I'm just sorry that they didn't go with the greatest Robotnik design of all: For those who don't know what this is, a terrible Penders (or Lim maybe, I'm not sure) connect-the-dots game from some Sonic comic ultimately inspired one of the funniest things I've ever seen. EDIT: Turns out the original thing I linked had a few, uh, NSFW things, so a substitute link will have to do.
It's a shame that these great designs weren't used, they remind me of the greatest of all video game cartoons Captain N, which spoke to the heart of every boy who played video games in having characters that did not resemble their video game counterparts in any way, shape, or form. Maybe the ponytail Robotnik could've spoken like a pirate and the green one could've added the suffix -nik to random words.
Well Pencil Hill is my (now unused) Sonic Tumblr, and I got those pictures from those Ebay auctions that were listed.
When's he showing a panel of the Welsh translation of the Mary-Su Chronicles? I want to see it in Cymraeg.
...this all just reaffirms my personal hatred for SATAM and the other pre-IDW western Sonic stories. No wonder Sega bailed lmao
Who drew those SatAM concepts? Don Bluth? As someone who enjoys most* of SatAM for what it is and doesn't think it's as ridiculously far removed from the source material as people make it out to be, I feel very lucky I can even say that looking at those drawings. *There's definitely a lot that I don't care for in it, but the pros outweigh the cons.
Honestly, why did DiC loathe Robotnik's game design so much? Their cartoons always gave him wild redesigns, and those ridiculous SatAM sketches show they wanted to go even further.
Idk, it was a weird late 80s early 90s trend where the US thought they knew better than the Japanese creators. Dic also designed a really gross looking Bowser for the Mario show. It's not even just hating Robotniks design though. They hated Sonic's design. The US media took absolutely no queues from the source material, and while at least the UK Sonic comic was ok with the environments, in that and everything else all the other characters that weren't Sonic or a core character didn't even look like Sonic characters.
Did Nintendo of America have an official look for Bowser back then? In Japan there was the SMB box art and the in-game sprite, which had contradictory designs. Then the SMB2 (Lost Levels) manual established the standard Bowser design. Since SMB1 didn't have enemy art in the manual, and America didn't get SMB2, and SMB3 hadn't been released there yet, maybe DiC only had the sprite to go by? The SMB2 (USA) enemies tended to be more on-model than the SMB1 baddies.
I suppose that could be the case. I guess it just seems weird they wouldn't have been given like anything. It was a different time though.
I've decided to wait until we have actually passed beyond the end of May to catch us up... on Twitter that is. To tide us over, this post will cover the illustrious history of "The Republic TV Drama" Facebook page, a history that stretches back all the way to January 4, 2010. What shall we uncover along the way? ========== January 4, 2010 The oldest available post is of some behind the scenes photos. They are boring. The next post, from the same day, is to this website. I've mentioned it before, but as the website is not in English, I do not think Ken still owns it. Now, when discussing THE REPUBLIC, it must be stated that there is no way to discuss it without mentioning that it has a serious partisan lean. When THE REPUBLIC comes up early in the life of this here Sonic Retro thread, an official synopsis stated that the world of THE REPUBLIC was one where life was governed by a series of political extremes from both left AND right; the synopsis then preceded to list a series of these extremes that were exclusively the province of the right wing, which always made me roll my eyes. But this Facebook post saves a portion of what apparently used to be on the linked website, one which dispenses with the mask of neutrality: "What if the Right Wing got everything they wanted? What if you woke up and found everything was legal -- and illegal? It all happe..." The rest is lost to the ages. The third post, from that same day, links to the twitter page of THE REPUBLIC. It still exists (with a whopping sixteen followers and linking to the same website which now appears to be under Asian control, hereafter referred to as the "Asian website") though it hasn't been updated since last year. Maybe we can run it down in a different post. For what it's worth, the old link on Facebook has the title of the Twitter page as "Daring Drama." That twitter page, which is now simply called "The Republic," has this description: "America wakes to a new land. But as repression grows, the Alden family fights back. But how? And is it too late? Marc Singer, Sean Young star." A final post from this day invites us to "Meet the Aldens" courtesy of a number of cast photos. Look familiar? It might be for a reason we'll discuss later. On the off chance you can't recognize these big Hollywood stars, the given description may be helpful: "L to R: Shawn Stoller as Peter, Vito Cottone as John, Marc Singer as Frank, Claudia Perea as Pam, Ladina Spence as Katie. PHOTO COURTESY: Christian LePlus" Man, if every day on the Facebook page of THE REPUBLIC were as active as this one, I'd be here forever! Hopefully there will be long periods of total inactivity, but on a project this cutting edge that may be too much to hope for. [EDITOR'S NOTE: I might as well have been here forever.] ----- January 5, 2010 "We're one FX shot away from unleashing the trailer on the web. Look for it later this weekend." ----- January 9, 2010 What do you know, it still exists! "Here's the new trailer for the Republic, a revolutionary new web-series scheduled for debut early in 2010." I'm sure it'll be right ahead once I scroll up a bit. Another post that appears to link to the exact same Youtube video. ----- January 25, 2010 "Floating Island Production is here at NATPE - National Association of Television Program Executives. Hoping to get plenty of feedback on The Republic trailer and our other projects. Wish us luck!" ----- July 21, 2010 Don't worry, I will be selectively omitting what is unnecessary, like a good chunk of the many otherwise dull posts hyping up their BIG APPEARANCE at Comic Con. But some deserve to be posted here: "We're here at the #Comic-Con!. @TheRepublicTV has arrived. Things are a bit crazy. People are everywhere. Lots of supporters stopping by." "Even the kids are lovin The Republic! 