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

[Stasis]

He's basically retired and doing this to keep himself busy.Outside of publishing you could easily get this done in a year.

 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

1 hour ago, Stasis said:

He's basically retired and doing this to keep himself busy.Outside of publishing you could easily get this done in a year.

That's even worse!

Like fam could've redesigned his characters to be less Sonic-like and more unique, could self-publish it, and actually make some passive income if that were the case. Like damn, there are far better ways to keep yourself busy than this!

[horridus]

1 hour ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

That's even worse!

Like fam could've redesigned his characters to be less Sonic-like and more unique, could self-publish it, and actually make some passive income if that were the case. Like damn, there are far better ways to keep yourself busy than this!

That's the thing- Penders doesn't WANT them to look less like Sonic characters. When this all this started, the initial batch of redesigns he released were still obvious SEGA-styled Echidna, save for the altered colors and clothes and so forth-

Penders' subsequent changes to the style in the present, horrifying semi-realism is because he's basically trapped- no matter what he says, deep down he's painfully aware that the Sonic Connection is the only thing that gives him any kind of attention. However, if he were to use the Sonic style as initially planned? Then THAT could potentially open him up to litigation given that it infringe upon SEGA's style and be seen as blatantly trying to profit off of them. The present designs still make them blatantly Sonic styled echidna, but with the more humanoid shapes and 'realistic' designs, that just enough of a distancing to be considered distinct. Even though it looks wretched.

He could, in theory, redesign the Echyd'nya from the ground up, the way he did for Liza... but that's his bread and butter, and he's not willing to fully abandon the only thing that gave him any kind of fame or notoriety in comics.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

20 hours ago, horridus said:

He could, in theory, redesign the Echyd'nya from the ground up, the way he did for Liza... but that's his bread and butter, and he's not willing to fully abandon the only thing that gave him any kind of fame or notoriety in comics.

Which is even more silly on his end, because if he did abandon that--or at the very least use it as a springboard to redesign them into something more distinct and less like Sonic--he'd actually get a lot further than he already is!

Fam could use his experience to produce his own works and then go off to make bank off of them. And since he already has notoriety, he could at least use that to build an audience.

The fact that he even knows of this topic and is probably reading the post here (WHICH INCLUDES MY OWN POSTS IN THIS TOPIC, SO PENDERS I HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOU'D EVEN REFUSE TO STEAL IDEAS FROM ME THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP YOU OUT GIVEN THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY READING THIS POST RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!!!!!) makes even less sense as to why he's more interested in trolling than being productive.

SERIOUSLY!

I was at least expecting more than just a few pages of this work after 12 years of this going on!

[Lorekitten]

7 minutes ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

The fact that he even knows of this topic and is probably reading the post here

Wait... he does and he is? If I'd known that, I would've been a tad bit more respectful in what I've said here. Whatever else he's done, he's still a human being and I certainly wouldn't want to say the kinds of things I've said about him to his face in the same tone I've said them in here.

At the same time, I must admit that I find it difficult to think of nice ways to explain the sort of feelings I have about his continued behavior. He's still digging his own grave and sooner or later it's going to come back to bite him, and pretending otherwise will help nobody.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

3 minutes ago, Lorekitten said:

Wait... he does and he is? If I'd known that, I would've been a tad bit more respectful in what I've said here. Whatever else he's done, he's still a human being and I certainly wouldn't want to say the kinds of things I've said about him to his face in the same tone I've said them in here.

At the same time, I must admit that I find it difficult to think of nice ways to explain the sort of feelings I have about his continued behavior. He's still digging his own grave and sooner or later it's going to come back to bite him, and pretending otherwise will help nobody.

Dreadknux himself has met and spoken to him at a convention by introducing himself as the owner of this site, and Penders' reply was "Oh those are the people that hate me" or something along those lines.

Yes, he knows about this site, and definitely abou tthis topic with his name on it. I would think that, given this is the case, he would actually take some tips despite the hate, but pride tends to do that to people apparently.

Edited January 22 by CrownSlayer’s Shadow

[Lorekitten]

3 minutes ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

Yes, he knows about this site, and definitely abou tthis topic with his name on it. I would think that, given this is the case, he would actually take some tips despite the hate, but pride tends to do that to people apparently.

Well, when someone sees you as the enemy for whatever reason (justified or otherwise), they're much less likely to take advice from someone they believe hates their guts. It's more an emotional reaction than a rational one, but it is what it is.

The internet would be a much more civil place if more people realized this.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

5 minutes ago, Lorekitten said:

Well, when someone sees you as the enemy for whatever reason (justified or otherwise), they're much less likely to take advice from someone they believe hates their guts. It's more an emotional reaction than a rational one, but it is what it is.

The internet would be a much more civil place if more people realized this.

I'm kinda the opposite. I'll take the advice, then do it better.

IF I can do it, that is. Unlike most, I tend to recognize my own limits and try not to bite more than I can chew.

The benefit is people are less likely to do it to me, because if they do they'll be giving me exactly what I wanted in the first place. For example, I like dark stories, but if you don't like me and think you can do a dark story better...thanks for giving what I like? What were you expecting?

