Author: Ken Penders

I’ve been a Beatles fan literally all my life, ever since I discovered a copy of the album INTRODUCING THE BEATLES on the VeeJay label my Grandmother dropped off at my parents’ home, along with the rest of my uncle’s record albums after he left home to go serve in the US Air Force. (In those days, mothers simply didn’t value anything their sons collected. As far as they were concerned, it was all junk. My father suffered the same fate when his mother got rid of his comic book collection, which included the earliest SUPERMAN and BATMAN issues, among other titles.)

To give further proof what an impact the band had on me, I was only 5 years old when I saw them perform for the first time on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW. I clearly remember the family gathered around the black & white TV at my Aunt Marge’s home. My mother’s younger cousins enjoyed them as much as I did, but the older relatives were horrified at what they had just witnessed. (“They look like girls!” shrieked the older adult males.)

Long story short, I bought all the albums and kept hoping to see a reunion concert when I was old enough. That hope died on October 9, 1980, when I was watching MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL and announcer Howard Cosell announced to the world that John Lennon had been assassinated. It was all a blur after that.

Cut to the 1990’s and the Beatles announce the release of their ANTHOLOGY project. Of course I bought the CDs, the DVD set and the book. How could I not? Years later, after moving to California, I was able to see Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr in concert several times, each time its own unique event, especially at the concert Sir Paul put on at the SoFi Stadium in May 2022, when he did an encore performing with video of John Lennon that had been remastered by Peter Jackson for the GET BACK project. Tears were streaming down more than a few faces, including mine.

Cut to this past week and the release of what’s billed as the last Beatles song, NOW AND THEN. It was like a thunderclap. I hadn’t any idea this was a thing. The next thing I know, my son is sending me a link to a video of how this song came to be.

This wasn’t even the end product, just the story of how the song came to be, and already I found myself affected emotionally. Both the story and the song – after I saw the video a day later – struck chords of longing I had been repressing for a long time.

Currently, in addition to working on my projects and trying to have a family life, I am taking care of a friend in his last days. He’s not the first person I had to be there for at the end in a significant way, and I suspect he won’t be the last, but he’s one in a long line I had to be there for when they breathed their last breath, so I know loss. The first time I truly experienced it was when my father passed away as I sat next to his hospital bed. My mother was a mess, so I had to be the strong one over the next several days. (This whole sequence of events was what inspired the FATHER’S DAY story I wrote that was part of the overall MOBIUS: 25 YEARS LATER storyline.)

I found listening to the song NOW AND THEN a haunting, elegiac experience. This was the Beatles saying goodbye, an end point to all the joy they had given everyone for so many years. There would be no more.

But then came the comments and criticisms. The most enlightening I found was this one:

I also thought in many ways it got what the song was about. However much I enjoyed this particular analysis of the song, like many others, way too many others, it missed the actual point of the song.

This was never an attempt to compete with previous efforts. If anything, this is where the Beatles are now. We just missed out on all they could have accomplished in the intervening years, especially if John and George were still with us. Both Paul and Ringo clearly miss John and George and what they had together, and saw this as a way to end the Beatles on their own terms, not anyone else’s. The acrimony of their 1970 break-up was never the full story as we clearly saw in the GET BACK film. And if anyone had the right to take a John Lennon demo and turn it into one big heartfelt project, Paul and Ringo did. Especially Paul. He had been best friends with John and George ever since they were teenagers. They shared a life no one could ever fully grasp except the 4 Beatles themselves.

In reading the many comments of what people thought of the song, the reasons for its release, and so on, reminded me an awful lot of the comments I experienced over the years in taking my stories and characters I wrote for the SONIC THE HEDGEHOG and KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA series as the basis for my LARA-SU CHRONICLES. How dare I continue my stories without Sonic and Knuckles when what I wrote were clearly Sonic and Knuckles stories.

