If it's the end of a decade, then it's time for multiple Best Of The Decade lists. This isn't exactly one of them, though, despite what it looks like; for one thing, even if it was, you'd all disagree with it and complain that we left off something essential - although anyone arguing for the inclusion of Ultimatum, we believe that can be disproven through the use of science and charts - and for another, we've not read every single thing published in the last decade, so for all we know, there's something really obvious that we'll have somehow overlooked through accident instead of malice. Instead of The Ten Best, then, these are Ten Of The Best (Click on the titles for our explanations why and, in some cases, runners-up to the list that we couldn't help but sneak in):

100% by Paul Pope (DC/Vertigo)
All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC Comics)
Black Hole by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
Casanova by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon (Image Comics)
Laika by Nick Abadzis (First Second Books)
Planetes by Makoto Yukimura (Tokyopop)
Pluto by Osamu Tazuka and Naoki Urasawa (Viz Media)
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press)
We3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC/Vertigo)
Y The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and many more (DC/Vertigo)

(Thanks to Lauren, David Brothers, Jeff Lester and all who offered advice and good reasons why we were entirely wrong in some original choices.)

Retro may have been the way to go with superheroes, this decade; our second choice for Best Superhero Book is DC: The New Frontier, where Darwyn Cooke makes the Justice League of America seem fresh and new again by simply returning the characters to their core concepts and, just as importantly, original time frame and contexts. Admittedly, again, it's all about the execution. Cooke's skill as a cartoonist is almost unmatched these days (Particularly amongst those who make their living in mainstream comics), and it's that level of quality - along with his obvious love for the characters - that makes The New Frontier such a joy to read.

Next: Black Hole

Anne Thompson writes that, despite the perceived need to get a new Superman movie in production before 2011 in order to avoid paying penalty to the heirs of the character's creators, Warners are planning to stay quiet on the Superman front for the simple reason that they don't know what else to do:

As the studio is waiting to resolve the legal dispute, there's no movement on the project. [Superman Returns] grossed $391 million worldwide off strong reviews for a genre sequel. But it cost more than $232 million. Warners felt it could have performed better with more action and a powerful villain-and no Superman kid. So Singer was taken off the franchise... [Warner Bros. execs] want to start over from scratch. While Kick-Ass writer Mark Millar did pitch himself (to scant interest), WB in-house faves the Wachowski brothers and their protege James McTeigue were never approached. (It's hard to imagine such hard-R types taking on what one blogger described as the "Big Blue Boy Scout.") The studio is still seeking the right direction. No writers are working on a Superman script. "We're working on a strategy for DC," says one Warners exec. "Superman is the trickiest one to figure out."

Considering Warners have three of DC's most popular comic writers consulting for the studio on DC-related projects (including Grant Morrison, who wrote the critically-acclaimed, award winning All Star Superman), the idea that the studio can't come up with a direction for the character is kind of mind-boggling, and perhaps points to a reason why Marvel Studios needn't worry about the competition just yet.

Superman Franchise On Hold [Thompson on Hollywood]

The Beginning
Superman: Birthright
The second most recent retelling of Superman's origins (The most recent, Superman: Secret Origin, just started last month), Mark Waid and Francis Lenil Yu's 2003 twelve-part revamp updated the Man of Steel for the 21st Century, bringing back many concepts and ideas lost from the comics since the mid-80s (Amongst them, Lex Luthor as childhood friend - Something that Smallville had brought back into the public consciousness) and giving us a more pro-active and easier to relate to Kal-El. Overlooked on its original release, and quickly removed from continuity by 2005's Infinite Crisis, this is still one of the best versions of the character's earliest days.

The Ending(s)
Superman: Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow
The classic "End of Superman" story, Alan Moore and Curt Swan's farewell to the character revisits characters from his past in a way that's part celebration and part "What were they thinking?" The recently-released "deluxe hardcover" edition also contains Moore's other classic Superman story, "For The Man Who Has Everything."

JLA: DC One Million
Technically not a Superman story, but anyone who's read Grant Morrison's tale of the return of "Superman Prime" in the 853rd Century - and the multi-time-period, part-intergalactic-assassination-attempt, part-genocide-attempt it spawns - knows that Clark Kent could've asked for no greater 60th birthday present, especially with the happy ending Morrison provides at the end.

