Little more could be said about MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM that hasn't been said before. Though the long-running epic saga (both the original Universal Century continuity and the G, W and X spinoffs) no longer runs on the air in Japan, it is still widely regarded as one of the quintessential mecha shows in existence.
While GUNDAM enjoys a small but loyal following here as well, most of it comes from the later titles in the series, such as CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK and GUNDAM 0083 (mostly due to better fansub availability). Few USA fans have seen the excellent ZETA GUNDAM in its entirety, even fewer have seen the first three GUNDAM movies, and the number of people stateside who've seen the original TV series could probably be counted on one's fingers.
Enter Kondoh Kazuhisa's GUNDAM 0079. This faithful manga adaptation of the original story is noteworthy in that it follows the TV sequence of events rather than the movie version (which Bandai seems to prefer over the TV series in terms of overall series continuity), and includes the more exotic mecha that were deemed either implausible or downright weird and thus cut from the movie edition.
Kondoh is well-known among GUNDAM fans for his extremely sharp mecha illustrations, and he brings his considerable talent to his retelling of the original story. Unlike GUNDAM 0080 or 0083, which drastically altered/updated the look of the One Year War mecha for "modern design sensibilities," GUNDAM 0079 stays faithful to the original designs, albeit with better proportions and detail, and with Kondoh's unique style adding a more aggressive, gritty feel. Even the aforementioned "weird-looking" mecha designs (especially the marine mobile suits such as the Aggai and Gog) benefit from Kondoh's touch.
The story itself is classic Tomino—GUNDAM fans will most likely enjoy it, while non-GUNDAM fans may have a hard time with Tomino's brand of storytelling and angst. Those in the latter category should definitely try before they buy. Interestingly, Kondoh's version also has the odd crossover with MS SENKI, his sidestory that portrays the One Year War from the Jion perspective.
The only quibble this reviewer has is about the character designs, which look rather bland and average. Despite the attention focused on the mecha, the story of GUNDAM is still very character-driven, and while the character designs are "adequate" for the storytelling purposes, they're nowhere near as good as the original Yasuhiko Yoshikazu character designs. I suppose that a Kondoh/Yas collaboration with Kondoh doing the mecha and Yas doing the characters was out of the question...
Aside from this (minor) quibble, I heartily recommend this series to GUNDAM fans new and old alike. Veterans who've seen it all will still appreciate Kondoh's fantastic artwork, while those who haven't seen the original TV show now have access to it in a form that's much easier to obtain.

GUNDAM 0079 Copyright © Sotsu Agency, Sunrise Copyright © Kondoh Kazuhisa Original Creator: Tomino Yoshiyuki Dengeki Comics Vol 1-5, ongoing Vol 1 ISBN4-07-301990-2 Vol 2 ISBN4-07-302669-0 Vol 3 ISBN4-07-303717-X Vol 4 ISBN4-07-304510-5 Vol 5 ISBN4-07-307000-2 ¥:560 each