My answer to these critics is that my stories weren’t just Sonic and Knuckles stories, they were stories, period. There was a whole world of characters and events in which these two characters played a part, but the other characters were just as viable on their own without Sonic and Knuckles. And just like NOW AND THEN isn’t meant to compete with the entire Beatles catalog, THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES isn’t the last word on Sonic and Knuckles stories, or contradicts what came before. This is where the story continues on to lead to its inevitable end, just like NOW AND THEN puts the period to the story of the Beatles.

As for the people who claim NOW AND THEN is nothing more than a cash grab, people everywhere are able to enjoy the song and its making all for free however many times they want. That’s as far from a cash grab as one can get. If I was in the Beatles financial stratosphere, I could do the same thing with THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES. Since I still have to work for living, I have to charge the going rate. That’s life.

The other difference between NOW AND THEN and THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES from my own personal perspective is that at least two of the Beatles were there to see the end. I have no idea at this date if I will live to see the end of my project or if others will continue on in my stead. I hope I’m around, but if not, I hope I’m able to provide as complete a road map as possible for the full project to reach its final destination.

It’s been brought to my attention that some fans are concerned about being listed in the SPECIAL THANKS section of either THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS print edition or THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES App because they may go by one name for legal reasons and another out of personal preference but have yet to announce their preference in a more public manner.

I want to assure these fans that their privacy is completely respected, and should they opt to purchase the Lara-Su SURVIVE! T-shirt, Lara-Su Limited Edition Print or pre-order THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS – all items that would guarantee one’s name listed in the SPECIAL THANKS section of the book and app – all they need do when ordering is state in the section provided on the order page what name they prefer to see listed.

Nobody need know except the person ordering the items and myself.

Personally, it breaks my heart when I see someone not accepted by others they associate with for the person they are. I’ve experienced close friends awkwardly coming out wondering how my better half Bernadette and I are going to accept their news. Each time Bernie and I make it clear we love our family and friends no differently afterwards. If others have a problem, that’s their problem, not ours.

Just know I have your back. Take care.

I’m still at work on material for THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS book as well as TL-SC App. From my perspective, it’s just trudging through writing and drawing, otherwise known as the same ol’ same ol’. Doing the work is nowhere near as glamorous as people imagine. If anything, one spends a lot of alone time and quite often the work itself is tedious much of the time. It’s when the work is finished that one can assess how successful or worth it was the effort put into the work.

The good news is I’m making significant progress to meeting my self-imposed deadline to completing the work in order to send the finished file to the printers.

The bad news is the remaining work is still time-consuming requiring a lot of effort on my part. It is what it is.

RIP Richard Roundtree AKA the original John Shaft. Like Sean Connery, the man was talented and had a long list of credits, but as Connery was THE definitive James Bond Agent 007, Roundtree remains the definitive John Shaft. Apologies to Samuel L Jackson fans, but Sam was only a pale imitation when compared to the original, and he more than most was aware of it as well.

I had the good fortune to be on set when Mr Roundtree was working on the last of 2 films he appeared in which have yet to be released. I was told he was not in the best of health at the time of filming, and witnessed all the precautions the production took to ensure he was protected and cared for during filming. The production was THELMA and he was shooting a sequence in a North Hollywood park along with actress June Squibb.

The film is currently in post-production and I’m looking forward to checking it out upon its release.

ITEM! My sympathies definitely go out to the people of Lewiston, MA as well as all those who lost loved ones in that horrific event, but you’ll excuse me if my concerns are more focused on the people of Gardner, MA, where my son and his family live. Police are searching for the man who killed his wife and is on the loose presumably armed and definitely dangerous. The killing was conducted less than a mile from where my son lives and the killer’s vehicle located not far from the vicinity as well.

I think it’s way past time we do something to get automatic weapons off of our streets as the ONLY purpose these weapons serve is to kill large numbers of people, period. Responsible hunters don’t use these weapons. If people feel the need to own a weapon, I see no reason why they can’t go through the same procedure one does through to obtain a driver’s license. I think I’m being more than fair when acknowledging someone’s right to own a weapon at this point.