1 minute ago via txt" "Just saw our friends from Dreamworks! Looking good at the #Comic-con at booth 3915 @TheRepublicTV" July 22, 2010 "Marc Singer just called to offer best wishes at #Comic Con He wants everyone to enjoy The Republict Trailer @TheRepublicTV 11 minutes ago via txt" Well, actually, he's probably the same Marc Singer that plays "Frank," from the cast photo above. Still though, LOL at "Breaking News! THE Marc Singer has wished us well!" "Preview nite at the #Comic-con is over There was a lot of people excited about The Republic @TheRepublicTV" "Two young Sonic fans at the #comic-con stopped by to see Ken Penders and buy a book @TheRepublicTV" "A boy named Tyler came by our booth - says The Republic looks "cool" We're at the #Comic-con Booth 3915" "Cleaning crew at #Comic-con jiving to the Republic theme song(y) #sdcc @TheRepublicTV" I could go on about these "real people" who all thought THE REPUBLIC was great but it's just mild enough to be generally uninteresting. ----- July 23, 2010 "Imagine: The country collapses. No school. Military rule. It's time to pledge allegiance to The Republic. Marc Singer, Sean Young star. Sneak peek at the San Diego International Comic-Con, booth 3915." Groundbreaking stuff. ----- July 24, 2010 "It's finally here! Your first sneak peek of the Republic! (It's a really big file...please be patient.)" Of course it links to the Asian website. Comically, if you do click the link, you get this: "Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here." Maybe the link does work. ----- July 25, 2010 "Well the 2010 Comic-con is history. The Republic preview was hot topic of conversation. Ladina Spence's song was a big hit. Even the cleaning crew got into the act - they were jamming to the theme song. A big success!" ----- July 28, 2010 "Now that #Comic-Con is over, we're back in the studio finishing editing The Republic. Stay tuned." The first episode must come out towards the end of 2010. ----- July 29, 2010 "NEWS FLASH: Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Marc Singer, star of the Republic, coming soon." September 9, 2010 The interview, which no longer exists because the website it is on (which I used to write for!) no longer exists. I include the link for anyone who wants to dig through archive.org; I think I've suffered enough. ----- September 29, 2010 "Great news! We're meeting with network execs for a possible pickup! Consequently our online debut has been slightly delayed. Look for more exciting news coming soon." January 19, 2011 "Happy New Year from The Republic!!! While we experienced unexpected delays in 2010, things are moving fast and furiously in 2011. BIG NEWS: We're shopping the series to a host of network execs -- with genuine success and lots of excitement. BONUS: Facebook fans will get a first look at a sneak preview episode coming soon." Hmmm. ----- February 6, 2011 An actual "exclusive sneak preview episode." https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1876048340492 I choose to keep the 15 minutes of my life but if anyone else wants to watch and review have at thee. ----- August 6, 2011 "The Republic is winding up post production!!! We're finally in the home stretch!" It's interesting the things you see over and over when dealing with things by and about Ken Penders. ----- August 26, 2011 A video about the "upcoming" new series starring Director Ken Penders. Keep your ears peeled for what I can only assume is the song that "had all the janitors dancing" at Comic Con, and how comically it juxtaposes with the overall quality and (alleged) serious tone of the material. For those who remember Ken's usage of Holocaust poetry for a Sonic the Hedgehog side character's comic book, keep your eyes peeled for some of the photographs used near the end of the video. It was only two minutes, so I begrudgingly watched. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2377524837091 August 31, 2011 Oh, it's another video. Only a minute and not that interesting, except for the fact that it's the sort of thing about how great the actors are that you might think would be more fitting for a HBO special or similar behind the scenes segment about a movie already in theaters or a TV show close to airing it's first episode and not a web series nine years (and counting!) away from existence, not to spoil anything. This video also, I should note, features Director Ken Penders front and center. September 5, 2011 It's... another video. With the same music. Per the description: "The Republic: Opening Sequence The Republic stars Marc Singer (Beastmaster) and Sean Youn (Blade Runner) in this provocative look at one family's fight for survival in a increasingly repressive society." https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=215231438530248 Among other highlights are the quality of the floating island and what I believe is the same footage of historical photos that I mentioned above (guest-starring Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby!) to show that THE REPUBLIC is SERIOUS BUSINESS. But, man, that's a lot of videos. A break would sure be nice! February 8, 2015 Thank you! New cover photo. New profile picture. Hey, wait a minute! Remember when I said that the cast photo from five years ago (that is, five years ago from five years ago) seemed familiar? This photo really seems familiar! But why???? New... cover photo? New... profile picture???? New... cover photo???????? Man, I'm beat. I need a break! July 7, 2016 Thank you. New... video. Blegh. Four minutes? Pass. First man to appear? Donald Trump. Title of the segment? "The New Immigration Policy." Sorry folks, I don't think I can talk about this here even if I wanted to (I don't). [EDITOR'S NOTE: No embedding of this one since there is apparently a limit of five media elements in a single post.] The description, however, is politically-neutral AND most interesting: "Clayton Emery developed the concepts and script for THE REPUBLIC eight years ago, and he and his wife Susan L Therriault made it possible to bring this project to life. We were so far ahead of the curve on a number of levels as this sneak preview makes clear. Our options for getting this out there have also increased exponentially in the years since. Given what we had and have to work with still, we're now on the road to completion and hopefully much more beyond the pilot episode. Check it out this segment, "The New #Immigration Policy," and let us know what you think." The comments (all three