Marvel Studios has signed Robert Downey Jr. to reprise his role of Tony Stark in two sequels to "Iron Man" and in the "Avengers" pic set for 2011. "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau also signed to helm "Iron Man 2" and to exec produce "Avengers." Studio also confirmed Don Cheadle is taking over for Terrence Howard in the role of Jim Rhodes in both "Iron Man 2" and "Avengers."

There's a fake "Flash" trailer that some folks are trying to pass off as having been shown before recent test screenings of "Watchmen." But it's definitely a fake. Catch it at YouTube while you can.

Sam Mendes is the most-recent director hoping to adapt "Preacher" to the big screen. Project is set up at Columbia and comes after HBO put the brakes on Mark Steven Johnson's plans for a  TV series based on the comic by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.

Several sites are reporting interest at WB in keeping Brandon Routh in the role of Superman for the next film — whatever and whenever that may be.

Boston.com has an interesting profile on Rick Keene, who helps restore comic art from the Golden Age for the likes of DC Comics' Archives series of hardcover reprints.

MovieTickets.com polled its users on the most-anticipated films for the next year, with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" coming in at the No. 2 spot right behind "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

J. Scott Campbell's original art for the covers to IDW's Presidential Material comics is being auctioned off on eBay. The Barack Obama cover is here, the John McCain version here. Interestingly, as I write this, the price for each is identical at $635, with 10 bids each. Proceeds help the Wounded Warrior Project.

J. Michael Straczynski has been named guest of honor at the New York Comic-Con. Straczynski is best known as the creator of "Babylon 5" and writer of such comics as "Rising Stars" and "Amazing Spider-Man." He's getting a lot more attention these days though as the writer of the current Clint Eastwood pic and Oscar contender "Changeling." Could JMS become the first man to win an Eisner and an Oscar? The con is set for Feb. 6-8.

"Joker" (DC Comics, $19.99) is a hardcover graphic novel by writer Brian Azzarello of "100 Bullets" fame and artist Lee Bermejo that explores the grotesque world in which this character operates. It takes a page from "The Dark Knight" in its portrayal of the character, taking the psychopathic edge Heath Ledger brought to the screen and trying to figure out what this character would do when he's not fighting Batman. This is not a trip for the squeamish, and Bermejo's intentionally grotesque art does a lot to bring this world to life, while the story struggles — as all serious Joker stories do — with making so  psychopathic a character believable and interesting without the juxtaposition of Batman. Grade: B

"The Spirit: A Pop-Up Graphic Novel" (Insight Editions-DC Comics $34.95) is one of those super-cool things that is in retrospect so obvious you wonder why no one ever did this before. Taking Will Eisner's the classic Sand Saref story (which will be adapted to Frank Miller's upcomign film), adapter Bruce Foster both honors the original content and makes it brand new and exciting all at the same time. Grade: A-.

Dark Horse also has a new mug out featuring the logo of The Umbrella Academy, based on the comic series by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba (Dark Horse, $12.99).

Just in time for Halloween, is a new run of Jones Soda labels featuring "The Goon." The soda was, as always with Jones, quite tasty and an excellent way to quench that Goon-size, zombie-stomping thirst.

Box office hits may be getting a bigger push this year from studios. The New York Times says that not only is a major campaign planned for "The Dark Knight," but Par may give "Iron Man" a push now that "The Soloist," which also stars Robert Downey Jr., has been bumped to spring.

A new poster for "Watchmen" has been released. Click for a closer look.

Marvel's Kevin Feige talks to MTV about the chances of seeing a "Runaways" movie sometime after "Avengers" hits the screen in 2011, and that someday a "1602" movie might not be impossible. He then tells Comic Book Movie that "Doctor Strange" also is a movie possibility. Meanwhile, Gale Anne Hurd tells Superhero Hype she definitely plans to make a follow-up to "The Incredible Hulk" with Edward Norton, though she admits he may appear first in "Avengers."

Bluewater Productions has signed a deal with Lionsgate to make comics based on the horror pics "Leprechaun" and "Warlock."

Boom! Studios announces a comic based on the Sci Fi series "Eureka" — an obvious license to pick up given that the show's co-creator is a co-founder of the publisher.

There’s no comic more acclaimed or more popular than ""Watchmen"," which has gone from being a successful series of 12 comicbooks and a perennially popular graphic novel to acclaim as one of the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century. More than 20 years after its initial publication, interest in the book is skyrocketing as fans eagerly await Zack Snyder’s film version — which fans now hope will do the impossible and bring the story largely intact to the big screen.

Through all of this, artist Dave Gibbons has had a front seat to the book’s amazing run, and now has opened his files to explore the comic’s origins in “Watching the Watchmen,” a huge, full-color art book out this week from Titan Books. Gibbons fills the book, with help from Chip Kidd and Mike Essl, with a glimpse into the origins of the comic featuring tons of unseen artwork from creation to completion.

