Amazing Spider-Man Torn #4
Author : J. Michael Stranczynski
Artist : Pere Perez
Colourist : Guru-eFX
Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover : Issue #4 Summary
School, work, bosses, teachers, adults, and relationships are such a drag on the life of a teenager. For Peter Parker, these factors are not just dragging him down. They are weighing him down, and all at once too.
J. Michael Straczynski adds a lot to the narrative in this issue by letting the reader know what those ultra-dimensional entities really want from our rocky gargoyle maiden, Evangeline. There is also trouble in the Osborn household that shows being filthy rich does not always mean a happy family.
There’s More Than Meets The Eye : Issue #4 Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Look On The Spider-side Of Life
I really enjoyed this issue and realized through the writing of J. Michael Straczynski that Peter Parker truly is the Mr. Brightside of the Marvel universe. He may even be the most optimistic character in all of comics. No matter what hits him, whether it is unfinished homework, an overbearing boss, or a rocky gargoyle lady infused with dark blood magic, he takes it all in his stride. He always has a quip ready for a response.
I think this is the last issue before the finale in this miniseries. Straczynski gave the reader a lot to chew on without giving away too much regarding the ending. This approach makes me really look forward to the last issue. Evangeline finally gets her one on one time with these mysterious beings from an unknown dimension. What they paint for her is not a pretty picture for anyone involved.
The work of J. Michael Straczynski with the character of Evangeline in conjunction with the drawing of her from Perez was very interesting. They are trying to humanize her after turning her into a female version of the Thing with wings. This is a difficult task. She murdered a couple of people in cold blood to get the Proteus Maleficarum, and she admits that she is a contract killer. However, I think Straczynski is not trying to get the reader to empathize with her.
Instead, I think he is trying to show that one never knows what is going on on the inside. All of a sudden, Evangeline has remorse, feels fear, and is questioning her choice to do what comes to her seemingly naturally, which is murder in cold blood.
The Impossible Task
The task for Evangeline by the murky and shady beings from a cosmic dimension is a difficult one. She has to complete the circuit of the blood ritual described in the book. Specifically, she must bleed Peter Parker like a stuck spider. This will mean that Evangeline gets restored to her former appearance, but there is a significant catch. The result of fully completing the ritual will mean that these untrustworthy entities will be able to come to Earth, eliminate the human species, and reclaim what was rightfully theirs before their exile.
For the first time in this miniseries, this puts the reader on the side of Evangeline because we want her to make the right choice. I think this was a really cool piece of writing from J. Michael Straczynski. We have not been her biggest fans yet, especially since she is a murderer. Straczynski then creates a brilliantly hilarious scene between Evangeline and Spider-Man where Spidey plays the role of a therapist. This allows the reader into the human side of Evangeline.
Now we need to be on her side. This felt like understanding the character of Abby while playing The Last of Us Part II. You felt conflicted for seeing things from her perspective, but you had to understand it to further the story.
The Book’s A What Now?!
Remember the title of this summary and review, which is "Never Judge A Book By Its Cover." This title becomes very clever now. Here comes the coolest part of this issue. The book is not a book at all. It is actually some type of mechanism, but we perceive it as a book in our three-dimensional space.
That is incredibly cool, and the breakdown of it by J. Michael Straczynski was even better. This piece of the mechanism that we see is only the tip of the iceberg, while the rest of it exists in some other part of space and time. This is great writing from Straczynski because he makes the connection with the beings from the outside dimension make sense.
Here is my take on it. Straczynski is giving us a description of what books and comics are to us as readers. They are a physical piece of paper that helps transport us across worlds, galaxies, and universes. Picking up the book is merely the tip of the iceberg. Only once we open it do we find the larger pieces that are submerged.
Getting back to the action provided by J. Michael Straczynski, he helps complete the full babyface turn of Evangeline when she admits to Spider-Man that they need to work together to destroy the book. The book hears this and does not like it. It takes control of Evangeline and causes a fight between her and Spider-Man. In the midst of the high-motion action, there is cutlery flying around everywhere, which could cut someone. Straczynski creates tension because we as the reader know that the book wanted the blood of Spider-Man to complete the circuit.
Our web slinger is nicked by a pesky stray flying knife and his radioactive spider blood drop falls on the book—uh-oh. JMS leaves us with a hell of a cliff-hanger with a super massive portal being opened to let these ultra-dimensional Demogorgon’s into to New York City.
Spidepressed Emotions
Perez has chosen to draw Peter Parker with an emphasis on the emotions he is bottling up. His shoulders are always slumped and his head is slightly angled down. This signifies that he is feeling the pressure from all of the events happening in his life. I think it is great artwork because it compounds the story and dialogue from J. Michael Straczynski. What is interesting is that the only time Peter looks energetic is when Spider-Man is forced to break into action.
My favorite artwork from this issue was simple but effective. It made me laugh and appreciate Spider-Man for the squeaky clean hero of Marvel that he is. Evangeline is drawn with her head down and shoulders slumped to the side of the page. This shows that she is down in the dumps. Furthermore, being positioned to the side conveys that she is not the main character of this Spider-Man story or even her own story. Her fate is under the control of the interdimensional beings from the Proteus Maleficarum. The comical side comes with Spider-Man literally poking her with a pole to see if she is dangerous. Amongst the high tension in this story, it was a fun distraction.
Conclusion & Rating
I think that the overall expression J. Michael Straczynski is trying to convey in the Torn story arc is not simply that Peter is torn between keeping his life together as Peter Parker and a hero as Spider-Man. Perhaps Peter does not really know who Peter is. He knows who Spider-Man is, and the world knows who Spider-Man is. What I am looking forward to seeing come to fruition is the result of this inner struggle that we have seen Peter endure.
What will Peter Parker and Spider-Man look like after this miniseries concludes? I think the story deserves to have a lasting impact on his character and allow the reader to see genuine development. I do hope the audience gets a definitive result after reading through this entertaining story.
With the cosmically terrifying ending to this issue, I’m looking forward to seeing who these darned super dimensional beings are—what do they look like? Where are they from? What are their powers? I’m certain that JMS still answer all of these questions and help this story arc come to a fantastic end.