40 YEARS OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: This CD-ROM set is fun. A few weeks ago I had a great idea for a blog column or two or three about Spidey (I'm still workin' on it) but as most of my Spider-Man comics are in storage, I needed to get my hooves on replacements. Works okay when it's a comic that's been reprinted in Marvel Tales or is only a buck a back issue or so...doesn't work so well since some of the issues I wanted were Todd McFarlane's first and pricey issues of Amazing. Solution? This relatively affordable CD-ROM collection of every Amazing Spider-Man issue (minus annuals, sadly) from #1 through volume 2 #38. Issues include all the ads and letter columns plus Marvel house ads and Bullpen Bulletins throughout the ages, which aren't reprinted in any other Spidey repackaging project—those pieces of history alone make this a delight! Comics on your screen won't replace the tactile and sensory joys of holding a four-color adventure in your own hooves, but it's an excellent research or fun way to read the whole Spidey saga for less than one slim dime an issue. Now that's my kinda bargain! Now your enjoyment of this sorta thing is going to greatly depend on your tolerance of reading comics on a computer screen, but the issues are reproduced as high-res PDF files and can easily be read especially if you have a wide-screen monitor. (Be sure to install the Adobe Acrobat updates if you don't have 'em to avoid the Marvel watermark across each page.) This 11 CD package is out of print, but I found it at the list price at Jim Hanley's Universe in New York City; you may be able to find it at your local comic shop as well. There's a new version coming out soon too which brings the series up to 2006 and 575 comics on a single DVD-ROM, and there are Avengers and X-Men versions as well. These won't replace the classic floppy comics, but if you want an affordable way to get a large chunk of Spidey at once, fire up that computer!
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