Why do I do this to myself? Let's be honest, there is probably never going to be an Archie title that will itch what makes me read comics. A good critic tries his damnedest to approach things with an even keel, to give all kinds of art its due and day in court, but to ignore that we all come to the art table with different things that brought us there is to ignore what makes us individuals.
Read MoreBy Dustin Cabeal
Hey we're back, and we have stuff to talk about... and only some of it is comics because fuck... there's just no comic news worth talking about. Still. We do talk about this comic book coats; that's cool. Then we move over to Wonder Woman's sexuality that's a thing worth discussing, we guess. Then Arrow news of sorts, but mostly we talk about the Stephen Amell's dirty little side business of kissing fans asses and why he does that!
Read MoreYou may recall my not so negative, not so positive review of Archie's rebooted Josie and the Pussycats series yesterday. If you don't, read that here. At NYCC they have exclusives because everyone does and while most are variants and such, this shirt stood out. Becuase this artwork made me want to read the series. I love the art by Audrey Mok and so I would wear the fuck out of this shirt. I do wish it was on say a white, pink, orange shirt... anything other than black. It doesn't pop on black. If you're at NYCC it's $25 bucks for the Men's pictured above and the Women's V-Neck below.
Read MoreReally the only thing to say about this book is that it’s okay. It occurred to me that I have never read a Josie and the Pussycats comic and so it at least succeeded in getting me to do that. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t like it either. It’s okay, but really shouldn’t we want something more from a comic? The premise is... Did you see the new Jem and the Holograms movie? If you did, wasn’t it like watching the Josie and the Pussycats movie? Which is what kind of happens here. Art imitating art… imitating art or something. Granted there’s only so much you can do with the construct of this brand. It’s an all women band, and their gimmick is “pussycats” which instantly makes it feel out of place in 2016. I don’t think people have called cats “pussycats” since before I was born and I’m no spring chicken.
Read MoreWe've been trying to warn you about Reggie Mantle for the last seven months on our Twitter account but it wasn't enough. Now you'll all see exactly the type of person we've been dealing with when REGGIE AND ME #1 launches on December 7th! The next hit New Riverdale series, REGGIE AND ME, arrives this Winter from the side-splitting creative team of Tom DeFalco, Sandy Jarrell, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli."It’s a great honor to be paired with a dynamic and fun artist like Sandy on one of my favorite characters," says series writer Tom DeFalco.
"Reggie Mantle has been called a self-aggrandizing egotist, a sinister super-villain, a merciless monster and worse, but his dog loves him. Sandy and I intend to show all the doubters and haters exactly why Reggie should be named the true master of this universe…or else!"
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"The town of Riverdale has been part of my life as long as I can remember, and there couldn't be a more exciting time to visit," says series artist Sandy Jarrell. "Reg is more than a little salty he had to wait this long for his solo relaunch, so we've to make this count. I, for one, have no intention of getting on Mantle's list."
Following hot on the heels of the blockbuster ‘New Riverdale’ re-launches ARCHIE, JUGHEAD, BETTY & VERONICA, and September's new JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS series, REGGIE AND ME takes a look at the life of everyone's (okay, not exactly everyone's) hero, the handsome and hilarious Reggie Mantle. The new series will arrive in
The new series will arrive in comic book stores this December featuring an assortment of variant covers from fan favorite artists including Derek Charm, Robert Hack, Ryan Jampole, and more.
Visit the official Archie Comics website for more information, follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates, and download the Archie App for iOS and Android to read all your favorite Archie Comics!
It's hit and miss. My very first reaction is to laugh at some jokes and gag at others, the jokes that flop, well; they flop hard. My lips turn into an icy blue grimace, and my eyes roll back into my skull, and I can see my brain. The groaners are bad, and the laughers are okay, I suppose, enough to receive at least a B in clown college. Yet my entire perspective changed the moment I asked myself how my younger kid-self would have liked it. Honestly, I would have laughed my chubby little ass off. Seeing as I am an adult, as long as you pronounce adult with an elongated 'u' and throw up air quotes as you say it, whenever I see a character referring to the “secret seasoning sauce that will destroy the world”, I immediately start seeking the closest, hardest surface to slam my head against. But if I'm being fair, that's not the worst joke in the world; it's just corny. I remember twists on established media, like the Sonic Boom's first issue titling itself “Issue One of... erm, well, One!” would split my sides before I realized that 90% of comedians in the world don't have jokes besides twisting established formula.
