Each and every week, I, “Mechagodzilla” Henchman21, and “SpaceGodzilla” 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 May 22, 2013. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Well, it’s another week and we’ve got another hot stack of comics to keep you entertained. There’s a lot to look forward to this week, including some exciting new series and the end to an epic run on one of DC’s biggest characters. We’ve also got a collection of one of the best series of last year and plenty more. So let’s not waste any more time, The GoD List is go!

Henchman 21

Issues

Akeneiro #1 (Dark Horse Comics – $3.99) I didn’t even realize this was a video game tie-in until checking out the solicitation today, but hey, that’s not really why I’m buying this series. No, I’m buying this for the art of Vasilis Lolos (Northlanders, Last Call). Lolos is one of my favorite artists, with his Paul Pope-inspired style that has always impressed me. This time, he’s working on a retelling of the Red Riding Hood story set in Feudal Japan. The series is written by Justin Aclin (whose work I’m not familiar with) and is based on a story by American McGee. I’m not really concerned about it tying into a video game or not, I’m just looking for an interesting story with some good art. I’m not concerned about what the quality of the art will be, but I’m not quite sure how the story will go. However, if you never take a chance, you’ll never find diamonds in the rough, so why not give something new a shot?

Green Team #1 (DC Comics – $2.99) What’s this? A new DC book I’m actually interested in? I’m just as shocked as you are. So what has me excited about this? Well, it’s another of DC’s weird super-hero teams, this time following a group of rich kids trying to save the world. One of DC’s best qualities as a company is that they are willing to try out new concepts, even if there’s not a big chance that they’ll be successful. This is another one of those titles. Do I expect this series to last more than a year or so? Not really, but I’m willing to give it a shot. It helps to have a strong creative team of Art Baltazar and Franco writing the series with Ig Guara on art. If you’re looking for something a little different this week, give this series a shot.

Green Lantern #20 (DC Comics – $7.99) Oh, my, TWO DC books in one week. Although this is more of a legacy pick than a true recommendation. Yes, issue marks the end of Geoff Johns’ run on Green Lantern, bringing an end to one of the most successful pairing of creator and character over the past couple decades. Geoff Johns brought Hal Jordan back to life, put him in the center of DC universe, and rejuvenated the whole Green Lantern line. Now he’s decided to move on to other responsibilities, but he has left an indelible footprint on the history of the Emerald Knight. Sure, there have been ups and downs over his run, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the work he put in since Green Lantern: Rebirth. Robert Venditti is taking over on the title with the next issue, and he’s got some big shoes to fill. If anything, it will be good to have a change of pace on the book. We’ll just have to wait and see how he does.

Trades

Godzilla Half Century War (IDW Publishing – $19.99) I think I talked about every issue of this amazing series when it was being released, and I’m not going to miss a chance to talk about it one last time. Godzilla: Half Century War is the story of Ota Murakami and his fifty year war with the giant lizard and his many foes. It’s basically a greatest hits of the entire history of Godzilla, and there is never a down moment. The main draw here is the stunningly detailed art of James Stokoe. Stokoe goes out of his way to draw every scale on Godzilla’s body. You can see every torn up street and shattered building in the towns that have been destroyed by the various monsters that show up in each issue. It is truly outstanding work and I don’t care what you think about Godzilla or if you don’t know anything about the movies, you will be blown away by the art. Even more than the art, I was floored by the beautiful story that Stokoe tells. Stokoe creates a cast of characters that you want to follow and learn about and you just want to see what happens to them next. This is one of the best series of the year, and I can’t recommend this more.

Empress Eve

Please forgive my brevity this week, but there’s been an interruption of my schedule that’s called me away from the computer, leaving me little time to browse this week comic book offerings. I get a lot of issues in advance, so I often browse through the ones that interest me, that way when I recommend them to you, I have a little more insight on them. I didn’t get to do that this week, but I did notice a few titles I know I want to read or look into, so I’m sharing most of these recommendations as Quick Picks. I hope to be back to normal next week!

Kiss Solo #3 (of 4) The Celestial (IDW Publishing – $3.99) I just threw my husband an KISS/Ace Frehley-themed birthday party, complete with Ace face cake and life-size KISS cardboard standee, do you really think I wouldn’t have the Spaceman issue of KISS Solo on my pull-list? Come now.

Quick Picks

– Lobster Johnson: Satan Smells A Rat [From the pages of Hellboy!]
– The Bounce #1 [Read our review!]
– Half Past Danger #1 [Read our review!]
– The New Ghostbusters #4 [Our own PS Hayes absolutely loves this series & highly recommends it!]