The Bugle debuted in issue #5, and already it’s becoming a Spider-Man mainstay.
In this issue, J. Jonah Jameson starts a fight between Lizard and Spider-Man.
I’m sure you all know the story, but in brief: Scientist is missing his arm (we’re not told how it happened), tries to regenerate it by splicing lizard DNA (since their tails grow back), and instead becomes a humanoid lizard creature.
He also has the ability to control alligators.
I guess he always has that power, but I don’t remember him using that often.
But just as he’s about to kill Spider-Man, he magically reverts back to human.
Here’s how he transforms:
Look at these early issues: Vulture. Chameleon. Doctor Octopus. Sandman. So far, every villain introduced in these issues has become iconic. Oh, and Flash is still a jerk.
Stan Lee was a genius. I know current nerd politics are to say it was Jack Kirby who did all the work, but that’s bullshit. Stan pulled his own weight, and then some. And in the case of Spider-Man, so did Steve Ditko. They all deserve credit.