Megathread The Lara-Su Chronicles and Ken Penders topic - READ PAGE 164, POST 4096

[horridus]

If that were to happen, then sure, all power to him.  TLSC being good is the only thing that would really excuse his possessive attitude towards Sega properties and designs.  But the evidence we have is that exactly the opposite is true - and really, for the kind of person Penders is, I'm not sure he's capable of producing something good enough to eclipse his flaws.

This. He'd always get flack for the lawsuit, but if there was perhaps some actual quality and effort, then people might be willing to just let him be. However, there is no quality. There is no effort. Every last thing he has shown has been utterly craptastic, and that's when he bothers to show anything at all. All these years and all his promises and hyping, and he has a pitiful amount to show for it; ugly pages, ugly art, shoddy homemade products, and a wonder App that he refuses to so much as screencap. Him forcing the reboot was bad enough, but now it is abundantly clear that it was all done for nothing, and that even if it weren't, the old continuity still would have died in the name of a pile of shit. 

And then there's Penders himself. Penders entire attitude, demeanor and how he chooses to handle things has done far more to earn the ire of this fandom than anything else, with his pompous ego-driven declarations of his own importance while passive aggressively digging at not only his former employers, but at Ian Flynn as well. This entire thread has catalogued almost every major outburst and demonstration of his incredibly loathesome personality, even taking out the stuff we lost. And this isn't a recent development; all signs point to him having been this way even at Archie. 

So in short? He probably would catch flack. But he's done everything in his power to ensure virtually everyone would hate him and what he's done, and separate from his actions regarding the comic he's earned every last bit of that hatred. 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I just came into the topic to wonder what Penders was going on given that the twitter post was mentioned there.

So, everyone's in the dark it seems? All I know is that it better not affect the three new characters we got back - or at least Conquering Storm, if you had to force me to pick one (but really, I want to keep Lupe and Dulcy's badass redesign as well).

[Zaysho]

Yeah, no one knows, and he hasn't yet elaborated on it. It's just a vaguely worded threat to make himself look like a big shot right now.

I don't think this could affect any of those characters--none of them are his creations, and Storm isn't related to his creations. Timing is a little coincidental, but I don't think it has anything to do with them.

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

The only thing I can possibly think of that would make him claim something like this is is the Egg Army and the Egg Bosses, purely on the basis of them being Evil Cyborgs and being a replacement for the Dark Legion post-reboot, even though their entire concept is far, far removed from the Legion.

Personally, I doubt this on the basis that Penders wouldn't want to be associated with the Dark Egg Legion, since he probably sees it as a bastardization of his creation. It's a theory, anyway.

I have no idea what this could be about. The only thing I can think of is Bunnie and Antoine's relatonship...but why he would bother with that now is anyone's guess.

Panicking is probably not necessary - he might not actually be in the business of trying to remove anything. Maybe he's trying to get money from reprints or something...? Did they ever agree to give him money for reprints? I don't really remember.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Personally, I doubt this on the basis that Penders wouldn't want to be associated with the Dark Egg Legion, since he probably sees it as a bastardization of his creation. It's a theory, anyway.

I have no idea what this could be about. The only thing I can think of is Bunnie and Antoine's relatonship...but why he would bother with that now is anyone's guess.

Panicking is probably not necessary - he might not actually be in the business of trying to remove anything. Maybe he's trying to get money from reprints or something...? Did they ever agree to give him money for reprints? I don't really remember.

Who's panicking? If he tries something stupid and makes a fool of himself for trying to claim either a general concept of cyborgs, or trying to claim characters he didn't create, then he's just gonna be an idiot who wasted court time.

And I doubt it's reprints either. There hasn't been a reprint since Feburary, and even then, I believe that was just Ian's work that was reprinted.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Maybe his ego is so inflated he thinks that because Sonic Comics Spectacular contains "Sonic's best" it will have something he wrote reprinted and he'll try to claim money for it

[Zaysho]

Personally, I doubt this on the basis that Penders wouldn't want to be associated with the Dark Egg Legion, since he probably sees it as a bastardization of his creation. It's a theory, anyway.

I have no idea what this could be about. The only thing I can think of is Bunnie and Antoine's relatonship...but why he would bother with that now is anyone's guess.

Panicking is probably not necessary - he might not actually be in the business of trying to remove anything. Maybe he's trying to get money from reprints or something...? Did they ever agree to give him money for reprints? I don't really remember.

Honestly, given the timing of his case with SEGA over Chronicles (quite a few years after the game was released and well after sales had dried up), I don't think he understands to strike when the iron's hot.

That said, he knows plot points aren't copyrightable because Clayton Emery, when writing to the copyright office on Pen's behalf, explicitly pointed this out. Then again, given the mess with Chronicles, and his belief that something as basic as a multiverse and evil twins is so unique to him, I wouldn't put it past him to think otherwise.

Reprints are a possibility, but I'm not sure anyone was ever owed royalties (the lawsuit was thrown out), but we don't know details of the settlement regarding them other than Archie was allowed to continue them.

