The WORST Sonic story ever told | Sonic Speed Reading

[@forkempty]

I remember the time when Sonic the Hedgehog popped out of my screen, grabbed me aggressively, and attempted to drag me into the static of my TV for no reason all while smiling as if he's done this thousands of times.

[@csndbdbdhdb]

Because he has. There is no escape from the HOG.

[@Schnort]

Reminds me of that one commercial where Sonic jumps out of a the cover of Sonic 2 (iirc) and forces random people to run extremely fast

[@anthonyoliver418]

That sounds like a bad creepy pasta.

[@LuckinGM]

I can't believe Ken Penders made Sonic exe before the internet did.

[@Nel_Annette]

The last words you ever hear are "Let's do it to it!" as you're dragged into the static abyss.

[@CapnJigglypuff]

"What video game turns off the TV set when you die?!" Toby Fox: *frantically taking notes*

[@jus2befrank]

😂

[@anthonytonythegeek5561]

Toby fox: *WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN!*

[@MasterZebulin]

Stop messing with code man was not meant to, Toby!!

[@LillianGraceFullofficial]

Writing that down too

[@ssneakyandfriends1626]

ima also start taking notes.

[@michaelpatton3477]

I have a VERY funny relationship with this comic. When I was a child, my dad would take me and my brother to comic-con every year. One of our first years, we went to artist’s alley and saw a sonic comic writer’s booth where he was selling signed copies of sonic comics he made. I got one and put it in a plastic bag. Only now that I’m older so I realize the significance: That man was Ken Penders and that comic was Sonic Live. And because of that interaction, somewhere in my parents’ basement is the worst issue of Sonic the Hedgehog written by its worst author, in VERY good condition.

[@aidanhammans9337]

I mean, since everyone who was a fan probably trashed theirs, you could probably sell it to a collector who never read the series and just wants a full set.

[@pugnippelz69]

Save it. You might be able to sell that for $10,000 once Ken Penders is dead.

[@calamario8]

He has the holy transcripts

@@calamario8 The sacred texts!

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

...how suckered do you feel?

[@iponce2]

I really wish Kenny Pendy would share the insane martian weed he's smoking, cause he's clearly living on another planet

[@Ami-Derps-VA]

He's hanging out with Lara-Sue and the Echid'nyas

[@forkalamari6093]

He’s been high off them LSD chili dogs

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

@@forkalamari6093 When I'm at least truly hungry, I'd eat a cooked bun Hot Dog with the usual ketchup, a bit of mustard, tomatoes slices, and whatnot sure... But I never tried Chili Dogs, are they even that good? There are such in the actual Sonic Restaurants, but never tempted to try it.

[@Ami-Derps-VA]

@@forkalamari6093 "Now remember kids, drugs are nO goOd.... Unless if they're LSD Chillidogs!"

[@forkalamari6093]

@@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398 chili dogs are great imo buuuut chili does look strange at first so you’ll have to get used to it

[@sinnythefennec69]

Dr.Robotnik taking one of Sonic's Quills, breaking it and laughing is the best part of this comic.

[@julianx2rl]

I say that's the best part of any Sonic media really.

[@swagathan5]

It is now my Discord PFP! Legendary image lmao

[@drcgad3052]

Jim carry Robotnik is screaming

[@me2552]

Rip energy source

[@TheKingOfShovels]

it's so real you'll think you're part of the adventure

[@KSKY2012]

a bit to real

[@QuesoKaso]

h-hey kids! you're coming with me!

[@anthonyoliver418]

They literally said that the creators of Sonic were so unoriginal that they had to use a device that could connect different universes to make money off of somebody who existed in another universe, without their permission.

[@Klonoahedgehog]

TBF I feel like ANY corporation would do that if they could.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

I’ve already said this in another comment, but… Darkwing Duck did that idea better.

[@ZandiaConZ]

can you imagine Ken's son growing up and finding out all his father did to his favorite thing?

[@MahNamJeff]

considering how long ago this was he probably HAS grown up

[@gracekim1998]

if i were him, I'd DISOWN his ass

[@Yona_The_Sona]

The choice of Sonic Chronicles music in the background was VERY fitting for this comic. Good choice.

