Black Cat #5 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Ben Oliver; Rogê Antônio & Marcelo Maiolo; Olivier Coipel

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 17, 2025

 

Sometimes, one person really can change everything. That's what happens when Spider-Man starts sending perps to the hospital. His refusal to discuss his epiphany with Felicia Hardy shocks her. Worse, it sends a tremor through the streets of New York City. Suddenly, criminals like Shocker and his Aftershocks are playing for keeps. Felicia is so off her game that she gets in a needless tussle with the Lizard, and younger pickpockets get the jump on her.

 

With everything up in the air, Felicia tries to convert her star power as a glamorous thief into a protector of New Yorkers with money to spend. Can she get her world spinning aright after Spider-Man knocked it off its axis? And how will Felicia Hardy react when the new kingpin of New York tarnishes her image? Let’s sharpen our claws, leap into Black Cat #5, and see!

 

Story

Tombstone captured Felicia and locked her away. As she sought a means of escape, she overheard him discussing Spider-Man's descent into villainy with a subordinate. Believing she could still save her web-friend, Felicia connived a means of escape. Then she rushed to the location Tombstone mentioned to convince Spider-Man to mend his ways. Instead, Felicia discovered that Tombstone had set her up, and someone she thought she could manipulate had manipulated her instead.

 

When cops surround her, Felicia is so flummoxed that she plays for pity. But Detective Shari Sebbens isn't beguiled by Felicia’s poor kitty routine. Shari has had a tough time lately. She came up empty while investigating a rash of robberies at fashion stores. Nor could she prevent someone from abducting a military drone from Rand Enterprises, causing significant property damage and endangering New Yorkers. So, the police detective plays it by the book in Black Cat #5. With her city becoming a war zone, at least Shari took one criminal off the streets.

 

Pursuing a career as a master thief meant hiding in the shadows. As Boris, her man in the chair, warned her, being a hero requires a different skill set. Felicia has ridden the highs of the internet and news media stardom. In Black Cat #5, Felicia discovers the fleeting nature of fame and that people cheer when their heroes stumble on their feet of clay.

 

 

 

 

Art

As Felicia clasps her hands behind her head, the white fur falling from her arms merges with her white hair to form a blunted star. Gleb Melnikov contrasts Felicia’s appeals with Shari’s resistance to her charms with close-ups. A splash page shows the crowd of journalists anxious to record her capture with their phones and cameras. Felicia looks shaken and doesn't turn away from the camera as she protests her innocence. But her fear turns to anger when J Jonah Jameson gives her the pity she sought from Shari Sebbins. Her angry response makes clear that Felicia doesn't appreciate his I told you so expression.

 

Brian Reber dresses the staunch newsmaker in a brown trenchcoat, evoking the days he converted trees into defamatory Spider-Man headlines on newsprint. As a preserver of society, Shari Sebbens wears an amber coat. After the police pull her away from the crowd gathered before orange-and-red buildings, they cage Felicia with some of the criminals she has recently foiled. While some sport bright colors, others share her black and white dress sense. But when a friend comes to her aid, Felicia contemplates her journey in a red-and-orange setting that evokes a train car in Black Cat #5.

 

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna shows Felicia’s thoughts as white uppercase letters in black boxes. Black uppercase dialogue fills white balloons, while Felicia’s interpretation of a fellow prisoner’s responses accompanies a cat symbol in a box. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects accompany fighting and dismay as Felicia’s streetcar pulls into a station named Deliberation, freeing Black Cat to contemplate where she will travel next. Thanks to Marvel Comics and Comic Book Dispatch for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Felicia Hardy has always pursued the next shiny prize over preserving the relationships that give life meaning. But when she’s down and out, the friend she played a terrible trick on lends Felicia the support she doesn’t deserve in Black Cat #5.

 

Rating 9.6/10

Black Cat #4 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Derrick Chew; Inhyuk Lee; Mark Buckingham & Richard Isanove

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 26, 2025

 

After tangling with the Lizard, Felicia Hardy has an epiphany as the Night Nurse stitches her arm. Spider-Man isn’t returning her calls. And instead of quelling the violence on the streets, he is increasing it. Perhaps she needs to step up and make New Yorkers feel safe enough to spend money foolishly again.

 

Black Cat’s attempt to turn her life around attracts the superheroes’ attention. As the glamorous gal gains internet fame, J Jonah Jameson publicly speculates about her love life. Then, Felicia captures Tombstone’s attention. Does Lonnie Lincoln need her expertise with a heist? Or does the new Kingpin of Crime want Felicia to define her relationship with Daredevil? Let’s grab a pinch of catnip, leap into Black Cat #4, and see!

