232 replies to this topic

[furrykef]

Jeez. What a mess. I don't typically follow this sort of news very closely. But, come one. Way to think about the fans, Penders.

I think it's been clear that Penders only ever thinks about himself. He once backstabbed Ben Hurst.

[RedMenace]

...Wow. Well, that's something for me to look up.

[furrykef]

From this page (which in turn is from old Usenet posts):

I did consult with DIC to see if there was a way to generate some enthusiasm for a feature film to be the "Third Season" of SatAm. I was given the name of a SEGA executive and had a most pleasant conversation. She had to go to a meeting, but said she would like to talk to me more about the idea.

The next day, I got a call from Ken Penders, who had been alerted by his contact in their office that I was interested in getting a Sonic movie going. I generously offered to include him in the effort and told him my strategy. Get SEGA to become invested in the idea by hiring us to interview their creative game designers, execs, etc and see if we could develop a story line that would fulfill the third season - and simultaneously give them creative ideas to develop new games. A win-win, situation.

Then, I called SEGA back, but I was shocked when the exec "lit" into me, telling me, "People pay US to develop Sonic product, we don't pay them!" Then she hung up on me. Obviously, Penders had related my strategy to them in a less-than-flattering way. Thanks for the knife, Ken.

So, I gave up. Later, I was informed by friendly fans that Penders had written in his message board or some such place that "Ben Hurst doesn't know how movies are made in Hollywood." (Hey Ken, read "Adventures in Screenwriting" by William Goldman and get some humility) Then he dropped hints that HE would be the writer for a big Sonic Feature Film.

Then later:

Just for the record: Ken [Penders of Archie comics] has often said (paraphrasing here) that "Ben Hurst says the torch has been passed to me for Sonic the Hedgehog" - usually expressed in a way to make it appear that I passed the torch to him. Not true. I was just trying to be nice. What I said was that since the comic was ongoing and the animated series was over, the torch had been passed [by default] to him. I was just trying to prevent a flurry of inquiries from fans pitting his opinion against mine on how the Sonic Universe should be sculpted after SatAm ended. The way he has expressed it in the past seems to convey the impression that he has my approval of his work. He doesn't. I've not read a single comic.

Yeah, there's pretty much nothing to like about Ken Penders as a person. And, in my opinion, not much to like about him as a writer or artist either...

[RedAuthar]

The ones truly losing out right now are fans. Honestly I'm surprised the comic hadn't been canceled just so Archie wouldn't have to deal with it.

[Vampfox]

Another update.

Archie v. Penders Case Mediation Postponed to October
Surprising Move Given Diamond Legal Notices

One would think that, given the uncertainty that exists with some circulation of current and future Sonic comic releases in the wake of Diamond Comics abiding by a legal notice pertaining to Knuckles Archives #3, Archie would want to get to the table and talk things out with Ken Penders’s counsel as soon as they were able. An opportunity for such talks was coming up on Tuesday, the first scheduled mediation session in the case.
It turns out that will happen much later than originally scheduled. It was Archie’s counsel that sent this latest adjournment request (after Penders’s lawyers approved, says the letter obtained through public record) to judge Richard Berman, who then approved it a day after we reported on the legal notice to Diamond. The letter was dated September 12th, the same day our story broke.
Scheduling conflicts on all sides due to religious holidays and other matters are to blame for the delay. Judge Berman ordered the mediation session be scheduled to a date no later than October 24th. A subsequent status conference, once scheduled for October 3rd, will now be held on the 30th.
Why is that important? Barring any intervention, it in theory will allow Penders and his legal team, if they so desire, to press on with legal notices pertaining to upcoming Sonic issues they feel violate copyrights that, while being contested by Archie in this case, remain legally valid. If successful, such notices could have an impact on the availability of future Sonic comics and re-releases published by Archie, including The Complete Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Encyclopedia, which is scheduled for release on October 30th.
We will continue to follow developments.

[RedAuthar]

Either A) they never finished the encyclopedia so they're cheating to get more time or they're hoping his popularity will drop because he's doing this.

[LogiTeeka]

I sure hope this whole issue gets solved quickly. Last night, I dreamt that Penders was suing me for supposedly copying one of his characters for my own series. And the odd thing was, they had nothing in common.

What? I have weird dreams sometimes, everyone does. But if this court case goes in his favor, this dream may become a reality. I hope that never happens.

[RedAuthar]

Was reading an old Sonic Issue (Issue 14) and I came across this....

If Penders didn't sign any of his scripts this early on it is quite possible he goofed and didn't sign his contract either.

[Uncle Ben]

Was reading an old Sonic Issue (Issue 14) and I came across this....

If Penders didn't sign any of his scripts this early on it is quite possible he goofed and didn't sign his contract either.

lol. you may have a point there

[RedMenace]

You hear that, Chief? It's up to you to clear everything up.

[blue]

Was reading an old Sonic Issue (Issue 14) and I came across this....

If Penders didn't sign any of his scripts this early on it is quite possible he goofed and didn't sign his contract either.

Yow, I kinda weary of the comic's credits right now.

[bwrosas]

Just who really won? Or what do you think the argeement terms are?

Comments are Welcomed

[Uncle Ben]

Archie did i think (i hope). I think the terms are that Archie can use the characters but with credits to Penders. or that Penders cant say anything about it while Archie uses them.

I just hope Penders doesnt "win" the settlement cause we lost a good chunk of good characters