Thanks Ken Penders is a Tumblr blog in which I slowly read through every single Sonic the Hedgehog comic ever released by Archie Comics, in order. Originally started in 2014 as a sideblog where I could dump a bunch of funny out-of-context panels to avoid clogging up my main, it grew into a more legitimate piece of media criticism over time as my own critical voice evolved. I also fell ass-backwards into the role of amateur Archie Sonic historian because my blog is one of the first things that comes up when you Google "Ken Penders."
As of summer 2022, the blog is currently on hiatus as I work to finish my game, Super Lesbian Animal RPG, although I still use it as a place to comment on general Sonic news and new issues of IDW's ongoing Sonic comics because people always ask me about that stuff. When I last left off I was well past the end of the Penders era and into the Ian Flynn era where the comic finally starts being Actually Good on a regular basis.
Other TKP-Related Projects
- My comprehensive retrospective of the Penders era, written after reading the final issues of Archie Sonic he ever wrote. I dive deep into the bizarre recurring themes and stylistic quirks he brought to the series in his 12-year tenure.
- "10 weird and wonderful Archie Sonic stories that hold up today," a shorter followup article in which I talk about some pre-Ian Flynn issues I actually do like to balance out the inherent negativity of the Penders restrospective.
- A full playthrough of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, originally livestreamed on Twitch in Summer 2020. I naturally touch on the similarities to Ken's Knuckles series that inspired the infamous lawsuit, but I also get into some RPG design talk as I try to wrap my head around one of the most baffling RPGs I've ever played.
Appearances Elsewhere
Like I said above, TKP has ended up becoming a pretty widely shared resource on Archie Sonic history almost completely by accident. This has lead to some surprising opportunities.
February 2020 - I'm invited to professionally write an article on the history of the Penders lawsuits and the ensuing fandom backlash for New York Magazine's "Sonic Week" ahead of the release of the first live action movie.
October 2020 - In reference to my aforementioned Sonic Chronicles livestreams in which I repeatedly abused save states to get multiples of Ferox, the Chao that makes you not have to do the agonizing Elite Beat Agents quicktime events every time you use a special move, writer and artist Evan Stanley includes a cameo of my fursona and her gaggle of Feroxes in IDW's Sonic comics. She appears in issues #33 and #35 as part of the Chao Races and Badnik Bases arc.
I'm far from the only person to ever get a cameo in a Sonic comic crowd scene but I still kind of can't believe this happened lmao
June 2022 - I'm invited to be a part of the Retronauts Podcast episode on the various Sonic comics, joined by regular host Stuart Gipp and Sonic the Comic the Podcast host Dave Bulmer. Fun times were had.