 

Story

After foiling an interstellar drug cartel in New Jersey, Sandman surprises Felicia and punches her lights out. When they come back on, Felicia Hardy finds herself at Tombstone’s feet. The crime lord requests her manifesto. But Felicia can’t define her new war on crime. Perhaps when she figures it out, she'll feel like sharing. Like Steve Perry, Felicia is "Feeling That Way" and enjoying it. But while Black Cat works out her new shtick, she interferes with Tombstone’s big plans for New York.

 

In Black Cat #4, Sandman locks her in a room. It may not be a dungeon. Still, Felicia gives her new accommodation a 1-star rating. As Felicia ponders her life and a means of escape, the wait grows more torturous when she overhears actionable intelligence.

 

G Willow Wilson’s story highlights how difficult career changes can be. While Felicia seeks something more fulfilling than snatching the next sparkly treasure, she hasn't defined what she wants or how best to go about it. And as Boris, her person in the chair, warned, being a superhero is different from stealing rare artifacts. Despite how hard Felicia has worked to become a master thief, she's still a novice hero. Felicia's heart may be in the right place in Black Cat #4, but she cannot trust her instincts. And as she hasn’t paid her dues, Felicia Hardy has a long way to go before she gains the respect of the superhero community. 

 

 

 

Art

As Black Cat gazes up at Tombstone, he squats to study his captive. Felicia's flowing white hair and the fur hanging from her black catsuit evoke plumage. While she cannot compare with Puss in Boots, Felicia’s eyes invite sympathy. Gleb Melnikov employs vignettes to showcase confrontations in Black Cat #4. The intertwined control room conduits, along with the pipes and pumping equipment, hint at reasons why Tombstone chose the building for his temporary HQ. But as an X-Jet streaks over the building, Felicia lies on a cot, unable to investigate.

 

While Tombstone appears in matte gray and dark blue, Sandman’s vibrant green shirt and brown arms evoke the fresh start he considered at the Ravencroft Institute. As Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette on Black Cat #4, Black Cat's suit gleams. After passing some red pumping equipment, more red pipes line a wall of her cell. As Black Cat wonders what has happened to Spider-Man, the moon imbues her suit with light-blue highlights.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna shows Tombstone's dialogue as small, uppercase words in clouds. Other characters speak larger uppercase words into dialogue balloons. Felicia’s commentary guides us through her internment, employing white letters in black narrative boxes. But after a creak and a slam herald her imprisonment, the sound of disturbed air gives Felicia hope she can resume her new career. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Like Rodney Dangerfield, Felicia Hardy can't get any respect. There's no honor among thieves, the superhero community distrusts her, and J Jonah Jameson isn't interested in her crime reports. As her stumbling in the dark disrupts Tombstone's plans, Felicia discovers how alone she truly is in Black Cat #4.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #6 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artists: Diógenes Neves

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Benjamin Su; Romy Jones

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 12, 2025

 

Makawalu Akana was living the high life. She fought alongside Spider-Man as the new City-Savers. (It's a working title.) While trying to deactivate the military drone the US military entrusted to Rand Enterprises, Maka prevented a spiky-haired weirdo from stealing Hijack’s memories. But when Maka peered into Hijack's mind and drew on his power, the Hawaiian girl couldn’t control it. Instead, Maka put New York through The Day The Earth Stood Still.

 

Everything is different now. Or at least, it could be. Rogue even invited her to join the X-Men. But Maka still isn't sure she has shaken off what Paper Doll did to her. And Maka’s behavior frightens her mother. So, Hali’a is taking Maka home. Farewell, New York. At least for now. How will Maka adjust to life in Hawaii? And will Dr Tramma follow her to Mānoa? Let’s thwick into Spider-Girl #6 and see, Brah!

 

Story

Despite her reservations, Maka enjoys her return to Oahu. After being cooped up in the room above the flower shop and listening to her aunt argue with her mom, Maka can chill with her dad. Noa encourages her to relax and immerse herself in nature. But since she gazed into Bailey Briggs' eyes, Maka senses the world around her more intensely.

 

In Spider-Girl #6, Maka’s enhanced senses help her realize that her father is in trouble. It's nothing that Noa acknowledges. But Maka hears neighbors gossiping. They wonder if Noa and Hali’a are having marital trouble. Maka also learns that he has trouble at work. Her friend, Ānela, shares what she has heard, prompting Maka to investigate her dad’s difficulties.