of them) are not, uh, sympathetic. ----- July 10, 2016 "Currently re-editing sequences and remixing audio tracks of the pilot episode, which is almost a full hour long. Looking to release the pilot episode on iTunes, Amazon and/or Netflix. Looking to continue with more episodes beyond this, but still haven't made a decision to go the crowd-sourcing route. Check back here for further updates." I hope they make it on Netflix because if they do then there is literally no reason why I, or anyone reading this for that matter, couldn't get on Netflix too. ----- November 16, 2016 "Greetings from Director Ken Penders. My sound man/co-editor Jim Christopher and I are working to finish up the pilot episode of THE REPUBLIC, which had to take a back seat for a while due to personal matters with his ailing mother that Jim needed to address. A little history: this footage was shot more than six years ago. Our production, it turns out, was ahead of the curve in a number of ways beyond Trump's deportation edict. We were essentially producing a film that more than likely would have stayed on the shelf had it not been for the expansion of Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV given the realities of outsiders getting the attention of studios and networks. The pre-production and production phases were challenges in their own right, but it was the post-production phase that would prove the most difficult. Not only did we lack a budget, but I ended up delaying a lot of things as a result of Archie Comics and I getting into a major battle over the copyrights to all my work I did for them as a freelancer. Since then I'd been chipping away on the editing my own until I was able to convince Jim - who has some pretty impressive IMDB credits - came aboard to help me cut the promotional piece you see on this page. So while we're working to wrap this pilot episode up to make available via a number of methods of distribution, I can hear people asking -- where does this effort go from here? I've already been in contact with Creator/writer Clayton Emery regarding where THE REPUBLIC picks up, and while we're batting around a few ideas, I'm going to be getting in contact with the original cast and crew. If people think the clip we're showing now is hitting way too close to home, wait and see what the full scope of THE REPUBLIC unveils. More details to come soon." Ken reveals who is to blame for the long delays suffered by THE REPUBLIC: Archie Comics. ----- March 19, 2017 There is a quote of a post by "sound man/co-editor" Jim Christopher who I covered in the tweet recap series a while back; he is the one who got "upgraded" to the "empowering" title of "sound guru" as opposed to the "misleading" phrase "sound editor" (I guess Ken wasn't as enlightened way back in 2017). That quote is this: "We now have a complete recut of the episode. I'm currently working with Director Ken Penders on the sound editing and visual effects. We've lined up Ken's son Stephen - who's a very talented professional in his own right - to help out with the visual effects and final color correction. We're also including music written by Ken's other son Colin and Colin's band The Brewhahas for key sequences. (You can check out their music online elsewhere at this time.)" LOL at the blatant nepotism including the utilization of his other son's band. For what it's worth, checking on sound man/co-editor/sound guru Jim Christopher's Facebook page reveals that his last post, in 2016, was about his dog and the most recent post before that was from 2010. The answer to the question of how he identifies himself in relation to work is "Self-Employed." ----- April 19, 2017 "Jim and I locked in the visual image during the middle 20 minutes, with all visual FX completed and inserted, getting the segments combined and ready for Steve to color correct. The beginning and end sequences are more Visual FX heavy but they're coming along very nice as well. Colin is working on the music for the party sequence, which features songs by his band The Brewhahas." May 11, 2017 "Spent the day with Jim Christopher locking in sequences visually. Approximately 38 minutes and change worth, with about 15 minutes of footage remaining waiting for their optical visual FX to be inserted. We now have visual FX shots we didn't before. The opening and closing credit sequences are being reworked as well. Doing some pick-up shots this weekend of exterior locations to clarify the storytelling in a couple of points. Hope to have some new visuals for show soon." May 25, 2017 "Chris and I were out tonight shooting B-roll establishing shots to help clarify the storytelling. Meanwhile, Jim and Steve are working on visual FX shots. We are certainly making progress and looking to have a complete film sometime this summer. There's no way I can give a definitive date just yet, as people are working on this as their schedule allows. Updates will be posted as we go along. Stay tuned." June 1, 2017 "With the completion of the latest visual FX shot Steve is working on, the middle section of THE REPUBLIC is locked, ready for color correcting. We're about a couple of visual FX shots away from everything except for the opening and closing scenes being completed and ready for color correcting. The opening and closing scenes are the most visual FX shot intensive, so they require more attention. Once they're completed, that leaves just the color correcting and audio work left to be done. We're getting there." June 13, 2017 "Ken here with an update. The visual FX for the middle 20 minutes are finished and the section is visually locked, being prepared for Steve to do the color correction. The visual FX for the beginning and end sections, specifically what I call the "bookend sequences", represent the bulk of the work to be completed other than color correcting and designing the audio tracks. We're awaiting the original music - including actual songs - for the party sequence. Steve is currently working on a promo featurette that I'm hoping to bring with me to the San Diego Comic-Con later this summer for viewing to the general public. More details to come as things develop." Ken, this is starting to drag. I could use another break. July 6, 2017 "Spent Monday with Jim going over a lot of files, reviewing the latest work done and dropping off the footage we recently shot for inclusion. Checked out some of the visual FX work newly completed, and came away not only with the belief that my vision of the final product will actually be realized, but also