Sticky Step Twenty-Eight: S&H T's Inc./Levetto Chinatown/Plaiter Place - 380-4 Spadina Ave.

Having zoomed past Guerilla Printing while battling a band of Beetle Vikings on the top of a cube truck, the Human-Lizard presses his advantage after leaving the first of three Buggy Norsemen splattered on the pavement.

The odds tip in the Human-Lizard's favour at the corner of Spadina and Baldwin.

As the truck he's riding on top of makes a sharp turn off Spadina Avenue onto Baldwin Street, Lucas shifts his weight to throw one of the insect raiders off-balance. While doing, the truck passes by the storefronts between 380 and 384 Spadina Ave, home of the T-shirt wholesaler & retailer outlet, S&H T's Inc., Levetto Pizza and Pasta Chinatown and Plaiter Place, which specializes in wicker housewares and home furnishings.

S& H T's Inc., Levetto and Plaiter Place at 380-4 Spadina Ave.

Next up: The Human-Lizard continues the fight for his life in front of Seven Lives Tacos Y Mariscos in Kensington Market!

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty-Six: Hot Shawarma/Burger Fighter (formerly Mr. Sub) - 1181 Queen St. West

Passing by The Great Hall on his way back home to the secret Lizard Lair, Lucas's life feels a little less pitiful when he finally gets a positive response from "RooBarb" about an evening of board games and beers while checking his messages. To celebrate an evening of successful crime prevention and the prospect of social interaction in the near future, the Human-Lizard gives out a cheer as the TTC bus he's riding on top of passes by Mr. Sub at 1181 Queen Street West, directly across the street from the Gladstone Hotel.

The Human-Lizard on top of a TTC streetcar as it passes 1181 Queen St. W.

The Mr. Submarine located at 1181 Queen St. W. was a fixture of the West Queen West neighbourhood until 2013, when it was replaced by Hot Shawarma. In 2016, Hot Shawarma also began sharing space with Burger Fighter and have continued to offer both burgers and middle-eastern cuisine on their combined menu since then.

Burger Fighter/Hot Shawarma at 1181 Queen St. W.

Up next: Lucas gives his parents a call and then tangles with a gang of beetle vikings on the back of a truck while cruising past Guerilla Printing on Spadina Ave.

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty-Five: The Great Hall - 1087 Queen St. West

After an abysmal first date at the Art Gallery of Ontario, "RooBarb" heads home to her second floor townhouse apartment in Toronto's Palmerston neighbourhood and logs onto her online profile to see Lucas' date invitation for the first time. Probably thinking it couldn't be any worse than the evening she'd just spent with "Don Juan," she immediately takes "LuBar" up on his offer.

Barb's townhouse apartment at 634 Bathurst Street.

Meanwhile, at that moment a few blocks south and west, "LuBar" (a.k.a. the Human-Lizard) gets her response while riding home on the top of another TTC streetcar as it passes The Great Hall at 1087 Queen Street West.

The Human-Lizard zooms past the Great Hall's Drawing Room windows.

Built in 1889, and lovingly restored to it's original glory after decades of neglect, The Great Hall is now home to four different venues (The Main Hall, Conversation Room, Longboat Hall, and the Drawing Room) to cater to any kind of upscale event, from concerts and shows to corporate meetings, weddings and even film location shooting. For more information about booking an event, please visit The Great Hall.

The Great Hall at 1087 Queen St. W.

From 2014 to 2016, the restaurant space in the first floor of The Great Hall was home to the British pub, The Bristol, but has since been replaced by the German themed, Otto's Bierhalle.

Up next: The Human-Lizard celebrates the prospect of social interaction while passing by Mr Sub on Queen St. West (now Hot Shawarma/Burger Fighter).

-DE

Special Sticky Step: Sticky Footprints gets the royal treatment in The Pitiful Human-Lizard #13!

