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

[Tylinos]

To be fair, people are allowed to have a life while they work on things.  It would be nice to get some news about TLSC's progress, though.  Now that I think about it, it's been a really long time since we heard something new.  Actually, I think the last we even heard was from Adamis rather than Ken. (When Adamis teased an art change in The Storm back in November.)

[SenEDDtor Missile]

2 hours ago, Idon'tcare said:

Anyway, this might sound dickish. But at this point, I think its safe to say that if we want that Lara Su chronicles comic/graphics novel thing to happen, we'll have to produce it ourselves since Ken Pender's is too busy either tweeting his support for Hillary and his hatred of Sega/Archie to actually get anything done.

Wouldn't he just try to sue us instead?

[Tenko]

I'm a tad jealous of him and other movie going patrons that have seen Deadpool lately, since with the birth of my twins 9 months ago it's kind of put a damper on opportunities for my wife and I to get time out to see any movies at the actual theater that we would otherwise have been all over.

But his tweet about Deadpool has me a tad confused. I was under the impression that it was rated R in the USA, doesn't that require parental supervision? I know in the UK and Australia it's restricted by ID to people 15+, and in New Zealand here it's restricted by ID to people 16+. His tweet makes a point of saying he doesn't think it suitable for people 12 and under. Has there been issue with young ones getting in or something in the USA, issues with the rating system etc? Just seems a tad weird to go making mention of that when it's been officially rated in pretty much every country as a restricted movie. Certainly not aimed at 12 year olds at all.

Kind of ironic too coming from a guy who wants to market his Sonic fan project at teens and touch on mature subjects etc.

[horridus]

*shrugs* Eh, him giving commentary on movies isn't really worth discussing. I'm just gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and suggest he's saying this due to idiot parents bringing their kids to this movie Because Superhero, cause I saw the same thing when I watched it last night. If he genuinely is complaining about the content despite the rating, then yeah that's weird, buuuut really, this ain't something worth discussing. 

[Idon'tcare]

3 hours ago, Tenko said:

 

But his tweet about Deadpool has me a tad confused. I was under the impression that it was rated R in the USA, doesn't that require parental supervision? I know in the UK and Australia it's restricted by ID to people 15+, and in New Zealand here it's restricted by ID to people 16+. His tweet makes a point of saying he doesn't think it suitable for people 12 and under. Has there been issue with young ones getting in or something in the USA, issues with the rating system etc? Just seems a tad weird to go making mention of that when it's been officially rated in pretty much every country as a restricted movie. Certainly not aimed at 12 year olds at all.

It's a throw back to an earlier statement he posted on twitter a few months ago. Remember the one where he states that a movie needs to be rated PG13 or its dead in the water? My guess is that he is actually surprised that a super hero movie that didn't fall into the PG or below ratings was produced by Hollywood.

 

7 hours ago, SenEDtor Missile said:

Wouldn't he just try to sue us instead?

Beats me, I guess it depends on how badly we mess it up according to his standards of story telling.

[Adamis]

12 hours ago, Tylinos said:

To be fair, people are allowed to have a life while they work on things.  It would be nice to get some news about TLSC's progress, though.  Now that I think about it, it's been a really long time since we heard something new.  Actually, I think the last we even heard was from Adamis rather than Ken. (When Adamis teased an art change in The Storm back in November.)

Exactly. He mentioned a Geoffrey data-file for translation, but I have yet to recieve it.

[horridus]

So, earlier Penders made his inevitable comment about the Archie delays (boasting about how there were never delays while HE was around... and then revealing they'd post his unfinished work to meet those deadlines, not seeming to grasp that admitting you couldn't keep up with deadlines isn't really a good way to indicate how much better things were when you were around), and naturally somebody called him over the fact his own project has been delayed for years now. 

There is a reason no other publisher has tried what you're trying. Numerous reasons, at that. 