The point I'm trying to get at is that it's for kids, and honestly, for a kid's comic it's pretty damn good. I'd probably still prefer something like Tyson Hesse's 'Sonic Mega Drive', but that's because I've been into old video games ever since I started playing them. To the kids who want more Sonic in their life and were left bitterly disappointed by the Wii U game, this is an honestly valiant effort with a writing staff that's clearly not too worried about the critical reception, so long as it strikes a chord with children. There are only so many distinct scenarios in which blatantly ignoring the reception of critics is a good idea, but all of them include a stalwart confidence in your work and this just happens to be one of those occasions.
So what did adult-me think of it? Couldn't tell you, honestly, because I spent my reading time in a state of strange bliss, taking myself back to reading the comics of my youth: filler material with bad jokes and effervescently colorful pictures. What did kid-me think of it?
Even as a child, I knew what it meant to kill a joke and Sonic Boom has a bad habit of doing exactly that. This trade paperback features the same mecha for our heroes to fight for every issue and the fact that this is the case is supposed to be a joke. I know it's supposed to be a joke because it's referenced as a joke in every single issue multiple times. There are a few more “one too many” repetitions in Sonic Boom, but for the most part, it's, again, pretty harmless.
The one aspect of these comics that genuinely does the series harm is the character of Sticks the Badger who is written in the same way that a 15-year-old girl might write Invader Zim if asked to create a GIR-centric episode. Sticks is a character who, at the best of times, spouts ridiculous, half-baked non-sequiturs with little to no relevance to anything but her own played-for-laughs paranoia about conspiracy theories and, at the worst of times, expects those non-sequiturs to be taken seriously.
I cannot imagine a child who actually enjoys this character nor have I ever met one. Cloudcuckoolanders like GIR and Pinky from Pinky and The Brain work because they're treated as bumbling morons incapable of doing any actual good or deserving of any respect and the moments in which they do act competently in any way is treated as a surprise and is otherwise unexpected. That role in this comic is already taken up perfectly well by the new incarnation of Knuckles the Hedgehog, so the only job that Sticks has in this story is to say random stuff about the Illuminati and the aforementioned 'Secret Seasoning Sauce' at extremely inappropriate times and pray to God that it's actually funny, which it never ever is.
Stealing the show, as always, is Dr. Eggman, who has been such a delight in every single piece of media he's ever appeared in that explaining his qualities must be something of a redundancy at this point. He's secretly sensitive, bumbling, delightfully ambitious, even regarding ultimately doomed plans, and his whole character is infused with the sort of perfectly balanced cynicism that comes with being the only adult character with adult dreams and adult fears in a cast full of children. Think Stu Pickles or Randy Marsh.
All in all, it's a damn good offering in terms of kid's comics, the polar opposite to the lackluster showing given by The Amazing World of Gumball Grab Bag 2016. It's bright, exciting, fresh and it doesn't treat children like idiots. It's dragged down by its tendency to overuse jokes and it suffers from perhaps the most insufferable character ever introduced to the Sonic franchise ever.
Yes, including Charmy the Bee.
Give it a second thought if you're an adult, seriously, but if your kid's interested, it wouldn't be a total waste of money.
