What I Remember:

I don't remember a whole lot of specifics to the story but The Untold Tales of Spider-Man was one of Marvel’s attempts to find something that worked after the comics market had crashed.

This was a 99¢ book at a time when most books were selling for $2.00. Marvel was trying to appeal to younger readers, like myself with a fixed income for comics.

This book takes place in the early days of Spider-Man’s career, but unlike Ultimate Spider-Man, this took place in the 616-universe, the main Marvel Universe. There are references to the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko books but I don’t remember feeling like I had to find 35-year-old comics to follow them.

Vital Stats:

The Untold Tales of Spider-Man #9 “Cry…Lizard”

Writer: Kurt Busiek

Guest Artists: Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding

Lettering: Richard Starkings and Comiccraft

Colorist: Steve Mattsson

Editor: Tom Brevoort

Editor In Chief: Bob Harras

What Happens:

The book begins mid-action with the Lizard and Spider-Man hurtling out of a window and Spider-Man wondering how he gets into these messes. We kindly get a flashback to find out why.