[@InsanePigeon]

Worst sonic music for the worst sonic comic

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Which Originally came from Sonic 3D Blast Genesis

[@rubysu9265]

Agreed! Such a unique vibe xD

[@icetweiz]

@@InsanePigeon not only that, but also the catalyst of sega and archie's partnership

[@JustCallMeMatt517]

@@icetweiz That and I imagine good old Ken Penders would be infuriated to hear the music of the game that "stole" his "ideas" in a video about his peak fiction comic.

[@Coopersville]

That first live page is candid look into what the 90s were REALLY like. Brown shag carpet. Bowl cut. Wood grain box TV. Being too poor to have a Genesis. Still loving Sonic anyway. Playing pretend video games with a sideways TV remote.

[@tastethepainbow]

Penders is the gift that keeps on giving. Imagine writing a story that straight-up isekai's your own kids into Blue Rat's World Also, as you noticed, they're using a regular-ass remote controller instead of a Genesis one. That's because Kenny Boy didn't allow video games in his household. Says a lot about how much he actually cared about the series and title character.

[@somethingclever4297]

He makes me wish we had the inter dimensional cable from Rick and morty. Just imagine looking into a world where penders was still on the sonic comics.

[@KSKY2012]

Sonic kidnaps children real! !

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

Oh... That monster!!

[@loopsjam4713]

@@KSKY2012 That's no good

[@KSKY2012]

@@loopsjam4713 "If someone touches you in a way or place that makes you feel uncomfortable, that's no goood!" Sonic then proceeded to nab 2 children.

[@Scorpionspear77]

Here’s how I’d do this story- when the kids come home from school, they spot Sonic on their otherwise blank TV screen, waving his arms and calling to them. He explains he ended up there after being zapped by Robotnik’s robots and needs help getting home to save his friends. The kids try turning on their Genesis- it doesn’t work, but Sonic does see changes in the static realm he’s in. One of the kids volunteers to go with Sonic to help him out while the other stays behind to keep their mom from turning the Genesis off. Sonic muses over this but eventually agrees. The kid brings his Genesis controller with him into the TV, and when he and Sonic get to Robotropolis, it turns out the controller can affect reality, kinda like Captain N. From there it’s a story of Sonic and the kid kicking Robotnik’s butt and setting the Freedom Fighters free- maybe have Sonic go Super and fight the giant bot the actual comic had, aided by the kid. In the end, Sonic thanks the boy and sends him home right before the portal closes. The last panel is the kid sitting down to tell his sister everything while the Sonic 1 or 2 title screen comes on behind them, a sign everything is back to normal.

[@greenstarlover1]

I mean, it's not peak storytelling, but it is COHERENT.

[@benogle4951]

That actually is semi decent. I would say the only faults I can see mainly just come from the story premise rather than your writing

[@tylerherr4288]

just creepily saying "i get it" to creepy things needs to be a running gag

[@jordanhoughton1948]

"So then we have a Sally from a different dimension show up who is Sailor Moon- I get it..."

[@kirbyfan4]

Simpmunk

[@thesmilingman7576]

9:38 dang it just because he's related to Ken Penders he got access to Sonic 16 (a cancelled game that takes place in the Satam/Atchie lore)

[@ffffffffROTHY]

The 'instant archeologists' '''joke''' gives me insane Chris-Chan writing vibes. I still find it really funny that Ken basically roped his own family into this, but couldn't be bothered to ask someone in the office if he could borrow their Genesis.

[@muddashucka9743]

If he tried to approach anyone in the office, he'd probably get pepper sprayed

[@greenstarlover1]

@@muddashucka9743 I think it's mandatory to carry one in his vicinity.

[@alexisislas-gonzalez5991]

Ken has kids?

[@BComet]

@@alexisislas-gonzalez5991 Somehow

[@BBWahoo]

@@alexisislas-gonzalez5991 Many. In his basement.

[@awesomeocelot7475]

Those kids are actually Ken Penders’s own children so he probably took the pictures. He also used them in his “trailer” for sonic Armageddon. REALLY professional there dude……

[@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp]

And they’re playing Sonic CD in it.

[@awesomeocelot7475]

@@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp yeah I remember seeing it. At least they are playing an actual game in that….