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Sonic Boom vol. 1 Writer: Ian Flynn Artist: Evan Stanley, Jennifer Hernandez Publisher: Archie Comics Price: $12.99 Format: TPB; Print/Digital
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Over the last week, I finally got around to reading the first volume of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's other Archie horror comic, the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. It was, from start to finish, a sharp, scary horror book with great art (courtesy of Robert Hack) and a strong sense of characterization and I highly recommend it. And yet, when all was said and done, I couldn't help but notice that Afterlife with Archie is distinctly superior. There are a number of reasons for this: Francavilla's art is better than Aguirre-Sacasa's, Afterlife is a more interesting story, and the emotions are not as rich in Sabrina. All that said, I was reminded by Afterlife with Archie #10 that the key difference between the two is that while Chilling is a scary book that happens to use Archie characters, Afterlife with Archie is, at its core, an Archie comic. Come entirely as a surprise after last issue's big last page cliffhanger, issue ten is a self-avowed, extra-sixed interlude--an interview with the lead singer of Josie and the Pussycats. Ignoring entirely (well, almost) the goings on in Riverdale, Aguirre-Sacasa creates a new Pussycats mythos from the ground up framed as a tell-all interview. As we, and the increasingly terrified music reporter, learn, Josie and company are over a hundred years old and have survived by drinking blood. In a comic where Sabrina is the Bride of Cthulhu and Jughead leads an army of the undead, there's something entirely fitting in the revelation that Archie comics cheesy pop trio are vampires. And if this sounds like a spoiler, it isn't--we find out the trio are vampires slightly before the halfway point, and things only get more interesting from there.
Afterlife with Archie has been a book that has managed to intertwine horror with the nostalgic world of Archie by playing it entirely straight, never winking at the audience or acknowledging anything silly in the premise. Issue Ten is no different, and while on paper the story of Josie and the Pussycats as monsters in their own right sounds funny, it is in practice a haunting 37-page story centered around the type of human moments that allow AOA to be so consistently disturbing. Vampires are, in horror, no less a cliche than zombies (or Lovecraftian monsters for that matter), but seeing a group of formerly angelic young women turned into vicious beasts is arresting. Following the Pussycats through a hundred years and more than a few different bands, we are repeatedly reminded that the monsters in this world are a mix of fantastical (vampires) and very real (Klansmen and Nazis). The most striking moment in the book comes when Josie mercy kills an old friend of the band who has grown old and desperate after years of hard living. It operates both as an excellent Vampire story beat and as a real-world analogy for those left behind by fame.
That may sound a little scattered as I am still trying to wrap my head around the scope of AOA which, along with encompassing ten decades, sees fit to pay tribute to F Scott Fitzgerald in a way I am still considering. Ably bringing Aguirre-Sacasa's dense scripts to life is Franco Francavilla whose work I quite literally like better every issue. Here he plays the horror more subtly than in past, indicating evil happenings with half-seen monsters, bloody spatters, and eerily orange-lit mansions. Because of this, when a few moments do show something horrible directly, they are that much more disturbing.
At the very start of Afterlife with Archie #10, I wondered whether a 45-page interlude was really needed but a few pages after that I was caught up in the fully-realized new characters. Later I questioned the intrusion of vampires onto a story with plenty going on already, but here again, I was proved wrong by a hugely confident, expert take on familiar material. In other words, by the halfway point of the book, I realized it's foolish to question the twists the story takes and just trust that the creators know what they're doing. As the Pussycat's plane prepares to touch down in a now apocalyptic Riverdale at the issue's end, I was almost sad to be returning to the main plot. But then again, this issue evinces in every possible way that Afterlife with Archie has plenty of material left to explore. I cannot wait.
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Afterlife with Archie #10 Writers: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Artist: Franco Francavilla Publisher: Archie Comics (obviously) Price: $3.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital
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Sonic Universe #88 is the second part of Knuckles and Amy's quest to rebuild the shattered Master Emerald, which Knuckles has been charged with guarding. This quest happens to coincide with Team Darks' (Shadow, Rouge, and Omega) mission to find an alien menace called Eclipse. Things open up with our heroes in various predicaments, and none of them are any fun. Shadow and Knuckles are arguing with another Echidna named Nixus about various coincidences, Amy and Rouge are endanger of being swallowed by cave crystals, and Omega is under the influence of a dark force, pitting him against his friends. So yeah, pretty action packed issue we've had here.
One good thing about these kinds of comics is that you already kind of have their voices in your head which really helps out a writer when doing dialogue for them. It also helps because, having played with these characters in several video games it's cool to see them in what feels a more "natural" setting. In the past, I've kind of laughed at the idea that Shadow is just edgy Sonic, (who himself is edgier than his original appearance).