One other point, I do believe in rescinding any protections weapons manufacturers currently enjoy from lawsuits. It’s probably the only way we’ll attain reasonable gun laws in this country.

To end on a more upbeat note, I’m taking a break later this evening to go root for my favorite team, none other than the Buffalo Bills on Amazon Prime. Win or lose, I’m with them all the way. Josh Allen is my QB and there’s nothing more exciting than when he connects with Stephon Diggs for the long play or the touchdown. It’s sheer poetry in motion. GO BILLS!

The picture above totally sums up the state of affairs currently evolving in the U.S. Congress on the Republican side. Whoever took this picture captured the moment perfectly as Gym Jordan loses the first round of votes to become Speaker of the House while his predecessor Qevin McCarthy (nicknames and spelling deliberately included) busts out laughing at the latest developments.

Following Gym Jordan’s tenure in Congress has not been a concern beyond observing what a pain in the ass he’s been to getting the business of America moving forward for the people’s interests. After learning he’s accomplished absolutely nothing of consequence during all that time beyond being a legislative terrorist, one has to question why the voters of his Congressional District keep returning him to office as he clearly hasn’t given a damn about them.

When I was growing up, even though Democrats were generally in the overwhelming majority, it was a given they weren’t going to accomplish anything of import without Republican buy-in. Back in the early 1970’s, as an example, in order to secure a majority of support from the voters, Nixon proposed what we know now as Obamacare, which is actually a version of Romneycare, which the people of the state of Massachusetts currently enjoy, which was still a version of what Nixon proposed. It would’ve become law were it not for the opposition of Senator Ted Kennedy, who was holding out for Universal Health Care. The results ended up being the perfect was the enemy of the good, and so health care in the USA suffered a major setback for decades until Speaker Pelosi and President Obama were able to pass the Affordable Health Care Act AKA Obamacare.

That is far from the only example, but the point is this: America has been able to make progress because of compromise. Not everyone gets everything they want, but the ball is able to be moved forward.

Voters had essentially handed the keys to Democrats for 40 years, essentially resulting in one of most prosperous times the country as a whole experienced, which resulted in the building and strengthening of the middle class.

Little noticed during that time were the results of President Johnson’s signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, in which he predicted the South would shift away from Democrats. Up until Richard Nixon’s run for the Presidency in 1968, Republicans were generally regarded as the party of and for rich white guys, but Nixon was more than happy to welcome Democrats unhappy with granting equal rights to minorities into the fold. It also didn’t hurt that Alabama Governor George Wallace’s open appeal to racists everywhere with the platform of sending Black Americans back to Africa made Nixon seem all the more like a reasonable alternative to vote for.

Wallace was essentially Trump before there was a Trump with his open racism, and would go on to win the electoral votes of 5 southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi – and thus cleave the Democratic Party in half. Nixon was only too happy to exploit this division while appearing to be a moderate in his presentation. Hubert Humphrey, the Democratic nominee, never really stood a chance, having been so closely aligned with President Johnson’s prosecution of the Vietnam War.

Since that time, Republicans have only been more than willing to exploit those divisions, building upon the foundation already laid down, taking advantage through the appointment of Supreme Court Justices to forward a “conservative” agenda, which also resulted in a selection of the Supreme Court’s preferred candidate George W. Bush as opposed to allowing the counting of actual ballots in the state of Florida to determine the actual electoral victor.

As I write this, Gym Jordan has suffered a second humiliating defeat in his quest for the speaker, and throwing his support to making Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry the Acting Speaker until January. Whether this happens is anyone’s guess.

I myself have always held interest in America’s history and how it’s run ever since I can remember. I was aware of JFK’s assassination and witnessed Lee Harvey Oswald gunned down on live television. The Vietnam War played out in our home on the nightly news. As I and my friends morphed into teenagers, we began discussing what we would do if handed our draft notices. The thought of moving to Canada didn’t seem so out of the realm of possibility among us.

After I graduated High School, there was no more draft, but as I or my parents couldn’t afford my college tuition, the military suddenly became a viable option to achieving further education.