I'm breaking off from the usual location to location journey through the Human-Lizard's Toronto in this post to give a shout out to The Pitiful Human-Lizard creator, Jason Loo. Ideally, once I'm right up to the minute following the Human-Lizard's adventures, that will be the idea anyway, to post news and updates between issues of PHL. Not only on the comic itself, but as Toronto constantly continues to undergo a Metroplex-like transformation, I also want to report on changes to the locations featured in the stories, as well. For today though, I just want to take a moment to open up my heart in response to an incredible gesture of friendship and kindness made by Jason, which I received in full this past weekend at the Toronto Reference Library during TCAF - The Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

I'd say that look says it all.

Back in late December of last year, at a time when many people try to cope with the pressures of the holidays and adjusting to the darkest season of the year, I was dealing with those very same issues, as well. Same as every year really, but this was a bad one. Social media was getting the better of me in the worst way and I can admit now that the muse that inspired Sticky Footprints as a pursuit had completely fled. In the moment, I rationalized by telling myself that it was just the winter season and trips to Toronto for photos were difficult enough to plan in the warm months, but the truth is that I'd been carrying around a lot of unresolved emotional baggage since the summer. A death in the family and a job lost in the same week was crushing and it happening just as this blog journey was beginning made for a powerful confusion of feelings on top of that. Add a prolonged period of estrangement from a friend going through momentous changes in their own life and I can tell you there was a veritable witches brew stewing away in my head. Let simmer until the most stressful time of year and then brace for impact.

Original art of page 19, issue 13 of The Pitiful Human-Lizard.

And then, unplugged from the rest of the world and feeling my absolute lowest on a Festivus morning after a premature online airing of grievances, Niki woke me up to tell me she'd gotten a message from Jason Loo. Then she showed me a photo on her phone of Jason's version of me sitting next to the Human-Lizard chatting him up. What can I say that Dr. Seuss hasn't already? My heart grew three sizes that day and that's how the Human-Lizard saved my entire holiday season. I resolved then and there to finish the remaining few Sticky Footprints posts for the first issue of PHL before the end of the year and then make use of the winter downtime to plan out the coverage of issue #2 first and foremost and then focus beyond that afterwards. You'd think I'd have learned by now that you've got to take things one step at a time, no matter how sticky it gets!

The Pitiful Human-Lizard #13 cover by Jason Loo.

Fast forward to TCAF this past weekend and a royal reception from Jason as he pulled out the original art page featuring that chat between the Human-Lizard and I and an advance copy of The Pitiful Human-Lizard #13 that it appears in. Finally, the whole story surrounding this amazing introduction to Toronto's most vulnerable superhero can be told, and the best part is, it's not even the whole story! As the second part of a crossover with the first issue of Captain Canuck's third volume (did you get all that?), there's still an epic battle featuring Chapterhouse Publishing's heaviest hitters to look forward to reading! And who knows? Maybe someday I'll be tapping one of them on the shoulder to tell them what they mean to me, too.

Captain Canuck (2017) #1 cover by John Gallagher.

Up next: Back on the hunt as the Human-Lizard heads home and finally gets a phone message while riding past The Great Hall, but after the events of the past evening will he have a date or not?

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty-Four: Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) - 317 Dundas St. West

This past week saw the milestone first anniversary of Sticky Footprints' first Sticky Step pass, so it feels like a good time pause for a moment and process that fact. It feels pretty good, to be honest. It's true I haven't posted as regularly as I'd would've liked at times (and as I start to devote time to a few other passions and projects, that's not likely to change on the short term), but I've kept up with this blog pretty well and after a year with a post every other week on average I can safely say that isn't nothing.

