—Lizard (Curt Connors)I must have been-- out of my mind. It's this hideous reptilian body-- fighting for control of me.
Appearing in "Vampire at Large!"
Featured Characters:
- ⏴ Spider-Man (Peter Parker) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
Supporting Characters:
- ⏴ Lizard (Dr. Curt Connors) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- ⏴ Martine Bancroft ⏵ (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Emil Nikos (First appearance) (Appears in flashback)
- ⏴ Gwen Stacy ⏵
- ⏴ Aunt May Parker ⏵
- Daily Bugle
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Morbius (Michael Morbius) ⏵ (Origin revealed) (Appears in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Lord/God (Invoked)
- Charlie (First appearance; dies)
- TV News Service (First appearance)
- Syd (First appearance)
- Joe (First appearance)
Races and Species:
- Living Vampires (Main story and flashback)
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Human-Reptile Hybrids (Main story and recap)
- Vampires (Mentioned) (Main story and flashback)
- Rats
- Bats (Only in flashback)
- Sharks (Mentioned in narration)
- Tigers (Mentioned in narration)
Locations:
- Earthspace (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- North America (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- Long Island (Main story and recap)
- Suffolk County (Main story and recap)
- Hamptons (Main story and recap)
- Southampton (Main story and recap)
- Hamptons (Main story and recap)
- Suffolk County (Main story and recap)
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Macy's (Mentioned in narration)
- Bowery
- Peter and Harry's Apartment (Mentioned in narration)
- Midtown
- Queens
- East River
- Manhattan
- Long Island (Main story and recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- Europe (Only in flashback)
- Transylvania (Mentioned)
- Greece (Only in flashback)
- United Kingdom (Only in flashback)
- England (Only in flashback)
- Mediterranean Sea (Only in flashback)
- Atlantic Ocean (Only in flashback)
- North America (Main story and recap)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Heaven (Referenced)
Items:
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters (Main story and recap)
- Spider-Tracer
Events:
- Christmas (Mentioned in narration)
Synopsis for "Vampire at Large!"
A six-armed Spider-Man is caught between the Lizard and Morbius, the living vampire. Both foes end up fighting for their right to destroy the wall-crawler. However, during the fight, the Lizard is knocked into an electrical panel, and Morbius manages to bite him, but Spider-Man fights him off before he can get away. To Spidey's surprise, something in Morbius's bite has caused the Lizard to partially revert back to Curt Connors. The effect is temporary, however, Connors maintains his mind but struggles to keep the Lizard from taking control. The two decide to work together to try to find a cure for themselves and deduce that something in Morbius's blood could possibly cure them.
Meanwhile, Morbius has retired, and as he sleeps he reflects on the events that caused this transformation: How he and his lover Martine Bancroft and an assistant were out on a yacht conducting an experiment to cure Morbius of a degenerative blood disease. The experiment backfired, turning Morbius into a living vampire. After killing his assistant, Morbius dives into the water not wishing to hurt Martine.
Awakening again, Morbius goes back out on the prowl seeking out fresh victims to feed on. As Spider-Man and Connors swing through the city looking for Morbius, Gwen Stacy sits at home worrying about what happened to Peter. When she calls his Aunt May, she becomes even more worried when May tells her she hasn't heard from Peter either. At the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson confides in Joe Robertson about the Bugle's financial problems.
While elsewhere in the city, Spider-Man and Connors find Morbius, and they battle him. During the fight, Connors manages to extract some of Morbius's blood and injects himself with it. Surprisingly, it causes him to change back to his human form. But before Spider-Man can take the rest of the sample, Morbius grabs it and flies off. Spider-Man hitches on for a ride with a web-line, shadowing Morbius all over the city. Morbius eventually flies smack into an overpass causing him to fall into the river below. Spider-Man manages to recover the blood sample before Morbius sinks to the bottom. Injecting himself with the cure as well causes Spider-Man's additional arms to disappear.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
Continuity Notes[]
- The origin of Morbius is revisited again in Amazing Fantasy (Vol. 2) #17.
Chronology Notes[]
A flashback in this story affects the chronology of the following characters:
Morbius:
- Page 14, Panel 2-6 ⏵ - Morbius begins experimenting on vampire bats to cure his blood condition.
- ⏴ Page 15-17 ⏵ - Morbius takes his experiment out to sea as a final attempt to cure himself.
- ⏴ Page 18-19, Panel 4 ⏵ - Morbius starts his experiment, is transformed into a living vampire.
- ⏴ Page 19, Panels 5-8 ⏵ - Morbius attacks and kills Nikos.
- ⏴ Page 20, Panels 1-3 ⏵ - Morbius realizes that he has kiled his friend.
- ⏴ Page 20, Panel 4 ⏵ - Morbius considers drinking Martine's blood.
- ⏴ Page 20, Panel 5-Page 22 ⏵ - Morbius jumps overboard and stows away on another ship to feast on its crew.
Emil Nikos:
- Page 14, Panel 2-6 ⏵ - Nikos assists Morbius in his experiments.
- ⏴ Page 15-17 ⏵ - Nikos joins Morbius out to sea as a final attempt to cure himself.
- ⏴ Page 18-19, Panel 4 ⏵ - Morbius starts his experiment, is transformed into a living vampire. Nikos tries to stop it.
- ⏴ Page 19, Panels 5-8 ⏵ - Morbius attacks and kills Nikos.
- ⏴ Page 20, Panels 1-3 ⏵ - Morbius realizes that he has kiled his friend.
- ⏴ Page 20, Panel 4 ⏵ - Nikos' body is left behind.
Publication Notes[]
- Mortellaro is uncredited.
- First regular (non-annual or King size) 48 page-issue for Amazing Spider-Man. It costs 25 cents rather than the usual 15 cents. Issue 101 had a special note that the magazine was "Still 15 cents!" and 103 cost 20 cents.
Trivia
- Morbius' name is mislettered "Moribus" on the cover. This mistake has been fixed in the digital release.