discovered the delay in getting this film done benefitted us due to the improvements in the software used for the compositing and other visual FX. We will be a total HD 5.1 Dolby Stereo film when completed. At this time, while Steve and Jim continue actual work on the film, I have to bow out as I have a number of issues to address getting ready for San Diego Comic-Con. Once that's over, it's full steam ahead getting this finished. Stay tuned for updates." No luck this time. August 7, 2017 "Ken here with an update. Jim, Steve and Patrick are currently working on the visual FX of the beginning and closing sequences, which is very laborious and time-consuming. Once these sequences are completed, all that remains is the color correcting and audio work, which is expected to move along at a more rapid pace. We are also giving thought to adding a sequence if we can pull it off while the visual FX work is being done. The ONLY reason we are considering this action is to enhance the story by providing a bridging element with future stories, acknowledging the gap between when the film was first shot and things moving forward with a cast that's a few years older. If we can pull it off, great. If not, we stick with the original plan. While I'd like to post an updated visual clip, that would mean interrupting Jim from his current task, so I'm waiting for the completion of the current sequences before I make that request. Check back here for future updates." I guess I can't really complain, if he's actually working on it. October 31, 2017 "I meant to have an update much sooner than this, but my team was going through a rough patch, including the loss of a close relative, that it took awhile to get everything back on track. So it's with a deep sigh of relief I spent the afternoon with Jim reviewing the progress being made on the opening and closing sequences visual effects, which has always been the biggest concern. Jim made a couple of breakthroughs that proved to be crucial in working with the green screen shots we had, as well sharpening the images overall throughout the presentation. Just as we have a sequence that touches on the immigration issue in this country, we also have a sequence that touches on abortion, which was in the news recently due to the government fighting to force a young woman to give birth against her will. While we have the visual for this sequence locked, we still have to work on the audio tracks, so it's a tossup whether we release the sequence as an additional promo piece or just press on getting the entire film completed and released. I do have some behind the scenes photos which I will post shortly in the meantime." If we are to talk about THE REPUBLIC here in this thread, there's just no getting around the fact that Ken's politics are at its heart and center. ----- November 2, 2017 More photos. They're still not that interesting. ----- January 14, 2018 Not one but TWO posts about Ken's, uh, feelings, for, uh, a certain politician. At least these sentiments aren't contaminating the actual source material for THE REPUBLIC and making me unable to post those. January 22, 2018 "THE REPUBLIC Teaser While working on the opening credits, Steve came up with this teaser for THE REPUBLIC. We don't pull any punches who one of the villains in the story is." [EDITOR'S NOTE: Just click the link.] Oh for heaven's sake. Overlord, I'll take this or anything else out on your say, but this video combined with the post may be the least subtle thing I've ever seen and is worth watching for that alone. ----- May 3, 2018 "It's been a lot longer getting back with an update than I anticipated, but that's how it goes when you don't have a studio backing you for your day job. Seriously, I hadn't anticipated what an ordeal getting the - literally - last half dozen VFX shots completed plus a pick-up shot for the opening credits would be. Not only did we have delays due to sick moms and rainy days, but I also had to put things off when opportunity presented us the gift of aerial photography, which took our production values to another level. Instead of manipulating stock footage and JPEGs, we ended up with actual location shots filmed from the air during flight. Earlier today, I spent time with Jim reviewing the footage and sorting out what still needed to be done. I can safely report by this time next week, we will have a completely locked visual print, which will be delivered to Steve for color correction. In the meantime, Jim and I will be working on the audio mix, which includes a very evocative original score by Andrew Spence, with additional music by Colin Rehbein, Ladina Spence and the BrewHaHas. We're under the gun to get this done ASAP as we're going to lose Steve later this summer once his wife Ashleigh give birth to their baby boy. (I guess this makes their son Julian our first production baby as well.) I'll keep everyone posted for what's next once post-production wraps. At the very least there will be a viewing party for the cast and crew. Stay tuned." Okay, this is getting boring. ----- May 15, 2018 "FINALLY! We have our locked visual print of the full episode of THE REPUBLIC. We are into the final phase of post-production. I am working on the audio mix with Jim while Steve is handling the color correction. It's been a long hard journey to get this far, but we're doing it. One final note, as ahead of the curve as we were on so many things when we shot this, amazingly there are two scenes where we hadn't anticipated events to our benefit. I'm curious to see if anyone will recognize what shots I'm talking about when they see this. Stay tuned for further updates." Finally. The finished product, or directions on accessing the finished product, will probably be within the next few posts. ----- August 22, 2018 "At this point, we're beginning to discuss how to bring the completed episode to the public as Steve has been getting into a rhythm with the color correction and VFX enhancements. Jim is currently going through all the digital audio files and fitting them in to the audio tracks. Think of a very intricate puzzle, with each piece either a line of dialogue, a sound effect or a piece of music having to fit in a particular order and location and you're beginning to have an idea of the amount of work this part of the process entails. It'll be at least another week or two before Jim has a rough cut of the complete audio track for me to review and give notes on details needing further addressing. While I'd like to report more, at the moment, everything is a painstaking process getting the visual and sound elements completed for their prime time debut. Once Steve completes his section, Jim will overlay it with the finished audio tracks resulting in a completed film. Once that happen, I'll keep everyone posted as to what happens next." The next post will probably be their distribution deal with Amazon. ----- September 17, 2018 "LATEST UPDATE: Steve just turned in the color correction for the first 1/3 (approx. 