Edited January 22 by CrownSlayer’s Shadow

[horridus]

3 hours ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

Which is even more silly on his end, because if he did abandon that--or at the very least use it as a springboard to redesign them into something more distinct and less like Sonic--he'd actually get a lot further than he already is!

You are indeed correct, but try and keep in mind this simple thing- this is a man whose obsession with creating an App to compete with DC and Marvel's own comic book apps led him to take on even more work rather than just focusing his efforts purely on getting his own stuff out in any form at all first. Penders' priorities and understanding of how this all works is severely out of whack, and has been for a while. This is the same guy who spends money to make tie-in products for a product that doesn't exist, after all.

Even divorcing this from the copyright stuff, Penders' decision making in general is just terrible.

2 hours ago, Lorekitten said:

Well, when someone sees you as the enemy for whatever reason (justified or otherwise), they're much less likely to take advice from someone they believe hates their guts. It's more an emotional reaction than a rational one, but it is what it is.

The internet would be a much more civil place if more people realized this.

You are indeed correct, and Penders would have little reason to heed any advice or criticism he see's here given the very real place of hostility it all comes from. Trouble is though? It wouldn't matter if this thread was filled with nothing but praise for him- anyone who challenges, criticizes or questions his decisions is automatically an 'enemy' in his eyes.

Back when his forum was around, there were plenty of fans who pointed out the flaws in his thinking/writing, and these were actual fans who otherwise praised him... he dismissed them just as readily as he did as his openly disdainful critics. It doesn't matter how softly or how harshly you approach criticizing him, the end result only differs in the extent of open disdain he feels towards you for daring to question him at all. This is reflected in how he talks about the people in real life who inconvenience or give him input he doesn't like- Bollers was trying to 'undermine' him, the SEGA exec who questioned the plot of Sonic Live 'didn't understand fun', an editor approaching him more firmly was 'interjecting himself in the creative process', etc.

Put bluntly? This is a guy who flat out refuses to learn or understand others in any meaningful way. Other people are there to validate him, and if you don't do that 24/7? You're not much use to him.

Edited January 23 by horridus

[Lorekitten]

Well, I might as well say it to Penders anyway: I do not always have chill and I do not always have tact, and for that I apologize. I'm actively trying to not be a dumpster fire, and I've made a heckin' lot of progress on that front over the past few decades, but I don't always remember to activate my conversation filter and that's not something I'm proud of.

That being said, it would be wise to consider what other people say to you and if they may actually have a point.

(Also I don't actively want you to do anything that would get the pants sued off you, it's just that if you don't make some changes to your current path that's the only foreseeable option.)

[StreetSonic2022]

Honestly, I don't give a damn about him if he's on here or not. I said negative things about him and his writing in a totally different forum from a different franchise. He's super lucky that I hadn't posted that much about him in the Sonic forums right now. As @horridusmentioned, Penders refused to learn, understand others or take any criticism to heart. I know that because I heard of the incidents about him wasn't being a team player when working in Archie as he was going at it with Karl Bollers (also having so much free reign with the Knuckles stories because of Justin Gabrie). All because he wants to be like "Jack Kirby", not with that attitude of acting like "this my way or the highway". 

[Promethean0416]

Well, here's the latest randomness from the comments section from the most recent update:

Quote

In Geoffrey’s Data File, which is included in THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS, his species is listed as Mephitidae. If I recall correctly, I looked up what the scientific term for a skunk would be, and I thought that was a perfect way to classify what Geoffrey was in terms of the story and his relationship to others. In figuring out how to list the species, it also raised issues on whether or not interspecies relationships were possible. For the most part, the answer is no. The only way this is possible is the same method Mr Spock was conceived and grew as an embryo: he was a test tube baby. His human mother could not possibly carry Spock to term as his biology was alien to hers. Thus, Sonic and Sally are possible as a romantic relationship, but she could never carry his children without artificial means. This is the level of detail I’m constructing for the stories in order to maintain a consistent vision throughout.

From the same person who once had the idea of this same character popping a certain someone's unripe cherry in the comics. Oh, and speaking of Data Files, the Commander's is still not filled in yet despite it being, what, over a month since he announced that?

Edited January 25 by Promethean0416

[The Tenth Doctor]

Forgive me but has there been pregnant characters in the comics? 

[Promethean0416]

3 minutes ago, The Tenth Doctor said:

Forgive me but has there been pregnant characters in the comics? 

Yep, for example, Exhibit A:

I don't remember if Penders was the one who wrote this or someone else...

EDIT: Had to fix due to broken link.

Edited January 25 by Promethean0416

[Promethean0416]

Apologies for the double post, but this just in:

https://kenpenders.com/another-step-forward/

He has officially crossed the point of no return with this update. The only thing left is to wait and see what happens next...

I will give him a bit of credit for the book design, it looks like some effort was put in regarding the materials used. Anyway, another suspicion that he did not meet his name quota for the "Special Thanks" page:

Quote

If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, what are you waiting for? I’m still wrapping up work on the last few pages as a result of the level of detail I’m adding to the story and art. While I’m doing so, I can still add names of those who do order a copy to the SPECIAL THANKS page.