The hunter of Human-Lizards hanging out in front of the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The constant challenge of course, has been trying to keep pace with both the ever-changing landscape of the city and the astonishingly talented and prolific output from the creator of The Pitiful Human-Lizard, Jason Loo (who can churn out a whole comic in just a little more than a week!) while living in the Niagara Region and rarely having the chance to visit the Big Smoke. Hopefully that will change in the coming months, since the plan is to be closer to the city anyway. In the meantime, I want to thank Jason again for approving of this little blog idea of mine and encouraging me to pursue it. Of course, I especially want to thank everyone who's been following along so far, as well. There's so much more of the Human-Lizard's Toronto yet to share, so I hope you'll STICK around for it!

The Human-Lizard protects the AGO from Warshell.

Continuing his patrol after the incident with Mother Wonder and the ROM's moon rock thief about a half hour earlier, Lucas descends from the top of the Art Gallery of Ontario's Galleria Italia facade to finally mete out some lizard justice to a small-time villain named Warshell attempting to steal the Tom Thomson painting, Sunset in Algonquin Park inside.

The AGO is safe enough again for Lucas to check his messages.

Risking a blast to the face from Warshell's wrist rockets, the Human-Lizard bravely hurls himself at the would-be art thief and with a well-placed knee to Warshell's nether regions, the danger has passed and the AGO and it's art appreciating patrons are safe once more.

A certain school teacher and her "Don Juan" date exit the AGO.

At that moment, as Lucas checks his messages for the millionth time with no luck, two people exit the gallery (one the same grade school teacher who was not impressed with her students admiration for the Human-Lizard in the first issue) and seeing the commotion on the sidewalk, start heading in the opposite direction along the AGO's front promenade on Dundas Street West.

Taking a stroll along the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Promenade.

"Don Juan" gets a little too familiar with his date and losing all patience with him, she shuts him down and heads for home. Clueless as ever though, he tells her to keep in touch.

After a bad first date with "Don Juan," best to just untangle yourself and run.

Meanwhile, as she stifles a retch at the thought of ever communicating with this guy in anyway ever again, the Human-Lizard attends to Warshell, still curled up in a fetal position on the sidewalk, completely immobilized by Lucas' attack.

Heading home fast while the Human-Lizard consoles a defeated Warshell.

Although the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) was founded in the year 1900 (as the Art Museum of Toronto), it didn't settle into it's permanent location at 317 Dundas Street West until 1910, when The Grange (a Georgian manor built in 1817) was bequeathed to the Ontario Society of Artists upon the passing of the British historian and journalist, Goldwin Smith. After previously being renamed the Art Gallery of Toronto in 1919, the art institution was renamed the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1966.

The AGO's Galleria Italia facade seen from the corner of Dundas and McCaul.

In 2004, world-renowned architect Frank Gehry began a $275 million redevelopment plan, titled "Transformation AGO" to revamp and expand the gallery. Reopening again in late 2008, the AGO now boasts a four-story glass and titanium south wing overlooking Grange Park, as well as the distinctive, 180 metre-long Galleria Italia facade along the gallery's north face on Dundas Street West.

Up next: RooBarb heads home and the Human-Lizard finally gets a phone message while riding past The Great Hall, but after the events of the past evening will he have a date or not?

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty-Three: Intercontinental Hotel/Proof Vodka Bar - 220 Bloor St. West

About twenty minutes after checking his phone on Augusta Ave. in Kensington Market, stops to lace up a loose sticky boot and watches Toronto's hardest working super-heroine, Mother Wonder. Tearing the roof off a getaway car and foiling the driver's attempt to steal a moon rock from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Mother Wonder really gives him the business after missing out on her scheduled spa night. Meanwhile, Lucas checks his message-less phone again. Just what the heck happened to RooBarb, anyway?

Mother Wonder gets that moon rock back for the ROM, but does she have Proof?

Where exactly is it that Mother Wonder metes out her spa-night justice? I'm not sure, really, but with Lucas's established movements within a very set time-frame and the mention of the ROM by Mother Wonder, I thought the scene may have played out somewhere close by. Like just across the street and a few doors down at 220 Bloor Street West, the Intercontinental Hotel's vodka bar, Proof.

Proof Vodka Bar at 220 Bloor Street West.