 

While she has returned home, Maka tells her friends that it’s not forever. She believes her future lies in New York. But Torunn Grønbekk’s story finds Maka in transition. The Hawaiian girl has lost her mother’s trust. Maka has disappointed her instructor at the best dojo in New York. And she is still new at being a hero.

 

As Maka investigates her father’s work problems, she struggles to decide who best to emulate. When they fought together to take down the flying tank, Spider-Girl looked to Spider-Man for inspiration. But cut off from everyone associated with her new hero life, Maka wavers between role models in Spider-Girl #6.

 

 

 

Art

As Maka snuggles against her father on the grassy rolling plains, Diógenes Neves reveals her affection when she gazes up at him. When they rise, her features burst with excitement as Noa picks up his briefcase. Men wave to Maka and her father as they cross the street. Maka sticks out her tongue at two women gossiping in a hammock. While a rainbow arcs above their home, her mother regards Maka with concern as they step onto the lanai. Ānela shows her happiness at reuniting with her friend. As Maka embraces her grandmother, the wooden hair sticks in her granny’s grey hair suggest a cultural link with Beba back in New York.

 

This haven of the natural world contrasts with ZZ Top's Concrete And Steel world of New York City. As Maka wears red and blue shirts, Java Tartaglia shows the women in her life wear purple and pink, evoking the bedspread in their room above Lokelani's flower shop. While his boss and his assistant wear black suits, Maka's father favors shirts with colorful flower prints. Maka may not have wanted to leave New York behind. But amid the verdant greenery, it's not long before a red-and-black figure slips through the trees in Spider-Girl #6.

 

Joe Caramagna shares Maka’s thoughts with red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes. The black, uppercase dialogue grows bold for intonation, swells for raised voices, and shrinks for lowered or distant voices. Words in white-and-yellow boxes portend danger, while animal noises, gunfire, and thwicking accompany the mysteries of Death in Paradise. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Maka's friend Beba loves nature and praises those who protect it. But when her father's colleague disappears, Maka suspects that his employer creates more than eco-friendly, self-sustaining fishponds in Spider-Girl #6.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #2 Review

 

Writer: J Michael Straczynski

Artist: Pere Pérez

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Chiarello; Ario Anindito; Gabriele Dell’Otto; Steve Rude; Pere Pérez & Marte Gracia

Designer: Carlos Lao

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 12, 2025

 

Life at Empire State University challenges Peter Parker. Some General Education classes tax him. Other subjects he could ace in his sleep, but must sit through regardless. Peter feels torn between his duty to protect the public and his schoolwork. College life also prompts Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, and Mary Jane Watson to contemplate the careers they will pursue and the people they will share their futures with.

 

As Peter struggles to figure out where he belongs and what his future holds, trouble explodes on campus. While stealing a rare book, the stone-cold killer executes the librarian and his assistant. But before Peter can apprehend her, the woman transforms into a winged demon. Who will the demon thief attack next? And can Peter draw on German 101 to read the 13^th-century tome and figure out how to reverse the thief’s transformation? Let's thwip into The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #2 and see!

 

Story

The dangers that threaten people know no boundaries. They may occur across the Hudson or when Peter is relaxing with his friends. After his uncle taught him the relationship between power and responsibility, Peter feels the weight of every soul he couldn't protect. So, while Gwen, Harry, and Mary Jane mourn librarian Tom Ambrose and his assistant Lauren Connor, Peter blames himself for their deaths.

 

In The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #2, Peter researches the book he grasped from Evangeline's claws to understand why they died. But he finds little or no mention of the book online. Languages change over time, and Peter keeps tripping up in Dr Dunkle’s class. He realizes he’s not up to deciphering 13^th-century German. So, Peter seeks assistance, even though doing so risks his secret identity.

 

As Peter navigates the complex web of his investigation, guilt, and relationships, Evangeline strives to understand what has happened to her. She seeks the aid of the person who commissioned her theft. Evangeline is frustrated and shocked by her transformation. And while she's not thinking straight, she lashes out with her newfound strength. In J Michael Straczynski’s story, Evangeline clings to the hope of regaining the body she has lost.

 

 

 

 

Art

In Lafayette Deli, a young employee struggles to comprehend the intricacies of customer service. His pupils rise when webbing yanks the bag from his smiling employer's hands in The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #2. As Peter sits atop a column high above the street, Pere Pérez shows how Peter relies on coffee to prepare for those grueling 8 am general ed classes. Amid the streamlined towers, a man gazes out upon the city through his wall windows. His Garfield-like cat leaps from his arms when a winged demon makes a spectacular entrance.

