As Marvel established its brand over the 60s and 70s, complex characters became their brand, defined by its opposition to the clean ideals presented by DC Comics , the standard-setter at the time. Characters like Namor and Spider-Man were great early examples of dynamic creations that diverged from the concept of evil villain or infallible hero. Others like the Lizard would eventually be iconic antagonists with built-in moral complexity. The theme writes itself: a decent person is turned into a monster, and destroying the monster would destroy the person. Surprisingly, even with that setup, the introduction of the Lizard in 1963 all but ignored the moral and thematic depth the character could have displayed. The Amazing Spider-Man #6: "Face-to-Face with... the Lizard!" Writers: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Artists: Steve Ditko Editor: Stan Lee Publication Date: August 8, 1963 Cover Date: November 1963 Art by Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Stan Goldberg ...
Deep dives into the primordial soup of the Silver Age of Marvel Comics, one issue at a time