In Sonic Universe, things I might have laughed at in the game from characters in terms of dialogue feel more in-character. Like, there's no way this could be played up for a laugh. It's just how they are. In addition, I also feel like there's more character to play with. Whereas in the games, Knuckles has always come across as pretty one-dimensional, with Sonic receiving the most, if any, character development.
Here, Knuckles actually gets to play a character impacted by his environment and the people around him. Plus, it’s cool to see an addition to the Mobius lore. Which makes me wonder why this isn’t called “Mobius Universe?” Or simply “Mobius.” Sonic hasn’t even appeared in this story, but that’s a tiny gripe.
Never read the series before, but honestly, I feel this was a solid place to hop on. The art was very well done, by Jim Amash, and Ian Flynn provided perfectly in-character dialogue. Which feels weird to say because I already feel like I know the characters so well! Point being, I had no issues with the writing here. The little tidbits included at the end were really just the icing on the cake. Loved this book and can’t wait for more!
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Sonic Universe #88 Writer: Ian Flynn Artist: Jim Amash Publisher: Archie Comics Price: $3.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital
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To be clear... I'm 100% for this. But to also be clear... this looks like New Archie is meeting Young Ramones and that's fucking weird. Especially since the Ramones would look awesome in the Archie house style. From Archie Comics:
Archie. Jughead. Betty & Veronica. Reggie. The Archies.
Joey. Tommy. Johnny. Dee Dee. Ramones.
The next must-read crossover from Archie Comics debuts in October as The Archies find themselves stuck in 1970s New York City -- and face to face with the Ramones!
The oversized one-shot issue debuts on October 5th from the best-selling creative team of co-writers Alex Segura (ARCHIE MEETS KISS) and Matthew Rosenberg (We Can Never Go Home) with jaw-dropping art by Gisele Lagace ("Occupy Riverdale") and colorist Shouri and variant covers from Veronica Fish, Francesco Francavilla, and Dan Parent!
No stranger to musical crossover comics, co-writer Alex Segura's passion for music and comic books made writing ARCHIE MEETS RAMONES a no-brainer, "My comic fandom always ran parallel to an obsession with music, so having the chance to merge them for this project has been amazing. Not only are Matt and Gisele amazing collaborators - they're wonderful people and friends. This is the project we've been waiting years to do, and I hope it makes Archie and Ramones fans happy."
"When I was growing up Archie ignited my lifelong love for comics and Ramones are what made me fall in love with punk. As an adult, it's a dream come true to be able to smash these two things together," added co-writer Matthew Rosenberg.
As both a musician and comic artist, Gisele Lagace calls getting to draw ARCHIE MEETS RAMONES a dream project come true. "I'm giving this my all, Ramones style, to make sure fans of both Archie and Ramones dig the results."
Visit the official Archie Comics website for more information, follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates, and download the Archie App for iOS and Android to read all your favorite Archie Comics!
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This is probably the first Comic-Con shirt that I'm bummed I won't be getting, because I would love to rock either team, but definitely I would go for #TeamBetty. If you're going, you better partake! From Archie Comics:
Archie Comics is teaming with ReedPOP to launch a new line of Betty & Veronica inspired merchandise debuting this week at Comic-Con International: San Diego!
Are you more of a Betty or a Veronica? Fans can choose a side and show off their allegiance with these special #TeamBetty and #TeamVeronica t-shirts, inspired by the new "Betty vs. Veronica" storyline kicking off in this week's blockbuster launch of BETTY & VERONICA #1 from comics legend Adam Hughes.
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Don't feel like picking a side but still looking for something stylish to wear? Available exclusively at this year's show is a limited-edition BETTY & VERONICA tee featuring artwork from new series artist Adam Hughes!
If shirts aren't your thing, there will also be #TeamBetty and #TeamVeronica lanyards available so fans can sport their convention badge with a bit of Riverdale flair.
All shirts will be available at the Archie Comics Booth #1829 for $25. Lanyards are $5 each.
Men's and women's sizes are both available ranging from S-2XL.
Limited quantities available.
