Writer: J Michael Straczynski
Artist: Pere Pérez
Colorist: Guru-eFX
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Aaron Kuder & Morry Hollowell; Lee Garbett; Javier Garrón & Rachelle Rosenberg; Pere Pérez & Marte Gracia; Mark Bagley & Frank D’Armata; Mark Chiarello
Designer: Carlos Lao
Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: October 8, 2025
Sandman is attacking the United Nations. It's just business. Nothing personal. Still, Spider-Man doesn't stand by when people are in peril. If only he didn't have to fight Sandman after pulling an all-nighter to keep up with his classes. Then there's Mary Jane Watson. Peter Parker wants to pursue a relationship with her, but something holds him back. Can Spider-Man triumph over Sandman? And can Peter forge a connection with Mary Jane while maintaining his GPA? Let's thwip into The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1 and see!
Story
Not only is Peter intelligent, but he also boasts numerous scholastic achievements. So, when Empire State University forces him to take a math class beneath his abilities, he can't fight back his exhaustion. He's trying his best, but he's not an expert in every subject. And some of his instructors are taskmasters.
In The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1, Peter Parker looks forward to an evening with his friends. Only tonight, their conversation opens a can of worms. Universities have their fun side, but they also make you study. Additionally, they force you to look ahead and make decisions that will affect your future. Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Mary Jane Watson, and Gwen Stacy reveal their uncertainty over their future when they should be enjoying their evening together. And when his friends try to pry a confession out of him, Peter can't restrain his negativity. It's just the pressure of trying to do well in school. Nothing personal.
Like many prestigious universities, the library at Empire State University holds a few literary treasures. When Evangeline enters the library, she makes a beeline for a rare 13th-century text. Lauren, the librarian's assistant, doesn't give it to her. So, Evangeline attacks her. It's just business. Nothing personal.
Art
While Spider-Man engages in acrobatic thwipping, Sandman swings a morning star-shaped fist in The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1. Later, Peter rests his elbow on his desk and props up his head with his hand. After his eyes close, Peter inadvertently does something that makes Gwen smile. The buildings rise around Peter and Gwen as they leave class, conveying their stature and grandeur. When a professor approaches, Pere Pérez shifts the camera away from Peter as he and his nemesis share frowns.
While Guru-eFX shows Spider-Man in his familiar red and blue, Peter disassociates himself from his superhero alias at school. While he wears yellow, orange, and brown, Gwen wears a red dress, Evangeline a red blouse, and Lauren a red scarf. Despite their differing economic status, Harry’s green blazer and Sandman’s green shirt remind us of their broken homes. As the setting sun casts orange and purple into the sky, Peter sits on the beach beside the red-haired Mary Jane Parker. But instead of gazing at her, Peter’s eyes fix upon the yellow flames in The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1.
Amid Pere Pérez’s detailed art and Guru-eFX's loaded palette of vivid colors, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Balloons squeeze words Peter wants to tune out, while sound effects heighten accidents, battles, and Peter's latest attempt to give Sandman a bad day. It’s nothing personal. Just ordinary Spidey business. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Even the most seemingly invulnerable people have their breaking point. As Peter Parker struggles to meet the demands of Empire State University, his behavior reveals worrying fractures. In J Michael Straczynski's The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1, Peter is anything but his carefree, optimistic self. Perhaps he never will be again.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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