[@muddashucka9743]

Bro, he probably isn't allowed within a mile of a child (that isn't his)

[@alexisislas-gonzalez5991]

He has Children!?!? I shudder to think what his wife is into

[@gregcourtney751]

@@alexisislas-gonzalez5991 well it makes his extreme version of "father knows best" themes and kidd should listen to their elders thing make sense. That also comes from his issues and reconcialiation with his own dad, what the knuckles and locke stuff is based on, but it plays a role.

[@BlackFlash09]

With everything going on with Sally in this video, I'm reminded that Robotnik has fallen in love with Sally on two separate occasions.

[@woodman3926]

He W H A T KEN YOU MOTHER F-

[@BlackFlash09]

@@woodman3926 Believe it or not, Ken isn't actually tied to either.

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

Isn't like Sally a Teen in this?? I recall the last I researched the said variant of Robotnik: *He was pushing 60???*

[@BlackFlash09]

@@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398 You're right about Sally. I have no idea about Robotnik.

[@nyanpirethecat2257]

I remember "Sonic Live in Sydney" that used to play at Sega World Sydney actually involved Robotnik kidnapping Sally so he could marry her! Robotnik even drinks a love potion (actually a sleeping potion) from Sonic disguised as a Doctor to rescue her hoping she will actually love him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKKXmGljqrCJh68

[@kbennett2587]

I swear I thought the kid hugging Sally was nick. Poor poor nick.

[@nyanpirethecat2257]

I'm so jealous of that kid!

[@yeoldeseawitch]

@@nyanpirethecat2257 we all are, that kid probably never knew how lucky he was...

[@MilkshakeSkunkette]

"ken buddy, all i can tell you is..." "...nnnghh-i get ittt" honestly my favourite quote from any video you've ever made ever XD

[@NATE-op9tq]

An important thing to keep in mind Ken didn't want to play the sonic games, as he wanted the comic to be its own thing. Was so dedicated to this, he couldn't even get a fake controller for his kids.

[@NATE-op9tq]

@Chaotic Squid Intuos yep

[@guilhermehey3736]

HE HAS KIDS!?

[@milkmatcha3698]

@chaoticsquidintuos1314 the boy is his kid, the other is his niece

[@devinsauls3568]

It can't possibly be that bad Game Apolog... *OH MY GOODNESS!* 😱

[@espresso_makes_depresso5905]

SQUIDWARD!!!!

[@publiccrown2382]

PENDERS!!!

[@maniacgreen8609]

@@publiccrown2382 don't call his name when he's already watching

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@publiccrown2382 "I tried, Mr. Gorelick. I really did." "Oh, what now??" "The lettering in this comic was supposed to be inked medium but I inked it in bold; I INKED IT IN BOLD!! I've soiled the good Archie name! SOILED IT! SOILED IT! SOILED IT! SOILED IT!!"

[@KraziShadowbear]

This comment and replies section gives me life. 😂

[@BadnikMechanic]

"Original The Penders, Do not Lara Sue Me"

[@3X3LR8]

Its comics like that that makes me wonder, how tf did penders keep his job at archie for so long like, like who saw his stuff and said "pErFeCt" this is what we need for our sonic the hedgehog comics.

[@somethingclever4297]

The comics really went down hill after it stopped feeling like a really weird fanfiction.

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

His interview with a yotuber Midnight something (can't remember the real name) Penders basically said Archie really didn't care. As long as he met the deadlines, they kept rolling. They did reject some stuff that went too far (insert the whole canceled plot of Sally losing her virginity to Geoff, who was an adult, while Sonic was thought to be dead for a year)

[@robertlupa8273]

@@JohnWilliams-wl9px they also rejected some of the stuff that he ended up doing for knuckles, or so he said

[@joeker5208]

I really wish I could talk to Ken Penders, because I have SO MANY questions for the MANY choices he made. And damn near the top is WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS STORY KEN??????!!!

[@InsanePigeon]

You think he has actual reasons beyond "it's my fetish" or "because I got paid either way"?

[@forkalamari6093]

@@InsanePigeon the only other one is pulling a YandereDev and saying “yoU aRe aN InFamOuS idIOt wHo DOeSn’T KnoW aNYthing abOUt wRiTInG!!!!! I aM beSt wRItEr!!!!!!! 😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬”

[@gantz22ify]

Those are his kids in the comic. That’s why. It’s a wish fulfillment thing, just like Knuckles and Locke’s relationship was his wish fulfillment thing.