At first glance, the location looks similar, but after taking pictures and comparing them with the panel in question, I'm either way off or there's been some changes to the street geography in the past few years. As always, if I do discover I've hunted down the wrong location, I'll be sure to update once I've gotten back on the right track.

Next up: The Human-Lizard finally finds the trouble he's been looking for when he takes on Warshell at the Art Gallery of Ontario!

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty-Two: Community Vehicle Reclamation Project/Bungalow/Comic Pile - 273 & 254 Augusta Ave.

A little over a half an hour after checking his messages on the marquee of the Royal Cinema, Lucas makes his way further east into Kensington Market. As he walks north towards College St., the Human-Lizard passes by the vintage furniture store, Bungalow, the (now-defunct) comic shop, The Comic Pile, and parked right at the curb of Augusta Avenue as Lucas walks past is the Community Vehicle Reclamation Project, commonly referred to as Kensington Market's "Garden Car."

The Human-Lizard makes his way along Augusta Ave.

First conceived in 2006 as an alternative to publicly destroying a car as part of an anti-car advocacy group protest, they decided instead to convert the car into a giant planter. For many years it served as both a promotional feature and fresh herb garden for the Kensington Market restaurant, La Palette, before it's relocation a few blocks south on Queen St. West, in the city's Fashion District. Since then, the Garden Car has persevered in one form or another, becoming one of the neighbourhood's most iconic landmarks.

Kensington Market's "Garden Car."

Directly across the street from the Garden Car, at 273 Augusta Ave, is Bungalow. One of Kensington Market's many vintage clothing shops, Bungalow stands apart from the rest of the pack by also dedicating equal focus to vintage Scandinavian-designed furniture and housewares.

Bungalow at 273 Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market.

The Comic Pile opened at 254 Augusta Ave in 2013, but relocated to Baldwin St. where it soon after closed up shop. Cafe Novo, which moved into the storefront space previously occupied by The Comic Pile on Augusta, relocated themselves after a dramatic rent increase at it's High Park location, before also shutting down operations. Currently, 254 Augusta Ave. is home to Livelihood Cafe.

Cafe Novo (now also closed) where The Comic Pile was first located at 254 Augusta Ave.

Next up: The Human-Lizard checks his messages yet again as Mother Wonder gives up spa night to dish out justice.

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty-One: The Royal Cinema - 608 College St.

Whizzing past the Gladstone Hotel on the top of a TTC streetcar (as the Human-Lizard), Lucas (as "LuBar") had boldly texted his prospective online romantic interest, known only as "RooBarb," to ask if she'd like to meet over beer and board games. Almost an hour and half later, while standing on top of the marquee of the Royal Cinema in Toronto's Little Italy district on College Street West, Lucas still has no new messages. Of course, he also hasn't encountered any criminal-types either, so the evening's sort of a win/lose so far. Lucky on patrol, unlucky in love.

The Human-Lizard checking his phone on the Royal's marquee.

First opening it's doors in 1939 as The Pylon, and later changed to the Golden Princess, the 390-seat  Art Moderne movie house has become one of Toronto's most-beloved historic landmarks. When faced with the threat of closure in 2007, Theatre D Digital stepped in to upgrade and renovate the theatre into a state of the art screening and live event venue. The cinema also performs double duty as a fully operational film and television post-production studio during daytime hours.

The Royal Cinema at 608 College Street.

To check what's currently playing and coming soon, or to book a private screening, corporate function or live event, visit the Royal's website.

Next up: The Human-Lizard takes a stroll past the Kensington Market Garden Car on Augusta Avenue!

-DE

Sticky Step Twenty: The Gladstone Hotel - 1214 Queen St. West

Winter is behind us, spring is here and Sticky Footprints is ready once again to pick up the trail of Jason Loo's forever down on his luck hero in The Pitiful Human-Lizard #2!

