Each and every week, I, “Not at SDCC!” Henchman 21 and “Ditto!” 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 8, 2015. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Yes, it’s that time of year again, time for the biggest comics convention in America, even if the show has moved beyond being just about comics. But it’s okay, all comic conventions have moved past comics to one degree or another. Sorry, got off track there. It’s San Diego week, which means there are a lot of new series and big hardcovers out this week to entice buyers at the show and even those of us not at the show. In fact, it’s better for those of us not going to SDCC, because we don’t have to wait in line and then figure out how to lug all this stuff back in our luggage. So rejoice at the ease with which you can buy your comics, for it is truly a good week to celebrate comics. And celebrate we shall on this week’s The GoD List!

Henchman 21

Archie #1 (Archie Comics – $3.99) I’m still not entirely convinced Archie #1 is a real book, but I’m perfectly happy that it seems like it is for real. I mean, when it was first announced that Mark Waid (Daredevil) and Fiona Staples (Saga) would be creating a new Archie series, it sounded like an April Fools’ Day gag. It’s not that I think the creators are “above” working on something like an Archie book, it’s just that I never would have expected it to happen. However, between this book, Afterlife with Archie, and the new Sabrina book, Archie is clearly unafraid of trying new things. Waid is of course a great writer and is producing some of the work of his career on Daredevil, but Archie is kind of a whole other beast. He’s up to it though, of that I have no doubt. And then there’s Staples, who has risen to great acclaim on Saga, which was the most confusing part of the announcement, because I couldn’t understand why Staples would leave one of the hottest books to work on something else. Staples realism brings a fresh look to Archie and the gang, and is sure to give this book a distinctive feel and Staples many fans are sure to be checking this out for the art alone. I don’t know how long this version of Archie will last, but it’ll be interesting to read while it does.

Invader Zim #1 (Oni Press – $3.99) Okay, with that out of the way, we can talk about another book I never expected to see, but only because it’s been so long since Invader Zim was on the air I just figured its time had passed. If you’re not in the know, Invader Zim was a short lived Nickelodean cartoon back in the early 2000s. The series was created by Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) and was admittedly, probably too weird for Nickelodeon, but would have been a good fit on adult swim, if adult swim had been around at the time. Anyway, the cartoon was awesome, and much loved by its fans, but was bounced around and eventually cancelled. Now it is back, and we get to read the further adventures of Zim (an alien sent to Earth to conquer us), his robot companion Gir, and Dib, the lone human trying to stop him. Invader Zim is an awesome show, that was ahead of its time, and I’m excited to see what Vasquez will do with the comic, since he has a solid background in comics already, since he is writing the first two issues of the series. Art for Invader Zim is by Aaron Alexovich, inks are by Megan Lawton, and colors are by Simon Trousselier and J.R. Goldberg and looking at preview pages, they have nailed the look and unique color palette of the series. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go off drink some Poop Cola and sing the doom song while reading Invader Zim #1.

Godzilla: The Half Century War | Hardcover (IDW Publishing – $34.99) If there’s only one Godzilla comic to have in your collection, it’s James Stokoe’s Godzilla: Half Century War. The package starts with an amazing story of one man’s 50 year war against the King of the Monsters. The story weaves together elements from Godzilla’s entire history and features all the major monsters Godzilla has faced. The next part of the package is the super detailed art from Stokoe that shows off every nook and cranny in Godzilla’s scales. And now, thanks to this oversized hardcover you can see every little thing that Stokoe has poured into his work. This is a gorgeous book, and any Godzilla fan is going to go nuts over this, and anyone who just wants to see some spectacular art will want this on their shelf.

East of West: The Apocalypse: Year One | Hardcover (Image Comics – $49.99) Have I mentioned that East of West is one of my favorite comics these days? Well, it is, and you should be reading Jonathan Hickman’s wild alternate history of a United States that’s dealing with the coming Apocalypse and what happens when Death falls in love, has a child, and then pays the price for turning his back on the end of the world. This particular collection of East of West collects issues 1-15 of the series in an oversized format, which is going to make this a perfect excuse to re-examine the art by Nick Dragotta and colorist Frank Martin and letterer Rus Wooton. There was no way I’m going to pass up a beautiful hardcover of East of West, and I’ll recommend this series to everyone.