Oh damn, today is a good new comic book day. Here are the six must reads no nerd will leave the store without, from raddest on down:

1. Ultimates 2 #11
In the last issue, Iron Man had robots eat Black Widow's brain and knocked her out with a champagne bottle, Hawkeye took out a base of soldiers with his fingernails, and Captain America broke loose in a room full of assholes. I kind of want to fuck this comic.

2. All Star Superman #4
This series is everything that's great about Alan Moore's Supreme, but better.

3. Astonishing X-Men #15
After a childhood of reading Chris Claremont's wordy garbage, I feel so spoiled with how much talent Joss Whedon puts into this comic. It just doesn't feel like the X-Men unless Colossus is spending an entire fist fight explaining his powers out loud, to no one in particular.

4. Justice #6
Alex Ross paintings with an old-timey Super Friends vs. Legion of Doom story-- the only way I could nerd out more over two things being combined would be if Evel Kneivel jumped his Harley over Mr. T right as he was saving the breakdancing youth center.

5. Captain America #19
Between this title and Daredevil, Ed Brubaker should now be in everyone's list of favorite writers.

6. Seven Soldiers #1
Grant Morrison has been building to this series for more than two years over the course of seven different mini series. I imagine he wouldn't have bothered to do that unless he had some pretty awesome ideas.

The other comics I'd recommend are the DC magician team-up book, Shadowpact #2 by Bill Willingham and Brian K. Vaughan's Ex Machina #21. Gail Simone is in the middle of an amazing Birds of Prey storyline with #95, and the seventh issue of DC 52 is out. It's surprisingly good for over-marketed massive event crap.

Retro Genres
I love Western and war comics and they're both doing their best to make a comeback. Marvel Westerns Outlaw Files will help any comic book cowboy research projects you're doing, and so will a hokey collection of classic Rawhide Kid they're putting out. As for war comics, the final issue of Joe Kubert's newest Sgt. Rock mini series will be on shelves.

Barbarian comics are already in the middle of their comeback, and today is the first issue of a new Claw the Unconquered series along with Conan #29, the first non-Kurt Busiek issue of the series. I wouldn't really recommend those to anyone who wasn't already into the savage-in-loincloth genre, but Wolfskin, the new barbarian comic from Warren Ellis, is universally bad ass. Pick it up if your comic shop bothered to order any (it's published by Avatar).

Get the whole list of weekly releases at Comiclist.com