Last seen sticking to the wall of Lee's Palace, the second issue opens with Lucas Barrett who, following the TV news piece covering his father's heyday as the local celebrity known as the Lizard-Man, is now recognized around the office as Toronto's newest superhero, enduring the snide comments and condescending inquiries of his boss and co-workers as they try to figure out why Lucas does what he does and why he does it dressed as a lizard. He ignores them, in favour of updating his online dating profile (using the appropriately pitiful sounding online handle, "Lubar.") and while doing so, Lucas comes across the profile of "RooBarb." He strikes up a text conversation with her that goes on sporadically through the afternoon at work, his evening martial arts lesson and even bus ride home afterwards.

The Human-Lizard catches a ride downtown on a TTC streetcar passing by the Gladstone.

As Lucas is prepping for his nightly patrol of the city as the Human-Lizard, the conversation turns to what each of them do for a living and "RooBarb" reveals she's an elementary school teacher. Lucas embellishes his duties as an office drone to Tolkien-esque proportions and, as the eastbound 501 Queen Streetcar he's riding on top of passes by the Gladstone Hotel, he musters the courage to ask "RooBarb" out for a night of board games and beer.

The Gladstone Hotel at 1214 Queen Street West.

Built in 1889, the Gladstone Hotel is the oldest hotel in Toronto to remain operating continuously since it's doors first opened. An impressive feat considering the numerous changes of ownership throughout the hotel's first century and extensive renovations by the current owners in 2005. Thanks to those much needed renos, however, the Gladstone is now renowned not only as a Toronto landmark in it's own right, but also as the city's preeminent boutique art hotel, hosting regular art exhibitions and events celebrating local artists and designers.

For more on the hotel's history, current art exhibitions and events or to book a room, visit the Gladstone Hotel's website.

Up next: The Human-Lizard atop the Royal Cinema's marquee while on patrol in Toronto's Little Italy!

-DE

Sticky Step Nineteen: Lee's Palace, 529 Bloor St. W.

Just a few blocks to the north and west of Dragon City Mall in Chinatown, while literally hanging out on the back cover of The Pitiful Human-Lizard #1, Lucas disguises his presence in the Bloor Annex neighbourhood like a chameleon by using his sticky gloves and boots to cling to the colourful monster mural that adorns the wall of Lee's Palace, the legendary live music venue at 529 Bloor Street West.

The Human-Lizard blends in with the monster mural art of Alex "Al Runt" Currie.

The building began it's life as a venue in 1919 as Allen's Bloor Theatre and, as ownership changed hands through the years, it was renamed several times. In 1985, the building was purchased by Mr. Chong Su Lee and opened it's doors as Lee's Palace on September 5, 1985. Although Mr. Lee passed away in 2001 and the venue has again changed hands several times since, Lee's Palace continues to endure as one of Toronto's hottest venue's for alternative and local indie bands.

Lee's Palace at 529 Bloor Street West.

Looking a little like a cartoon version of The Garden Of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, the entire front of the building was painted by renowned Toronto muralist Alex Currie, who paints under the pseudonym Al Runt, or simply "Runt." While Lee's Palace is perhaps Currie's best known mural work, other examples can be found all over Toronto's neighbourhoods, from Parkdale's Electric Mud BBQ to Kensington Market's Big Fat Burrito, and even as far away as the Niagara Region, where a Runt mural can be found along the side of Park's Furniture in St. Catharines.

Another example of Runt's mural art on the side of 316 St. Paul Street in St. Catharines, ON.

Next up: A new year and a new issue as the locations found in The Pitiful Human-Lizard #2 are explored, starting with the Gladstone Hotel!


-DE

Sticky Step Eighteen: Dragon City Mall/King Noodle/Saigon Pharmacy, 280/296/300b Spadina Ave.

Along with hanging out on the Honest Ed's sign, the first issue of The Pitiful Human-Lizard also features a second variant cover with Lucas enjoying the view of the CN Tower while relaxing above Spadina Ave. among the storefront signs of Chinatown.

