Amazing Spider-Man #688
The Win Column
Now
Spider-Man is locked in battle with the Lizard, desperately trying to defeat him. The Lizard tells Spider-Man that they should have an understanding, Spider-Man stays on the surface and he stays in the sewers. It’s during this fight that Spider-Man thinks about their last encounter and how he was easily defeated and let the Lizard go even though he had enslaved a bunch of humans. That’s when the Lizard tells him that his followers eventually became useless to him and that he ate them. Landing on a pile of bones of his victims, Spider-Man is horrified by this grim discovery and lashes out at the Lizard, intending on taking him down once and for all.[1]
Eight Hours Earlier
Peter Parker is on the pier watching the arrival of the Zenith, Horizon Lab’s moble lab, return after Max Modell and his staff helped Spider-Man save the world from Doctor Octopus and the Sinister Six. Their return comes with some good news from Horizon’s lawyer, Hector Beaz. He informs Max that J. Jonah Jameson has reversed his decision to drive Horizon out of the city in light of their recent efforts and apologizes for the inconvenience.[2] However, they want Max to get rid of Morbius the Living Vampire who has been working secretly in one of the labs.[3] However, this is something that Max refuses to do.
That’s when a bunch of super-models show up to hand out invitations to Mary Jane Watson’s celebration at her brand new night club, MJs. Peter goes to the party which includes people he has known from high school to his colleagues at Horizon Labs. He finds the whole thing is weird. Mary Jane is disappointed that Peter isn’t happy about the party since she threw it in his honor after he saved the city during Spider-Island and the world from Doctor Octopus.[4] However, Peter doesn’t think he deserves a party because he blames himself for the death of Silver Sable.[5] Mary Jane understands how Peter feels because of everyone he has lost over the years.[6] Peter says that that’s why he has vowed that nobody dies while he is around.[7] Mary Jane points out that this is a stupid idea because it is an impossible expectation pointing out that even though he has super-powers, Peter is only human. Peter knows this, but for a while that was the only thing that was keeping him sane.
Now
As Spider-Man gives in to his rage the Lizard is pleased. However, Spider-Man reveals that he is not here to stop the Lizard. Pulling out a specially prepared knife, he tells the creature that he has come to end it and stabs the man-monster in the shoulder with the weapon.
Four Hours Ago
Peter’s conversation with Mary Jane is interrupted by the phone call from Carlie Cooper. She has called to ask Peter to suit up and come out to Greenwood Cemetery that requires Spider-Man’s attention. After ending the call, Mary Jane reveals that she and Carlie have been talking since they are both Peter’s ex-girlfriends who know his secret and they go to each other for support.[8] She tells Peter to go to it and keeps an eye out while he changes into his Spider-Man costume and takes off.
When Spider-Man arrives at the cemetery, he is horrified when Carlie shows him that someone stole Billy Connor’s body from his grave. Carlie gives Spider-Man a description of the person seen fleeing the scene and Peter recognizes it as the guy who works in the lab net door at Horizon Labs, Morbius the Living Vampire. Spider-Man storms to Horizon Labs and demands that Max Modell bring him to Morbius. Max warns Spider-Man that he doesn’t want an altercation like last time but when they enter Michael’s lab they see he is experimenting on Billy’s body.
Spider-Man loses his temper and is about to attack Morbius when he explains he needed to Billy’s corpse to extract his DNA to develop a cure for the Lizard. Morbius then asks Spider-Man what’s more important, the dignity of the dead or those who might be saved from the Lizard’s cure.
Now
The Lizard shrugs off Spider-Man’s attack, but the wall-crawler explains that he has come to cure Curt Connors once and for all and he hasn’t come alone. That’s when Morbius leaps out of the darkness with another curative dagger and stabs it into the Lizard’s back. Still the Lizard fights back….
Two Hours Ago
Morbius explains his cure is based on the same principals of the cure he and Reed Richards created during the Spider-Island crisis. The cure will target all of Connor’s mutated cells and revert him back to human form. This can be done through two hypodermic harpoons to deliver the cure through the Lizard’s thick hide.
However, Spider-Man isn’t entirely sold on the idea, pointing out that Curt Connor’s psyche is totally gone after the Lizard forced him to kill his own son. However, Morbius insists that his solution is based on science, believing that there are no such thing as monsters, just aberrations and afflictions that can be cured.
That’s when Max Modell speaks up. He has decided that the desecration of Billy Connors is the final straw and Michael is to leave Horizon Labs after this. Still, he thinks that if this cure could restore Curt Connors to normal they have to try. With that Spider-Man, Morbius, Max Modell, and a team of Horizon technicians went into the sewers.
Now
The Lizard once again assures his foes that Curt Connors is dead. Ignoring this, Spider-Man and Morbius position of the sonic agitators that Max and the others have set up. The devices work their magic, activating the cure in the harpoons, restoring Curt Connors to human form. However, as they all congratulate themselves, they are unaware that the Lizard’s mind is in full control of Connor’s body and it vows to make them all pay for this indignity.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Lizard, Morbius the Living Vampire, Max Modell, Sajani Jaffrey, Grady Scraps, Bella Fishbach, Uatu Jackson, Tiberius Stone, Hector Beaz, Mary Jane Watson, Carlie Cooper, Betty Brant, Flash Thompson, Randy Robertson, Glory Grant
Continuity Notes
Spider-Man’s previous battle with the Lizard happened in Amazing Spider-Man #630-633.
J. Jonah Jameson had an ax to grind against Horizon Labs when Doctor Octopus took over their space station while his son, John Jameson, was trapepd on board. See Amazing Spider-Man #680-681.
Morbius has been secretly working at Horizon to find a cure for himself since Amazing Spider-Man #649. His identity was publicly revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #679.1.
Spider-Island took place in Amazing Spider-Man #666-673 and Ends of the Earth happened in Amazing Spider-Man #682-687.
Silver Sable actually survived. How she managed to do so is revealed in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #33.
6. And here we have a greatest hits of people who died on Spider-Man’s watch. They are:
In the number one slot is, obviously, Uncle Ben. Amazing Fantasy #15.
George Stacy, who died pushing a child out of harm’s way during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in Amazing Spider-Man #90.
George’s daughter Gwen who was killed by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121.
Oksana Systevich, the wife of the Rhino, was murdered by his would be successor in Amazing Spider-Man #625.
Billy Connors was murdered by his own father in Amazing Spider-Man #631.
Lastly, Marla Madison the wife of J. Jonah Jameson, who was murdered by the Spider-Slayer in Amazing Spider-Man #654.
7. Peter vowed that “nobody dies” in Amazing Spider-Man #655.
8. Some facts about Peter Parker’s love life:
As revealed in Marvel Graphic Novel #46, Mary Jane has known that Peter is Spider-Man since the very beginning although she did not tell him until Amazing Spider-Man #257.
Peter and Mary Jane dated on-and-off for years starting in Amazing Spider-Man #42. They finally broke up for good circa Amazing Spider-Man #545 because she couldn’t handle his double life anymore. See Amazing Spider-Man #638-641 for details.
Peter started dating Carlie Cooper in Amazing Spider-Man #647. They recently broke up in Amazing Spider-Man #673 when Carlie deduced that Peter is Spider-Man.
Mary Jane and Carlie have been talking to each other about Peter’s double-life since Amazing Spider-Man #675.