During that time, while serving in the US Air Force, I became aware of just how diverse our country was in a way it wasn’t possible to experience while living in the suburbs of Buffalo, NY back then. I worked alongside members of the Iranian military assigned to our base on temporary duty while following the 1976 Presidential Election, voting for the first time for Jimmy Carter to be my Commander-In-Chief over Gerald Ford. (No one I worked with was voting for Gerald Ford as he was the one who pardoned Richard Nixon. Besides, I was stationed at Hanscom AFB located in Massachusetts, which was noted as being the only state which hadn’t voted for Nixon in the 1972 election.)

I’ve self-identified as a progressive Democratic voter, preferring the term Liberal these days, not that I consider myself partisan. It’s just that Republicans don’t give me much of a choice. I resent the inclusion of religion in our politics as I firmly believe that’s a private matter between an individual and the deity of their choice. I also believe a woman’s decision regarding abortion is between her and her doctor and that politics should play no role other than insuring the procedure is completely legal. And I also believe everyone has a right to love who they want as long as it’s consensual.

While I would ban guns completely, I recognize that’s not possible, so I can live with gun ownership provided the process is handled the same as if applying for a driver’s license. The only guns I would outright ban for civilian use is the automatic weapons more suitable for the military.

Unlike today’s politicians, especially those who can be bought and sold wholesale, my beliefs are the result of my Catholic school upbringing, my parents, my Great Aunt Francis and my Grandmother Florence, who taught me fairness and doing what’s right. It’s not easy but I do my best.

The best sign of hope I’ve found for our world is the recent election conducted in the land of my ancestors, Poland, which voted in favor of Democracy over Authoritarianism. That vindicated my belief in the people living there with whom I’ve shared experiences and communication with. There are good people out there.

The Commander Mykhal Taelor Data File will be included in both THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS hardcover collection as well as the Lara-su app as he is a pivotal character in the overall story arc.

While I’ve been looking to flesh out and develop established characters in a way they hadn’t been before, when developing the overall story, the need for characters serving a role that other characters couldn’t fill became obvious along the way, thus necessitating the inclusion of such characters as Commander Taelor, Xero and Override. (Regarding those last 2 characters, readers will just have to wait a bit longer for further details. I guarantee their stories will amaze and surprise.)

As for the established characters such as Lara-Su, Julie-Su, Lien-Da, Director Remington, Salma, Geoffrey St John, Spectre and many others, their stories continue forward and will equally surprise and amaze readers who have followed since the early days. Stay tuned.

I just received confirmation I will have a table at Fan Expo San Francisco taking place Friday thru Sunday, November 24 – 26, 2023. This will be the first time I’ve ever attended a convention in the San Francisco area so it will be a new experience for me as well the fans showing up.

If any fan is interested in a 11″x17″ pencil commission drawing featuring up to 3 characters, the cost is $300 and they can pre-order by emailing me with their request. If the request goes beyond that, please contact me to discuss the details.

I will also be bringing along with me a selection of back issues, prints and original art along with assorted other items such as patches or T-shirts. If there’s a specific back issue or item one is looking for, again please contact me so I make sure it’s among the inventory I’m planning on bringing.

Also, I will be taking PRE-ORDERS for THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS hardcover collection at the convention as well as now. I haven’t hit the magic 200 number yet so fans can still get the signed bonus as well as have their name listed in both the book and the Lara-Su app as a supporter. Don’t miss out.

Thanks for your time and looking forward to seeing you at the convention.

Believe me, I know how overdue this posting is, but it’s a long story, and one I’m going to put off for a bit as I’m still waiting to sort out a few details as the events are more of a personal nature than professional. (For the record, while Bernie & I are doing fine, our friend who we’re taking care of is not, and it’s having an impact on our day-to-day living.) So please indulge me for now as I’d rather talk about unrelated matters with what we’re going through.

Above is a depiction of a new character – Commander Mykhal Taelor – as seen in THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: SHATTERED TOMORROWS. Taelor’s role in the story is that he’s on what he believes is a rescue mission while making first contact with Avion, and seves as the reader’s guide as he learns about Avion, its people, culture, history & politics, helping everyone to be on the same page.

