With the threat of Stegron on the loose, Spider-Man
swings through the snow towards Curt Connors’ apartment. However, once he gets
close, the Lizard jumps out of the window at him! The two fall to the ground
below, right through an awning, where they resume their battle. The Lizard
throws a manhole cover at Spider-Man before jumping down into the sewers to
escape. Just as Spidey is going to chase after him, traffic starts up again,
preventing him from getting to the manhole and ensuring the Lizard’s escape! Spider-Man
then runs back up to the Connors’ apartment to find Curt’s wife Martha trying
to tidy things up. She breaks down and tells Spider-Man everything that
happened last issue, with Stegron kidnapping Billy and forcing Curt to work on
something for him. After calming her down a bit, Spider-Man promises Martha
that he’ll get her son and husband both back to her safely! Meanwhile, J. Jonah
Jameson and Marla Madison both meet up once again at Marla’s office at ESU.
After lecturing Jameson on his smoking habits, Marla shows Jameson what he had
her make for him: the newest version of the Spider-Slayer, ready to take down Spider-Man!
Elsewhere, Glory Grant and Randy Robertson arrive at
the same time for a Christmas party being held at Flash’s apartment. Flash lets
them in while Mary Jane answers the phone, discovering it’s Peter! Peter tells
her that something came up and to let everyone know that he won’t be able to
make it. After relaying the information, Harry and Liz have some news of their
own, telling everyone that Harry’s asked Liz to marry him, and she said yes! Shifting
scenes to where Stegron has Billy Connors tied up, Stegron uses a device to
return the dinosaur skeletons he freed last issue to flesh and blood. While
only temporary, he’s counting on Connors finishing the permanent version for
him, so he can clone an entire dinosaur army! The Lizard then arrives and
attacks Stegron, seemingly aiming to get Billy back! As the two fight, the dinosaurs
come to life once more and start roaming, forcing Lizard to snatch Billy out of
harm’s way! While the two continue to fight, the dinosaurs make it out into
Central Park, where they’re quickly discovered by Spider-Man! He blinds the
dinosaurs with his webs, causing them to fall over each other, hoping that’ll
help the police keep a handle on them while he looks for Stegron.
Spider-Man soon intercepts Lizard and Stegron’s fight
and knocks the two away from each other. Spider-Man shoots his webs, coated
with the Lizard cure, into the Lizard’s mouth, causing him to revert back to
Curt Connors. While Spider-Man is preoccupied with that, Stegron slams him into
the wall before running off once more with Billy. Connors helps Spidey up, and
while Spidey heads back out, Connors remains to fiddle with Stegron’s device! Spidey
quickly catches up with Stegron and his dinosaurs, and manages to snatch Billy
away from him. As the dinosaurs start to surround Spidey and the cops, they
suddenly begin to revert to skeletons once more! As the skeletons collapse,
Curt Connors reveals that he reconfigured Stegron’s device to reverse the
process! As the snowfall increases, Spidey goes chasing after Stegron. Severely
weakened from the cold, Stegron hears Spider-Man coming and throws a rock to
divert his attention. However, the effort saps the last of his strength and he
slides down a snowbank and falls through the ice coating the frozen lake. As
Stegron sinks into the lake, the ice quickly reforms over him, and Spidey
assumes that Stegron got away. Later, Spider-Man peeks in at the Connors family
celebrating Christmas together and leaves a present outside their window before
swinging off, wishing the whole of New York a Merry Christmas!
Excelsioring your collection