Written by Stan Lee – Art by Steve Ditko – Letters by Artie Simek

Another issue of Amazing Spider-Man, another classic Spider-Man villain.

We just read Journey into Mystery, where Thor fought the Lava Man, and Tales to Astonish, where Ant-Man encountered interdimensional aliens. Both stories felt like disposable adventures, threats that showed up for an issue and were unlikely to matter again.

Meanwhile, Amazing Spider-Man is already introducing its fifth major villain, and the Lizard’s design remains basically untouched decades later. Ditko’s character designs have an almost evergreen quality.

The book itself is settling into a familiar rhythm, too. Peter visits the Daily Bugle, giving us more J. Jonah Jameson and Betty Brant. We get some time at school with Flash Thompson and Liz Allan. All the pieces of Peter Parker’s world are becoming regular parts of the story rather than distractions from the superhero action.

A visit to the Museum of Natural History gives us a fun example. Spider-Man stops a couple of would-be artifact thieves and rescues Liz, who seems increasingly taken with the web-slinger. Flash’s biggest rival for her affection might not be Peter anymore.

Peter also needs to get to Florida to investigate reports of the Lizard, but he can’t afford the trip himself. So he comes up with a scheme to manipulate Jameson into paying for his flight. It’s another reminder that Spider-Man’s problems aren’t limited to supervillains. Peter is constantly looking for ways to pay the bills, and his job at the Bugle can be just as much a part of the adventure as his web-slinging.

His first encounter with the Lizard doesn’t go particularly well. That’s becoming another familiar part of the series: Spider-Man gets humbled, figures out what he’s dealing with, and has to find a smarter way to win.

Peter eventually discovers that the Lizard is Dr. Curt Connors, a scientist whose experiments have transformed him into a reptilian creature. Connors’s wife explains what happened, giving us another important piece of Spider-Man’s developing mythology: the tragic villain.

The Lizard isn’t simply a bad guy who needs to be beaten. He’s a man losing his humanity, and Spider-Man has to find a way to save him.

That’s a powerful addition to the book. Spider-Man’s responsibility doesn’t end with stopping someone who’s dangerous. If there’s a way to help that person, Peter has a reason to try.

As Connors becomes increasingly consumed by the Lizard, Peter uses the doctor’s research to develop an antidote. Once again, his scientific knowledge isn’t just an interesting detail about the character. It’s how he solves problems. Spider-Man can’t always overpower his enemies, so he has to think his way through them.

Ditko gets to have a lot of fun with the action. The Florida swamps and old forts provide a very different setting from Peter’s usual New York surroundings, and the fights are staged with the kind of strange, dynamic movement that makes Ditko’s Spider-Man so distinctive. The final confrontation is exciting, but the real victory comes when Peter manages to restore Connors to his human form.

For once, Peter gets a relatively happy ending.

Well, mostly.

Peter has photographs that could earn him money at the Bugle, but he pretends they’re fakes to protect Connors and his family.

Peter sacrifices a little financial security to do the right thing, and his reward is another angry lecture from his boss.

But that’s part of what makes this issue so effective. The Lizard gives Spider-Man a memorable new adversary, while Connors introduces the possibility that a villain can be someone worth saving. Peter’s science helps him solve the problem, his conscience determines what he does with the evidence, and his everyday life makes even a successful adventure complicated.

Six issues into Amazing Spider-Man, so much of what will define the character for decades is already here.

Lee and Ditko aren’t just creating enduring villains. They’re establishing a way of telling Spider-Man stories, where superhero adventures, personal problems, scientific ingenuity, humor, and moral responsibility all feed into one another.

Marvel is still figuring out what some of its heroes should be. With Spider-Man, it’s increasingly clear that Lee and Ditko have found something that can last.

Marvel in the 60s – Entry #90