The CN Tower seen from Chinatown along Spadina Ave., just north of Dundas St. W.

The Dragon City Mall sign, with the large LCD screen on top, is the tallest one shown. Whether you're looking for exotic tea, Asian market DVDs, Korean BBQ, official Hello Kitty merchadise or you're just craving plain old Orange Julius, Dragon City Mall has it all under one roof.

Dragon City Mall at 280 Spadina Ave.

Across Dundas Street West, and a few doors to the north is King's Noodle House. With a front window sporting more hanging meat than a butcher shop, King's Noodle is the place Torontonians go for Chinese comfort food. It's also the restaurant Jason Loo, creator of The Pitiful Human-Lizard, traditionally commemorates each Made in Chinatown mini-comic that he's completed by posting a photo on his Instagram account.

King Noodle at 296 Spadina Ave.

Next to King's Noodle House are a couple of the dozens of fruit markets found in Chinatown, and next to those is Saigon Pharmacy and the Yan Oi Chinese Acupuncture and Herbalist, whose storefront sign is the one Lucas has a seat on while taking in Toronto's skyline on the variant cover.

Saigon Pharmacy at 300b Spadina Ave.

Next up: The Human-Lizard sticks around Lee's Palace on the back cover of The Pitiful Human-Lizard #1!

-DE

Sticky Step Seventeen: Honest Ed's & Hero Certified Burgers, 571-81 Bloor St. W.

After the Battle of the ROM is wrapped up and recounted by a classroom full of students (and now the Human-Lizard's biggest fans), a one-page backup story follows one of those students home and sheds some light on the trials and tribulations of Mother Wonder, Toronto's busiest and most beloved superhero, as she contends with Rabb the Malevolent outside Honest Ed's, the legendary discount department store at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst streets.

Rabb the Malevolent gives Honest Ed a piece of his mind.

In a parody of the old Hostess Fruit Pie ads frequently found in '70s comics, Mother Wonder manages to subdue Rabb with the promise of a savoury Hot Flaky Cake, which she delivers with a solid right cross directly into Rabb's mouth.

Mother Wonder can't get clean enough after dealing with Rabb.

With an arm now covered in Rabb slobber, Mother Wonder goes straight for the store's entrance to get a good deal on some bleach. Meanwhile, right around the corner, on the Bathurst side of Honest Ed's, it looks like the Human-Lizard may have been trying to help out, but couldn't quite manage the iconic store's enormous sign on the first of two variant covers for The Pitiful Human-Lizard #1.

The Human-Lizard hanging out on the Honest Ed's sign over Hero Burger.

Located at 581 Bloor Street West, Honest Ed's (named for it's founder, "Honest" Ed Mirvish) first opened it's doors to the public in 1948 and has been an iconic Toronto landmark ever since. Following Ed Mirvish's death in in 2007, the store was put up for sale in July 2013 and is scheduled to close it's doors permanently later this week on December 31, 2016.

Next up: Lucas takes in the Toronto skyline from Chinatown on the second variant cover for The Pitiful Human-Lizard #1!

-DE

Sticky Step Sixteen: Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), 100 Queens Park - Part 3: Rock Vs. Hard Place

Impaled on a human-monstrosity running at high speed for a fourth floor window of the ROM would be cause for alarm for anyone, but not the Human-Lizard. Thanks once again to his regenerative abilities, Lucas recovers just in time to dislodge himself from Bodyrocks' shoulder spikes and clings to the outside wall of the ROM's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal using his sticky boots and gloves while Johnny plunges to the sidewalk below.

Bodyrocks discovers the one enemy he can't defeat is gravity.

Scaling down the side of the wall, Lucas assesses the damage wrought by the encounter while still keeping a cautious distance from his spike-plated adversary. Coming in for a closer look, the Human-Lizard suddenly leaps back as Bodyrocks' prone figure slumps to the sidewalk with a thud.