[@milkmatcha3698]

pretty sure you can just mention his twitter and he'd respond to you. dude is pretty talkative over there.

[@austinkaos3682]

To go from the emotional journey that is Surge's and Kit's story in IDW to this is just.... Wow! Just, WOW!!!

[@greenstarlover1]

Talk about whiplash.

[@pinstripecool34]

Lol

[@NiCoNiCoNiCola]

It's even worse when you don't care about Surge and Foxdude, so you go from something good, but not interesting, towards THIS kind of stuff

[@austinkaos3682]

@@NiCoNiCoNiCola Loved Foxdude lol 😂

[@NiCoNiCoNiCola]

@@austinkaos3682 I'm not exactly perfectly capable of speaking Japanese, but I'm pretty sure the guy's name is almost literally trasnlated to Fox the Fennec

[@Bigfoot2005]

That cover art alone is more scarier than anything sonic.exe related.

[@SillyBoi_handle]

I saw the thumbnail and I now feel Ken Penders breathing down my neck.

[@aeon3valefore]

"Some dreams are meant to just stay dreams." THAT HIT ME DEEPER THAN IT REALLY SHOULD HAVE! I feel you, buddy.

[@bumblz]

This feels like something Chris-chan would conjure up. Adding real photos to a comic, the idea that fictional characters exist in their own reality and that we just steal their likeness for stuff in our world, that “instant archeologist” joke feeling just like that “In the Stone Age” joke, self inserting yourself(or in this case, your kids) into your fictional world. But at least Chris played the games she was writing about

[@brawler5760]

I hate saying this, but I bet Chris-Chan could conjure up something slightly better than Ken fricken Penders.

[@AndrewPowerSM]

You can certainly make the argument it's the "worst" Archie issue, it's so inconsequential that's it's hard to really be mad at it. It's just a weird fever dream half remembered in a pile of other bad comics that do active harm to the series as a whole. The real issue is, Ken... buddy. When you take this job, you tell them you need a Sega Saturn for the photoshoot! Get a free Saturn from the gig! That's half the reason to do it at all!

[@Somerandomjingleberry]

Well here’s the thing: he actually forbade video games in his household, so I hear on the grapevine. He really out here, hating “mindless video games”, while being so stuck up about how fun and cool comics are because of their “deep narratives” (read: incomprehensible Knuckles lore) and “emotional connections” (read: blatant projections of own past personal issues not even handled in a relatable, mature way) or some shit.

[@brawler5760]

I heard that Naugus Games and Cry of the Wolf from the same series are worse, but I seriously hope not.

[@rynobehnke8289]

@@Somerandomjingleberry Yes if you ever read anything Ken wrote since End Game will you very quickly notice that he is pretentious moron that things adding big words, dramatic narration and mature themes automatically makes a story well written, mature and intellectually satisfying.

[@rynobehnke8289]

I mean it it really inconsequential when it is the source of Locks's bad nightmares that made him microwave Knuckles to turn him into a living Super Weapon?

[@robertlupa8273]

@@Somerandomjingleberry Imagine this scene playing out if he _did_ get a console just for the comic: *Ken:* "Hey kids, I have some great news!" _(brings a box with a Genesis/Sega Saturn)_ *The kids:* "WOAAAH! Thank you dad/uncle!" 😍😄 *Ken:* "Oh, this isn't for keeping - I didn't change my mind about video games. I just brought it so that I can take some pictures of you playing for my comic book." *The kids:* "Huuh?!" 😧😧 *Ken:* "You'll star in a special issue! Isn't that amazing?" *The kids:* "Y-yeah, of course, daddy..." 😮‍💨😓

[@charismaentertainer1657]

That comic cover… god the nightmares… the horrible horrible memories… Also, watch as the game apologist goes slowly insane

[@Rgoid]

Suck it up, buttercup.

[@charismaentertainer1657]

@@Rgoid SLUUUUURP

[@ShaleNinja]

You know, for all the darkest-timeline filth, legal bullshit and mind-breaking weirdness Ken Penders inflicted upon us, the thing that haunts me the most is how the way he draws faces unilaterally end up being dead-eyed corpses. Okay I take that back, that's the second most haunting thing. The way he unilaterally draws Sally with one hand under the table is at the top of the list.

