Each and every week, I, “…….!” Henchman 21 and “Stop pretending to be Snake Eyes!” 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 August 13, 2014. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Just like every comic can be someone’s first, every GoD List may be someone’s first, so let’s run down what the deal is. Every week, we give you a few titles we’re looking forward to or think you may be interested in buying. Then, you go to your local comic store or online retailer, buy something from this list, or maybe something else you’re interested in. We just want to get the word out that there are awesome comics on the stand every week. Sound good? Let’s waste no more time on explanations and get right into The GoD List!

Samurai Jack #5
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Andy Suriano
Colors by Josh Burcham
Letters by Shawn Lee
Cover by Genndy Tartakovsky
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 26, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Our favorite time-traveling Samurai is back in Samurai Jack #5 with the epic conclusion of the story arc, Threads of Time.

Samurai Jack was a groundbreaking cartoon on the Cartoon Network and continues its story in the comic book pages. The cartoon style artwork transitions well to the medium, so the look and feel of the TV show is well maintained. But as to the story”¦..?

[Spoiler Alert”¦]

Our hero fails miserably. Every step on his journey leading up to this confrontation ends in a single frame. Picture the Firelord Ozai (from The Last Airbender) kicking Ang around until reaches the Avatar state, but ending the story there.

Lil Sonja #1
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Joel Carroll
Colors by Andrew Elder
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Art Baltazar & Agnes Garbowska
Activity Sheet by Roger Langridge and Andrew Elder
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 29, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Lil Sonja #1 is not only enjoyable for people who read the regular title, but it’s the PERFECT gateway for younger readers (both girls AND boys) to be introduced to the character. There’s only problem….

Writer Jim Zub pulls off a writing assignment that I can only assume was pretty daunting. Turn the She-Devil with a Sword into a playful little girl that goes on adventures. While clothed. Thankfully, he pulls it off quite successfully, all the while not dumbing down the character to make it unreadable for guys like me who’ve been reading Red Sonja since the early 1980s. It really is a classic “kid’s comic” like the old Harvey comics that could be read and enjoyed by both children AND their parents.

The Mighty Skullkickers #1
Story by Jim Zub
Pencils by Edwin Huang
Inks by Edwin Huang and Kevin Raganit
Colors by Misty Coats and Mike Luckas
Color Flatting by Ludwig Olimba
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Covers by Edwin Huang and Jim Zub, Chris Stevens
Image Comics
Release Date: April 24, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

The current Skullkickers story arc has been in many ways a commentary on mainstream comics. Although it may seem like I’m making a proverbial mountain out of a blood-soaked-talking-ape-heavy molehill, the team behind Skullkickers have done something that exposes the clearly visible cracks in the veneer that is modern comic publishing.

When DC’s New 52 announcement came down the pipes, most of us thought the same thing, “this is lame, they are just trying to sell more comics.” Then we bought all of them, and a solid portion were terrible. It’s these marketing gimmicks that Jim Zub and the Skullkicker’s team are lampooning with their current story arc. However, when writing commentary into any story, sometimes a plot and solid characters are sacrificed in the name of sticking it to the man. Luckily, the appropriately titled The Mighty Skullkickers #1 delivers a one-two punch of gorgeous art and wit-drenched writing.

Comics writer Jim Zubkavich (Skullkickers, Pathfinder) announced today via his blog that he will not be writing DC’s Birds of Prey as planned. The writer, who usually just goes by the name Jim Zub, was scheduled to take over the book starting in March 2013. However, with DC’s comic solicitations set to hit this week, the news was going to come out when his name would be noticeably absent from solicitation text.

Zub had this to say about the situation: “DC has decided to go in a different direction with Birds of Prey and it’s been decided that I won’t be the writer on board the series after all.”