On the other side of town, Martha Connors is awakened by the sound of a window
being forced open. The Lizard is crashing Curt's lab; the place "where Connors
keeps all his serums and chemicals" according to Liz. Stan adds a footnote
here, saying "We told you last ish that the Lizard is unaware that he actually
is Dr. Curt Connors, remember?" But is this true? Did Stan tell us that? And is
the Lizard unaware that he is Connors? Well, I suppose he did tell us that on
page 15 panels 2-3 of last issue when Spidey says, "You're not the Lizard!
You're a scientist! Your name is Curtis Connors! Hear? Connors! Doesn't that
name mean anything to you? Can't you remember your wife, your son?" and Lizzie
replies, "You fool! You think you can save yourself by making up fairy
tales?!!" But in Amazing Spider-Man #6, November 1963 he writes a
letter as the Lizard telling Martha to "take Billy, leave, never come back."
Maybe his memory of Connors decreases the longer he is the Lizard.
Getting
out of bed, Martha watches through the window of the connecting door as the
Lizard rummages about. As she perches protectively over the sleeping Billy, she
can see the Lizard's silhouette, making her realize that Curt has indeed
transformed again. She is certain that he wouldn't harm her or Billy but she
stays put and doesn't confront him. In the lab, the Lizard goes through Curt's
notebooks, looking for the formula that created him. He wants to "drop it into
swamp waters everywhere" so that he'll "have a lizard army, mighty enough to
conquer all of mankind." But he soon discovers that he doesn't understand the
symbols, equations, or "any of this stupid scientific gibberish" in the books.
Enraged, he throws the books onto the lab table, shattering the beakers and
vials sitting there. He decides he doesn't need to understand the formula. He
only has to find Curt Connors and force him to give up the formula. He leaves
the lab climbing down the wall, head first, in an unconscious search for
himself. The sound of breaking glass wakes Billy up. Not being Nick Lowe (ah,
there's an old obscure reference for you), he is upset by the sound. Martha
runs over to hug and reassure him. She does this by lying, of course, telling
him that "the wind blew some of your father's beakers over" and that she has
since closed the window. As Martha wonders what to do next, Billy says, "Mom,
did you ever feel scared without knowing why?" (Of course, Billy should know
why and Martha shouldn't have to worry about shielding him since he knew that
Curt is the Lizard back in ASM #6, when he told Spidey, "D-don't hurt him
Spider-Man! He's still... my father! Sob." But Billy seems afflicted by the
same amnesia as his father.)
In Manhattan, Spidey is searching from rooftops and in sewers for the Lizard.
His last try is the Central Park Zoo. He doesn't find him there either but at
the House of Reptiles he finds a poster that reads, "Last Day! Exhibit World's
Largest Collection of Reptiles! Will next be seen at Exhibition Hall in
Philadelphia! Write to Reptile Research Foundation for free exhibit schedule."
This convinces Spidey that Liz will be on that train to Philly since the
exhibit will have thousands of reptiles for him to command. At the train yards,
Spidey's spider-sense tingles and leads him right to the Lizard who is sunning
himself (or something) on top of a railroad car. Though the Lizard turns and
sees him, Spidey is still fast enough to leap in and knock him off the car.
Using his one good arm, Spidey punches away at the now grounded Lizard but the
reptile's skin is too tough and he brushes off the attack, knocking Spidey away
with a swipe of his tail. Liz wrenches a piece of rail off its moorings and
steps in to brain the web-slinger with it, but Spidey uses his speed to slip
under and whap Lizzie in the solar plexus. The Lizard drops the rail but that's
about all. Spidey ruefully thinks, "I can't stop myself from pulling my
punches knowing he's really Curt Connors!" The Lizard, as Stan puts it, "has no
such scruples." He brains Spidey with a two-handed punch. (From his "pounding
reptile fists." You don't get to see that phrase every day.) Spidey's
head is spinning as the Lizard picks him up and throws him at a train car, hard
enough to smash the door to splinters. Even though the wall-crawler still lives
(and is ripe for the picking as he crouches on one knee, trying to gets his
wits together), the Lizard decides there is "no need to waste any more of my
strength on you." Instead, he starts smashing open other train car doors
releasing snakes from one car and crocodiles from another. (So, apparently
these reptiles are not in cages or boxes or anything. They are free to roam
through the train cars. I'd sure hate to be the guy who has to open those cars
when they arrive in Philadelphia.) The Lizard orders the reptiles to "destroy
Spider-Man" and Spidey is shocked to see that "the reptiles actually obey him!"
He stands and girds himself for battle. He webs shut the mouth of the nearest
croc but knows "there's not enough web fluid in the world to stop them all!"
The Lizard orders the reptiles to attack faster. "Overwhelm him by sheer force
of numbers!" he cries, "Spider-Man must die!"
Tomado de http://www.spiderfan.org
TÍTULO: Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #45
FECHA: 10 de Febrero de 1967
ESCRITOR: Stan Lee
DIBUJO: John Romita Sr.
TINTAS: John Romita Sr.
COLOR: Andy Yanchus
PORTADA: John Romita Sr.
EDITORIAL: Marvel Comics
PÁGINAS: 21
FORMATO: .cbr