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

Yes that cover is straight up Beta-Creepypasta material... I also first seen it in the Mega Collection Plus... *Such a melancholic song for it though.*

[@forkalamari6093]

Yeah lmao💀this is literally OG Sonic.exe but somehow 10000000000 times worse

[@greenstarlover1]

@@forkalamari6093 Imagine if someone creates a exe variant with THIS face. God please help us.

[@leopoldosoto779]

On it. Edit: though not with 'that' face, but with the story.

[@FwendlyMushwoom]

1:57 It's not just the longest running video game comic, it's the longest running licensed comic of all time, period. I believe second place was Conan the Barbarian at 275 issues.

[@TheAtemAndrew]

18:10 I don't recall the movie, but there was a moment where the villain promised not to harm a single hair on the kid's head. "Yeah, I promised. And this is that one hair." This is the reverse of that, Eggman's just tearing up that one quill out of spite and comedy. It's beautiful.

[@awesomeocelot7475]

Actually overlanders are a separate species in Archie lore then humans. Overlanders where humans affected by the Xorda Gene Bomb after Robotnik’s ancestor dissected the Xorda ambassador sent to earth making regular humans on Mobius rare. Honestly this lore is….weird.

[@M_Alexander]

Trying to understand Archie Sonic lore is a fool's errand

[@awesomeocelot7475]

@@M_Alexander to be fair yeah. It’s easier when you read the wiki afterwards but still super confusing….

[@forkempty]

@@awesomeocelot7475 yeah reading the wiki after makes it quite easy

[@samuelrodriguez9801]

22:24 well, to be fair, Overlanders are actually slightly mutated humans who have varying traits ranging from things like having four fingers to the grotesque appearances of Robotnik and Snively. Also, some Mobians can't tell the difference between Overlanders and regular humans like the ones from Station Square.

[@JustCallMeMatt517]

Yeah relating to what you said at the end, Ken does seem to be oddly proud of Sonic Live considering when the Sonic movie came out he said Sonic Live did the Sonic with humans idea better. Then about a year after that he tried to publish a Scourge comic where Scourge's design was changed to look like movie Sonic.

[@gracekim1998]

WTF?! did he really claim that?

[@tjmonkey5795]

No there's no way he actually thinks that Sonic live is better than Sonic the movie

[@VantasticJackson]

So...who thinks Penders is gonna try to sue Sonic Prime for using the idea of multiple Eggmans working together?

[@Schnort]

Has he complained on Twitter yet?

[@VantasticJackson]

@@Schnort who knows. Wouldn't surprise me. Can't breath the word "Sonic" within earshot of him

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

As long as they don’t have multiple Sonics, I think Prime will avoid the wrath of Ken.

[@tastethepainbow]

Don't give him ideas

[@TyshaggyGaming]

@@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho Wrath? More like a whimper

[@annon-hc253]

As a kid: “oh, a Sonic comic!” As an adult:” oh no! Ken Penders!!”

[@jimdandy6408]

22:35 ACKCHUALLY In this particular canon, "Humans" and "Overlanders" are distinct species. Or, more specifically, Overlanders are mutants that descend from humans (same for Mobians, if I recall, but that's not relevant). Humans have five fingers (and will basically always look like humans, art-style willing), and Overlanders, like Mobians, have four fingers and can have wildly different cartoony physiologies (see Robotnik, Snively, Nate Morgan, and the Anime Squad seen here at this very moment). The art will frequently not reflect this, because this distinction wasn't actually made until issue 80, the start of the Sonic Adventure tie-in, when the Freedom Fighters encounter pure-strain humans in Station Square, which in this continuity, is an underground city established after passengers of an airliner crashed into a mountain during the apocalypse and sought refuge in the cave system underneath. For some reason, thousands of years later and with presumably less than 200 individuals to begin with, they are not enormously inbred and have made a high-tech underground city out of... Plane parts and cave rocks?.. but you know, comic books. Why are human-looking humans that maybe just have polydactyly and look like regular, boring Archie Comics characters "strange creatures?" Ken Penders. But you knew that.

[@terrysyvertson9205]

this comic sounds like it took the scrapped idea for a sonic movie to where sonic popped out of the video game and came to the real world

[@Rgoid]

Would have been a better movie than the Sonic movie we got.

