Amazing Spider-Man No. 19.HU: How the Lizard becomes part of ‘Hunted’

Credit: Chris Bachalo, Wayne Faucher, Livesay, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man No.19.HU

Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (with spoilers)

More from Comics

• X-Men: 6 reasons why Marvel’s mutants are the best superhero team
• Harley Quinn renewed for a fifth season on Max (and it’s well-deserved)
• Marvel Comics announces seven important X-Men comic books
• The X-Men were betrayed by Captain America in Uncanny Avengers
• Spider-Man: Miles and Peter team-up for their first ongoing series

• “Please young man…” Hey lady? What’s with this “young man,” stuff? Based on the way Chris Bachelo draws you, you look about the same age as him.
• Hey comic! Thanks for reminding us via a flashback panel that the Lizard’s clone family had lower intelligence when he injected them with the Lizard formula. Does that mean we’ll be getting some explanation about how they regained their intelligence? Or made their way back from San Francisco to New York? No? Okay, just checking.
• “I just need [the Lizard’s] nose.] Hold on there, Dr. Connors. As an expert herpetologist who’s had years of personal experience living as a half-man, half-reptile, shouldn’t you know that lizards and other reptiles smell with their tongues and not their noses? If you really wanted to find “Billy,” you should be sticking out your tongue.
• “The Pop-Up With No Name.” Kind of figured “The Bar With No Name” would come back in some form or another. But as a beer tent at the local farmer’s market? Wouldn’t this make it easier for the cops to find bad guys? That being said, considering how “The Bar With No Name” is a hangout for second and third-rate super villains, having it be a beer tent does seem more fitting.
• “–I caa-aan’t lettt you go-ooo–” This is why people singing songs can be so frustrating. You never really know what song they’re actually singing. Tell me, is Taskmaster singing “Can’t Let You Go” by Cueshé, “I Can’t Let You Go” by Matchbox 20, “I Can’t Let You Go” by Fabolous, or “I Can’t Let You Go” by Rainbow?
• Okay, all you bar hopping, science whizzes–how does Taskmasker drink an entire mug of beer while still wearing his mask?
• Taskmaster tells the Lizard his plan won’t work because Central Park is “locked down under a big, unbreakable force field.” Later, when Taskmaster radios Arcade, the latter talks about how he can’t “open up a pinhole in the field” for security reasons. Except didn’t Arcade also cause a security risk by letting Taskmaster out in the first place?
• Should’ve guessed that Vermin would return considering all the “Kraven’s Last Hunt” callbacks that “Hunted” has thrown at us so far. Only did we really need Vermin back? He was the only downside from an otherwise great story.
• Dr. Connors says, “My inhibitor chip won’t let me hurt [Vermin].” One panel later, he hits Vermin with his tail and says, “I can stop him from hurting someone else, though.” How does that even work?! After all, wouldn’t Dr. Connors still be hurting Vermin if he whacks him with his tail? Seems like this Inhibitor chip is only as effective when the plot says it is.
• “They brought [Billy] back to life. Is it really him?” Short answer, no. Long answer, since clones aren’t the original person, they technically haven’t been brought back to life. Think we would’ve learned this by now after Clone Conspiracy.
• Ha! Even Arcade doesn’t want Vermin. Come to think of it, if Dr. Connors wants Taskmaster to get him inside the shielded-off Central Park, why would they need Vermin anyway?
• Pardon me, comic, but I’m a little confused. When Arcade says no to Vermin, Taskmaster double-crosses Dr. Connors by shocking him, and offers a two-for-one deal. Only why would Dr. Connors not expect this from Taskmaster? Besides, didn’t Dr. Connors want it to look like Taskmaster captured him the first place? How else was he supposed to get inside anyway?
• Wait a minute? Wasn’t Dr. Connors, as the Lizard, brought to Taskmaster in chains in Amazing Spider-Man No. 19? Also, we sure didn’t see Vermin being brought in tow, either.  Way to be consistent there, comic.

Next time, “Hunted” resumes in Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 20 with its fourth chapter, where, according to the cover, the Lizard will be up against Kraven’s clone/son. Except, since Dr. Connors’ inhibitor chip keeps him at bay, will he actually fight? Or will his chip be removed by Kraven in order for him to fight? And what’s Dr. Connors going to do when he realizes his cloned son already escaped? Finally, for who read this comic, what are your thoughts about it?