Amazing Spider-Man #75. Death of Silvermane

(Cover from August 1969. )

"Death Without Warning!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Romita and Jim Mooney
Inks by Jim Mooney
Lettering by Artie Simek

Spidey's on the hunt for Curt Connors, so he leans on a couple of crooks and they tell him where to find the Maggia's HQ. In that HQ, Marko's having a hard time getting his head round Silvermane's sudden rejuvenation routine.

That time gets even harder when Maggia lawyer Caesar Cicero walks in and, determined to get rid of Silvermane, tells him it must all be a trick, that this man must be an impostor. An impostor, thinks Marko, yeah, that must be it and Marko and Silvermane quickly come to blows.

But it's no contest. In his current state of vigour, the Maggia boss is too much for even Marko and gazing into his eyes makes the Man-Mountain realise this is indeed the man he's been working for all this time.

And now they have company because Spider-Man smashes in through the window. He sorts out Marko in double-quick time - it's easy when you're not distracted by having to worry about the Shocker's girlfriend's safety - but, in even the few moments it took for him to do that, Silvermane's changed again. He's grown even younger still. Now he looks remarkably like Peter Parker, although Spidey never seems to notice the resemblance. It's worth mentioning here that it looks like John Romita's back to doing the strip's full pencilling, with Mooney just doing the inks. Silvermane, meanwhile, is so confident in his new-found regeneration that he's ready to take our hero on, hand-to-hand.

Curt Connors takes advantage of all this to make his escape. He has to find his wife and son.

But, maybe they'd be better off if he didn't find them - because it finally happens, the thing he's been trying to hold off for the last three issues. Suddenly, he's got two hands - and they're both covered in scales. The Lizard is back.

Spidey and Silvermane are scrapping. In truth, it's not that much of a scrap, with Silvermane only managing to land one blow on Spider-Man, a knee to the head, which doesn't hurt the human arachnid in any way, shape or form. The villain, meanwhile, is getting younger by the second.

Cicero returns, with reinforcements. While Spidey's busy dealing with them, Cicero's out to deal with Silvermane. If he kills him, he can claim the Maggia crown for himself. But, when he sees the young boy that Silvermane has now become, the Lilliputian lawyer runs off in horror.

He's not the only one horrified, because it's finally dawned on Silvermane what'll happen if he carries on regressing.

Spider-Man finishes off the minor hoods but then sees a small boy run past in Silvermane's clothing. And then, before his eyes, in a striking set of panels that once seen are never forgotten, the crime-lord dies, regressing to a baby and then into nothingness.

On his way out, Spider-Man runs into a pair of familiar faces. It's Curt's wife and son. But where's Curt?

Well, we all know where "Curt" is. He's in what appears to be a warehouse and he's boarding himself in to try and prevent himself from hurting anyone.

But it's no use, as the story ends, the last vestiges of his human intellect vanish and Curt Connors is no more.

Now there's just The Lizard.

Amazing Spider-Man # 74. Silvermane

(July 1969. America lands a man on the moon, and Spider-Man lands a man on his backside.)

"If This Be Bedlam!"

Written by Stan Lee
Layouts by John Romita
Pencils by Jim Mooney
Inks by Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

There are two men in the Marvel universe who it's not wise to get angry. Actually, there are plenty. The Marvel universe is full of angry young men. No one would ever have a fight if there weren't and then where would we all be? But there are two men who it's notoriously unwise to anger. One's Bruce Banner. And the other?

That's Curt Connors, one-armed bio-chemist and occasional megalomaniac super-reptile. Therefore it's probably not a good idea for Man-Mountain Marko to be threatening him at the start of this issue. Of course, the Maggia's muscle doesn't know about Connors' somewhat unusual nature and it's only the intervention of Silvermane that halts the confrontation. At Silvermane's insistence, Connors is taken to a lab where he's to work with Wilson on deciphering the tablet.

And if he doesn't?

Then his wife and kid get it.

And what of our hero?