The Future
Superman And The Legion Of Super-Heroes
As well as rebooting the Superman spin-off Legion of Super-Heroes, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's 2008 storyline also looks at the legacy of the character, jumping ahead 1000 years to a world where Superman's mythology has been twisted into something more bigoted and exclusive, all as an excuse to show what Superman really stands for. You'll cheer when the tables turn towards the end.

The What Ifs
Superman: Red Son
What if the all-American hero landed in Russia? Mark Millar, Dave Johnson and Killian Plunkett's 2003 series takes the alternate history route all the way to the far future, and brings in Batman, Wonder Woman, JFK and Stalin for the ride.

Superman: Secret Identity
A more real-world take on the Superman idea, Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen's touching 2004 story takes the ideas behind the character for a metatextual, science fiction spin, showing a Clark Kent who lives in "the real world," but develops super powers nonetheless.

The Time Capsules
The Superman Chronicles Vol. 1
The earliest appearances of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's hero, reprinted in the order in which they appeared, it's a wonderful (and relatively cheap) look back at the origins of one of the 20th century's most iconic creations.

Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 2
Mid-50s insanity collecting issues of the spin-off series Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen and Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane, showing the weird and wonderful science fiction fables that the character had started to populate after his first flush of success.

Superman: The Death And Return Of Superman Omnibus
Not just the highlight of Superman's 1990s, but one of the sales highlights of comics of the decade in general, the story of Superman's "death" and subsequent return may not be the most compelling story the character has ever appeared in - and may fall apart once he has to come back - but it's definitely one of the most read.

The Ones To Own If You Can Only Own One (Okay, Two)
All-Star Superman Vols. 1 & 2
Starting with a one-page recap of the character's roots and speeding (like a bullet, in fact) through a series of challenges and stories highlighting what the character means to his friends, family and even his fans, Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's two-volume meditation on Superman is exciting, surprisingly gentle and filled with affection, and possibly the greatest Superman series published to date. Everything you need to know about Superman is in here, and maybe a little more, too.

Despite the show's new home in the Indigo Ballroom of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront — right next door to the San Diego Convention Center, meaning a short walk for those attending SDCC — there was a sense of familiarity to this year's ceremony, from the hosts and presenters (Bill Morrison, Jane Wiedlin and Reno 911's Tom Lennon and Ben Garant all returned from last year) to some of the winners (James Jean and Dave Stewart must be getting bored of winning by now, surely). Thankfully, this year's ceremony was devoid of last year's sponsor-friendly celebrity moments, however, and several lost categories brought the evening in at a shorter time than last year's epic event (Although the ceremony still clocked in at three hours).

Surprises of the night included superhero books sweeping Best Continuing Series and Best New Series (with Matt Fraction, collecting Invincible Iron Man's award for the latter, dedicating it to Stéphane Peru, the series' colorist who died last year, and reminding the audience to donate to the Hero Initiative, which helps with healthcare costs for comic creators in need) and the success of Dark Horse's Hellboy franchise, which took five awards throughout the evening.