[@milkmatcha3698]

@@Rgoid nah, the sonic movie we got is great wym

[@brawler5760]

@@Rgoid You just like to hate on anything that is new.

[@robertlupa8273]

"Sonic: Wonders of the World"?

[@geardog24]

"Miss my chance to hug Sally Acorn." It's OK friend, not everyone can have their dream come true. 😔

[@1111-e4p]

The Sonic Chronicles music in the background is extremely fitting.

[@JoeDouglas]

"Worst Sonic Story Ever." "Ken Penders." Tracks. Also, totally get the wanting to hug Sally vibe 😅

[@ShadowXeldron]

I can't believe that Naoto Oshima has a prototype omni-dimensional scanning device in his basement and he didn't tell us. I'll have to ask where he gets his stuff from.

[@thespookymage6294]

You know what I'd love to see, nick? I would love to see you do a video called like, "Why Ken Penders Matters". That way you can get the whole kenny pendy talking point out the way and you don't gotta worry about it when you dive into archie.

[@bluefates58]

3:50 it's okay Nick, I am sure you will find a listing for one of those Sally costumes

[@somethingclever4297]

I'm having flash backs to the 4 Chan Sally doll... Dont ask.

[@bluefates58]

@@somethingclever4297 trust me I already know about that

[@collaterale1]

​@@bluefates58 Really? I thought it reminded me of that guy using a Sally costume using a real skeleton inside (thanks Whang for this info)

[@robertlupa8273]

@@collaterale1 the bones were fake but there was indeed a skeleton inside the doll

[@afish2281]

Love how the kid seems to have gone through that level multiple times and there being no game with the freedom fighters in it. This means that the kid was just replaying the same episode of Sat AM where Sonic actually dies.

[@tylermannor4290]

I mean if you want to get technical the freedom fighters cameo in Sonic Spinball

[@whiteninji352]

This issue…this gaia-forsaken issue. For the longest time I thought this was merely fanfiction, and I promptly ignored it. I eventually learned it was official and decided to glimpse it…and that’s when the horror began

[@InsanePigeon]

Anything Ken writes might as well be a fanfic.

[@greenstarlover1]

@@InsanePigeon best excuse to preserve your sanity.

[@JamoART]

Did not expect Nic to directly address my black-haired Sally drawing. That really caught me off-guard haha 33:38 (Glad you like it still ofc)

[@GameApologist]

You have rad art I was super honored to see you pop on to the Patreon a ways back, should be better about telling you how amazing your work is!

[@brawler5760]

I didn’t know that you were on his Patreon, noice

[@Evoflare133]

Some people say that the hate for Ken Penders is overblown. They’re wrong.

[@robertlupa8273]

It's a bit overblown at times, but I don't blame people for hating him so much.

[@RedYDG]

If someone tries to drag you through a TV screen in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable that's NO GOOD.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

Additional "weird fact"; as far back as 1999, Penders tried to write his own outline for a 'Sonic' movie, and it was based roughly on this exact story. (=O) Also; I think the framing is really just an ego-trip, but what do I know? =)

[@uninspiredghost]

I think that this is really sweet to be honest, he was giving his son a gift. I honestly see how Ken could be a great dad

[@hoseinbmr3449]

your reactions just made this video much better 🤣and the fact that at the end you found one thing to appreciate about this issue reminds me why i love this channel 👍

[@DrDirtyLeggz]

Imma put that chaotic energy out there and wish that this comic is the series finale to Sonic Prime.

[@eylon-wallstain]

19:51 oh my god, the kid is doing the soyjack pose.

[@Neyebureturns]

All that prototype plot reminded me of an episode of Darkwing Duck, where he, Gossalyn and Megavolt travel to the “real world”, where the creator of the Darkwing Duck cartoon said he has a helmet that allow he to hear what happen in Darkwing universe, and inspired by that he created the cartoon.