Soo yeah, it's not much, but it's still LSC related, so here it goes. Further verification that this thing no longer has a stated release date. 

[The Tenth Doctor]

May sound rude but how old is Ken? I'm wondering if there's a chance he'll retire before finishing this giant never before tried project of his.

[Gabz Girl]

I haven't been in this topic for a while...he still hasn't posted anything new from his comic after that horrendous Mikael one? Shiiiiit.

[horridus]

11 minutes ago, Gabz Girl said:

I haven't been in this topic for a while...he still hasn't posted anything new from his comic after that horrendous Mikael one? Shiiiiit.

In fairness, his mother-in-law died recently after a long battle with illness. That being said, no, he has not. He's argued more about Sonic, Archie and SEGA (especially when the Sonic Movie's release year was revealed) than he talked about LSC. 

[Gabz Girl]

Just now, horridus said:

In fairness, his mother-in-law died recently after a long battle with illness. That being said, no, he has not. He's argued more about Sonic, Archie and SEGA (especially when the Sonic Movie's release year was revealed) than he has about LSC. 

Oh my God, I didn't even know that had happened. o__o My belated condolences to him then.

[RetroRy]

13 hours ago, horridus said:

So, earlier Penders made his inevitable comment about the Archie delays (boasting about how there were never delays while HE was around... and then revealing they'd post his unfinished work to meet those deadlines, not seeming to grasp that admitting you couldn't keep up with deadlines isn't really a good way to indicate how much better things were when you were around), and naturally somebody called him over the fact his own project has been delayed for years now. 

There is a reason no other publisher has tried what you're trying. Numerous reasons, at that. 

Soo yeah, it's not much, but it's still LSC related, so here it goes. Further verification that this thing no longer has a stated release date. 

Oh good, I was hoping somebody would post this since I was busy after calling him out (yes I am FairGuy07 on Twitter).

I love how he mentions he never promised a specific date.  I'm sure somebody on this board has kept track of the multiple release dates Ken has mentioned.  Last I remember, he was suppose to have the first issue/digital/movie/hologram released for San Diego Comic Con last year, right?

And seriously Ken, what are you doing that NO ONE ELSE has done?   An app with a digital comic?  Way behind on that one, sir.  Maybe even a motion comic?  That's literally been done 100 times already and it's not even the most popular medium.  But he is right about one thing, no publisher would ever do what he would do (release products for a nonexistent media that has changed about 50 times in the 5 year planning process and spend more time arguing on Twitter about why he was god's gift to a franchise he is clearly copying from than actually show any movement on said fan fiction).

[horridus]

Whelp. 

So much for me being relieved that there would be no chance in hell of him being able to use Dr. Finitevus... 

[Zaysho]

2 minutes ago, horridus said:

Whelp. 

So much for me being relieved that there would be no chance in hell of him being able to use Dr. Finitevus... 

 

Uh...

Well that's unexpected.

Does this mean he's seeking ownership or is he licensing?

[horridus]

Just now, Zaysho said:

 

Uh...

Well that's unexpected.

Does this mean he's seeking ownership or is he licensing?

He said 'purchase', sooo yeah, I'm thinking full blown ownership. 

[Tylinos]

I...  Really, Ken?

Well, first off, it's worth nothing that not all of the others are going to be willing to sell.  Sure, he might get some to do so, but others will almost certainly outright refuse, or ask for something way outside his price range.  This is why you should wait until things are finalized before making an announcement like this.

[horridus]

1 minute ago, Tylinos said:

I...  Really, Ken?

Well, first off, it's worth nothing that not all of the others are going to be willing to sell.  Sure, he might get some to do so, but others will almost certainly outright refuse, or ask for something way outside his price range.  This is why you should wait until things are finalized before making an announcement like this.

Given that most of the other significant contributors have moved on and likely have no real reason to cling to the characters, I'm not all that confident that they just won't see the chance for money and just shrug it off. 