For new readers, Taelor is them, starting out from a position where they are. For older readers, Taelor will be the one pointing out those elements new to older readers of the saga and how they fit in with what came before.

Taelor, more than any other character, establishes the world THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES takes place in is not aligned with anything SEGA-related seen previously. That said, the story that leads into SHATTERED TOMORROWS, titled THE STORM, establishes that while the story diverges from what came in the past, it is still very much tied to it, and in many ways, validates all the different versions of Sonic that has been unleashed to the public since the character was first introduced to the public.

As I didn’t want to get into arguments about timelines and which version mattered more, my solution was to say all versions matter. It’s just that my corner of the Sonic-verse branched off into THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES, and that’s all that readers should care about when it comes to following the story.

The only other thing I’ll say about Commander Taelor is that he’s a family man with two daughters that’s a long way from home who’s odds of making it back are very slim to apparently hopeless, but that’s not going to stop him from finding a way while playing his part in the events that shape the overall arc of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES. (Yes, he’s going to have his own DATA FILE page, with details added along the way.)

Two things before I sign off for now:

Everyone’s comments and emails are read and responded to, so don’t be a strange.

If you haven’t PRE-ORDERED your copy of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS, what are you waiting for? I really can use all the support I can get. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Every day I plan on posting an update to this page and schedule it after I at least accomplish some progression on a number of items I need to get done during the course of a day. By the time I do, sitting down in front of my computer to write something does not rank high on my list, especially when I want to discuss certain topics like how to break into comics, or Jack Kirby not getting the proper credit for his contributions to the Marvel Universe, or a number of topics.

So today I thought I’d write about random items as if I were posting on Twitter or Threads or other similar platforms.

First, I’d like to offer my condolences to the family and friends of actor David McCallum. To his family, he was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a Great-grandfather and much more. To his friends, he was a cherished colleague someone they shared a great many happy memories with. To millions, he was Ducky on NCIS. To me, he was UNCLE Agent Illya Kuryakin, one of the coolest characters to grace a TV screen in the 1960s when I was growing up. He’s also a reminder that the era I grew up in is fast disappearing.

ITEM! I’ve been asked by a number of people how to break into comics, and the quick answer is there is no one way to break in. That’s the main constant that’s existed ever since I made my first attempt. In many ways, it was easier back then as long as one lived in New York. By the time I earned my first assignment, there was a lot more competition. Now, if one is looking to see one’s work published by Image, Dark Horse, Archie and other companies, it’s a lot harder. As for Marvel and DC, I wouldn’t even try. For one thing, with any of the publishers today, they want to know what you’ve accomplished. And by that, I mean they want to know what size audience you’re bringing with you, how many people follow you’re work. They’re looking to increase sales, and they’re not interested in building up newbies. Besides, if you’ve created something and you’ve built your audience, what do you need the mainstream publishers for? You’re doing all the work and they own the rights with a promise of unguaranteed royalties? What kind of deal is that? Plainly speaking, there is no long term security working in the comics industry. There is no health care or 401K benefits that’s offered in other industries. Your employment is subject to the whim of the editor in charge of any given title, not to mention what one earns in one month will be the same the next. My recommendation is to have a fall back job just for the daily existence paycheck and work on what you love at your own speed. It’s what I’ve been doing for a number of years and I’ve been a lot happier since.

ITEM! Above is what I consider the COMING ATTRACTIONS trailer for THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: SHATTERED TOMORROWS. I focused more on presenting key story points as opposed to any action shots to emphasize not only is the story a continuation of what came before, but also how far beyond it goes beyond what would have been possible in the pages of an Archie Comics publication.

It all starts in the pages of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS hardcover collection, which you can order by clicking HERE.

