Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club

LIZARD versus SPIDER-MAN

Face-to-Face With... The Lizard! (Marvel)
Where: Amazing Spider-Man #6 When: August 1963
Why: Stan Lee How: Steve Ditko

The Story So Far...
When a walking, talking lizardman emerges from the Florida everglades to threaten the local citizenry -- news quickly spreads to New York City and the pages of the Daily Bugle, which run with a headline challenging none other than Spider-Man to bring an end to the creature's terror!

Even Editor-in-Chief J Jonah Jameson doesn't really believe there's a seven foot half-man, half-lizard stalking the swamp, but when Spider-Man swings into his office to personally accept the challenge, he finally agrees to send ace photographer Peter Parker on the paper's dime -- setting up a showdown between arachnid and reptile!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Lizard 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Spider-Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Draw 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Lizard 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Spider-Man 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Lizard 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Spider-Man 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Spider-Man 29 (Metahuman)

Dr. Curt Connors is a brilliant geneticist and biologist, but the price of the formula that regenerates his missing arm using lizard DNA is his genius -- gone when he's transformed into a stalking human-reptile hybrid!

The Lizard is known to occasionally access the remnants of Connors' scientific knowledge and acumen, but he's typically a wild and volatile creature, utilizing animalistic agility, strength, jaws, and tail to pursue base desires and instincts.

Through the fog of his lizard-brain is often a desire for companionship, leading him to value the lives of his wife Martha and son Billy, and occasionally seek out means to transform other humans into similar lizard-people.

The Lizard has even been known to collaborate with others, participating in a gathering of the Sinister Twelve until he was dispatched by Iron Man!

Spider-Man is obviously the hero who shares the most history with Connors, earning the ire of the cold-blooded alter-ego for thwarting his many grand schemes.

We saw the rivalry adapted to animation for the third episode of the MTV Spider-Man series, but our most noteworthy comics example is a retroactive tale pitting The Lizard against the X-Men in one of their early adventures.

The Lizard effortlessly man-handled Beast and Angel in the Florida everglades, but was pacified by intense cold introduced by Ice Man. Spider-Man is similarly out-muscled, but also has the intelligence to find a tactical solution -- even if he might find it difficult to find anything cold enough to pull the same stunt!

Today we're looking back at Spider-Man's first encounter with The Lizard, and as we've seen in early battles against The Vulture and Mysterio -- that often means tasting defeat before devising a better strategy. How will it go? Let's find out!

History: Spider-Man (1-0-0)

The Tape: Spider-Man Ranking: Spider-Man (#2)

What Went Down...

A police blockade bars the public from entering the suspected "Lizard Area", but Spider-Man effortlessly descends upon the everglades, avoiding the attentions of local law enforcement by swinging overhead -- where he's spotted by The Lizard!

Stalking through long grass - Spider-Man begins to sense a lurking danger, but he fails to see the ripples in the nearby water -- until a scaly hand grabs his ankle!

The Lizard drags his challenger into the murky waters of the swamp.

It becomes a desperate struggle as Spider-Man is suddenly submerged, but he can clearly see his opponent through the water. Something that can't be said for The Lizard when a fistful of mud and silt is slung straight into his face!

The web-spinner turned mud-slinger crawls out of the pool to take a desperate gasp for breath -- but The Lizard emerges on the bank in equal time!

Lizard stakes a claim to his territory, marking Spider-Man doomed for entering his domain in the swampland. The reptile strikes!

Spidey narrowly avoids The Lizard's whipping tail -- surprised by his speed, and apparently authentic scales, as he jumps clear of the swinging appendage.

Looking to "knock some of the fight out of him", Spider-Man grabs hold of the end of the tail, but he has dramatically under estimated The Lizard's strength!

A mighty swing of The Lizard's tail turns the tables on Spider-Man -- launching him over a tree and across the everglades!

The branches break his fall, leaving Spider-Man to regroup after a dead rubber.

The Hammer...

I thought we might be in for the customary first-round setback for Spider-Man's inaugural battle with The Lizard, but it turns out he gets off a little lighter than that, merely thrown from the battlefield while Lizard disappears into the growth.

Fight fans might argue that Lizard initiated the separation, but it's still ultimately a moot result. The combatants go their separate ways with no real conclusions or advantage.

The stalemate will continue with a couple more run-ins throughout the issue, until a more substantial issue-ending face-off at The Lizard's lair.

We might take a look at more of their conflict another time -- but for now, let's just take a moment to appreciate the classics. I know I am!

Opinions on the definitive Lizard may vary, but I think this is very close to it. I'm partial to a less round head, more in keeping with common lizard varieties and a hint of crocodile jaw, but most of the iconic trademarks are here from the outset.

The influence of Universal Monsters, particularly The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and other science fiction of the era, is very evident, but it's always wonderful the way classic Marvel Comics artists and Stan Lee create something self-sustaining and original, either in conception of the character, the details of their life, or through the mere relationship to the hero Spider-Man.

Steve Ditko's best panels efficiently tell the action-packed story, showing the Lizard's menace as he lurks in the periphery, the shadows, or the unassuming waters. I particularly enjoy the first panel featured in today's article, with the Lizard merely observing intruders in his environment, and the underwater sequence -- the crocodilian Lizard in his element, ala; the "Gill-Man".

If you can't get on board with a seven foot half-man/half-lizard wearing a lab coat -- I really don't know how to help you. I worry for your soul, your heart, your mind -- the very core of your being. What's not to like? It's a freaking lizardman in pants and pristine white lab coat! That you don't see that every day is its glory!

I write this knowing Spider-Man 2 has just hit PlayStation 5, bringing The Lizard into the world of the rather tedious video game series, with a variation inspired by the even larger, more exaggerated mutation of 2010's Shed storyline.

Drawn by Chris Bachalo and written by Zeb Wells, it was actually a story I rather enjoyed at the time. Part of a back-to-basics run of Amazing Spider-Man that put a fresh twist on classic villains returning to the series as part of The Gauntlet.

In the case of The Lizard, Curt Connors is devoured by his alter-ego, who takes on a more spiny, animal quality as his humanity drifts into the background behind something else. I struggle to consider it a good introduction to the character, as the video game may ultimately be for some, but it's another story I'd like to revisit sometime on the site. The Gauntlet is really a very good time!

If you'd like to see that and more future updates - consider supporting the site on Patreon. Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has served superhero smackdown and comic book enthusiasm to millions of viewers, with more than 700 featured fights and well over 1,000 iconic comic book characters ranked!

Dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of every battle recorded, in order of publisher, series, and issue number. Or follow links throughout this and every other post to discover more from your favourite characters & topics!

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter, Patreon & Discord!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#2 (--) Spider-Man
#1072 (+3) Lizard