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

[The Tenth Doctor]

First of all, Lien Da is hideous. Second, someone inform Sega at once. That Pretorian is one step too far. He can't defend that, he looks exactly how he did in Mobius 25 Years Later. Big mistake Penders. Just like this whole idea, its a big mistake.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I wonder what Sega would do if they did see that picture of Knuckles (I'm sorry but It's Knuckles and I'm going to refer to him as such.)

[Phos]

Can he seriously not draw a character that isn't melting?

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Can he seriously not draw a character that isn't melting?

Well given all the other artwork, I doubt it. Even that ''Not Knuckles'' ripoff is drawn in his horrible art style and yet it is easily seen as a ripoff of Knuckles. Same design, name changed.

[Willsy]

So first we have Knuckles. Then we have Buffles. Now we have WHAT THE FUCKLES.

Yeah I can't see Kenny getting away with that. SEGA's legal department are going to go to town on this.

[Milo]

This picture should be the only proof of evidence Sega and Archie's lawyers need to prove Ken's practically plagiarizing their characters by this point. You can't go any lower than what is essentially Knuckles from either Archie's Mobius: 25 Years Later or Sega's Sonic OVA, beaten with Ken's trademark ugly stick.

[Big Panda]

Can he seriously not draw a character that isn't melting?

Oh Christ, how will the already melty looking Cobar look...Christ...

[- Eternal Paradox -]

 

 

How Penders thinks he can claim this as his own is beyond me. It's a SEGA Echidna. What makes him original? The hat?

NOPE.

 

Okay, so he shifted the colour a little, changed the emblems. But it's almost LITERALLY Knuckles ripped straight out of Mobius: X Yrs Later! Here's an image for comparison:

 

THEY'RE LITERALLY THE SAME GUY.

 

I wish I had a direct feed to Sega's legal team. Sega all already having to deal with a whole new brand of the Sonic franchise. They don't need this shit bringing their name down and confusing fans further.

 

KILL IT. NOW.

[Iggy]

Okay, that's effing Knuckles. Putting a blonde goatee on him doesn't automatically turn him into one of your crappy 100% original characters. Seriously, grow an original thought for once in your entire life.

[SweeCrue]

 

 

 

 

Is that Angel Island on one of those emblem things on his hat?

[Badnik Mechanic]

 

 

Yeah I remember this episode.

 

This was the one where the crew of Star Trek encountered that planet full of cowboy echidnas who had been assimilated by the borg.

[Vertekins]

I already knew that Penders was riding the coattails of SEGA and Archie to sell his crap. Now I know he's absolutely capitalizing on Knuckles' image itself to do so going by this reveal.

 

I mean just think about it - Kid who likes Sonic goes into shop and sees The Lara-Su Chronicles on the shelf showing Not!Knuckles on the cover/spine/back. More than likely they're going to be led into believing that this is a SEGA product because of Not!Knuckles and may very well be compelled to purchase it whilst under that impression that official SEGASonic characters feature in the book only to realize later that they've effectively been duped, misled into buying this shit.

 

It's fucking low to shamelessly ape SEGA's character in this manner for the obvious sake of attention and sales and I hope SEGA come down on this like a ton of shit.

[Gabz Girl]

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? That's Knuckles! It's fucking M25Y Knuckles! Same colour, dreadlocks, robotic eye, the OVA hat...IT'S KNUCKLES! He's done hardly anything to differentiate this so called Praetorian from SEGA Knuckles.

 

No way is Ken Penders gonna get away with this if he wants LSC to be a big thing. Let's hope SEGA sees this and C&D him up the ass! >=/

[Big Panda]

Is that Angel Island on one of those emblem things on his hat?

No it's the Floating Island. Big difference. Apparently.

[Your Vest Friend]

No it's the Floating Island. Big difference. Apparently.

 

Angel Island was literally called the Floating Island in a lot of Archie's run. And Sonic Underground. And in the American game continuity prior to Sonic Adventure.

[t0ms0nic]

Is that Angel Island on one of those emblem things on his hat?

 

I don't think people are noticing this part enough. I can't pull up a quick comparision right now, but isn't that the exact same shape as Angel Island, even down to looking like a redraw of Sonic 3's sprite, as all the comic artwork of it did in those days?

 

I really don't know what to say. If this gets taken back to court and he manages to make it off the hook again, despite now outright plagirizing a genuine character straight from SEGA, I'm... going to be worried about quite a few things. Considering he owns Evil Sonic, and the idea he could decide to drag an expy of Sonic in at any point with as few changes as this...

