Torment (comics)
Encyclopedia
"Torment" is a story arc
written by Todd McFarlane
, which encompassed the first five issues of the new ongoing
Spider-Man
comic book
. It was published in 1990
by Marvel Comics
. The comic was a record-breaking sales success and helped start the next stage of development in the Modern Age of Comic Books
, which would lead to the formation of Image Comics
and the rise of the speculator market.
is going on a murdering spree before Spider-Man
tries to stop him. The Lizard poisons Spider-Man and throws him off of a building. It is later revealed that Calypso
is hypnotizing The Lizard to do her bidding. Spider-Man defeats both Calypso and The Lizard, but Spider-Man believes The Lizard dies from Calypso's affect on his brain.
for a long time, and it was for Spider-Man #1 that McFarlane moved to be the artist and the writer:
Editor Jim Salicrup
has said it came about organically, leading on from McFarlane's dissatisfaction with the inkers, which led to him taking over the writing too:
Part of the thinking was to make more trade paperback
-friendly stories:
They were also inspired by Epic
to try better paper quality. Marvel would not introduce it into a current series because of the increase in price, but if they started a new title they could go ahead with their plans.
's X-Force
#1 (August 1991) went on to sell 3.9 million, then a couple of months later Jim Lee
's X-Men #1 (October 1991) sold 7.5 million copies, these sales being driven by heavy use of collector cards and variant covers. Within a year these superstar artists would leave Marvel to form Image Comics
off the back of the success on these titles and developments started in these comics would lead to the speculator boom of the mid-1990s.
However, according to Dave Wallace at Comics Bulletin
, "commercial success didn't equate to critical acclaim for McFarlane's new venture, and many found the artist's attempts at writing to be clumsy, unsophisticated and pretentious" and that "[t]here was a frequent sense - as with many writer-artists - that McFarlane's scripts were being written in such a way as to give himself something "cool" to draw, rather than to provide a particularly compelling or satisfying story." The writing was also picked up by Alex Rodrik at Comics Bulletin who highlights the lack of consistency in the narration (switching from first person
to third-person), concluding that "Torment is nothing more than a showcase of Spider-Man's fluid movement, and while the art is wonderful, it should be noted that pages (at times) are congested and indulgent." Even for fans of the series at the time the series has not stood the test of time. Augie De Blieck Jr. confesses that "[w]hen they first came out, I was a mind-numbed McFarlane fan" but reading the trade paperback he found that "the money shots of Spidey over the city and fighting for his life still look as energetic and lively as ever, the rest of the pages feel claustrophobic" and that Parker's lettering was "awful."
Even McFarlane admits his first run at writing a series has problems:
in 1992 and has been reprinted a number of times since:
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
written by Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
, which encompassed the first five issues of the new ongoing
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.-Volume One :...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
. It was published in 1990
1990s in comics
See also:1980s in comics,other events of the 1990s,2000s in comics and thelist of years in comicsPublications: 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999-1992:See also: 1992 in comics...
by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The comic was a record-breaking sales success and helped start the next stage of development in the Modern Age of Comic Books
Modern Age of Comic Books
The Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until present day...
, which would lead to the formation of Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
and the rise of the speculator market.
Plot synopsis
The LizardLizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
is going on a murdering spree before Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
tries to stop him. The Lizard poisons Spider-Man and throws him off of a building. It is later revealed that Calypso
Calypso (comics)
Calypso is a fictional villain in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #209. She was created by Denny O'Neil and Alan Weiss.-Fictional character biography:...
is hypnotizing The Lizard to do her bidding. Spider-Man defeats both Calypso and The Lizard, but Spider-Man believes The Lizard dies from Calypso's affect on his brain.
Publication history
McFarlane had been the artist for The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
for a long time, and it was for Spider-Man #1 that McFarlane moved to be the artist and the writer:
Editor Jim Salicrup
Jim Salicrup
Jim Salicrup is an American comic book editor, known for his tenures at Marvel Comics and Topps Comics. At Marvel, where he worked for twenty years, he edited books such as The Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers and various Spider-Man titles...
has said it came about organically, leading on from McFarlane's dissatisfaction with the inkers, which led to him taking over the writing too:
Part of the thinking was to make more trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
-friendly stories:
They were also inspired by Epic
Epic Illustrated
Epic Illustrated was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. The series lasted for 34 issues, from Spring 1980 to February 1986....
to try better paper quality. Marvel would not introduce it into a current series because of the increase in price, but if they started a new title they could go ahead with their plans.
Reception
"The book sold an astonishing 2.65 million, the highest circulation for a single comic book up to that time. But the record would be shortlived." Rob LiefeldRob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
's X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
#1 (August 1991) went on to sell 3.9 million, then a couple of months later Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
's X-Men #1 (October 1991) sold 7.5 million copies, these sales being driven by heavy use of collector cards and variant covers. Within a year these superstar artists would leave Marvel to form Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
off the back of the success on these titles and developments started in these comics would lead to the speculator boom of the mid-1990s.
However, according to Dave Wallace at Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
, "commercial success didn't equate to critical acclaim for McFarlane's new venture, and many found the artist's attempts at writing to be clumsy, unsophisticated and pretentious" and that "[t]here was a frequent sense - as with many writer-artists - that McFarlane's scripts were being written in such a way as to give himself something "cool" to draw, rather than to provide a particularly compelling or satisfying story." The writing was also picked up by Alex Rodrik at Comics Bulletin who highlights the lack of consistency in the narration (switching from first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
to third-person), concluding that "Torment is nothing more than a showcase of Spider-Man's fluid movement, and while the art is wonderful, it should be noted that pages (at times) are congested and indulgent." Even for fans of the series at the time the series has not stood the test of time. Augie De Blieck Jr. confesses that "[w]hen they first came out, I was a mind-numbed McFarlane fan" but reading the trade paperback he found that "the money shots of Spidey over the city and fighting for his life still look as energetic and lively as ever, the rest of the pages feel claustrophobic" and that Parker's lettering was "awful."
Even McFarlane admits his first run at writing a series has problems:
Collected editions
The series was first collected as a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in 1992 and has been reprinted a number of times since:
- Spider-Man: Torment (128 pages, softcover, Marvel Comics, June 1997, ISBN 0871358050, Boxtree, 96 pages, December 1997, ISBN 0752203851, hardcover, Marvel Premiere ClassicMarvel Premiere ClassicMarvel Premiere Classic is a line of hardcover comic book collections, compiling older Marvel Comics series in a standardized reprint format. Each edition features two covers—the standard cover and a numbered "variant" cover for the comic book direct market, which are published in limited numbers...
#27, 144 pages, July 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3791-2)
External links
- Spider-Man: Torment at the Marvel Database Project
- Retro Review: Todd McFarlane's 'Torment' at Pink Kryptonite
- Spider-Man: Torment at Rambles: a cultural arts magazine