🎨 Artcow Ken Penders - Former Archie Sonic Comic Writer/Artist

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Funny thing is, the moment sonic was tossed in space was when I decided that shit wasn't worth spending money on anymore. That and "MOBIUS WAS EARTH ALL ALONG OMG" and "SPACE ALIENS CAUSED FURRIES"
Oddly enough, I like the space arc because there was no drama, just Sonic having space adventures for 4 issues.
 
Oddly enough, I like the space arc because there was no drama, just Sonic having space adventures for 4 issues.
I guess I'm just jaded about comics, even back then (I was 16) I couldn't be assed to read superhero comics because soon or later there's always some "oh no the main character of this who's one of the reasons why marvel/DC are juggernauts has just died and everyone's traumatized even though it's been the 50th time in the same continuity, THAT CHARACTER SURE AIN'T COMING BACK!" story and then a couple issues later that character is either resurrected from the dead or they never died in the first place, like sonic being tossed in space while everyone on earth mobius earth mobius thought he'd died was the moment my interest started dropping.

Killing off a character for the sake of pushing unit sales is a pretty transparently cynical thing to do, especially when you consider that the importance of a character to its plot is inversely proportional to the chances that character will stay dead. I actually had an argument at work a year ago with a co-worker about the avengers movie where spiderman gets pixelized to death and the dumbass seriously and genuinely believed that was the end of spiderman. Sure, Spiderman, that guy's gonna stay dead! But I digress.

The thing that made me go "This is bullshit" was that all of a sudden there were aliens out of nowhere and even the "good" aliens were massive dicks who went "Mobians should have all been turned into robots because robots are obviously superior because robots" and decided to condemn to death the alien who was supposed to turn everyone into robots and who instead did the exact opposite.

Also tails' parents were in space and never once even ATTEMPTED to contact their heavily traumatized child. In fact it's not even mentioned! The closest we got was "We can't because we're prisoners", and in my head I imagined the following scenario:

"But you can move around on the space station freely"
"Yeah but we're still prisoners"
"You have no constraints whatsoever"
"Yeah but we're still prisoners"
"There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING preventing you from going to a radio and go "Hey kid, it's us your shitty parents, we're not dead and we love you"
"Yeah but we can't"
"What could possibly--"
"Shitty writers"

It's like I instantly grew to have critical thinking that day and that's when I bailed on the comic. Nearly a decade later I checked up on the plot and it was like, tails' parents are back on mobius but tails' dad is a gigantic douche who tried to overthrow the king because reasons and then tails was a dick and then antoine was a dick but no it wasn't the real antoine it was a decoy for a long time and nobody ever noticed that the chickenshit walking french stereotype suddenly wasn't acting like himself anymore and then the penders plot constipation erasure the genesis wave happened and the whole thing was soft-rebooted and now sally looked different (boy did people piss and moan about it, and I mean "people" but it really was just a couple furries and 12 year olds on deviantart) and she had the hots for her own computer/virtual lynx because the characters in that comic are so artificial that she could fall in love with a hologram.

And I was all, wow I dodged a bullet here.
 
I guess I'm just jaded about comics, even back then (I was 16) I couldn't be assed to read superhero comics because soon or later there's always some "oh no the main character of this who's one of the reasons why marvel/DC are juggernauts has just died and everyone's traumatized even though it's been the 50th time in the same continuity, THAT CHARACTER SURE AIN'T COMING BACK!" story and then a couple issues later that character is either resurrected from the dead or they never died in the first place, like sonic being tossed in space while everyone on earth mobius earth mobius thought he'd died was the moment my interest started dropping.

Killing off a character for the sake of pushing unit sales is a pretty transparently cynical thing to do, especially when you consider that the importance of a character to its plot is inversely proportional to the chances that character will stay dead. I actually had an argument at work a year ago with a co-worker about the avengers movie where spiderman gets pixelized to death and the dumbass seriously and genuinely believed that was the end of spiderman. Sure, Spiderman, that guy's gonna stay dead! But I digress.