[Big Panda]

Angel Island was literally called the Floating Island in a lot of Archie's run. And Sonic Underground. And in the American game continuity prior to Sonic Adventure.

I know. I was mocking Ken's inability to be original.

[Mega]

Is there any way we can contact SEGA about this, because this is actually potentially damaging to their trademark/copyright. They may HAVE to pursue this in court.

[Willsy]

Oh, they will. If SEGA can go after innocent Yputubers with copyright claims for making videos about games they don't even make anymore, I assume that they will leap at the opportunity to go after someone they actually don't like. Except this time it's entirely justified.

[Delta Starfire]

Amazing. If Sega didn't already have a legal case, they must have one by now. This is just taking the absolute piss!

 

I already knew that Penders was riding the coattails of SEGA and Archie to sell his crap. Now I know he's absolutely capitalizing on Knuckles' image itself to do so going by this reveal.

 

I mean just think about it - Kid who likes Sonic goes into shop and sees The Lara-Su Chronicles on the shelf showing Not!Knuckles on the cover/spine/back. More than likely they're going to be led into believing that this is a SEGA product because of Not!Knuckles and may very well be compelled to purchase it whilst under that impression that official SEGASonic characters feature in the book only to realize later that they've effectively been duped, misled into buying this shit.

 

It's fucking low to shamelessly ape SEGA's character in this manner for the obvious sake of attention and sales and I hope SEGA come down on this like a ton of shit.

 

Y'know, your comments reminded me of something similar that I've run across in my travels. I can't find images of them without more extensive searching, but if you wander around Amazon or a video store, you may just happen upon a DVD of a computer animated film called Puss N Boots... or a traditional animated film called The Frog Princess... Now, savvy customers like you or I won't be fooled for more than a second (if that), but our grandmothers or young children might be, and that's what the creators of these cheap knock-offs are counting on.

 

What Penders is doing with LSC...? It's doing to Sega and Archie Comics almost exactly what the creators of Puss N Boots or the Frog Princess do to Dreamworks and Disney. It's a cynical, insincere ripoff of a superior product that will fool people who don't know any better into thinking that it's the real thing. And with that, my respect for Penders has diminished even further. 

[Solly]

Holy shit almighty, this guy's art is terrible. I mean, I'm not a skilled artist by any means (or even an artist, period), but every piece of promotional art I've seen for this is nothing short of hideous.

The character's faces look like smooshed clay. He tries to make his Echyd'nyas (Jesus Christ) look "realistic" by not giving them prominent outlines, but it makes everything just sort of blur together. It doesn't help that everything looks like it has essentially the same 'texture' so the only tool he uses to try and define subtle details (like muscles or wrinkles in cloth) is by using the same god awful shading technique in every picture. What is the light source in this image anyway?

[Mega]

Wait until he introduces Not!Sonic with an equally stupid name and a mustache to differentiate him from Sonic. It wouldn't surprise me at this rate...

[Tani Coyote]

Okay, that's effing Knuckles. Putting a blonde goatee on him doesn't automatically turn him into one of your crappy 100% original characters. Seriously, grow an original thought for once in your entire life.

Actually?

Given that Jules is just Sonic with an extra strand of hair and some clothes and yet Ken was given co-ownership...

I'm seriously legitimately fucking terrified that he's going to be able to claim this Praetorian guy as original.

Gotta love judicial precedent.

[Delta Starfire]

Y'know what's sad? I actually think the "Praetorian" is Penders's best artwork for LSC yet. No, seriously, I don't think it's a bad drawing. I don't think it's a good drawing either, but it's not hideous like Lien-Da or Lara-Su at least. And this is sad because the only artwork he's done for LSC that isn't god-awful is a blatant ripoff that may well kill this entire project. 

 

...we can only hope. 

 

The character's faces look like smooshed clay. He tries to make his Echyd'nyas (Jesus Christ) look "realistic" by not giving them prominent outlines, but it makes everything just sort of blur together. It doesn't help that everything looks like it has essentially the same 'texture' so the only tool he uses to try and define subtle details (like muscles or wrinkles in cloth) is by using the same god awful shading technique in every picture. What is the light source in this image anyway?

 

Yeah, seriously. What is wrong with outlines? Professional comics artists use them, Ken...

[Big Panda]

Actually?Given that Jules is just Sonic with an extra strand of hair and some clothes and yet Ken was given co-ownership...I'm seriously legitimately fucking terrified that he's going to be able to claim this Praetorian guy as original.

A lot of the characters he tried to use where originally "Knuckles with an additional feature/colour-change/sex-change/etc." and he was forced to alter their designs so that Sega would get off his back. But this is just cutting it too fine to go unnoticed.