The Human-Lizard warily approaches Bodyrocks after taking a header into the sidewalk.

It's not over yet, though, as Johnny stirs and pulls his bloodied and broken form up from the shattered concrete in an attempt to settle the score. In the end though, as Bodyrocks turns around to face his hated enemy and Lucas gets a clear look at his freshly rearranged face, it's clear that the fight really is finished.

Face first into the shattered concrete and Bodyrocks still won't give up.

Just like their first fight in the Club District, Johnny's reckless charging winds up with him taking a hit to the face that leaves him dazed, pain-wracked and, this time around, even blinded in one eye for his trouble. In the end, it takes only the slightest poke for Lucas to knock him over and out cold.

Lucas does his best not to lose his lunch after seeing Bodyrocks' wrecked face.

Later, in a classroom somewhere in Toronto, Barb (first seen earlier in the issue on a rooftop patio with her friends) is teaching a class of grade school kids. One student recounts his visit to the museum the day before, witnessing the battle between the Human-Lizard and "a horny, giant man." The students are enthralled by the adventures of Toronto's newest super-hero, but Barb remains unimpressed.

Next up: Mother Wonder battles Rabb the Malevolent outside Honest Ed's in a parody of the classic Hostess Fruit Pie comicbook ads!

-DE

Sticky Step Fifteen: Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), 100 Queens Park - Part 2: Rock vs. Lizard

Having frightened off all of the Royal Ontario Museum's staff and patrons while fighting with Majestic Rat (along with his loyal rat subjects and Gruber the gator) and now having the entire museum to himself, Bodyrocks tries to find his girlfriend, Josie. Suddenly, the Human-Lizard appears with Stieb the gator as backup and tells the marauding monstrosity that she'd run off in a panic with the rest of the terrified bystanders.

Bodyrocks searches for his lost love among the floating fossils of ancient sea creatures.

Bodyrocks, recognizing Lucas' outfit from their encounter earlier in the week, immediately recalls the chain of events that had led him to seek out the experimental medical treatment in the first place and which ultimately transformed him into the craggy, spiked man-creature now terrorizing the ROM.

The Human-Lizard prepares for a mammoth showdown with Bodyrocks.

Of course, Lucas had undergone the exact same treatment several days earlier and with far greater results. Instead of transforming into an uncontrollable monster (or, at least in the case of Johnny, becoming even more of an uncontrollable monster), he was granted regenerative abilities and, testing that this is still the case by allowing Stieb to take a bite of his arm, Lucas easily taunts Bodyrocks into a rematch.

The deadly duel begins, but who will survive and what will be left of them?

Bodyrocks gets a devastating first shot in and effortlessly tosses the Human-Lizard toward the hanging fossils of several sea creatures on display, suspended from the ceiling.

Uh, you do know those are sea creatures, right Johnny?

Lucas manages to avoid the hanging fossils and, buying some time to allow his healing power to take effect, uses his lean frame and sticky extremities to cling to the wall and ceiling, keeping out of reach of the rampaging reptilian wrecking machine below.

The Human-Lizard plays hard to get . . .

It's a good plan, but when the Human-Lizard leaps onto one of the suspended skeletons, he overestimates the amount of weight it can support and the whole works come crashing down to the museum's floor.

. . . while jumping from one suspended skeleton to another.

While one remaining museum curator chastises the Human-Lizard for recklessly destroying a priceless artifact, Bodyrocks takes advantage of the distraction to land what appears to be a killing blow, impaling Lucas on one of his many shoulder horns.

Bodyrocks make a kabob out of Lucas and makes a run for the end zone . . .

In a murderous rage, Bodyrocks charges the museum's fourth floor window to deposit the Human-Lizard's carcass onto the street below, but could it really be that easy to defeat Toronto's pluckiest super-hero?

. . . or, in this case, the fourth floor window!

Next up: The battle of the ROM comes to a close in Part 3: Rock vs. Hard Place!

-DE