The award winners in full:
Best Continuing Series
All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, published by DC Comics
Best New Series
The Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca, published by Marvel Comics
Best Limited Series
Hellboy: The Crooked Man by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben, published by Dark Horse Comics
Best Publication for KidsTiny Titans by Art Baltazar and Franco, published by DC Comics
Best Publication for Teens/Tweens
Coraline by P. Craig Russell, adapted from the novel by Neil Gaiman, published by HarperCollins Children's Books
Best Webcomic
Finder by Carla Speed McNeil
Best Humor Publication
Herbie Archives by Richard E. Hughes and Ogden Whitney, published by Dark Horse Comics
Best Reality-Based Work
What It Is by Lynda Barry, published by Drawn & Quarterly
Best Graphic Album - New
Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell, published by Top Shelf Comix
Best Graphic Album - Reprint
Hellboy Library Edition Vols. 1 & 2 by Mike Mignola, published by Dark Horse Comics
Best Archival Collection/Project - Strips
Little Nemo In Slumberland: Many More Splendid Sundays by Winsor McCay, published by Sunday Press Books
Best Archival Collection/Project - Comic Books
Creepy Archives by various, published by Dark Horse Comics
Best US Edition of International Material
The Last Muskateer by Jason, published by Fantagraphics
Best US Edition of International Material, Japan
Dororo by Osamu Tezuka, published by Vertical
Best Anthology
Comic Book Tattoo: Narrative Art Inspired By The Lyrics And Music of Tori Amos edited by Rantz Hoseley, published by Image Comics
Best Short Story
"Murder He Wrote," by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto and Andrew Pepoy, from The Simpsons' Treehouse Of Terror #14, published by Bongo Comics
Best Writer
Bill Willingham for Fables and House of Mystery, published by Vertigo/DC Comics
Best Writer/Artist
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library, published by Acme
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Guy Davis for BPRD, published by Dark Horse Comics
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
Jill Thompson for Magic Trixie and Magic Trixie Sleeps Over, published by Harper Collins Children's Books
Best Cover Artist
James Jean for Fables, published by DC Comics, and The Umbrella Academy, published by Dark Horse Comics
Best Coloring
Dave Stewart for Abe Sapien: The Drowning, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane and The Umbrella Academy, published by Dark Horse, and for Body Bags, published by Image Comics and Captain America: White, published by Marvel Comics
Best Lettering
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library #19, published by Acme
The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award
Eleanor Davis for Stinky, published by Toon Books
The Bill Finger Excellence In Comics Writing Award
John Broome and Frank Jacobs
The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award
Denis Kitchen
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland
Best Comics-Related Book
Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier, published by Abrams
Best Production Design
Hellboy Library Editions, designed by Cary Grazzini and Mike Mignola
Hall Of Fame
Harold Gray, Graham Ingels (Judge's Choices), Matt Baker, Reed Crandall, Russ Heath and Jerry Iger
The Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award
Tate's Comics + Toys, Lauderhill, FL

It's unfair, really. Even if you ignore the dual Obama-bandwagon-jumping of President Evil and Drafted: One Hundred Days (pitting the president against zombies and aliens, respectively), there's a lot to look for in stores this week.

Marvel focuses on familiar faces with its Marvel 70th Anniversary anthology, new Uncanny X-Men: First Class retro series, Dark X-Men: The Beginning franchise redo and Hulk: Broken Worlds parallel-green-dude collection.

IDW does the same with a GI Joe: Best Of Storm Shadow anthology. And a collection of the alternate history "what if the Klingons fucked everything up" story, Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Last Generation.

DC, meanwhile, make a great play for winning the week even before you get to Wednesday. For one thing, there's Jeff Lemire's The Nobody (which we reviewed last week). There's also a collection of the recent spin-off comic from NBC's Chuck, a re-issue for the oversized (and extra-paged) edition of DC: The New Frontier and a specially-priced ($1) new edition of the first issue from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's wonderful All-Star Superman.

Plus, of course, there's the new deluxe hardcover Superman: Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow, which collects all of Watchmen and V For Vendetta writer Alan Moore's work on the Man of Steel under one set of hardcovers for the first time.

The only competition for that line-up comes from Dark Horse, who's releasing a handsome hardcover version of horror comic Pixu: The Mark of Evil by indie sweethearts Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba (Consider it highly recommended).

But, still. Wednesday Comics has our attention and our heart - A weekly 12-issue series of oversized strips by some of comics' best cartoonists, starring some of DC's best known characters (and some lesser-known but equally awesome - Adam Strange? The Metal Men?), it has the potential to be either the kind of comic that reminds you of the medium's potential, or a terrible carwreck. But either way, we'd be first in line to pick it up. Just the thought of seeing Paul Pope, Karl Kerschl, Eduardo Risso and Ryan Sook artwork at that size in the first place makes our fannish hearts go all a-flutter, never mind writing from Kurt Busiek, Neil Gaiman, Walt Simonson and many, many more.

Whether it's weekly proof that comics can dazzle and entertain or watching the leader of the free world shoot aliens in the head, consider your local comic store the place to be tomorrow... and if none of the above sounds your scene, set your peepers on this week's Diamond Distributors Shipping List, Daddio, to see what else you cool cats could be reading. Just don't bother us; we're going to be wondering whether we should frame some of that gorgeous newspaper-size Wednesday work...

