Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #76, Amazing Spider-Man #77
Published Date: Sep-Oct 69
Title: "The Lizard lives!" / "In the blaze of battle!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
John Buscema - Breakdowns ("Innovator")
Jim Mooney - Finishes ("Illustrator")
Jim Mooney - Inker

Review/plot:
Note that John Romita Jr. is gone altogether from the art credits for these two issues. In issue #77 he is listed as "consultant emeritus in residence". Buscema and Mooney's art is still fine.

Spider-Man tells Mrs. Connors and Billy that he will stop the Lizard without hurting him. After briefly trying to keep his personal life from collapsing (Aunt May, Harry Osborne, and Gwen Stacy are all wondering why he's never around, and Captain Stacy and Robbie Robertson want to ask Pete questions about Spidey), he heads off to find the Lizard.

Bound by the fact that he's promised to not let the Lizard get hurt, Spider-Man has a hard time in the fight, considering the Lizard is actually a lot more powerful than he is.

Just as he's about to get defeated, the Human Torch shows up.

Spider-Man thinks that the Torch will just fry the Lizard and be done with it, so he ends up fighting Johnny as much as the Lizard. I'm not sure why Spidey doesn't at least attempt to explain the situation to the Torch.

In the end Spidey has to trick the Torch away by telling him that his underwater spider-sonic hearing has picked up a Fantastic Four distress signal...

...and then he dries out the Lizard with dehydrating power (CaCl₂). This somehow turns the Lizard back into Doc Connors.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 2

Chronological Placement Considerations: Moved forward a bit to give the Human Torch time to get back from the Skrull world in FF #90-93. Spider-Man ends ASM $74 with Martha and Billy Connors, and he's still with them at the start of ASM #76, so no Spider-Man appearances should occur in between.

References:

• Spider-Man tricked the Lizard into a refrigerator train in Amazing Spider-Man #45.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: Marvel Tales #57, Marvel Tales #58