For more information and to keep up to date on all things Archie Comics and SDCC, visit our SDCC 2016 News Hub, and follow @ArchieComics on Twitter and Instagram for live updates from the show floor!
Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the best-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE series, today unveiled plans for this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego – timed to the launch of an all-new BETTY & VERONICA #1 from comic book legend Adam Hughes. BETTY & VERONICA #1, hitting comic book shops and digital storefronts on Wednesday, July 20 – the same day doors open on Comic-Con International: San Diego 2016 – continues the stellar ‘New Riverdale’ relaunch of the beloved Archie Comics properties that began last year with the now-historic ARCHIE #1 by writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples.
"We treat every New Riverdale launch like a special, monumental event - as these amazing characters deserve," said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics Publisher/CEO. "Adam Hughes is the perfect person to welcome a new BETTY & VERONICA #1 into the world with a story that's beautifully illustrated, witty and about the most important friendship in comics. What better place to pull back the curtain on this book than Comic-Con? It's going to be an epic show for Archie. As always, we come in strong and ready to engage with our fans and community."
This year’s Comic-Con will also feature the first public screenings of the pilot episode of the new Archie Comics-based drama ‘Riverdale’, from Warner Brothers Productions, set to debut on The CW in early 2017. A special ‘Riverdale’ panel will take place on Saturday featuring appearances by cast members including key cast members and crew. Fans will be able to get their first look at the subversive and modern take on the Archie Comics characters.
The relaunch of BETTY & VERONICA sets the stage for an amazing week of panels, giveaways, exclusives, and announcements at the biggest pop culture event in the world, Comic-Con International: San Diego 2016 – including a convention-exclusive cover to BETTY & VERONICA #1 by Adam Hughes and a special throwback cover for the fan-favorite SONIC: MEGA DRIVE one-shot.
Archie Comics will have three must-see panels this year including a spotlight on Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer, Archie Horror writer, and ‘Riverdale’ Executive Producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, a 75th anniversary panel featuring top Archie Comics talent, and a special ‘Riverdale’ panel featuring the cast of the new live-action drama series debuting on The CW in 2017.
Friday, July 22, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. in Room 29AB
Join moderator Alex Segura (crime novelist and Archie writer) for an in-depth and memorable discussion with acclaimed comic book writer, playwright, and screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, spotlighting his time at Archie Comics - including the creation of the hit Afterlife with Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comics - and writing other beloved comic book properties like the Fantastic Four, his prolific television (Glee, Supergirl), theatrical (American Psycho, Spider-Man on Broadway) and movie (Carrie and Town that Dreaded Sundown remake) work — including the upcoming RIVERDALE TV series from the CW in a frank, engaging and free-wheeling format that will keep fans buzzing.
Saturday, July 23, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. in Room 4
Celebrate the 75th anniversary of Archie Comics in this must-see panel with exclusive news and announcements about your favorite characters including ARCHIE, JUGHEAD, BETTY & VERONICA and more! Featuring your favorite Archie Comics talent and perhaps a special ‘Riverdale’ surprise appearance or two.
Saturday, July 23, 6:30 p.m. – approx. 10 p.m. in Room 6BCF
Don’t miss the first ever panel for ‘Riverdale,’ the next hit television show coming to The CW in early 2017! Join the cast and crew of the Archie Comics-based drama for a special screening of the pilot episode!