Funny thing is, he gender bent Athair into 'Auri-On' and mentioned how the Ancient Walkers made him 'uncomfortable', and then you see his track record with other people's characters and... why, I guess is what I'm asking. He never cared about them at all. Why does he want them?

[Zaysho]

Makes me wonder how far he's going to get. He replaced Athair with another character because he couldn't get permission, so I get the feeling Gallagher may not be willing to sell anything over to Penders. Likewise, I'm not sure I see Bollers signing anything over, but who knows? Fulop is a maybe, given he's already signed over some of his rights during the first lawsuit, though the thoughts of Penders using Mammoth Mogul makes me very uneasy.

 

3 minutes ago, horridus said:

He never cared about them at all. Why does he want them?

The cynic in me feels like he'd probably use this as another point to rub into Archie's and the fans' faces. He has free reign to do whatever he wants with an old universe that Archie can't touch, and if he can secure rights to more of that material, he probably sees it as drawing in more readers. It seems that, in his mind, the fact that these characters were part of Sonic the Hedgehog has nothing to do with their popularity.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

You can bite the bullet all you want Ken, it isn't going to do you any good.

Bollers wouldn't think of selling his characters due to their fighting during their runs, and Gallagher already declined with the Athair permissions, so why would he decide to sell now?

By the way the thought of Mina being under Penders' ownership disgusts me to my stomach.

[MightyRay]

16 hours ago, horridus said:

Whelp. 

So much for me being relieved that there would be no chance in hell of him being able to use Dr. Finitevus... 

*cringes hard*

I hope they all say no. I thought I'd be over his shenanigans and for a long time I was. I actually had a bit of a laugh at some of things he did or said and watch my partner get irate at what he did. (He doesn't care for Archie Sonic... I've tried to convince him it is good bet he's as stubborn as I can be.) But I don't want this to happen. You've got your stuff Mr Penders please leave the rest alone. 

I don't wanna have to put copyrights and trademarks to Ken Penders on future oldArchie! drawings I do that feature characters he didn't make...

[Tylinos]

1 minute ago, Zaysho said:

...though the thoughts of Penders using Mammoth Mogul makes me very uneasy.

Yeah, Ken using characters he at least created is one thing, but when it comes to others' characters?  The guy's already gone on about how he dislikes when characters are used in ways the original creator didn't intend (while ignoring the fact the he wrote for licensed characters), so how would he even plan to handle doing that?  Would he suddenly decide to shrug off criticism of the very thing he criticizes himself because he owns them?

Owning a character you didn't create doesn't mean you now know how best to write them.  Mogul's a great example, because he's always had a very particular way of speaking...except during the one time Ken wrote for him as more than a cameo. (Sonic #117 and #118) In that story, he spoke like Generic Ken Villain #17.

[horridus]

Just now, Tylinos said:

Yeah, Ken using characters he at least created is one thing, but when it comes to others' characters?  The guy's already gone on about how he dislikes when characters are used in ways the original creator didn't intend (while ignoring the fact the he wrote for licensed characters), so how would he even plan to handle doing that?  Would he suddenly decide to shrug off criticism of the very thing he criticizes himself because he owns them?

Owning a character you didn't create doesn't mean you now know how best to write them.  Mogul's a great example, because he's always had a very particular way of speaking...except during the one time Ken wrote for him as more than a cameo. (Sonic #117 and #118) In that story, he spoke like Generic Ken Villain #17.

Heck, just look at how he wrote Athair vs how Gallagher introduced him. Athair was initially depicted as being an extremely excitable and passionate individual who deeply disdained the lifestyle of his ancestors. Then when Penders wrote him? Generic Cryptic Mentor Nubmer Two-Seventy-One. Oh and of course, when he wrote Mina he had her immediately snogging with (anti)-Sonci despite it being established she'd since moved on.