[RetroRy]

Who's panicking? If he tries something stupid and makes a fool of himself for trying to claim either a general concept of cyborgs, or trying to claim characters he didn't create, then he's just gonna be an idiot who wasted court time.

And I doubt it's reprints either. There hasn't been a reprint since Feburary, and even then, I believe that was just Ian's work that was reprinted.

But was there an agreement that Archie had to reproduce a certain amount of reprints of his work?  Or that even Ian's reprinted stories had to have some type of credit to Penders since it was based off his previous work?  Just trying to find whatever crazy straws he is grasping at. 

Seriously though, what is his game? Does he need to buy more time by making up another excuse as to why his 5 year old fan fiction still isn't out aside from two pages and an overhyped app with only his word that it actually exists?

[Dejimon11]

Ive been thinking lately it's been a while since we've gotten any trades, the saga series, Archives etc do you think this is connected to it?

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Ive been thinking lately it's been a while since we've gotten any trades, the saga series, Archives etc do you think this is connected to it?

Naw, the only reprints that Penders would have any power over is Archives only. It's likely because of Archie's Kickstarter disaster.

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

Naw, the only reprints that Penders would have any power over is Archives only. It's likely because of Archie's Kickstarter disaster.

Yeah, from the beginning I thought it might have something to do with the Kickstarter...not sure what, though.

[Rad Dudesman]

Penders doesn't have a leg to stand on. The greater threat is Sega getting tired of this bullshit, and pulling the plug by taking the license away from Archie.

[horridus]

Penders doesn't have a leg to stand on. The greater threat is Sega getting tired of this bullshit, and pulling the plug by taking the license away from Archie.

Yeah, that's what I'm more worried about. I sincerely doubt that Penders has anything legit. SEGA getting annoyed enough to take their product elsewhere thought... you know, if I were a paranoid sort, I'd almost think that was the point. Assuming any of this is what we think it is and we're not just jumping the gun. 

[antyep]

Well what else could it be? He truly doesn't have a leg to stand on. I wouldn't be surprised that he's just trying to annoy SEGA enough to pull the license away from Archie, just out of spite.

[Rad Dudesman]

A tweet of Penders from September 30th

 

This could be about Penders not getting his royalties.

[Jason Berry]

A tweet of Penders from September 30th

 

This could be about Penders not getting his royalties.

Aahh! But wouldn't that mean those contracts burned up in that fire like it was rumored his contract that gave Sega and Archie his characters rights did?

Payback is a bitch. Ain't it?!

 

 

[horridus]

A tweet of Penders from September 30th

 

This could be about Penders not getting his royalties.

Possibly. He's done three issues for that line, according to his bibliography... two issues of Jaguar, and one issue of Comet. Though, he doesn't specify what stories he did, just that he worked in the issues. I once tracked down an issue of SAvage Sword of Conan he did inks for... it turns out it was just a lousy pinup, AFTER the two main stories. 

Aahh! But wouldn't that mean those contracts burned up in that fire like it was rumored his contract that gave Sega and Archie his characters rights did?

Payback is a bitch. Ain't it?!

 

 

Heh. It's a nice thought. But until he elaborates about whatever the fuck he's going on about, all we can really do is speculate. 

 

Edited October 21, 2015 by horridus
I misremembered what it was he did in Conan. He was an inker, not a penciller. Which is hilarious, given his rather disparaging comments towards the role of inkers and their importance.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Is it bad that I'm confused about that tweet? Was he really complaining about not getting royalties...

[biznizz]

It'd be hilarious if it was about him somehow thinking that it was Image trying to reboot the Lost Ones as an ongoing to cash in on the upcoming Age of Apocolypse movie.

[horridus]

Well, so far we have a bunch of responses to questions regarding that tweet... and frankly, they're all rather vague. 

Gotta love how he acts like that cryptically worded tweet was perfectly understandable, and how it's everyone else who has a problem. At this rate, I'm wondering if he actually HAS anything and isn't just looking for attention by purposely hinting at something that's ultimately bogus. 

[Salamander]

Ken Penders: "I think I was pretty straightforward."

Ken Penders, ten minutes later: "Let's just say I'm playing fair and giving one last chance before the boom is lowered."

Ken Penders talks straight like he makes comic books: Not at all.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

I really dunno, it could be related to this:

A tweet of Penders from September 30th

 

This could be about Penders not getting his royalties.

Or maybe something about SEGA....

[Jason Berry]

It looks more and more that it's to deal with that Impact line and not with Sega or Knuckles.

[horridus]

It looks more and more that it's to deal with that Impact line and not with Sega or Knuckles.

Wouldn't that mean he'd be trying to take on DC comics then, given that it was an imprint they published?? Or is that still Archie? 

Edit: And we now have a bit of elaboration.

https://twitter.com/KenPenders/status/656933397479092224

Still pretty vague, but it doesn't have to do with Sonic it seems. 

Edit Again: Aaand more vagueness. 

Edited October 21, 2015 by horridus

[antyep]

....really? Common sense, fair play, and Penders don't really go well together.