 

 

 

 

As Guru-eFX adorns The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #2 with a radiant palette, he gives Mary Jane and Peter black shirts, and dresses Dr Dunkle in a black suit. The man who commissioned Evangeline’s theft wears a purple robe, a color historically linked with wealth, royalty, and power. The story he weaves for Evangeline’s pointed ears appears in white, black, and purple. As he explains how the book transformed her, Evangeline’s brown skin links her with the leather-bound volume.

 

 

 

 

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. Evangeline speaks into cloudy balloons, while the font hints at her traumatized state. Sound effects herald a shrieking demon, enhance fighting, and remind Peter of an upcoming engagement. Ask not for whom the bell tolls, Peter. It tolls for thee! Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Peter fears hurting his friends, losing the last person he sees as a parent, and not saving those in need, he worries about the trauma people undergo following a life-threatening ordeal. Mary Jane fears the consequences of an opportunity not taken, while Evangeline fears life as an outsider. Yet the greatest fear people face in The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #2 isn't death, relationships, or the future. Instead, it is the secrets contained in an ancient book, and what drawing upon its power could unleash.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #5 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artists: André Risso & Diógenes Neves

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Meghan Hetrick; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Corin Howell & Rachelle Rosenberg

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

Dr Tramma has been grooming Hijack to be her tool. But instead of helping her control vehicles, the mutant smashes and breaks things. She needs Hijack to infiltrate Rand Enterprises and abduct a war machine. Or maybe she doesn't. If Hijack refuses to play along, Maka Akana’s ability to replicate other people’s abilities makes the young Hawaiian a potential substitute.

 

When Dr Tramma mentions her alternative strategy, Hijack fears it will break Maka’s mind. Rather than subject his fellow mutant to Dr Tramma’s torture, Hijack submits to her dominance. The Technopath helps her steal an advanced drone that the US government entrusted to Dr Maira Osmani-Milton's care. Can Maka protect New Yorkers and recover the stolen drone? Or will Dr Tramma follow Tombstone’s advice and use the war machine to crush Maka? Let’s thwick into Spider-Girl #5 and see, Brah!

 

Story

Meeting Spider-Man proves a heady experience. But Maka doesn’t have time to enjoy it, with the remote-control flying tank careening over New York City. And while Dr Tramma learns how to pilot it, the war machine smashes into buildings after Maka and Spider-Man webbed its cameras. Spider-Man wants to take the lead in their impromptu partnership, but Maka has a connection with Hijack.

 

In Spider-Girl #5, Maka is far from one hundred percent. She feels like a sponge that someone wrung out, stepped on, and set on fire. Maka woke up with the room spinning. She had to bow out of practice at Red Snow Dojo. Still, she’s giving it her best. Maka may be a similar age to Spider-Boy. Still, she survived her encounter with Paper Doll. So, Spider-Man doesn’t argue when Spider-Girl leaves him to help civilians.

 

Torunn Grønbekk’s story reveals how Tombstone is gearing up to ensure mastery of New York. It also shows Dr Tramma's mercilessness. But at its heart, Spider-Girl #5 is about Maka's growth as a superhero. She is young and still learning about her capabilities. Maka may not have made the best start. Still, Maka realizes that being a hero means helping. And that means putting your life on the line, even against overwhelming odds, to rescue the endangered and protect bystanders from harm.

 

 

 

Art

André Risso and Diógenes Neves show birds winging through the sky as Spider-Man and Spider-Girl thwip and thwick the swooping drone. While it crashes onto a rooftop and fires its cannons, Hijack pleads for help via the sketchpad of Maka's mind. Spider-Man may liken the drone to a flying tank. Still, the drone proves far more maneuverable as Maka leaps aboard it like the Lone Ranger and uses her webbing for reins. The previous night, Maka couldn’t sleep unless her mother held her. Now, the drone proves as unruly as stampeding horses as it races toward a girl clutching a teddy bear. 

 

 

 

Java Tartaglia lavishes a loaded palette on Spider-Girl #5. Yellow, orange, and gold show the drone’s firepower and its crazed flight above the city. The colors surround those in the most desperate need of rescue. Like the energy surrounding Hijack, the girl clutching the teddy bear wears gold attire. A narrow strand of white barely separates two sketch pages of Hijack and Dr Tramma that Maka’s spider-sense thwicks together. This time, when Spider-Girl sees things through Hijack's mind, she glimpses a world tinged with Dr Tramma's green instead of Hijack's yellow and orange.