[King Scoopa Koopa]

The way he puts it, it almost sounds like terms had been discussed and it was just a matter of "do I or do I not?"

[MetalSkulkBane]

Honestly I can't even get upset by this. Months without any progress and what he gives us? "Hey, I'm going to make my project even more impossible."

For me it looks like he's just desperate, I almost feel bad for him.

Still, who could he get? I doubt he'll convince Bollers, so no Mina, Finitevus, Adam, Uma, Sandblast FF, Hope, Xorda or Bem.

Still, Decasare (Larry, Nerbs), Taylor (Mogul, Destructix), Strom (Khan), Chacon (Tommy) or Slott (Zonic) could agree, assuming he finds them, none of them will be too attached to their characters and they won't be scared away by Internet backlash. Penders only advantage is that this is the only way those writers can profit now. Archie isn't interested in buying those characters and none of them owns enough characters to start their own book.

But I mostly wonder about Gallagher (Walkers, Athair, Fiona). Penders talk to him before. So either 1 Gal said "No, unless you pay me", which gave Penders this idea or 2 Gal said "No" and Penders posted that tweet regardless.

[Tylinos]

1 hour ago, KingScoopaKoopa said:

The way he puts it, it almost sounds like terms had been discussed and it was just a matter of "do I or do I not?"

It's possible.  I'm trying to still see it as an open case, though.  Can't say for sure either way, so I figure I may as well look at the better thing still being possible.  Granted, the last time I did that with Ken, I assumed that the changes to Chaotix Quest didn't mean anything, so...

Eh, here's a different positive perspective on it: Even if this happens, and he gets the characters, it's honestly not a huge deal.  So, what, he gets characters that Archie wasn't going to touch anyway?  Worst that'll happen is he'll portray them out of character/personality just to further his own characters' plotlines. (See, again, Mogul in #117 and #118.)  Sucks, sure, but he's still going to be writing stupid stuff regardless, based on what we've been shown thus far.  If anything, it just means his use of other characters would be more easily subject to stricter criticism than his own characters.

 

22 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

Honestly I can't even get upset by this. Months without any progress and what he gives us? "Hey, I'm going to make my project even more impossible."

For me it looks like he's just desperate, I almost feel bad for him.

Still, who could he get? I doubt he'll convince Bollers, so no Mina, Finitevus, Adam, Uma, Sandblast FF, Hope, Xorda or Bem.

Still, Decasare (Larry, Nerbs), Taylor (Mogul, Destructix), Strom (Khan), Chacon (Tommy) or Slott (Zonic) could agree, assuming he finds them, none of them will be too attached to their characters and they won't be scared away by Internet backlash. Penders only advantage is that this is the only way those writers can profit now. Archie isn't interested in buying those characters and none of them owns enough characters to start their own book.

But I mostly wonder about Gallagher (Walkers, Athair, Fiona). Penders talk to him before. So either 1 Gal said "No, unless you pay me", which gave Penders this idea or 2 Gal said "No" and Penders posted that tweet regardless.

Yeah, honestly, the first thought that came to my mind when reading that tweet (aside from "wait what") was that it felt like another desperate pull for attention when he's had nothing new to report, and little progress.

Personally, I can't see Ken getting anything from DeCesare, simply for the reason that he's done work with Archie as recently as last year. (He wrote Archie #661, #662, and #664.) There's no way I can see him NOT being under contract.

Bollers feels unlikely, but that's only by way of Bollers seeming uninterested in the whole situation from the little he's spoken about it, and Bollers having so much created that wrangling it all up could come off as more of a hassle for him than it's worth.  Slott's way too busy with bigger things for me to see him paying Ken much mind.  Not sure about Romy Chacon or Frank Strom, though.

Kent Taylor seems like the most likely for Ken to actually get through to.  And as for Gallagher...  Basically what you said.  That situation was odd.  Maybe Gallagher gave him an offer a few years back, and Ken's now reconsidering it?