Rating: 
Summary: Overrated, and that's overrating it!
Review:
Todd MacFarlane is not a bad artist. I have to disagree with the people who said that he is. His art works very well in the slightly more realistic style he used in Spawn (as opposed to the ultra-cartoony Spider-Man look) and he drew some Hulk stuff I loved when I was a kid.
The problem with Torment is the story. Or its total lack thereof. First, the general idea is clearly a poor attempt to capitalize on the dark, moody, conflicted, horror-not-superhero writing style of the excellent Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt. The trouble is, J.M. DeMatteis tells a complex story of an insane and yet sympathetic villain, a deranged, cannibalistic, and yet pitiable monster, and a flawed and troubled, yet ultimately heroic protagonist. He also brilliantly depicts Mary Jane and Joe Robertson, two key supporting characters of Spider Man canon. He also manages to explain the whole story as it unfolds. You know what is happening better than the characters do, you can sympathize with each of the three central characters. You can even root for the troubled, drug-addicted Kraven when he faces the psychotic, man-eating Vermin.
In Torment, none of this subtler style of storytelling exists. Instead, we are assaulted by images... and repetitive images at that. You can tell this was Todd's first writing job. It really shows. It's really like a Golden Age story. Fun to read when you're a kid, but it doesn't hold up when you grow up. The attempt to make things mysterious makes them confusing.
In short, MacFarlane is thinking like an artist in this book. Not a writer. He improves. The first dozen issues of Spawn are awesome. Torment, however, is painful to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Appreciate it for the art!
Review: Dear Todd gave it his best shot, and frankly I thought that it was his best work before he jumped ship from Marvel. I own two copies of this book. There isn't much of a story, But I do love the artwork. Peter Parker a.k.a. as Spider-man is infected with a kind of poison and has to stop a monster on a rampage.Normally I would not give a book such high praises solely for the artwork. But I was so impressed with it that I have to!
Rating:
Summary: Appreciate it for the art!
Review: Dear Todd gave it his best shot, and frankly I thought that it was his best work before he jumped ship from Marvel. I own two copies of this book. There isn't much of a story, But I do love the artwork. Peter Parker a.k.a. as Spider-man is infected with a kind of poison and has to stop a monster on a rampage. Normally I would not give a book such high praises solely for the artwork. But I was so impressed with it that I have to!
Rating:
Summary: WHY MARVEL ? WHY?
Review: First of all, i'm a big spider-man fan. I've been collecting comics since pre-school. Torment was one of the few comics that
i didn't collect. That probably happened for a reason. Man, this comic was horrible. Two things were wrong with it. The first thing is the art. If you compare it to the art at that time, it's pretty @#!$#$. The second thing is the story line. I was baffeled at how cocky and stupid spider-man was. Then all of sudden spider-man changes to a foot loose guy to something like a torutured hero, it seems like a reflection of spawn's TORMENTED soul. Since i bought it, i had to force himself to go through reading it. If you want to save yourself 17.99 then don't buy this comic. In the end you'll just get pissed off and be down 18 bucks.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for everybody
Review: I state it honestly: I don't like McFarlane's drawings. To me he draws people with potato-like heads. To me strokes of his pencil are unsteady and trembling. Don't take me wrong: he is not bad, objectively, more: he is professional, yes, but just not in my taste. My Spider-Man is one of John Romita Sr., Gil Kane, Ross Andru and, say, John Byrne. If yours is the same, then don't buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Muy pobre historia
Review: Primero que nada, no me gusta el estilo de McFarlane, de repente funciona en Spawn pero no se como a otro superheroe le puede servir una capa de 40 metros, pero en fin. No hay nada que pueda rescatar de este numero, el argumento es terrible, una bruja que hace cosas malas, listo. El arte no es bueno, nunca vi un Lizard tan feo y aparte las composiciones de las paginas no quedan bien. Felizmente pude venderlo porque me doleria conservar este TPB en mi coleccion.
Rating:
Summary: My "Torment" review.
Review: Spider-Man Torment is a book by Todd McFarlane. This man got his start working for Marvel Comics. He was a very good writer and drawer then. Then he went on to create Spawn and so then he left Marvel Comics. But the one HUGE THING HE DID WAS WHEN HE WORKED ON SPIDEY! He took "spidey" to great hights and sales. Then he did work on the "Torment" line and now it is all in one EXCEPTIONAL READ! Pick it up, will ya'?
Rating:
Summary: A true masterpiece by a true master.
Review: Spider-man Torment set the tone for what Todd McFarlane was capable of doing on his own. This story is the result of McFarlane's brilliant artwork and equally icredible script. McFarlane brings new life into an old villain: The Lizzard. The Lizzard however is under the spell of a mysterious character. Will these two bring and end to our hero Spider-man? Well, it sertainly looked like it!!
Rating:
Summary: Yes, it really is Torment!!
Review: These comics are a great glimpse into the mentality of the market at the time. It was all about the artist. But even the art isn't that good, as I think it got to the point where even McFarlane didn't know what he was drawing half the time. The premise is insulting in it's simplicity. A witch, who is miffed at the wall-crawler for the death of her man, Kraven, conjures up some junk to control the powerful Lizard. Not Curt Connors, no, forget that the Lizard is actually an interesting character with any history or even humanity. He's just a killing machine. That could be overlooked as an essential part of McFarlane's story, if there was a story at all. It's as if McFarlane made up the story he did for the express purpose of drowning out any personality in the characters. He has Spider-Man drugged up so he's scarcely even going through the motions. Mary Jane is relegated to the role of worrying little wife. The Lizard is mind controlled. There is really nothing to recommend this inane story. Maybe if you want to see where the early days of Image Comics started, you can check this out. But even Spawn is more engaging than this junk. Its one accomplishment is how well it shows why artists generally should draw and not write. But then again, no one will ever confuse McFarlane with Frank Miller, that's for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Torment - I couldn't have said it better.
Review: Todd McFarlane needed to have his head examined before he launched this series in 1991. In Spider-Man's first confrontation with a thug, McFarlane has Spidey calling him a punk. Spider-Man also hangs from his web in the shadows, like a mysterious creature of the night.
Later, Peter Parker recalls the incident with his wife. He doesn't see how the thug thought he had a chance of killing Spider-Man with a revolver. He points out he's had years of experience fighting crime against super villains.
Parker even tells Mary Jane, "Not to be cocky, but..." Too late. And get me a trash can. I think I'm going to be sick!
Please. This is not Spider-Man. Todd, leave the shadows to the Batman, the tough guy act to the Punisher and the trash-talking on the basketball court.
McFarlane, both the writer and artist during his 16-issue run, drew Spider-Man with huge, exaggerated white eyes in his mask. His Spidey also was slightly too muscular for my tastes. I think Parker's physique was certainly enhanced after he was bitten by a radioactive spider. The scientist and photographer is "cut" without being a body builder. Spider-Man is no Superman, Hulk or Thor.
It's no wonder McFarlane left Marvel to form McFarlane Comics. This is the same guy who told Marvel's editors he only wanted to return to the Spider-Man universe if he could do both the art and story. He said in his editorial he didn't want to seem too "cocky." Sure.
Stick to making KISS toys, Todd. Leave characters like Spider-Man to writers who can handle the legacy.
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