Spider-Man vs. The Lizard

Background

This is another "I Can Read!" (Level 2) book from Harper Collins. These are the 32-page format, 6" x 9" with soft card cover (though a Library Binding is also available). This is one of a pair released very late in 2009 (the copyright date is 2010). The other in the pair is Spider-Man vs. The Green Goblin.

Story Details

The format is well established by now. A couple of intro pages give brief summaries of the key characters for those who don't know them already. Then an illustrated story with two or three sentences per page tells a simple tale featuring a classic Spider-Man villain. This time around it's The Lizard.

Story: Spider-Man and Jonah Jameson are in Florida investigating the story of the Lizard Man. Jonah sends the young teenager to wander the uncharted swamp alone, an act which with a decent lawyer would see Aunt May comfortable to the end of her days. Peter hears a roar and changes to Spider-Man, soon encountering The Lizard who is wearing a lab coat.

To save time, The Lizard explains everything. He used to be Dr. Curtis Connors until he drank a potion. Now he is gathering a reptile army to conquer the world. Spider-Man fights some alligators, then sees a house which turns out to be Connors' house. He goes there and creates the antidote. The Lizard arrives, is force-fed the antidote and reverts to being Connors. Connors is illustrated as having only one arm, but this topic is not further expounded.

General Comments

Well, you can't really get a simpler telling of Amazing Spider-Man #6 than that. OK, maybe you can, but we're already cutting into bone here folks, let's put the knife down already, hey?

Overall Rating

This is just plain clinical. It's a professionally done job, and I can't fault it. But oh, the pain of seeing the beloved classics reduced to such basic elements. I grant it three purely objective webs.