*ALL TIMES/SIGNINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
Thursday, July 21
1pm-2pm BETTY & VERONICA: Adam Hughes
3pm-4pm NEW RIVERDALE: Adam Hughes & Derek Charm
4pm-5pm ARCHIE ALL-STAR: Dan Parent
5pm-6pm DARK CIRCLE COMICS: Duane Swierczynski, Adam Christopher, Frank Tieri
Friday, July 22
12pm-1pm BETTY & VERONICA: Tula Lotay, Tom Bancroft, Colleen Coover, Adam Hughes
1pm-2pm NEW RIVERDALE: Adam Hughes & Derek Charm
3pm-4pm ARCHIE ALL-STAR: Dan Parent
4pm-5pm ARCHIE ACTION: Tyson Hesse
5pm-6pm ARCHIE HORROR: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Saturday, July 23
10am-11am JUGHEAD: Derek Charm
11am-12pm ARCHIE ALL-STAR: Dan Parent
2pm-3pm BETTY & VERONICA: Adam Hughes
Sunday, July 24
SHOW HOURS: 9:30am-5:00pm
10:30am-11am RIVERDALE: Cast TBA
11:30am-12:30pm ARCHIE ALL-STAR: Dan Parent
12:30pm-1:00pm ARCHIE HORROR: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
1pm-2pm BETTY & VERONICA: Adam Hughes
BETTY & VERONICA #1 SDCC Exclusive Variant
IT’S BETTY VS. VERONICA! The most highly-anticipated debut in comics history is here with an exclusive convention cover by comics legend Adam Hughes! Betty and Veronica are America’s sweethearts… until they turn on each other! “Pops’ Chocklit Shoppe is being taken over by a huge coffee company. When Betty and Veronica go head-to-head over the issue, all bets are off! Friendships will shatter. Cities will burn. Nails will be broken. Betty and Veronica are back in this ALL-NEW #1!
Price: $10
SONIC: MEGA DRIVE SDCC Exclusive Variant
Sonic spins into a brand new, Classic-styled, SUPER SPECIAL one-shot “Mega Drive”! Join Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose on a brand new adventure—set after the fall of the Death Egg! The nefarious Dr. Eggman is trying to build a new engine of destruction: the MEGADRIVE, and it’s up to Sonic and his whole crew to stop the mad doctor and save the day! Join Sonic and his friends in this special commemorative issue celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Blue Blur by Ian Flynn, Tyson Hesse and Matt Herms featuring an exclusive convention cover by SEGA!
Price: $10
For more information and to keep up to date on all things Archie Comics and SDCC, follow @ArchieComics on Twitter and Instagram for live updates from the show floor!
Sonic is one mess of a property. Once the face of a genuine competitor in the video game field, the franchise now spirals on the edge of complete bankruptcy, reinventing itself to try and claw into gaming relevance so desperately that the series actually manages to bury what few strong entries it produces under blockbuster failures. But travel back in time before Shadow's twin Desert Eagles, before Boom Knuckle's infinite jump, and before Sonic kissed Lacey Chabert. Sonic was a brightly colored franchise featuring an aesthetic all its own with a cast of appealing well-designed characters. Sonic: Mega Drive takes us back there, both in story and art, a charming bit of reminiscing that won't save the Hedgehog from being meme fodder but might appeal to nostalgic gamers from a different time.
The story is as bare bones as one of Sonic's original platformers. Dr. Robotnik is collecting themed MacGuffin's called 'Ancient Gears' to power a superweapon, and Sonic has to foil his plan. Author Ian Flynn keeps the story minimal and light, emphasizing light period appropriate (and occasionally self-aware) comedy. In the best way, the comic captures the tone of 90's platformer 
adventures, not updating the tone or humor to fit more in line with what readers expect from today's licensed comics. It's breezy and light, a casual read that won't grab hold of you but hits all of its marks regardless.
The real star of the book is the art. The lines by Tyson Hesse are some of the best I've seen in a Sonic comic, not to mention all-ages video game adaptations period. Rich with character expression, perfectly composed, and with energetic action, Hesse nails the tone while not being so beholden to being on-model that he can't illustrate with his own personal flair. If I didn't know better I would have credited the art to a Japanese artist, as the manga inspired lines are so natural feeling you wouldn't guess that a Western cartoonist was responsible for them. Add on top of that Matt Herms vibrant colors, perfectly balanced and sharp, but with a faint watercolor texturing, and you have one of the best looking books of the month.
Sonic: Mega Drive isn't a game-changing story, but it is stand-out example of how licensed comics should be done. It's respectful to the property and the era it recalls, puts genuine talent on illustrating it, and never tries to do too much. It reminds you how fun that era of gaming could be, nostalgia without the sense of irony, cynicism, or questionable expertise that I have come to associate with the marketing trend. I would read more of this. I would read more by this team doing something else. Sonic hasn't been this fun or good looking in ages, and maybe Sega could take some pointers from this classy and entertaining direction.
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