, Jim Mooney, John Buscema, lizard, Marvel Tales, Spider-man, Stan Lee

Being a super-villain must be awesome. You never have an existential crisis. Every day when you wake up, you know exactly what you want most in life. One purpose. One plan. One desire that will never die.

Collector’s Guide: Reprints Amazing Spider-man #76. From Marvel Tales #57.

This Weapon Will Reanimate These Noble Skeletons!

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Amazing Spider-man, Amazing Spider-man 165, dinosaur, Essential Amazing Spider-man, lizard, Spider-man, Stegron, Stegron Stalks the City

The Lizard, Stegron, and dinosaur skeletons come to life. It’s so much awesomeness that you barely need Spider-man to show up! Len Wein picks up Stegron’s story from Marvel Team-Up #20. Dr. Curt Connors co-starred in that saga, even though he never went full Lizard. Well, here’s his chance!

The Lizard and Stegron would co-star again in Sensational Spider-man #23-27.

Collector’s Guide: From Amazing Spider-man #165; Marvel, 1977. Story concludes in Amazing Spider-man #166. Reprinted in Essential Amazing Spider-man TPB #8.

The Lizard Sheds: Monkey Brain is Lizard Home Now!

Tags

Chris Bachalo, Curt Connors, Gauntlet, lizard, Shed, Spider-man, Zeb Wells

Zeb Wells and artist Chris Bachalo make The Lizard badder than ever in a four-part story called Shed, part of 2010’s Gauntlet storyline. The Lizard at last commits the unspeakable crime Spider-man has tried to prevent since 1963. In doing so, he triggers a transformation to the next level of evil and looking awesome. Check out this creepy scene where Spidey meets the new and morally unimproved Lizard!

Collector’s Guide: From The Amazing Spider-man #632; Marvel, 2010. Reprinted in Amazing Spider-man The Gauntlet TPB #5 and The Gauntlet Hardcover #5.

Spidey Smashes Out!

Tags

Amazing Spider-man, John Romita, lizard, Marvel Tales, Spider-man, Spidey Smashes Out, Stan Lee

Stan Lee and John Romita spun one of our favorite Lizard stories in this two-part epic from 1967. The Lizard totally freaks out (as usual) and knocks Spider-man off the side of a building. Spidey in a splint?! Oh no! But getting a little banged-up doesn’t keep Spidey from a spectacular showdown with The Lizard at a railway station. Guess what’s on the train? Thousands of hideous reptiles! YES!

Collector’s Guide: From Marvel Tales #185. Reprints Amazing Spider-man #45. Reprinted in black and white in Essential Spider-Man Vol. 3

Where Crawls the Lizard!

Tags

Amazing Spider-man, John Romita, lizard, Marvel Tales, Spider-man, Stan Lee

Stan Lee and John Romita spun one of our favorite Lizard stories in this two-part epic from 1967. The Lizard totally freaks out (as usual) and knocks Spider-man off the side of a building. Spidey in a splint?! Oh no! But getting a little banged-up doesn’t stop Spidey from a spectacular showdown with The Lizard at a railway station. Guess what’s on the train? Thousands of hideous reptiles! YES!

Collector’s Guide: From Marvel Tales #184. Reprints Amazing Spider-man #44. Reprinted in black-and-white in Essential Spider-Man Vol. 3

The Lizard’s Tale – Part 2!

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Curt Connors, Daimon Scott, lizard, Paul Jenkins, Spectacular Spider-man, Spider-man

Paul Jenkins took a more psychological approach to Spider-man and his villians when he wrote The Spectacular Spider-man. In “The Lizard’s Tale,” Jenkin hypothesizes that maybe Dr. Curt Connors doesn’t really lose control. Maybe he just uses his Lizard persona to act out all his violent fantasies – his dark side. Kind of like people who drink too much and use it as an excuse to be dumb jerks.

Collector’s Guide: From The Spectacular Spider-man #12-13. Reprinted in Spectacular Spider-man TPB #3, 2004. Story by Paul Jenkins, Pencils by Daimon Scott.

The Lizard’s Tale – Part 1!

Tags

Curt Connors, Daimon Scott, lizard, Paul Jenkins, Spectacular Spider-man, Spider-man

Paul Jenkins took a more psychological approach to Spider-man and his villians when he wrote The Spectacular Spider-man. In “The Lizard’s Tale,” Jenkin hypothesizes that maybe Dr. Curt Connors doesn’t really lose control. Maybe he just uses his Lizard persona to act out all his violent fantasies.

