Each and every week, I, “I’m Tired” Henchman21, and “I’m Sick” 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 31, 2013. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Well, we’re all caught up from a busy week at SDCC, which is why we missed the list last week. And as much as you missed us, we missed you, oh humble reader, twice as much. But it’s another week and it’s time to get back to it, so here we are with a mighty stack of books for you. It’s a month with five Wednesdays, which means it’s a bit of an odd week, with DC dropping five annuals (Animal Man, Batman, Detective Comics, Flash, and Superman) as well as a Director’s Cut for the first issue of Batman Year Zero. On the other hand, Marvel is just dropping a standard set of books, with plenty of good series getting new issues, including their best series, Daredevil. And then we get the odd mix from everyone else, which I will dive more into shortly. Oh, and then Batman Inc #13 brings Grant Morrison’s 7-year relationship with Batman to a close. So there’s that. And the end of Batman Inc means we get a special appearance by Mr. MK2Fac3! We’ve got that and much more in another amazing edition of The GoD List!

Henchman 21

Collider #1 (DC/Vertigo Comics – $2.99) it wasn’t too long ago when it looked like the Vertigo imprint was going to soon go the way of the dodo, with several of their series being cancelled or coming to their natural end, particularly with the cancellation of Hellblazer. However, Vertigo now looks to be doing just fine, with stalwart series Fables going strong, and plenty of news series hitting the stand. That’s what we get with Collider #1 from writer Simon Oliver and artist Robbi Rodriguez. Collider is about a futuristic world where gravity fails occasionally and time does what it wants. Special Agent Adam Hardy and the rest of the Federal Bureau of Physics are tasked with stopping the laws of science from going all crazy. From that description, it sounds like this will appeal to fans of Fringe or The Manhattan Projects or anything that mixes science with wackiness. I’m not that familiar with the work of either of the creators, but the story is interesting enough for me to check out the first issue.

Sex #5 (Image Comics – $2.99) When you see a comic titled simply Sex, you may assume that the series is just a one-note grab for attention, but what Joe Casey has done so far is create a unique look at the superhero genre, specifically what it would be like for a Batman-type hero to quit the spandex life and adjust to a normal life of a billionaire CEO. Casey has always been a provocateur, but his best work has always been about more the title or the characters or even the plot. Casey is one of the best writers in comics who writes about comics. He has a love for the medium that comes across in everything he does and he always has a unique take on the familiar elements that readers love. If you want a mature take on superheroes, don’t be thrown off by the title, Sex is the real deal.

Captain Midnight #1 (Dark Horse Comics – $2.99) It seems like a week can’t go by without another classic pulp character getting revived in comic form and so we see the launch of first issue of Captain Midnight from Dark Horse Comics (there was also an issue #0). Captain Midnight debuted as a radio series in 1938, and has gone on to have a couple of different comic series over the year. Captain Midnight’s deal is that he was a former World War I fighter pilot who led Secret Squadron, a group of aviation-themed spies. In this series, Captain Midnight escapes the Bermuda Triangle to find himself in the present day and on the bad side of the government. As more of these heroes get revived, the popularity level of the characters goes down and it becomes important for the creators of the comics to do two things: A) find characters with an interesting hook that makes them stand out, and B) make sure new readers understand what makes these characters cool and get them caught up quick. You can’t waste a lot of time explaining who everyone is, but you still have to explain what the heck is going on. There’s a nice little hook here with a time lost pilot, and if writer Joshua Williamson can get that across, he can set up a good series here.

MK2Fac3

Batman Incorporated #13 (DC Comics – $2.99) There’s only one comic book coming out this week. Well, that’s not true per se, but it certainly is in my world. Batman Incorporated #13 hits stores this week, and while it’s not technically the last issue of the series (there’s a special coming out next month), this issue wraps up my favorite writer’s multi-year run with my favorite comic book character. Grant Morrison‘s run has been filled with praise and criticism, highs and lows, but to me it represents a lot more than just that. I have a truly deep emotional connection with this book, and I will be sad to see this come to a close, but all that’s for another place and another time. Morrison has done a lot with the character by reviving dead stories and plots from days gone by and adapting them to a modern environment. He’s created some of the most talked about comics with the introduction of Batman’s son Damian, Batman RIP, Final Crisis, replacing Bruce Wayne with Dick Grayson as Batman, creating a worldwide army of Batmen and then tearing it all apart in the final days. It’s an emotional journey, for sure, and it all concludes with issue 13. This comic book being brought to us by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham could go several different ways, and I’m sure I’ll shed more than one tear, but I am hopeful that it will end triumphantly in recognition of a truly amazing run with the character. Good job, Grant Morrison, and thank you for everything. Cheers.

Empress Eve

I hope you all enjoyed our coverage of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, which preempted last week’s The GoD List. Once I returned from the convention, I of course got the Con Crud, so I’ve been sick in bed delirious all week, so I have to keep it short and sweet since it’s time for my sleepy medication.

Note – I am having loads of fun reading comics on my new Kindle Fire HD! Since most of my comic boxes and graphic novels are in storage, I’ve been re-buying them digitally, especially when there’s been a sale – I got Watchmen for my Kindle when it was on sale for only $2.99! Also, Wolverine, the 1982 series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller that’s the basis of this weekend’s The Wolverine film, is only $5.99 for Kinlde. I highly recommended reading comics this way.

Quick Picks

– Animal Man Omnibus HC
– B.P.R.D.: Vampire #5
– Captain Midnight #1
– Clive Barker Next Testament #3 (of 12)
– Godzilla Rulers Of The Earth #2
– Red Sonja #80
– Tarot Witch Of The Black Rose #81
– Strangers In Paradise Omnibus Previews Exclusive SC Ed

Recommendations from the Doom Crew

– Monster On The Hill: With the cartoonlike caricatures and humorous dialogue, I was instantly reminded of Jeff Smith’s quintessential epic, Bone””and that is a really good thing. – Maximus Prime [Review]

– Rogues #3: Rogues can be fun and enticing at times with its action and witty banter between the two protagonists of the comic. – Maximus Prime [Review]

– Liberator #2: So far, the first two issues make for a great reading experience. – cGt2099 [Review]

– Lobster Johnson: A Scent of Lotus #1: It’s a testament to [Mike] Mignola’s milti-decade career as a comic-book creator, plus his longtime collaboration with Dark Horse regular Arcudi, that scene transitions, exposition, and dialogue are handled with the usual deftness (and apparent effortlessness) readers of comics set within the Hellboy universe have come to expect. – Mel16 [Review]