20 minutes of footage) of THE REPUBLIC. More than likely he will complete his task before Jim does, which is expected as Jim's task is more complex and Colin is still working on additional music for the soundtrack which Jim will be incorporating into the finished film. Personally, I'm thrilled with what has been accomplished so far as what has been completed is the best this footage has looked since we started. (And no, this is not a slam on anyone who has worked with me previously on the footage. None of us had the tools and software then that are available now, which has enabled a quantum leap in our post-production process.)" From the comments: "I wonder if I'll see this done in my lifetime!! Lol. Hope so. Longggg time coming!! " Don't lose heart; once the SOUND GURU whips through the rest of the footage it's off to Netflix. ----- November 21, 2018 Another update, but one containing elements that make it unwise to post, not that I couldn't just take it out when Overlord makes me change the several other things. Anyway the middle third is done, REPUBLIC presumably imminent. ----- January 10, 2019 "Happy New Year to one and all. I 'm back after an unexpected two week holiday and looking to move things forward. Steve just notified me he's nearing the completion of the color correction, while Colin is finishing work on the additional music tracks we needed. Meanwhile, Jim is nearing completion of the dialogue tracks and preparing for the addition of various sound FX as well as inserting all the music tracks before the final sound mix." Not the whole post, but the missing half contains something that, while comparatively mild, isn't worth the hassle. ----- February 10, 2019 Okay, that's it. This post looks the same as all the others have for the last several months, which means it contains at least one of the following three points (and nothing else): 1) Work is being done on THE REPUBLIC. 2) Politics. 3) It's stunning how "ahead of the curve" THE REPUBLIC is. Actually, to save time I'm just going to notate 1, 2, and/or 3 as necessary. You won't be missing anything. May 1, 2019 1. May 28, 2019 1. June 30, 2019 1, but mildly interesting, so here it is: "Jim is finishing hooking up the surround sound system to his editing system so he can finish laying in a 5.1 Surround soundtrack for the film. It's been a bit hectic trying to wrap things up as Jim has been dealing with a 97-year-old mother in a nursing home. She's such a tough old bird we ought to feature her as a character in a future episode. There's nothing more I can do now until I get the call to review the audio tracks before giving approval for the final mix. I feel like an expectant father at this point." July 8, 2019 This one actually breaks the mold (kind of) in being a post where Ken takes responsibility for delays (kind of): "I'm afraid I have to take responsibility for any delays as I've been too busy getting ready to attend the San Diego Comic-Con to head out and go over the sound mix Jim has been working on. I've already scheduled with Jim to go over the material within the next 3 days once Comic-Con is finished. In the meantime, experiencing earthquakes on successive days has proven inspirational on how something like that would play out on a number of levels in future episodes. One last note: let's cheer on our own Ladina Spence as she makes it through auditions for THE VOICE. She did a great job on the vocals for the song "The Republic" which I'm sure you'll agree when you hear it. More updates to come. Take care." July 24, 2019 1. ----- August 2, 2019 1, "My reps are already pushing for a screening as they're preparing a plan of attack of taking THE REPUBLIC to market, so that's on the agenda while Jim wraps things up." ----- August 14, 2019 "Bernie & I were in the AT&T store the other day picking up a SIMM card when we noticed the employees needed to use a Fingerprint Reader to access their computers, much like we depicted in THE REPUBLIC way back when we originally filmed the character of Frank Alden (Marc Singer) accessing his computer. Yet another example of how far ahead of the curve we were. Other things we anticipated: the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (though not the location), ICE raids on Americans, Fake News, and Trumpism. Already thinking where we're going with the story to stay ahead of the curve when we pitch this going forward." This post is like the Platonic ideal of my struggle between reporting on Ken and filtering out his very conspicuous political feelings. It's JUST not overt enough to be theoretically tolerable, and yet it could be the thing that, on top of everything else, causes Overlord to snap and impale me with the Masamune (avatars here on Sonic Retro are required to be true to life). But this post is the very essence of why we make fun of Ken; the entire reason we're here is to notice and mock posts like these. He thinks that his pathetic web show which will never actually be released is groundbreaking because of generic science fiction cliches that were outdated by the fifties. "Our VISIONARY show was AHEAD OF ITS TIME in having a character use a computer." ----- September 18, 2019 "Bernie and I had a screening of the unfinished version of THE REPUBLIC - meaning it lacked a finished audio mix - for a person who's going to be assisting us getting THE REPUBLIC to market. After the screening, both he and his wife were overwhelmed by what they saw, impressed beyond words with what we accomplished on the limited resources we had to work with. As a result of the screening, he's going to be meeting with people who will help shape our sales pitch to potential buyers. (Despite what people hear, it's not that easy to get past the gate keepers.) One suggestion that was made, and I'm in the process of following up on it, is getting THE REPUBLIC entered into some film festivals. I'm already checking out what's coming up in Los Angeles and Boston and will post any and all details should something result on this front. In the meantime, Jim is plodding on with the soundtrack