Yeah, I know I said mid-January I was shutting down adding names, but I hadn’t anticipated my perfectionist nature kicking in the way it has. I used to pencil a page a day working 12 to 14 hours a day, and here I am penciling, coloring and lettering as rapidly as I can as I work 14 to 16 hour days to get this done. With each page, I keep adding even more levels of detail to the overall design.

How many of those hours are actually devoted to said project, I wonder?

Quote

So please forgive me for sounding like a commercial. I’d love to post a sample of the completed pages, but I don’t want to spoil the surprises awaiting everyone. Those who enjoyed my work previously, this is my best effort yet. Check it out!

So, more than roughly 10% went into this considering most of the art is the exact same as the original stories?

Edited January 25 by Promethean0416
Adding.

[Lorekitten]

I mean, to be fair, in the case of Elias and his wife both of them were squirrels, or at least Elias was half squirrel, half chipmunk, or however that's supposed to work.

Quite frankly, I'd take anything Penders says about how the Archieverse is supposed to work with a grain of salt, especially considering how many of his more 'out there' ideas were shut down, and probably for good reason.

1 minute ago, Promethean0416 said:

He has officially crossed the point of no return with this update. The only thing left is to wait and see what happens next...

I cannot possibly see this working out well for him in any way possible.

[King Scoopa Koopa]

2 hours ago, Promethean0416 said:

So please forgive me for sounding like a commercial. I’d love to post a sample of the completed pages, but I don’t want to spoil the surprises awaiting everyone. Those who enjoyed my work previously, this is my best effort yet. Check it out!

So this is "buy my work, sight unseen. I don't want to spoil anyone on my reprinted 25-year old material"?

[Adamis]

The text is off-center on the cover.

He didn't take the "dead zone" before the spine into account when designing it. This guy is supposed to be a pro.

[Leebo4]

Can someone tell me roughly from the description the size of the book as in the height please? Any other books to compare size for? Asking as I think I am curious enough to think about ordering; as a fun oddity for my sonic comic collection

[Promethean0416]

1 hour ago, Leebo4 said:

Can someone tell me roughly from the description the size of the book as in the height please? Any other books to compare size for? Asking as I think I am curious enough to think about ordering; as a fun oddity for my sonic comic collection

According to the order page, it's approximately 8” x 10.5″. A standard comic book is roughly 6-5/8 inches wide by 10-1/4 inches high if that helps some.

[Leebo4]

35 minutes ago, Promethean0416 said:

According to the order page, it's approximately 8” x 10.5″. A standard comic book is roughly 6-5/8 inches wide by 10-1/4 inches high if that helps some.

Thanks,

[Promethean0416]

Well, aside from the misaligned cover title as already mentioned, I noticed he took Anthony Mackie's face off of the Commander and replaced him with this version:

 Original:

Current:

[horridus]

On 1/25/2024 at 4:05 AM, Adamis said:

The text is off-center on the cover.

He didn't take the "dead zone" before the spine into account when designing it. This guy is supposed to be a pro.

On paper, he is. Ten years at a mainstream comic company should indeed make one a pro. But then you remember that in all those ten years very little was demanded of him when it came to the quality of his work, so much so that he left once he had to deal with an editorial team that gave him serious pushback. And then, it all makes sense.

Anyway... it took the entire span of his career at Archie, and then some, to make this. To make proof of concept. Ten years to make a book where the majority of the material is pre-existing. And still no hint about the ACTUAL story this is all meant to tie into.

Edited January 26 by horridus

[Ryannumber1gamer]

You know what's funny? Remember the stink he kicked off when he wasn't receiving credit on Archie reprints? Remember how he kicked up so much of a stink that Archie overcorrected and started giving him top billing on reprints that he barely had anything to do with? 

Yet here, on his own unlicensed book of reprints, there's only one name written on it, and it's the big "KEN PENDERS". 

Where's Butler's credit for the artwork that's present within those reprints? Where's Spaziante's credit for the art that's been nicked and traced on the front cover? Where's the credit to the other people who contributed to Mobius 25 Years Later?

[Lorekitten]

3 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

You know what's funny? Remember the stink he kicked off when he wasn't receiving credit on Archie reprints? Remember how he kicked up so much of a stink that Archie overcorrected and started giving him top billing on reprints that he barely had anything to do with? 

Yet here, on his own unlicensed book of reprints, there's only one name written on it, and it's the big "KEN PENDERS". 

Where's Butler's credit for the artwork that's present within those reprints? Where's Spaziante's credit for the art that's been nicked and traced on the front cover? Where's the credit to the other people who contributed to Mobius 25 Years Later?

This is the same guy who threw a temper tantrum at Sonic Chronicles using characters resembling his own characters, but is now doing an entire book of reprints featuring characters 'resembling' characters that he never owned to begin with.

Is it scummy? Absolutely. Is it out of character? Unfortunately no. Is he going to get what's coming to him for it? At this point, I would be sincerely surprised if Sega doesn't hit him with the full legal hammer for it.