Tim Board Highlights of Four Years of Hawkworld!

Four years of Hawkworld! On Wednesday, January 15th, it will be four years since I decided to start a Hawkman group. In 4 years, it's expanded to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a blog. It's been an amazing 4 years! There have been many things that I never dreamed would happen when I started. This is a purely personal list, but here are the top moments for me since I started Hawkworld.

1. Back in April 2018, I was invited by the Comic Source to my first-ever podcast for an interview with none other than THE Robert Venditti to talk about the new series. I was beyond honored, humbled, and the whole is still a blur. I still don't know how that happened.

2. In the summer of 2019, the biography of Gardner Fox (the creator of Hawkman) by Jennifer DeRoss was published. I was again beyond honored to be mentioned in the book. I can't thank Jennifer enough for that one. And it's an AWESOME book! Every comic book fan should read this. Go buy the book, everybody!

3. The best book about the history of Hawkman and Hawkgirl is Hawkman Companion (2008) by Doug Zawisza I was blown away to be invited by the Comic Source to come back for another podcast, this time with Doug. Ten times more articulate than me and I learned a lot! And if you haven't read Hawkman Companion yet, I definitely recommend it! Here's a link to order it! 

4. Back in 2016, artist Stephen Sadowski graciously joined Hawkworld and did an AMAZING commission for me. I didn't request anything specific but Stephen drew a happy Hawkman soaring thru the sky. Absolutely perfect.

5. A couple years ago, Lewis Perry of The Angry Geeks was doing an interview with the great Roy Thomas, and towards the end of the video (you can find it on YouTube), Lewis got Roy to give me a shoutout! Floored! That moment still makes me smile every time I think of it. Roy talks a lot about Hawkman so check it out! The shoutout comes at the 6:00 mark.

6. About 6 months after Hawkworld started, I started noticing that the creators of my favorite comics were joining the group. Artists and writers like Rags Morales, Tony Isabella, Timothy Truman, Richard Howell, Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk, Graham Nolan, Philip Tan, Tom King, Steve Orlando and so many, many others have joined. Ultimate seal of approval! You can see the list of creators who follow Hawkworld here. There are over 150! 

7. One of the greatest highlights has been when my fellow comic book fans send me questions about Hawkman, Hawkgirl or anything else Hawk-related. I would never claim to know everything about Hawkworld, but it's always humbling and a great compliment to be asked by fellow fans.

8. The family members of the creators of Hawkman have also joined Hawkworld, and I am extremely humbled and honored that they thought to join our group! Greg Fox, Terri Fox (Gardner Fox's grandson and granddaughter), and Orion Zangara (Joe Kubert's grandson and an artist in his own right!) are members of our Hawkworld! 

9. Since Hawkworld started, I've been doing giveaways to help promote Hawkman and the current series. I've given out over 50 books, figures, or comics to the fans in seven countries and 23 states during the last 4 years. Altered Egos Comics & Games in Orange Park, Florida has especially been amazing in helping me do this. If you are ever in the North Florida area, stop by and check out their store!

10. In 2016, I asked Prentis Rollins for a commission to use as the header photo for the Hawkworld sites. It's one of my all-time favorite pictures of Hawkman and Hawkwoman together (Look t the top of the blog). Prentis also did a modern version of Flash Comics No. 2 for me. Amazing artist!

11. During the 4 yrs, many sites and YouTube channels have invited me to talk or write about Hawkman. Da Bill's Comic Book University. Lewis Perry's The Angry Geeks, Ed Catto's With Further Ado, Dark Knight Nation, ComicManJake, and so many other sites have also given Hawkworld shoutouts. Extremely honored. You can find a list of videos and articles here. 

12. Back in 2017, Dan Greenfield of 13th Dimension invited me to write about Hawkman. The article is titled "Why Hawkman Matters." It meant a lot to be asked to write about that and it remains a highlight of my time with Hawkworld. 

13. I started my Hawkworld Blog on Hawkman Day 2017. It's a lot of work, but it's been a lot of fun putting it together and posting all my own articles and the information I have gathered about Hawkman and Hawkwoman. 

14. When I started Hawkworld, I thought that is I could find 500 fellow Hawkfans, I would consider my efforts a success, but I never ever expected this:
 
Twitter: 6300 followers
Facebook: 4800 members
Instagram: 1600 followers

Meeting fellow fans has been a great highlight! My many thanks to everyone who thought Hawkworld is worth following, and I hope the sites will continue to make your comic book and SNS experience a bit better than before you joined/followed. 

15. And finally, my Hawkworld Gallery! 

As you can see above, Hawkworld has become something that has far exceeded my goals and expectations. It's been great meeting everybody and sharing something that we love. No one can say how long I will be able to continue this, but it has been a very rewarding and fun experience. Thank you for a great four years! How about another round?