The problem for some people isn't necessarily the involvement of the Wachowskis, but the idea of rebooting Superman's movie career at all:

Evlsushi: "lease stop making Superman movies. There are far more interesting franchises to work with right now. I'm tired of revamping a series, having it bomb and trying to start it again (Hulk, much?). While I think that Superman Returns wasn't as bad as people say it was, this franchise needs a break. It doesn't really connect with today's audience like it once did. Superman never went through a legitimate maturation that's needed with older superhero icons. I'm speaking, of course, about the film and television adaptions. I think that there was a lot of promise in a show like Smallville, but that show got so far off track, it's not even funny. They need to make Superman more relateable and sympathetic character. Right now he's still a douche with too many powers and no real issues."

Trae: "Here's the thing — it's impossible to make a *good* Superman movie... because it's Superman. Either the movie will be Okay, or it will be terrible. Those are your two options. The problem is the character lacks the depth required to delve into a darker plot while still being true to the source material on any level."

AngryEddy: "I'm falling into a dangerous Opinion Trap here, but I have to disagree that a "good" Superman movie cannot be made. In the right hands, I can easily picture a Superman movie that uses his source material to add a slightly rough edge to the film without making an emo mockery of the Man of Steel."

NotArthurPDragon: "So basically unless a character is 'dark' [they] can't be explored in an interesting manner? That's genius. And by 'genius' I mean narrow-minded if not right flat out stupid."

TheSuperBrando: "Your post perfectly sums up the popular thinking in modern American culture. But I think it's wrong. Superman shows us our ideals, and how they could exist in the real world. Superman shows how someone can inspire us to be better people while living in a nasty world. There are still some people in the world who are virtuous and serving as inspiration to the rest of us. Mother Tereasa and MLK are two that immediately come to mind; people who held firmly to their virtues and ideals and inspired the world to be better. It's just too bad that modern American pop culture is too blinded by the anti-hero. You have to BE evil to FIGHT evil. Virtues are lies. Ideals are false. It's just a shame that so many people believe that garbage, and because of that people think Superman has to become dark to be in a movie."

daveNYC: "It's one thing to inspire people to be better, it's another to actually be the representation of all that is ideal. The problem with Superman movies isn't that the character isn't dark, it's that the character is shown to be perfectly (and unrealisticly) good and pure. Look at Superman Returns, despite knowing that he managed to knock up Lois, because of the way the character was done, it's hard to imagine him actually having sex. It's not that he's too good, it's that he's not even human anymore."

Of course, for others, it is the Wachowskis that we have to worry about:

ShadowBottle: "I bet the first one they do will be BAD ASS! Of course all the subsequent superman movies they make afterward will completely invalidate the one bad ass one they make."

cletar: "The Wachowskis? Seriously? They'll just churn it into suck chowder. It'll make people beg for the mediocrity of 'Superman Returns.' Let Nolan do one. Film Dark Night Returns, and let Batman beat the crap out of him. That at least would be different. Or, make it take place in the 1940s. Or maybe the 1960s. Give it a vintage feel. Explore what a world with a Superman would be like. Don't try to update it. Please, no more origin. Every moviegoer on Earth knows who Superman is. We don't need to see him learning to leap over barns."

SundaySunday: "How about a Coen Brothers' Superman where a quiet, misunderstood P. I. enlists the help of the real Superman to futilely try to dissuade George Reeves from committing suicide? Or a Farrely Brothers' Superman, where a world-weary and universally rejected Clark Kent is forced to live in a trailer park and eat dog food while he slowly becomes infatuated with the property manager's daughter?"

Good to see SundaySunday here again in tidy attire and with such good ideas; admit it. You'd kill to see a Coen Brothers Superman movie. Or, at least, you would if you weren't commenter Counterglow, who seems to have a bug up his/her ass about superhero movies in general:

"When did science fiction degenerate to the level of "comic book of the week"? There's so many rocking-good stories to tell, and all we're seeing is re-boots of pulp fiction as deep as a puddle. Enough of this bullshit, already.

Thankfully, Rasselas has the right idea:

Haven't Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely recently published fairly detailed storyboards for the ultimate Superman movie? That was a comic book? Seriously?

Dear Warner Bros., listen to this man. He is correct.

Alternatively, go back to what I said six months ago, and listen to me. And, please? Don't let the Wachowskis anywhere near Clark. I don't think he's survive the experience.

Superman appears across multiple series in DC's line, from Justice League of America and Trinity to the kid-centric Superfriends and Justice League Unlimited. But each of his three solo series must've done something to commemorate this rather momentous anniversary, right?

