Each and every week, I, “Airwolf” Henchman21, and “Knight Rider” Empress Eve read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible”¦ theoretically. Naturally, we look forward to some more than others. I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of our pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of July 3, 2013. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

It’s kind of a slow week for comics, since it seems like everything came out last week, plus it’s a holiday week, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t books to get excited about. And so, we got a few new series and some new issues from series that have been going on for a while. If you don’t have a lot of new issues of your regular series out this week, it may be a good time to check out some titles that you haven’t read before. So, how about we take a look at what we’ve got cooking in this week’s GoD List!

Henchman 21

Issues

Emerald City of Oz #1 (Marvel Comics – $3.99) Can you believe this will be the sixth collaboration between Eric Shanower and Skottie Young in their effort to adapt every Oz story originally written by Frank L. Baum? It’s true, and that’s quite the testament to Shanower and Young, as well as to Marvel for remaining committed to the series, and to the readers who keep buying them. Of course, it’s easy to understand why people would want to pick up a series featuring Young’s beautiful artwork that perfectly captures the world of Oz and all its amazing denizens. If you’ve got a kid that you want to get into comics, or if you just love a great story, pick up this issue or any of the other miniseries in the Oz line. This is the cream of the crop when it comes to all-ages books. You can also pick up an issue of Shanower’s other series, Age of Bronze, which hits issue 33 this week courtesy of Image Comics. It’s not quite as all-ages as the Oz books are. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, as it is a realistic retelling of the Trojan War. So you know, don’t get them confused.

Swamp Thing #22 (DC Comics – $2.99) Anyone worried that Charles Soule wouldn’t be able to follow up on Scott Snyder’s run on Swamp Thing should have their worries assuaged at this point. Soule has put his own stamp on the book, stripping some of the more horrific elements that were Snyder’s trademark, and playing up Swamp Thing as a hero with a unique skill set. It’s still Swamp Thing though, and there are still enough extreme elements to make the series feel like it should. Likewise, anyone worried about the loss of Yanick Paquette on art should be happy to see that Kano has stepped up and brought his own unique feel to the book. Kano is not Paquette and never will be, but he is matching up with Soule’s take on the book perfectly. Swamp Thing is back to being one of DC’s best books, so don’t miss out if you had walked away from it.

Dark Skullkickers Dark #1 (Image Comics – $3.50) Okay, this will be the last of the #1 issues for Skullkickers, as this marks the end of Eighty Eyes on an Evil Island. It’s been a fun ride so far with a ton of talking apes, evil duplicates, and plenty of dwarf resurrection. Well, I guess just the one dwarf resurrection, but that should be enough for anyone. Each issue of Skullkickers continues to be jammed packed with action, excitement, and hilarity courtesy of writer Jim Zub. And if that isn’t enough, each issue features the clean animated style of Edwin Huang who just keeps getting better. Okay, maybe this isn’t the best pace to jump in, but it’s definitely a series worth catching up on.

Trades

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Vol. 2 Hardcover (Vertical – $29.95) Mobile Suit Gundam is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve watched the original anime, I’ve read the original novelization, however I’ve never read any of the manga adaptations. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin may be the definitive telling of the original Mobile Suit Gundam story, and if you’ve watched the anime, or even read the novelization, you’ve never seen the story quite like this (unless you read this manga when it was originally released a few years ago). The Origin is written and drawn by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko who worked on the designs for the series and is co-written by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. This adaptation follows the original story fairly closely, but finds a few new angles to add to the story and marries that to some fantastic art. Yasuhiko knows these characters back and forth, and is able to capture the power of the suits and how to show the action like no one else. Perhaps the best thing about this is the wonderful presentation of this new hardcover collection. The books look great on your shelf and the story has stood the test of time for more than 20 years.

Empress Eve

Quick Picks

– Trinity Of Sin Pandora #1
– Abe Sapien #4
– Crow Midnight Legends TPB Vol. 04 Waking Nightmares
– Grimm Fairy Tales Oz #1 (of 6)
– Owl #1 (of 4)

Recommendations from the Doom Crew

– Clive Barker’s Next Testament #1: If you’re curious about how divine power can be flipped on its head and turned against humanity, I suggest you pick up the series while it’s still young. – Doc Brown [Review]

– Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness: Writers [Eric] Powell and [Kyle] Hotz are a team that never disappoint when it comes to stellar storytelling and creepy artwork, and the Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities series is a perfect marriage of the two. – Doc Brown [Review]

– Comic Review: Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 27: A Town Called Hell: Recently I was able to cover the 27th and latest volume from Stan Sakai for Geeks of Doom, and I was quickly reminded of why Miyamoto Usagi is such a thrilling and brilliant character. – Maximus Prime [Review]

– Doctor Who: Series 3, Vol. 2: As an overall collection, the stories in Doctor Who: Series 3, Vol. 2 are of a great read, with The Eye of Ashaya taking the spot as the best one in the book. – cGt2099 [Review]