piece by piece. I plan on visiting with him in a few days to check on his progress. Stay tuned for further details." I probably should've just dismissed this with a 1, but it's been a while since our last post about nameless mystery people who were just overwhelmed by THE REPUBLIC. ----- October 14, 2019 "I'm just as anxious as everyone else is to finally see THE REPUBLIC completed and released to the public in whatever form, but as I'm also part of the process, it's also harder on me knowing even though I'm doing everything I can to get it out there, I have to be patient working under the conditions we currently are. I've been assisting in recent days acquiring additional sound FX needed to complete the audio tracks, while Jim is awaiting shipment of a cable to allow him to do the final mixing. (And this isn't the sort of cable a place like Best Buy or even the now defunct Radio Shack would keep in stock either. Not at that price.) I've also been looking at Film Festivals to submit the finished film for consideration, and I've identified a couple during the 1st quarter of 2020 that seem to be ideal for our purposes. I'm currently researching the details and will come to a decision about moving forward once I meet with Jim sometime next week. And as soon as I can figure out how to upload the audio files properly, we'll have some of our terrific soundtrack music for people to check out. Stay tuned for further updates." We're getting close enough to the present day where posts like these may offer clues about the current state of things. I think we're still in the "hunting for Film Festivals" phase. ----- October 31, 2019 "Happy Hallloween!! Tonight you're in for a real treat. We have exciting news about The Republic. We've enhanced the music score! Check out the boo-tifully enhanced audio version of the opening theme." [EDITOR'S NOTE: This did get me down to five.] I'm pretty sure everything in this video is many years old by this point. ----- November 6, 2019 I think today's post is one I've commented on before, since Ken's twitter linked to it. It's the "sound guru" one. Still checking on film festivals (uncapitalized this time). ----- January 23, 2020 "FINALLY!!! I received some great news from Sound Editor Jim Christopher today. The sound editing on THE REPUBLIC has been completed. He is now working on the final sound mix which we've scheduled for me to review this coming Wednesday, as he's already anticipating I'm going to want to tweak things here and there. (I really can't blame him as he knows I'm a stickler for details.) I'll have more details available after that meeting. Stay tuned." I pasted this before realizing that I should've just put a 1. January 30, 2020 1, 3. February 13, 2020 1, 2, 3. March 18, 2020 1. ----- April 2, 2020 "Halle-fucking-lujah!!!! THE REPUBLIC is now COMPLETED!!! And that alone should tell you everything how I'm feeling at this moment. Now that I got that off my chest, here's an update: I spent the day with Sound Editor Jim Christopher reviewing the sound mix for the entire film, tweaking this sound effect or that piece of music or even a random line of dialogue that didn't sound quite right. And yes, we did practice safe physical distancing, wore gloves and even - really - wore N95 masks that my better half Bernie & I purchased last year when working on a home improvement project. At the end of the day, we locked the opening logo sequence, reels 1, 2 & 3 of the film proper and the final end credit roll. Jim still needed to excise 2 random frames which inserted themselves during the mix (believe it or not, the software can operate randomly funky at times) and adjust some sound levels during one sequence before combining all 5 segments into 1 fluid viewing experience. Once combined, Jim's going to make me a master copy, which I'll review and notate the chapter breaks so he can format the disc properly. Once that's done, he'll begin making the requisite copies needed for the executive producers, key creators, copyright registration and to start showing the film around to the usual suspects. If worse comes to worse because of the current business environment, we'll simply upload the film for sale digitally on iTunes, Amazon and wherever else people get their digital content. Once Jim gets the initial batch of copies in my hand, he will work from a list I am already preparing to make demo discs for whoever from the cast and crew wants one. Those members of the cast and crew who do want one should notify me with their current contact info and mailing address. It took a long time to get to this point, but it's here, and hopefully the best is yet to come." Yeah, it's a shame that "the current business environment" is keeping this off Netflix, and LOL at iTunes or Amazon wanting this, unless those are deals where anyone can pay to host their own work, meaning Ken has literally zero more advantages than I do. Also LOL at this operation being so bush league that MEMBERS OF THE CAST AND CREW have to go out of their way to get demo discs IF THEY WANT ONE in a process no less simple than sending away for cereal box prizes. Upon proofreading this it's even worse, because it comes across like this tweet is how the cast and crew are supposed to find out how to get a demo disc, as opposed to, say, being told in person. ----- April 7, 2020 "I finally have a master copy of THE REPUBLIC in my hands. Spent the past hour and a half going through it, writing down where the chapter breaks should be inserted and noted two tweaks Jim needs to make as a result of a software incompatibility. I also worked on the label art for the finished discs once Jim produces them. Will have more details of what's next real soon. Stay tuned." What a coincidence, I've spent AT LEAST the last hour and a half going through this. At least we'll both probably make around the same amount of money. ----- April 10, 2020 "This is the art I created for THE REPUBLIC disc labels which Jim is currently producing for submission to various parties. More to come." As I'm sure you all guessed, this is why the cast photos from many years ago now looked so familiar. I know the happy smiling family is supposed to be "ironic" as indicated by the "apocalyptic flames" in the background, but it's so low-rent that it just looks bad. ----- April 16, 2020 "When I was reading this, I found myself thinking, "That's how we pretty much shot THE REPUBLIC." Right now is a serious opportunity for me to produce either THE LOST ONES or THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES as a film project. I need 3D modelers for the latter. The ONLY reason I don't mention THE REPUBLIC in the same sentence is I don't want to jinx the possibility of a follow-up from occurring. As I see it, the biggest obstacle to getting any project underway is having the availability of COVID testing and medical personnel on set during production. Beyond that, no sweat." This is from the tweet roundup but worth posting here for the comedy nuggets: 1) A serious opportunity for THE LOST ONES: THE MOVIE and THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: THE MOVIE; 2) Someone please make my movies for me; 3) THE REPUBLIC 2 is "seriously" being considered; 4) Ken claims something other than himself is the biggest problem in the way of things getting done. "Finally received the 1st proof discs from Jim and spent the evening watching the film in its entirety as intended for the 1st time. It would've been a perfect experience were it not for the TRIAL RUN ENDED onscreen stamp and a glitch in the end credits at the very end. It's amazing how even with an upgraded system using purchased software (no bootleg) and we're still running into these issues. The soundtrack is simply amazing. The sound effects, the music, the 5.1 Dolby Surround sound. I couldn't be happier. Steve's color correction pulled the video together with a warm uniform look. As for the story (and this is why in my previous post I didn't want to get into discussing which way the story goes from here), scenes play a lot differently in the current environment, with more resonance than ever before. One scene in particular lays the groundwork (very unintentionally as we never envisioned a pandemic) that allows us to take our characters into a post-COVID environment if that proves necessary. (This, in fact, is one of the story issues Hollywood is currently grappling with in deciding how society in general will be portrayed if a post-COVID world remains our new normal, which can't be ruled out.) If I were to date when the story takes place as depicted, I'd have to say December 31, 2019, if a post-COVID world continues to be the reality we have to deal with. As wild as we depicted the world in THE REPUBLIC, the reality of COVID-19 in our world requires us to amp things up even further where our story goes, addressing issues people are having a hard time articulating and/or even acknowledging if we're going to have any chance of reclaiming any semblance of the world we knew. At this time, I'm awaiting Jim sending me corrected copies so we can finally get this show on the road. I'll keep everyone posted with the latest." Another GENUINE CRISIS oft experienced by me is the conflict between how unreadable Ken's myriad walls of "information" are and how the AUTHENTIC KEN EXPERIENCE needs to be seen to be believed. As seen from his mountain of tweeted art, Ken believes in just throwing things at you without any regard for quality control. In this wall of text, Ken notes how THE REPUBLIC didn't actually predict a pandemic despite predicting literally everything else, which is why in one of his tweets he noted how they actually went out of their way to edit something that references it, which was funny because there's no way to do that quickly without it coming across as lame and forced. At least the film is done and amazing except for all the remaining problems and uncertainties. ----- May 14, 2020 "Apologies for not updating lately. We're in the middle of currently establishing contact with various parties where THE REPUBLIC is concerned. Believe it or not, even with production shut down in Hollywood, it's still difficult to reach the right people for a variety of reasons, and COVID-19 only makes things more complicated. While we've been going about our efforts, it's been fascinating to watch events unfold that actually track the story Clayton developed. A part of the backstory deals with California on its own against the rest of the US. At the time it was written we didn't foresee multi-state pacts, but it's a development that plays well with the initial concepts the storyline is based on. Even more amazing is watching the state governments flying in medical equipment and PPE, with the Governors enlisting the National Guard & State Police to guard against Federal confiscation of this material, which again tracks with how Clayton foresaw the devolution of American society. All one has to do is turn on the news to see America literally breaking down into two separate countries. While I'd like to hope we will pull out of this and pull together, the same forces we saw tearing American society apart in our story are doing their damnedest to do the same in real life. In the meantime, I hope everyone is staying safe and taking care. I'll be back with more later." "We didn't foresee something but we still sort of did, kind of. Also, we foresaw everything." Well, we're finally at the end and we're still "in the middle of establishing contact with various parties." At least there's a handy virus to blame delays on now. I'd try and close on a pithier line except this post has completely drained me. Instead, here's the description from the "About" section that I have finally reached at the top of the page. "The last American family has not lost hope. Sign up for first hand information, exciting clips and more on The Republic, a ground-breaking film that chronicles of [sic] the trials and tribulations of the Alden Family as the country collapses around them." No.
This was already kind of tasteless in January but to continue shilling this in May is the work of scum.
I am very impressed on your dedication to documenting this. If you read into someone's words and works long enough, eventually you can kind of "get" them. Ken is very predictable, and if you can't tell he thinks of himself in a very high regard. A friend of mind even speculated if he has narcissistic personality disorder, which would explain a lot. I am calling BS on anything he says is complete, he never completed anything he wasn't forced to finish in his life other than maybe that only issue of The Lost Ones (which is offensive and a garbage expy of The X-Men). Unless I see something that is up digitally or physically online with an actual runtime, then it's not true. Chillbro, you have my utmost respect for finding what you can. I do wonder if he does ever release it, and it's panned or not even noticed, what that will do to him. Like reality finally collapsing onto him, but after all these years he can justify anything.
