The Geekiest Summer of All Time rolls on, and it just keeps getting geekier! Fantastic summer movies, big comic crossover events, and one mother of a Comic-Con in San Diego. It’s a good time to be a nerd, ladies and gentlemen. Pleasure to have the rest of you card-carrying sci-fi/fantasy/comic-lovin’ folks to share it all with. We won the war. We run the world now. Let’s take this final month of summer to just kick back and enjoy the spoils, shall we?

Cover Lovin’

Eryck Webb, famed Forte 2000 artist, steps up for a little Omniverse action for this issue, showing the teaming of Victoria’s Lodestone and Del Oeste’s Dream Girl! Uh…based on how Lodestone looks in the shot, this team-up probably takes place a few years in the future. Hope you got into a good college, Lodestone!

The Dark Knight Reigns!

Okay, just about everyone’s seen it now, and with the exception of a few, most of us thought that it was perhaps THE GREATEST SUPER-HERO MOVIE EVER. Do I feel that way? Not sure if I can make the commitment, but it’s damned close if it’s not. Between that and the different-but-tying-for-coolness Iron Man, the super-hero movie has officially grown up, and I for one am loving it hardcore. The age of Joel Schumacher is at an end (we hope), and we can look forward (we hope, again) to more and more quality, complex, amazing comic book films. We’re ready for you, Watchmen! Bring it on!

Clobberin’ Con XIV Delivers!

Just getting back from Comic-Con in San Diego, where I, Tim, Joel, Ben, Kaye, Adam, Jim, Aaron and Jeni made the scene and took in one of the most impressive Cons to date – and the first one that sold out before it even started. It was a remarkable four days of big (and little) stars, surprises, great goodies to buy, awesome lunches and dinners in the Gaslamp, one great BBQ in La Jolla, and enough awesome memories to hold us over until next year. Tiring, expensive, but oh-so-worth it. As I’m planning to write up a big breakdown of all of it in the week to come at my geek blog (The Geek Side), I’ll have to wait for the full details (and the photos, which I’ll probably put up at the Nice Guy site). Keep an eye on the CT board for news of when those are up.

And as a reminder – next year is the big one. It’s the 20th Anniversary Clobberin’ Con, celebrating two decades of ‘Timers making the journey to SD to geek out together. As it falls into that “can’t miss” category, I suggest you don’t! If you’ve always thought about making it (and thought about it a lot more this year seeing stories on it on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, and in the Comic-Con issue of Entertainment Weekly!), maybe next summer is the time to pull the trigger. So think about it…but think early! Pre-registration is a must now, and getting a room can by nigh-impossible, so plan early and plan well! You won’t regret it, and I hope to see you there!

Twilight Guardian Voting Starts Monday!

Yes, I was pimping it hard for ‘Timer Troy Hickman’s awesome comic at the Con, but you didn’t have to be there to help make sure it wins the Pilot Season voting and gets its own regular series! Starting this Monday you can go to the MySpace page for Pilot Season and cast your vote for TG, so let’s jump on there and do our part for one of our boys…and for the chance to get more of a totally awesome comic! Vote early, vote often! No hanging chads, now…

 

Chronicles of a Bounty Hunter Hits Comic-Con

‘Timer Joel B. Levy wasn’t just at Comic-Con for the sights – he was there to push the comic he edits (and is about to start writing), Chronicles of a Bounty Hunter. The freebie table had a stack of flyers and postcards that Joel made, which got into the hands of comic fans from around the globe. Keep an eye out for Chronicles in Diamond or your local comic shop, and let’s do our part for our other comic writer!

The "Chronicles" postcard - Comic-Con exclusive!

 

20 Years of the Clobberin' Times

Wow, that snuck up fast. Guess what? The next issue of the Clobberin’ Times online marks the 20th YEAR of the Clobberin’ Times! Twenty years since Tim, K.C., Brian, Derek and I submitted for the first flimsy, orange-covered issue that barely broke twenty pages. And from that came two decades of Champions goodness and friendships that turned into lifelong ones. For most of us, this thing has been a huge part of our lives along the way, and seeing it still going after all this time is remarkable.

If you’ve just been hanging out and thinking maybe you might submit to the ‘Times Online sometime, next issue should be the one you jump in on. It doesn’t have to be anything big. But why don’t we see if we can get as many folks as possible to throw something together? You don’t have to know web design or have a domain. Just write me, and I’ll see what I can do to hook you up. Get me a Word doc and I’ll be happy to make it into a web page for you. Do think about it…and take this chance to relive those old days when you had to make that run to the copy to store to duplicate and collate your zine (often cutting out and taping art to it) and mail it into the central mailer, then wait breathlessly by your mailbox for the next big issue to show up. Trust me…it’s a LOT less complicated now. Let’s give it one last go! Step up, fellow ‘Timers! Let’s celebrate in style!

Next Issue Deadline

Deadline for the next CTO issue is October 4, 2008, for inclusion in the October 5, 2008 issue. Just put your stuff on a web page (or in a PDF) and e-mail the link (or the file) to me at:

oconnellmd@aol.com

Hope everyone had (and will continue to have) a fantastic summer, and we’ll see you for the big 2-0 in October!

Michael O’Connell
Central Mailer, The Clobberin’ Times Online