The thing that made me go "This is bullshit" was that all of a sudden there were aliens out of nowhere and even the "good" aliens were massive dicks who went "Mobians should have all been turned into robots because robots are obviously superior because robots" and decided to condemn to death the alien who was supposed to turn everyone into robots and who instead did the exact opposite.

Also tails' parents were in space and never once even ATTEMPTED to contact their heavily traumatized child. In fact it's not even mentioned! The closest we got was "We can't because we're prisoners", and in my head I imagined the following scenario:

"But you can move around on the space station freely"
"Yeah but we're still prisoners"
"You have no constraints whatsoever"
"Yeah but we're still prisoners"
"There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING preventing you from going to a radio and go "Hey kid, it's us your shitty parents, we're not dead and we love you"
"Yeah but we can't"
"What could possibly--"
"Shitty writers"

It's like I instantly grew to have critical thinking that day and that's when I bailed on the comic. Nearly a decade later I checked up on the plot and it was like, tails' parents are back on mobius but tails' dad is a gigantic douche who tried to overthrow the king because reasons and then tails was a dick and then antoine was a dick but no it wasn't the real antoine it was a decoy for a long time and nobody ever noticed that the chickenshit walking french stereotype suddenly wasn't acting like himself anymore and then the penders plot constipation erasure the genesis wave happened and the whole thing was soft-rebooted and now sally looked different (boy did people piss and moan about it, and I mean "people" but it really was just a couple furries and 12 year olds on deviantart) and she had the hots for her own computer/virtual lynx because the characters in that comic are so artificial that she could fall in love with a hologram.

And I was all, wow I dodged a bullet here.
Yeah, I agree the fake out deaths are really annoying because they don't have the balls to commit to the bit, but sadly you learn how to tune that gimmick out and focus on the stories when you're a fan of superhero comics. I didn't even care about the Sonic comic that much until Ian took over and cleaned things up a bit, although he had his problems, like with the Tails' parents starting a revolution bit you mentioned. You should check out World's Collide though if you haven't, not bad for a story that was cobbled together just to buy time to deal with the great Penders' snap.
 
I'm being serious here. What is the appeal of serious/semi-serious stories about a blue hedgehog that goes fast? It's like casting the Looney Toons in a drama, it just doesn't make sense to me. I can see why people enjoy the games but I just don't see the appeal of Sonic as a legitimate character.
 
I'm being serious here. What is the appeal of serious/semi-serious stories about a blue hedgehog that goes fast? It's like casting the Looney Toons in a drama, it just doesn't make sense to me. I can see why people enjoy the games but I just don't see the appeal of Sonic as a legitimate character.
It all goes back to Sonic SatAM and its surprisingly mature story about a bunch of freedom fighters battling against a tyrannical dictator who'd already taken over the world. There were even SUBTLE (and I do mean it) themes of environmentalism spread throughout. It was so much better than it had any rights to be, and while the comic started out as a mix of SatAM and Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog it started having a proper story of its own and that was alright! And then Penders happened.
 
I'm being serious here. What is the appeal of serious/semi-serious stories about a blue hedgehog that goes fast? It's like casting the Looney Toons in a drama, it just doesn't make sense to me. I can see why people enjoy the games but I just don't see the appeal of Sonic as a legitimate character.

Ironically, they actually fucking tried to do that to the Looney Tunes at some point, and look how well that turned out:

816620


To be honest, if Sonic really had to have more of an in depth story, it should be in the same tone as a Pixar or Dreamworks movie. Kid-Friendly, but marketable.
 