[@truemetalsonic]

It might be because I'm tired but the "I get it" joke has had me wheezing for several minutes

[@IgnatiusBlaze4]

... I don't know why... but it's giving me not just rapey vibes, but the Ninja Turtles meme, zoomed in on Mikey's face... Cowabunga it is then DUUUUDES!!! Especially after seeing him grab the child's arm around the 5:00 mark, then switching to his Hamburger helper hand that's going to smother the other child... *WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?!*

[@NinjaKingAce]

23:29 This is actually similar to a Darkwing Duck episode; Where Darkwing finds himself in the "real" world and meets the man who makes his show. But at least in that episode, the showrunner says he based the show on a dream he had, so he didn't knowingly rip-off an alternate reality

[@This_Guy_Exists]

11:17 "What videogame turns off the TV set when you die?!" Chara: *_Allow me to introduce myself._*

[@matthewwonks2534]

This story is the equivalent of Rudolph and all those other stop-motion Christmas cartoons from the 70s--things just kind of happen and random characters are introduced for no reason.

[@wakeangel2001]

Hmm, the worst story? It was pretty bad, but the worst? Personally I think the lost in space arc from after issue 125 was the worst, even though it wasn't a single issue, and when I asked some other fans they would say the "slap heard round the world" where Sonic and Sally broke up, which came right after in fact...

[@Myro_tekk]

The look on sonic's face when the kids hug him though.

[@СозданиеБезымянное]

22:38 Well, actually, overlanders and humans are different species, so no, Robotnik isn't a human, but it's still weird that he considers humans strange when the only difference they have is the number of fingers.

[@B-Dawgg]

I'd love to know how well this issue sold at the time. While 90s comics were going through that boom/bust phenomenon and Marvel was filing bankruptcy, Ken was pumping out these timeless classics.

[@Chase1.9]

I can hear Nick slowly losing his sanity as he goes through the comic.

[@parnash]

I... actually remember this, I thought it was something crazy I thought up of in a fever dream, wow.

[@apackofhoboes]

"There has been no lead up to this situation. We are just *here*" - A majority of Ken Penders's writing.

[@thepuzzlemaster64]

I'm curious if someone covered Ken Pender's history before he made the Sonic comics. I just want to know how! How has this man made it this far, and gained so much trust before burning it all down?!

[@fightingmedialounge519]

There's a couple of videos like that.

[@thepuzzlemaster64]

@@fightingmedialounge519 Could you link me to one? Because the few I've seen only cover when he did the Sonic Comics while only glossing over his previous works with I think Marvel Comics

[@fightingmedialounge519]

@@thepuzzlemaster64 m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5OUkoN5nM2doLs

[@thepuzzlemaster64]

@@fightingmedialounge519 It's a good documentary, but I want to know how Ken was during the DC and Marvel days, and not while he was working at Archie. What DC/Marvel comics did he work on? How much control did he have with those comics (if any)? Did his weird fetishes get into those comics, or was it only when he did the Sonic comics? What made him get renounced enough to get an offer at Archie comics? There's so many question still missing from this man, but everyone is only focusing on the time he worked at Archie and beyond, and not his DC/Marvel days.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

@@thepuzzlemaster64 I don't think Ken actually worked at both DC and marvel. Also what you see archie comics aren't his fetishes, but ideas he had for original comics that never got made. Also that documentary should cover how and why he started working for archie

[@rolfathan]

I remember seeing this comic in a pavillion's grocery store back when it came out. Just the cover got me to say "What the hell is this?" even as a kid. I was a huge collector of sonic comics at the time, and this was the only one I just simply decided I wasn't going to buy.

[@thegreatwaffleman.]

28:01 Yes, my favorite scene in Sonic Live. Tails implying that both Sonic and Sally gonna have some funky, funky chipmunk “nut munching.”

[@nyanpirethecat2257]

Since you brought up Robotnik's weird relationship with Sally Acorn. You got to discuss Sonic Live In Sydney (at least the CD release) since it actually involves Robotnik kidnapped Sally Acorn so he could marry her. He even asks Sally "Why do you love Sonic, but not me!" and drinks a sleeping potion (disguised as a love potion) in the hopes of Sally falling in love with him.

[@felinusfeline5559]

I think it's kind of funny how lots of full-time sonic fans (hello!) can watch videos like this and laugh and groan along with you.

[@mistersp3753]

That thumbnail is cursed. It looks like Sonic is trying to drag you into his horribly written comic book world. Archie certainly has its moments, both good and bad, but this story might very well be the worst they've ever produced.

