Since the epic ‘Ends of the Earth’ storyline ended in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #687 and the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ movie is just around the corner, it should come as no surprise that the movie’s villain, the Lizard, makes an appearance in the comic series just in time for the films release.
After Silver Sables death in ‘Ends of the Earth’, Spider-Man is struggling with his “while I’m around, no one dies” stance. In this issue, he talks to Mary Jane about it and she flat out tells him that it’s impossible… you can’t save everyone. But Peter, being who he is, still believes that he can save as many people as possible. First up on his list… Dr. Curt Connors aka the Lizard.
When we last saw the Lizard, he had disappeared into the sewers after being (sort of) defeated by Spider-Man in the finale of ‘Shed’ back in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #633. Now Spider-Man has decided to put an end to the Lizard’s reign of terror once and for all. To that end, Spidey has gotten his hands on a serum created by Morbius the Living Vampire, who is still working with Peter at Horizon Labs. The serum, created from the DNA of the Connors family, is intended to reverse the reptilian process in the Lizard and turn him back into Dr. Connors… whether the Lizard wants it or not.
This issue jumps back in forth through time between Spidey’s sewer battle with the Lizard, his doubts about letting Sable die, and the creation of the anti-Lizard serum. It’s a nice way to tell the story since, were it told chronologically, the action would all be in the final few pages of the book. This way, it’s spread throughout and keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.
Honestly, I keep expecting Dan Slott to fail. I mean, the guy’s been writing ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ off and on since #546 and non-stop since #678 and he has yet to deliver a bad Spidey story. In fact, it seems like he’s actually getting better! If I didn’t know better, I’d think that Slott had been bitten by a radioactive storyteller or something. It’s just stellar what he continues to come up with for Spider-Man!
Aside from being a great story, this issue is also a wonderful jumping on point for new readers. It doesn’t require that you know too much about the past to understand what’s going on, plus it uses the ‘Spider-Man’ movie villain. So, if you’ve been on the fence as to whether to get into Spider-Man comics, this issue is the perfect time to jump on board. There’s so much coming up with Spider-Man too. In issue #692, Spider-Man is going to get his first sidekick, the kid Alpha. Then, it’s all secretive, but Marvel and Dan Slott has something big planned for Spidey’s 50th anniversary in issue #700 later this year.
It’s definitely a great year to be a Spider-Man fan!
Verdict: Buy
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #688
Story by Dan Slott
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Klaus Janson
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Klaus Janson, Frank D’Armata, J. Scott Campbell, and Edgar Delgado