Ironically, they actually fucking tried to do that to the Looney Tunes at some point, and look how well that turned out:
Y'know what, it's people from Quebec who came up with that idea. You can blame canada for that one
To be honest, if Sonic really had to have more of an in depth story, I can't help but think but to essentially have in the same tone as a Pixar or Dreamworks movie. Kid-Friendly, but marketable.
And again, Sonic SatAM, that's where it all originated
 
And again, Sonic SatAM, that's where it all originated

I wasn't really saying that it was wrong or anything, it just seems that when people try to make Sonic "deep", they try way too hard to make it all edgy and dramatic, like what Penders did. What I was really trying to say was that it is still possible to make Sonic kid-friendly, but also provide a meaningful story.
 
I wasn't really saying that it was wrong or anything, it just seems that when people try to make Sonic "deep", they try way too hard to make it all edgy and dramatic, like what Penders did. I've also heard Season 2 of the show was weaker than season 1, which apparently exhibited more of what you stated in your previous post.
Season 2 was more executive meddling and less the writers going insane so even then it wasn't a ken penders situation and while weaker, the second season still did a lot right and had a pretty neat season finale that led into a third season that never happened (which I assume was where the aborted movie would have picked off. THANKS A LOT KEN, ass.)
 
It all goes back to Sonic SatAM and its surprisingly mature story about a bunch of freedom fighters battling against a tyrannical dictator who'd already taken over the world. There were even SUBTLE (and I do mean it) themes of environmentalism spread throughout. It was so much better than it had any rights to be, and while the comic started out as a mix of SatAM and Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog it started having a proper story of its own and that was alright! And then Penders happened.
Are you talking about the one with the chicken and drill robots where Sonic was voiced by Urkel?
 
Are you talking about the one with the chicken and drill robots where Sonic was voiced by Urkel?
That was Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, though Urkel voiced Sonic in both cartoons.

Sonic SatAM ("Saturday AM") was the one with Sally and co and robotization and such
 
That was Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, though Urkel voiced Sonic in both cartoons.

Sonic SatAM ("Saturday AM") was the one with Sally and co and robotization and such
Ahh I was 11 at that time and the only cartoons I really watched were The X-Men, Spider-Man, and Batman animated series. Oh and Gargoyles. Gargoyles was the shit.
 
That was Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, though Urkel voiced Sonic in both cartoons.

Sonic SatAM ("Saturday AM") was the one with Sally and co and robotization and such

I've only watched AoSTH so far, I just remember it for the YTP's of it I watched while I was in high school. (Yes, YTP was still a thing in 2013)
 
All this discussion of debauchery reminds me that Ian Flynn once said that a "Perfect date" for Fiona and Scourge involved rampant mayhem and ending the day fucking on Sonic's racecar bed, but in a more polite wording. Dammit, I wish I could find that post now

Edit: I'm willing to give Flynn the benefit of the doubt though and consider that he was probably fucking around a little since he knew where he stood with Archie and Sega.
You gotta admit though, that'd be pretty hillarious. The only way that could be even better is he'd found a way to traumatize Tails even more, kinda like that dude who had an obsession with drawing tails getting cucked, but without the autism
 
You gotta admit though, that'd be pretty hillarious. The only way that could be even better is he'd found a way to traumatize Tails even more, kinda like that dude who had an obsession with drawing tails getting cucked, but without the autism
In all honesty, Ian Flynn seems pretty cool by Sonic fan standards.
 
In all honesty, Ian Flynn seems pretty cool by Sonic fan standards.

I've always assumed that the reason we don't have a Sonic community thread is because they're all such fucking speds it would get boring.

It doesn't take much to be a "good" sonic fan, you just need to learn how to shut up on twitter and you've made it
 
You gotta admit though, that'd be pretty hillarious. The only way that could be even better is he'd found a way to traumatize Tails even more, kinda like that dude who had an obsession with drawing tails getting cucked, but without the autism
Are you talking about that dude who always drew Sonic fucking some chick people ship Tails with, with her talking shit about him as he's crying in the corner or some shit? DreamcastZ1 or something?
 
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