He's still on the trail of the tablet. He learns from The Bugle that Caesar Cicero's bailed Wilson. Bearing in mind Wilson's previous links with the tablet and the fact that both Cicero and Marko work for the Maggia, this is all too big a coincidence. So, Spidey decides to drop in on Cicero. Wouldn't you know it? Just as he's threatening the man, a secret panel opens and gang of hoods emerge, aiming to fill Spidey with more holes than Blackburn, Lancashire. Of course, they fail miserably, but they divert Spidey long enough for Cicero to make his getaway.

And he's not alone. He's got Connors' wife and son tied up in the back of his car.

Back at the lab, Connors has cracked it. Silvermane was right. The symbols on the tablet are a chemical formula and not a language. That's why no one's ever been able to translate it before.

Silvermane's not interested in exposition. He wants that formula and he wants it now. He's an old man, on his last legs, and patience is a guest that only the young can afford to entertain. Given no choice, Connors whips up the potion in question and hands it to Silvermane. Connors warns him that it's not been tested. Silvermane doesn't care. Caring is for wimps. Marko warns him not to drink it. Connors could have poisoned it. Silvermane doesn't care. Caring is for wimps. The crime lord knocks it back in one swig, like he's a gunfighter in some spaghetti western.

But then, it all goes Pete Tong.

The crime lord's in agony.

The crime lord collapses.

Marko knew it all along. Connors put poison in the potion. Right; well Connors killed Silvermane - now Marko's going to kill Connors.

Oh no he's not. Why? Because he's interrupted by a voice. A voice from behind him, where Silvermane had been.

Marko looks round...

...and is stunned by what he sees.

It's Silvermane! He's still alive!

No. He's more than that. Something's happened to him. Where once the leader of the Maggia was an old and enfeebled man, closer to his maker than he'd ever been, now he's young, reborn. That's what the tablet's secret was, the resurgent crime lord tells his henchman. It was the secret of the Fountain of Youth.

Amazing Spider-Man #73. Man-Mountain Marko

(Cover from June 1969.)

"The Web Closes!"

Written by Stan Lee
Art by John Buscema, John Romita and Jim Mooney
Lettering by Sam Rosen

The Shocker may have been disposed of but there's still the small matter of where he hid the priceless tablet that turned out to be worthless. Spider-Man has only one lead and that's to ask Captain Stacy if, during the Shocker's raid on his home, the villain said anything that might give away where he was planning to stash his gains. Stacy says the Shocker was too clever for that.

But then he remembers something. The Shocker used to have a girlfriend who was in the habit of paying his bail. Maybe she knows where it is.

Spider-Man's on the case. Using his spider-sense to narrow down the search, he finds her apartment - only to discover someone else has found it first. It's a character called Man-Mountain Marko and he too is after the tablet. He's not the only one because it turns out he's working for the Maggia, a criminal organisation that's in no way named after any real-life criminal organisation, good grief no.

The Shocker's girlfriend says she's never seen the tablet. Marko doesn't believe her, and, to prove it, he starts to tear the place apart.

That's when our hero intervenes, smashing in through the window and joining the thug in a bout of fisticuffs. Convinced he's knocked Marko out, Spidey talks to the girl.

There's only one problem. Marko's not unconscious and, taking advantage of Spider-Man being distracted by his conversation with the girl, hits him with an armchair.

Down at the police station, something's to do. The Kingpin's bailing out his stooge Wilson.

Except it turns out it's none of the Kingpin's work. The bail's been paid by a man called Caesar Cicero, a character who's got "sinister" written through him like some sticks of rock have the word "Blackpool" through them. Unlike that holiday resort, Cicero's not the type to kiss you quick. He's with the Maggia and, from now on, so's Wilson.

Back at the flat, Marko's found something. It's a safe. Before he can open it, Spider-Man resumes their punch-up. Marko needs a distraction.

He finds one. He drops the Shocker's girlfriend out the window. Spider-Man leaps after her and saves her but, when he gets back to the flat, Marko's gone, with the tablet.

Marko takes his find back to his boss Silvermane, head of the Maggia and Wilson's new employer. But Wilson's not the only new arrival because, now that he has the tablet, Silvermane wants it translated. So far, the thing's hieroglyphics have foiled the finest linguists the world can offer. Linguists? Pshaw! Silvermane doesn't need them. He needs a chemist and he reckons he's kidnapped just the right man for the job - Dr Curt Connors.

Why do I get the feeling things are about to get scaley round here?