Collector’s Guide: From The Spectacular Spider-man #12-13. Reprinted in Spectacular Spider-man TPB #3, 2004. Story by Paul Jenkins, Pencils by Daimon Scott.

Todd McFarlane’s Torment of the Lizard!

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lizard, Spider-man, Todd McFarlane, Torment

When Todd McFarlane launched his own Spider-man series, he started off with a bang! Have a look at the monumental battle between the arach-knight and his reptilian nemesis The Lizard — complete with a double-splash and everything!

Collector’s Guide: From Spider-man #2-3; Marvel, 1990. Reprinted in Spider-man Torment Hardcover, 2009. Reprinted in Spider-man: Torment TPB Edition 1 and Torment TPB Edition 2.

Spider-man’s First Battle against the Lizard!

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Amazing Spider-man, Curt Connors, Face to Face With the Lizard, lizard, Marvel Tales, Spider-man, Spider-man Classics, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

Mutating Reptiles taking over the world? YES! Too bad Spider-man shows up to give Dr. Curt “The Lizard” Connors his medicine and make him all normal again. Shucks! Didn’t you ever just want The Lizard to win for once?

Enjoy the scene in our gallery below. It’s the very first showdown between Spider-man and The Lizard!

Collector’s Guide: From Spider-man Classics #7. Reprints Amazing Spider-man #6. Reprinted in Marvel Tales #143. Reprinted in Marvel Masterworks Amazing Spider-man #1.

Spider-man and Black Panther against Dinosaurs!

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Black Panther, dinosaur, Gil Kane, lizard, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Treasury, marvel treasury edition, Roy Thomas, Spider-man

Spider-man jumps without a parachute into the Savage Land, where he and Ka-zar take on the evil Stegron and a herd of stampeding dinos! Later, the dinosaurs fly to New York to bring chaos to the streets. And who should drop in but the Black Panther?! With art by Gil Kane and a guest appearance by Dr. Curtis “The Lizard” Connors, this two-part dino extrvaganza has been one of our very favorites for as long as we can remember! Did you miss Part One of the story?

Collector’s Guide:
– From Marvel Treasury #22: The Sensational Spider-man
– Reprints Marvel Team-Up #20
– Reprinted in Essential Marvel Team-Up #1

Spider-man and Ka-zar Team Up Against Dinosaurs!

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dinosaur, Gil Kane, Ka-zar, Len Wein, lizard, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Treasury, marvel treasury edition, Savage Land, Spider-man, Stegron, Zabu

Spider-man jumps without a parachute into the Savage Land, where he and Ka-zar take on the evil Stegron and a herd of stampeding dinos! Later, the dinosaurs fly to New York to bring chaos to the streets. And who should drop in but the Black Panther?! With art by Gil Kane and a guest appearance by Dr. Curtis “The Lizard” Connors, this two-part dino extrvaganza has been one of our very favorites for as long as we can remember! Do you want Part Two of the story?

Collector’s Guide:
– From Marvel Treasury #22
– Reprints Marvel Team-Up #19
– Reprinted in Essential Marvel Team-Up #1

Half Man, Half Rat. The Lowest Of The Low!

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Clayton Crain, dinosaur, lizard, Spider-man, Stegron, Vermin

You gotta love artist Clayton Crain’s brief stint on Sensational Spider-Man. Especially since they gave him to draw — all in one issue — Vermin, The Lizard, and Stegron with an army of evil reptiles! Dig that double-splash panel of the future dinosaur takeover!

Collector’s Guide: From Sensational Spider-Man #26; Marvel, 2006. The entire “Feral” storyline happens in issues #23-27!

It Transformed Him into a Human-Like Lizard!

Tags

Exiles, Jim Calafiore, lizard, Lizard Men, Spider-man

Few things bring us as much joy as scientists mutating into reptiles and taking over the planet. Didn’t you ever just want The Lizard to win for once? Well, this is your lucky day. Let’s rock a scene from Exiles that re-imagines The Lizard’s origin — only without Spider-man to stop his evil plans!

We once thought Todd McFarlane had the last word on drawing The Lizard. But Jim Calafiore knocks it out of the park on this one. Come to think of it, the versions by Clayton Crain and Chris Bachalo also rule!

Collector’s Guide: From Exiles #17; Marvel, 2002. Reprinted in Exiles TPB Marvel Ultimate Collection #1; 2009. Reprinted in Exiles TPB #3.