Superman: At least it seems as if he's taken the day off in the first issue of new writer James Robinson's run, hanging out in space with Green Lantern, playing super-frisbee with Krypto the Super-Dog before disaster calls. But where's Lois with his birthday present? Are the rest of the Justice League planning a surprise party while all this is going on?

Action Comics: Everything seems to be fairly quiet for ol' Kal-El over here as well; he's spending most of his time as Clark Kent, in fact, getting reintroduced to all of the Daily Planet crew. Still, I don't see any cake...

All-Star Superman: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's irregular-yet-entirely-awesome tribute to all that's good about Superman didn't actually have an issue in June, but that's probably a good thing considering that their last issue ended with the Man of Tomorrow's death at the long-term hands of Lex Luthor...

Hmm. Okay, so it's almost as if they've forgotten it's Superman's birthday this month, doesn't it? Wait, wait - I've got it. Last week saw the release of the second issue of DC's big series for the year, Final Crisis. Surely there's something for Clark to cheer about in there...

Man. That's just cold. I know it's meant to be a "never-ending battle," but still. It wouldn't have killed you guys to give him a card or something.

How To Celebrate Superman's Birthday on June 30th [eHow.com]

Boom! Studios - now home to official friend of io9, Ian Brill - has our first new title of the week, Zombie Tales; Sensibly realizing that there's no long-term story potential in zombies unless you're Robert Kirkman (a conclusion obvious to anyone who's seen 28 Weeks Later), Zombie Tales is a new short story anthology series, letting various creators get their favorite zombie fantasies out of their heads before moving on to healthier things.

Alternatively, if zombies are played out for you, you may want to pick up the first volume of Roswell, Texas, which mixes alternate history (What if Texas didn't join the United States, but remained independent?) with a flying saucer crash and all manner of hell breaking loose as a result, courtesy of SF novelist and Lando Calrissian fanboy L. Neil Smith. Now, if only we could put alternate history zombies into a comic, we'd probably be rich. Or ignored.

The big comics from the Big Two publishers are an interesting bag this week. Marvel has the final issue of Joss Whedon's X-Men, called Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men for subtlety's sake, and the much more fascinating Marvel 1985, in which Wanted and Civil War's Mark Millar works out his childhood issues by bringing the Marvel villains from the comics page into "our world," with only one comic nerd recognizing what's going on. Despite the beautiful artwork from Tommy Lee Edwards, is this just another stage of Mark's "comic nerds will save us all" schtick (see Kick-Ass), or something more sinister?

(Marvel's also putting out the second collection of Kung-Fu actioneer The Immortal Iron Fist, subtitled The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. Pick it up and find yourself falling in love with a super-sumo wrestler called "Fat Cobra". No, really.)

DC, meanwhile, is really going after your money this week, however: Never mind the long-awaited first issue of Grant Morrison's Final Crisis epic — as beautiful and grand in scale as it will undoubtedly be — or even the second-to-last issue of Morrison's note-perfect All Star Superman series. It's all about the collections this week.

Want to catch up on the critically-acclaimed Starman series by James Robinson and Tony Harris? A new hardcover series of collections starts this week. Want to learn more about Superman's home planet? Pick up the Superman: World of Krypton collection (with early art by Hellboy's Mike Mignola). Prefer 1970s SF weirdness? Jack Kirby's OMAC: One Man Army Corps will prepare you for the world that's coming. Looking for some four-color masturbatory material for the costume fetishist in your life? Comic Book Cover Portfolio: Women of The DC Universe will... um... satisfy you? It's literally all coming from DC's wheelhouse this week, friends.

And it's literally all going to your local comic book store, which you can find here. And if you need to know exactly what you'll find in those stores tomorrow, why not look at the complete list?

Famous names: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant

Crunchy goodness: 5

Elevator pitch: What if instead of Superman's supporting cast "grounding" him as usual, they catapulted him into a psychedelic supernova made of cheese?

The shit: Lex Luthor, in prison, lectures Clark Kent about his hatred of Superman, never realizing whom he's talking to. Luthor is vain, deluded, petty — and more magnetic than he's ever been.

Design breakthrough: Superman's trappings look alien and cool for the first time in years. His Fortress of Solitude is huge and over-the-top, containing the Titanic, a space-shuttle and a baby sun-eater. The headquarters of PROJECT is trippy and shiny. And Jimmy gets to wear a crazy iridescent rainbow coat. It's futuristic and colorful.

All Star Superman Review