[@apocalypsemeow7966]

I bought a copy of this when it was new when I was 12 only because I wanted to complete my collection, but even then the cover repulsed me and I hated the story by the time I finished reading it. I thought it was worse than my own writing at the time. I still have it in great condition along with over a hundred other Archie Sonic books. I'm glad you brought more attention to this awful thing.

[@Morgil27]

I think it's very telling that, when collecting the older comics into trade paperbacks, they reprinted the two backup stories from this book, but _not_ the main story.

[@DashPadGames]

This comic is like a fever dream. LMAO This video is hilarious. I love how you're questioning everything. Thank you for this video LMAO I love it!

[@BlueV101]

I am on 32 of 35 minutes into the video, and I am still stuck on the fact that I missed out on so many live events in my childhood. Yes, one could say "they were all terrible", but they would have been wonderful memories for me.

[@Bofrab]

That “I get it.” Joke caught me completely off guard. That was amazing.

[@popularvote3613]

25:00 TO BE FAIR, Segaworld Sydney had a costumed Robotnik based on the SatAM show.

[@the_original_chris7085]

I remember playing sonic+ collection for the playstation 2. I was looking through the little behind the scenes stuff and info on things inside. Then I stumbled upon this image, as soon as I saw this image, i immediately threw it inside the trash, thinking that the game was cursed and he was going to get me. (This was when I was around 6-7 years old)

[@Morgil27]

"Ken, you gonna sue for that one, too?" I don't know about the cyberspace thing, but when I first played Frontiers, I did legitimately think he would try suing over the idea of the Chaos Emeralds being from space.

[@amusicdude5564]

Ken is surely one of the Penders of all time.

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

I think the more appropriate title for this comic would have been this: Sonic the Hedgehog: Enter the Mindfuck

[@Graphomite]

The delivery of that creepy _"I get it"_ was perfect.

[@sonicmario64]

I almost became one of those kids who believed that Sally Acorn and the Freedom Fighters were characters from the video games, but when I realized that they did not actually appear in the games (except for the Sega Genesis version of "Sonic Spinball", anyway), that's when I stopped being a fan of them due to them being non-existent in the original source. :P

[@Shadamyfan-rs8xc]

Lol

[@robertlupa8273]

@@Shadamyfan-rs8xc lol indeed

[@legdig]

The one thing I like about ken pender's art style is he draws a REALLY good robotnik.

[@melasnexperience]

Steve was actually playing the long lost CD-i Sonic game.

[@essycogany2738]

This entire video has just been a roller coaster of emotions and laughter while listening to this poor soul read out one of the stupidest Sonic Archie comics in history. We all salute you for your sacrifice of brain cells of having to relive the traumatic stress of this books entire existence. This was entertaining to watch. 😂💙

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

I’ve seen that comic cover before, as well as the Knuckles and Substitute Freedom Fighters stories, but never have I seen this particular story. I think it’s pretty safe to say that it’s not canon, it’s just too bizarre to fit into the Archie storyline.

[@otaking3582]

This was Ken Penders' first Sonic gig. Those kids that Sonic pulls into the TV are Penders' kids. Someone at Archie seriously looked at this literal self-insert fic and said "Yes, please keep writing for us! We don't foresee any bad coming of this!"

[@mrcwillis6970]

That cover…. One of the many cursed things that are out there.

[@torgo1985]

14:54 Clearly, Sonic pulled the kids into the Video Zone, a place between our world and the video dimension. Waiting to challenge them for control of the Video Zone is one of the game wizards. Is it…Merlock…Scorchia…or Mongo?

[@keironhiggspoet]

as a avid reading of the UK equivalent of sonic's comic based adventures in the early 90s, i'm glad we didn't have to suffer this and or any of KP's insane lore he later implemented into the series. our version occasionally jumped the shark, but NOT this hard. lol

[@HedgehogY2K]

11:31 bear these react... No I love hearing people get surprised over the silliest things. That's somewhat my forte actually. 17:52 AAAAH (grumbles in the darkest voice conceivable)! So satisfying, breaking mere twigs is such a delight.

[@shadehobs8618]

5:00 made me think of: “heya kids” *crack*

[@aguynamelex3146]

seeing how Ken tweeted about getting Lawyers involved to sue Paramount because he was told the second movies had a plot about the Echidnias using the Master Emerald similar to what he wrote. It's safe to assume he has no ideas how the video games were