For you completists out there, this volume will never be reprinted. While only the first 200 individuals to order a copy will receive a signed color print of Lara-Su, the rest of the print run will still be a first come, first served basis. Not every comic shop is going to order one and getting Diamond Distributors to carry it is not a sure thing. I’ll alert everyone what methods I’m using to make the book available, but for now, ordering from me online is the best way. (And for the record, I’m approaching 100 orders placed, so those of you who want to be among the 1st 200 to order, now is better than later as I’m assembling the Supporters Thanks page to list the individuals who did order for both the book and the app. You have been notified.)

On that note, it’s my birthday, and my family and friends want to spend some time with me. I’ll be back with more soon.

This will be one of the features I’ll be throwing out there from time to time. In this case, it’s a color reference chart for my character Lara-Su. Feel free to save the file and import it to whatever software people use. In my case, I would be importing it into my Clip Studio Paint program.

A color chart is helpful in maintaining a consistent look with a character whether panel to panel, page to page or project to project, and something I should’ve been doing from the start. It’s only now I’m locking in the color scheme for each character so it’s long overdue.

I’m also assembling a color chart for Salma so people can have fun drawing her, which I’ll post soon.

At the moment, I’m currently working on a panel from THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: SHATTERED TOMORROWS. I basically start out rough sketching the layout before focusing on the characters. Once I feel the overall layout is working, I then start tightening up the characters. When that’s done, I go on to finish the rendering in color, which I’ll get around to presenting here online soon.

As usual, any questions, please feel free to forward my way. Take care.

I signed off of Twitter this past Friday, September 15, with intentions of picking up on Saturday, September 16. That didn’t happen as I was dealing with a number of items – some of a personal nature, some not – and it wasn’t until tonight, Tuesday, September 19, that I was able to sit down and resume what I intended.

As of now, this website will be the main source of any and all information with regards to my upcoming projects, particularly THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES. If you have a question, here’s the place to bring it up. You can always check in with my therealkenpenders account on both Threads and Instagram, but the info will always originate here first.

The piece of art immediately below is a great example. This is something I would’ve posted on Twitter, but I want to use this to make a statement that will no longer happen. If Elon Musk orders all accounts not in use to be pulled – including mine – that’s not a loss where I’m concerned.

The panel above is a scene from THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: SHATTERED TOMORROWS, and while the character of High Councilor Devan is making the point that life will never be the same and there’s no going back for the Echydn’yas, the same could also apply for those hoping what once was could someday be restored in the future.

The characters I created for the series SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA and PRINCESS SALLY published by Archie Comics are moving forward with their adventures. THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS makes that abundantly clear as it collects the entire MOBIUS: 25 YEARS LATER saga and heads into totally uncharted territory. There will be no crossovers with SEGA or licensing deals with Paramount or Netflix. Nor will I be seeking any connection with IDW to tie what I’m doing with anything they have planned.

While I will respond to people asking questions about the stories I created or what happened behind-the-scenes during my Archie days, my focus will be on what I’m working on now and in the future. If I were tempted to do anything with IDW, it would on STAR TREK, not SONIC. But even that’s not in the cards as I’m not interested in signing away the rights to anything I create to another company. If someone wants to license my characters, that’s another story. (And for those interested, unless events take a different course, I will entertain offers to license the character Scourge starting November 1, 2023.)

While I’m working to finish up the material to complete THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS, I’m also working to transition all the material currently on display here on kenpenders.com over to thelara-suchronicles.com as that site will be the permanent home to all things Lara-Su and company.

This website will soon shift to focusing on my broader body of work beyond what I did for Archie Comics. Pictured below is a prototype of the new homepage.

Among the exhibits will be samples I submitted while breaking into the comics industry, work I did for various publishers, storyboards for film projects that never got off the ground, and eventually new work featuring my creation THE LOST ONES.

Initially there will be a behind the scenes look at the making of the film I directed, THE REPUBLIC. Eventually I intend to make it available for sale via digital download, but I don’t discount the possibility of making it available on a Blu-ray disc.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back in a day or so with more. I do check everyday to see if I need to respond to anyone posting a query or a comment. Thanks for checking in.