 

 

 

As Maka workshops spider-team names, Joe Caramagna shares her thoughts with red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. While Tombstone speaks small font into cloudy balloons, giant red letters link victims with their prospective rescuers. As yellow sound effects enhance explosions, cries for help appear as yellow words. Yet when Maka’s brown pigtails overlay her spider-sense, the pain-filled pleas also turn brown. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Spider-Girl started as Bullseye's sidekick. When she decided to switch sides, Lady Bullseye warned her that the hero's life was a hard one. In Spider-Girl #5, Maka Akana learns that there are people who can help her become the person she wants to be if she is certain that's the life she wants.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #14 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: Ed McGuinness & Todd Nauck

Inkers: Mark Farmer, Wade Von Grawbadger, Ed McGuinness, & Todd Nauck

Colorists: Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Patrick Gleason & Marcio Menyz; Lee Bermejo (Amazing Visions); Cory Smith & Edgar Delgado; Jay Anacleto & Romulo Fajardo Jr; Joshua Cassara & Matthew Wilson (The Muppets)

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 15, 2025

 

Hermes Crenshaw believes that Manhattan's new Take No Prisoners Spider-Man hails from a parallel universe. Instead, while Ben Reilly impersonates Peter Parker at Rand, Norman Osborn thwips the streets as Peter’s alter ego. But Norman doesn’t practice Peter’s restraint. And he hates losing.

 

When Miles Morales, Spider-Boy, Silk, Araña, and Spider-Gwen invade his web after losing his “cowardly” lawsuit against Roderick Kingsley, Norman lashes out. Can Spider-Norman placate New York's Spider-Society? And will the Sic Semper Monstrum club teach Roderick Kingsley their secret handshake? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #14 and see!

 

Story

Although Silk assured Norman that Peter still lives, he left their encounter feeling like a failure. So Norman seeks out someone else who has tried and failed to be Spider-Man. But Ben Reilly doesn’t want to share the same universe, let alone the same airspace, with Norman Osborn. And he’s far from alone in that sentiment.

 

While Ben impersonates Peter in Amazing Spider-Man #14, his growing closeness to Dr Maira Osmani-Milton drives his girlfriend crazy. Janine Godbe enjoys life in the shadows with Ben. Now he is chasing Peter's life again, and that's beyond frustrating.

 

 

 

While endangering his future with Janine, Ben shuts out the people who care about Peter. Aunt May feels cut off from the successful working nephew who hung photos in her living room when he was bombing interviews. And at work, Brian Nehring isn't feeling freaktastic as his childhood chum’s science outshines his mycoteria.

 

While Joe Kelly’s story urges us to understand what drives us, it also contrasts life in the shadows with exposing our actions to the light of day. Night patrols gave Norman the anonymity to act out his aggressions. Imitating Peter solely at Rand allows Ben to hurt everyone close to him. But people who exercise power responsibly inspire others. That's something a would-be hero learns in Amazing Spider-Man #14. 

 

 

 

Art

Ed McGuinness & Todd Nauck, Mark Farmer, and Wade Von Grawbadger contrast memories of the Spider-Society on a rooftop with Norman sitting alone in his exclusive penthouse. Janine’s masks feed her desire for easy victories but provide no lasting contentment. As Maira sits before an image of sunflowers, she makes a more understanding and accepting comparison with Peter’s not-girlfriend. Yet despite her words, Maira’s disdain for Norman struggles to dominate her face, suggesting a familiar jousting tournament with a business rival. 

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega make Chasm and Hallows Eve look good together in purple, orange, red, and green. Maira and Ben’s blue attire emphasizes the growing connection between them. Norman’s dark gray suit seems a reminder that his self-esteem, if not his body, is trapped in the dark web of Limbo. An attacker's light gray and blue emphasize a cold, clinical approach to curing a disease. While the yellow and orange coursing across his body evoke Hellgate's inner fire, Kintsugi's gleaming suit recalls another cosmic hero.

 

Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase dialogue. Words grow bold for inflection, enlarge for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Faint lowercase handprinted letters reveal Norman's thoughts in irregular white rectangles, while Aunt May writes in tiny cursive. Sound effects hail a pleasant outing, a responsible use of power, and defiant dry-thwipping in Amazing Spider-Man #14. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Norman Osborn struggles to overcome his past, Roderick Kingsley makes new friends, Brian Nehring gets desperate, and Astrid reveals a fondness for Battlestar Galactica in Amazing Spider-Man #14.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1 Review

 

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.