I felt like I was over-saturating this thread so I gave it some time off. But now is a good time to get the ball rolling again, both because of my own schedule and because if we wait too long we'll be right back where we started, months behind. And we certainly need Ken's insightful opinions at this trying time. Ken (and the various Not-Kens) are set off in quotes. The remaining comments are mine. ========== 05/04/2020 If memory serves, what made this generic Echy'dndfs'a' special was that he was the one who got criticized because, from the front, the placement of his tail looked off. Ken's response was that you, the reader, would have plenty of chances to see that tail up close and personal from the back, a point he emphasized with a winking face emoticon. Fascinating. Or, as the one and only comment to this tweet goes, "Man Thanos looks great." I disagree. ----- 05/05/2020 Can you imagine two people actually having a sincere argument about which version of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES is "canon"? I cannot. ----- 05/08/2020 Oh boy. There is quite a bit going on in the comments attached to this tweet which I urge you to check out. Some highlights: Some Not-Kens talk about who could potentially use Ken's characters depending on who became Sonic's publisher. Words fail to describe the absurdity of Ken bringing this, the least important thing that there has ever been, up again with the solemnity of an alcoholic admitting that he has a problem. But in the comments there is something very important indeed: Now we know. And then, still here on May 8th, is a tweet that I have been apprehensive about for some time now, knowing that we were slowly coming up to it. I can't possibly transcribe it here, but I can't just ignore what it says about him. Ken RETWEETS someone who "jokingly" claims that he would support a man who shot, uh, a certain politician. Ken's contribution? And then, his final tweet for that same day: Ken Penders, ladies and gentlemen. ----- 05/09/2020 Yet another tweet that is quintessential Ken in its self-aggrandizement that I must censor for Sonic Retro because of how nakedly political it finishes. Not included is the final sentence where he relates his Herculean struggles with Archie to, uh, a certain ongoing story. To state the obvious, Ken's version of the Archie lawsuit saga is how he was right all along, and crushed the haters in the end with facts and reason. I must need to go back and reread this whole thread because that's not quite how I remember it. ----- 05/13/2020 I don't really get this logic chain. Wouldn't he want to beat them to the punch (in theory)? Is he actually saying he needed to wait and see what Archie and SEGA did because he would have incorporated that into THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES? Lol. This reasoning is specious to the point where it seems phony. I too would wait to make sure that the only real source of mainstream (okay, "mainstream") relevance for my project had long vanished before going forward with it. Ken sure has his priorities straight: Translating the LSC into all the world's languages. ---> Dodge and burn sub-Deviantart quality sketches of characters that I have no actual plans for but maybe once I think up a backstory it'll be good who knows. ---> The website. And for all you Retros (is there a better demonym for the commentators here?) who have been dying to sink your hooves into THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES, those email addresses are your invitation too, so have at thee. And no, I don't mean harass the man, if you've got the skills and the desire you probably could get Ken to let you do his work for him if you really wanted it enough. Food for thought. ----- 05/14/2020 We've discussed this before, but THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES is totally schizophrenic. It's both a progressive utopia where the characters freely have sex with, and go to the bathroom in front of, each other (if I'm recalling correctly, those aren't exaggerations) while at the same time it is this grim and gritty hard-boiled sci-fi that totally anticipates the struggles of OUR world. So tweets like this where he paints TLSC as SERIOUS BUSINESS are quite jarring. And what does "more human" mean? Does that mean making the anthropomorphic animals look more like human beings? And how does it work in the context of there being a human person in this story, one who is even more striking because he is "Ano'thynee Mackky'ee," AKA a real man from our world lazily plagiarized and shoehorned in, complete with knee turbo boosters? The answer is that this is just another pathetic attempt by Ken to make his fan project involving scantily-clad furries appear to be more than it is. ----- 05/16/2020 To state the obvious, I don't think he can be doing all the work that he claims to be doing while being as far behind the projected release as he is. Unless he really is just focusing on the dumbest things possible. ----- 05/18/2020 Well, that's better comedic timing than anything to be found in THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES at least. Ken is claiming, apparently seriously, that the zeitgeist of this virus era suits A LARA-SU CHRONICLES CARTOON. Like it "gets" what people are going through. And I know he only technically states that THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: THE ANIMATED SERIES is only more viable in comparison to THE REPUBLIC, don't forget that that THE REPUBLIC, in its sheer brilliance, also predicted, among other things, the Coronavirus (even besides the equivalent of five minutes of shooting they did to get in NEW DIALOGUE to make it EVEN MORE relevant). So if TLSC: TAS is even more viable than THE REPUBLIC, it can only be to 2020 like the Great Gatsby was to the Jazz Age. Also for those who find their way to this tweet, censored down in the comments is someone calling Ken a naughty swear, which was in all-caps so it gets my SEAL OF APPROVAL. ----- 05/26/2020 It goes on at length, so check it out if you want more. Also check out another link that was provided, an archive of the old LSC website. Who here remembers this blast from the past???? NOTICE: The Lara-Su Chronicles web site is currently CLOSED! That last "ripple" from the time-line change really wrecked the place! Please bear with us as we clean up the mess and put the time-line back in order. In the meantime, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestion, you can post them at "The Lara-Su Chronicles" on the Ken Penders Forums, or send an email to me at Lara-Su[at]TheLara-SuChronicles.com. You know what to replace the [at] with. Yes, we still have spammers in the future! Now back to work for me. I told you this was going to be a BIG JOB! Thanks! -- Lara-Su There are a million things you could say to this, like how you shouldn't be worried about side stories when the main story is nearly a decade past the original deadline, but I think it cuts even more to the heart of the matter to say that there isn't a person on the face of the earth who would pay one red cent for a story about REMINGTON. Hmmm. ----- 05/28/2020 Presented without further comment. ----- 05/29/2020 No. Maybe, but so does every Hollywood movie. They made Indiana Jones lame. Give me knowledge comrade! *is vaporized* The only heart here was the one they ripped out of the franchise's chest and stomped on. Indiana Jones not surviving a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator. This comment just seems designed to play devil's advocate since everyone hated that movie, but maybe having to defend THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES round the clock just makes you naturally inclined to promote garbage. ----- 05/30/2020 GOOD USE OF TIME: Making sure the word balloons for the Russian translation of your Sonic fan project original work are properly adjusted. BAD USE OF TIME: Thinking up an original design for your generic black character. So ends May. ========== COMING SOON: June. NOT COMING SOON: THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES NOT COMING SOON: THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: THE ANIMATED SERIES
