Like many people, I too got into Spider-Man with the 1994 Amazing Spider-Man cartoon series, followed by the Spider-Man PS1 game. But over the years I had always picked up a Spider-Man book in the local newsagency or off the stand in a small convenience store and had a read of it. It wasn't till the original Civil War arc that I really began getting into collecting Amazing Spider-Man as a series. From there I've been able to build a really good singles issues collection that spans from Volume 1 all the way to the most current issue, with everything from Volume 2 (The first reboot to Issue 1) to modern stuff being complete, and somewhere in the realm of about a third of Volume 1 also collected (174 out of 441 issues). I'm very proud of this collection as it's something I hope to someday complete and pass down to future generations.
Over the years, what originally drew me to Spider-Man as a character was how the story was of a flawed person who was doing his best with the powers he has. His morality clicked with me as someone who dedicates his own life to helping others no matter what their personal situation is and always tries to see the best in those around him no matter how bad they can be. Also, I was of the age where I saw Peter Parker as a role model, his focus on science and education grew up along with me as a person, making him easy to connect to. Even as I approach 40 years old, there is still a lot I see of myself in the character, even though he has been stunted and locked into his mid-twenties thanks to a staff who can't bring themselves to bring Peter or Spider-Man into a proper adult phase in life.