In the pages of ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #688, Spider-Man, Morbius the Living Vampire, and some of the gang from Horizon Labs set out on a mission to track down the Lizard. The plan was to revert the Lizard back to his human form using a serum that Morbius had created. As the issue closed, the Lizard was back to his one-armed human form… but, unbeknownst to the Horizon crew, his mind was still that of the Lizard!

Now that the human Lizard has been brought back to Horizon Labs, what we’re treated to this issue is one heck of a tense story. The Horizon team are bustling around checking all of the Lizard’s vital signs and discussing the options for using a similar serum on Morbius to cure him of his vampirism. While all of this is happening, the Lizard, not wanting anyone to know that he’s not Curt Connors, is trying his best to blend in with the “hairless apes” as he plots to turn himself back into this reptilian form. He’s constantly having to hold himself back from wanting to chew the faces off of people. While this is pretty much normal behavior for the Lizard, it’s made uber-creepy when it’s done using Dr. Connor’s face.

In an attempt to get everyone out of the lab while he searches for the serum that will turn him back into the Lizard, human-Lizard fakes a nervous breakdown over the body of Connors’ son Billy (Morbius dug up Billy’s body to create the anti-Lizard serum). Everyone decides to give Connors some time alone to grieve… and the Lizard a chance to try and regain his other form. When he realizes that his ploy won’t buy him enough time to put together his serum, the Lizard comes up with an idea that plots Spider-Man and Horizon against Morbius!

While all of this is going on there’s an aside with Madame Web who has a premonition and says that the “dark days” are coming. I’m not sure if this is in reference to what the Lizard is doing or if it’s a hint of what’s to come with the landmark ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #700 that’s coming later this year but I’m betting on the latter.

Like ‘Ends of the Earth’ and ‘Spider-Island’, Dan Slott has delivered yet another awesome tale that takes classic characters and uses them in new ways. Considering that many of these characters have been around for many decades, the fact that Slott can come up with original ideas like this is a testament to why he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite ‘Spider-Man’ scribes of all time.

Verdict: Buy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #689
Story by Dan Slott
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Klaus Janson
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Klaus Janson, Frank D’Armata, J. Scott Campbell