Micropainter and my Atari 800

Ahh, my good old Atari 800. How I loved it. Enough that I took a few pics to remember, probably sometime in 1981 or 1982. I loved the artwork and design of the video game boxes. Most of the packaging was totally unneccesary, as the cartridge the game came on, was a fraction of the size of the box. Other than that, just a booklet and the rest was empty space. But they looked great! The last I saw of my system was when it was given away to my Uncle Jack in Mississippi, dozens of games included. Not exactly sure what I was thinking then, but I surely wasn't expecting it to be a collectors item. Strange, even if it was sometime in the early 90's. I normally would have had a collectors mentality about it, and I'm sure I had a bit of feeling of sadness giving it up, but it was a gift for my cousins, who didn't have a video game system. I wonder if my Uncle still has it, considering he's a pack rack to an even greater extent than myself.

Micropainter was the first true computer graphics drawing program I ever used. Released in 1982, you could draw on the screen, in 21 colors, using the joystick. Over on my Drawing On My Youth blog, you can see a couple of the drawings I created with it. I still own the box and contents, aside from the actual game, though! I just took these pics of it for the blog.

The Amazing Spider-Man Issues 16-30

Continuing with scans of my Spider-Man comic collection, with all it's blemishes on full display. There are some nice copies in here and some pretty battered ones. That #17, for instance! I got that one from my friend Gary Rifkin, around 1977. It was a book that had just been lying around his house for years. I guess once I had it, I figured 'ok, I've got #17', and moved on to acquiring another issue I didn't have, never bothering to upgrade. Same with my #3, which is in pretty poor shape. Unfortunately, upgrading my copy of #3 now would be cost prohibitive, but a #17 upgrade I think will happen one day. My #19 is also kinda roughed up. I did have another copy at one time that I sold at a con in the early 90's, but I seem to remember it was in even worse shape!
Most of these were purchased at flea markets and comics shops in the late 70's and early 80's, but a few were Ebay purchases (#27 and #29), another bought from a guy I met on my bus, who was a former comic dealer (#25, which was actually an upgrade of a copy I subsequently sold on Ebay), and #28, which I traded for or bought, can't remember, at a con in the early 90's.

The Amazing Spider-Man-the first 15 issues

I would consider my Spider-Man comic collection one of the highlights of my overall collection; certainly in terms of monetary value, it trumps any other collections I have. Up to now, I've only posted the covers to my copies of issues #1 and #9, so, here, then are the other 13 issues within the first 15 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. My full collection includes every issue up to around #315, with a good amount more of later issues as well.

All of these books - aside from #9, which was purchased on Ebay in the last few years - were all bought from dealers back in the late 70's and early 1980's. The #3, the copy in the worst condition (I could really use an upgrade!), I remember buying, for $15.00, at the end of the day at the Aqueduct Flea Market in Queens, where my parents had a spot, selling, literally, garbage. But it was good garbage! We'd drive around and collect people's trash, finding some amazing things that folks would throw away. You'd be surprised! I remember once we found about five large glad bags filled with toys. There was even the entire Mego Star Trek Enterprise, and once opened, a bunch of 8" action figures inside. Too bad I didn't keep that! But I digress. At the other end of the spectrum, condition wise, is the #14, the first appearence of the Green Goblin. I'd say my copy is around in 9.0, VF+ condition.

For completions sake for this post, I've reposted the covers to #1 and #9.