Gibbons took time out to chat from England about creating "Watchmen", working with writer Alan Moore, the book’s transformation into a classic and working on Snyder’s film version.

Variety: Tell me about the book. What motivated you to write it and what people who buy it can expect?

Dave Gibbons: I suppose what motivated it was this kind of resurgence of interest in "Watchmen." I had a meeting with [president and publisher] Paul Levitz at DC Comics and I mentioned that I’d really kept every piece of paper that "Watchmen" had ever generated, with the exception for the original artwork for the comic book. But everything else, all the notes and the sketches and the plans and all that kind of stuff, I’d kept, mainly because it was such a complex book to draw that I didn’t want to throw away anything while I was actually working on it in case I had to refer back to it, and it just ended up in a filing-cabinet drawer. And as a fan, I always really loved behind-the-scenes books. I love to see unpublished stuff, sketches, abandoned ideas and everything, and I suggested to Paul that probably I had the assets and desire to write a book that could explore the very beginnings of "Watchmen"

I also had a bit of an ulterior motive in that, as you may know, Alan doesn’t want his name on the movie, and I thought if there was a book out that showed very much who the parents of "Watchmen" were that that would actually kind of redress the balance. So I dedicated the book to Alan, and I used sketches and notes of his, with his blessing. And I think it’s really interesting now that "Watchmen" is about to burst on the greater audience as a movie to actually go back and show what the comicbook beginnings of it were. So people who buy the book can expect to see all kinds of behind the scenes sketches, false starts, odd bits of memorabilia, diagrams and notes. There’s a really interesting chapter in there written by John Higgins, the colorist, who really had a front-row seat for what we were doing and just really get inside into what his part of the creation of it was.

To listen to various bloggers and journos online, the Man of Steel is in real trouble — taken down not by conniving supervillains but by creative missteps that have kept the original superhero on the sidelines of the great comicbook movie era. Most of this comes from the ongoing debate over "Superman Returns," a picture that for most fell far short of the tremendous potential its creative talent and oversize budget brought to the project.

But the keys to reviving the franchise these days seem to lie not in deciding whether to keep or ditch director Bryan Singer or star Brandon Routh, or to go either darker or younger in tone. Instead, the answer lies in the pages of DC Comics, where Superman is undergoing a sort of mini-renaissance.

While Grant Morrison's run on All-Star Superman is the hipper favorite, the work of writer Geoff Johns on Action Comics in particular stands out as an invigorating, entertaining and modern take on the Man of Steel. Johns' work on the series stretches back to 2006 and includes two stories co-penned with his former boss "Superman: The Movie" director Richard Donner that explore the Superman universe without diminishing in any way the nobility, humility, ideals and basic heroism that for so many people lift this character above all other superheroes.

Actor Don Cheadle will step into the role of Jim "War Machine" Rhodes for "Iron Man 2." He takes over the role from Terrence Howard, who played the part in the first film. Marvel wouldn't comment on the change, but reports indicate talks with Howard fell through over money. Cost is obviously a major concern for Marvel, which took longer than many fans would have liked to sign director Jon Favreau to the sequel as well.

Meanwhile, Fortune notices Marvel's publishing line remains steady and profitable. And the company is preparing to celebrate its 70th anniversary next year.

Comics newcomer Radical Publishing has secured financing from Singapore to fund feature film adaptations of its comicbook projects "Aladdin" and "City of Dust." Scribes are at work on adapting those properties.

Canadian comics and animation fans will be tuning into Teletoon for their Marvel fix. The two pacted to air 182 first-run episodes of upcoming Marvel toons in starting in the spring.

Richard Donner, who directed the much-loved 1978 "Superman: The Movie," tells the L.A. Times that WB should turn over the creative reins on Superman to Geoff Johns. The DC writer, who once worked as Donner's assistant, is scripting an acclaimed run on Action Comics.

Del Rey announced plans to publish a monthly comicbook adaptation of the 1984 Stephen King-Peter Straub novel "The Talisman." This is the first monthly comic from the book publisher, which expects the tale will need 24 issues to fully adapt the novel. King's work has been a hit for Marvel, which is adapting "The Dark Tower" series and "The Stand."

Check out a new short clip from "Punisher: War Zone" here.

Indie publisher Archaia Studios Press is being acquired by Kunoichi, a creative services house in Chicago founded by Josh Blaylock, who also founded Devil's Due Press. ASP founder Mark Smylie is staying on as managing editor. Some confusion has resulted from the impact this would have on the company's contracts with creators. Apparently, ASP's deals offered creators a lot of control over their properties that the new owners would like to bring more in line with the industry standard. While creators are free to take their projects elsewhere, Smylie tells the Beat that most are sticking with ASP  under the new terms.

* Marvel Studios has decided to make Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach its home base. Marvel will move its offices to the studio and will shoot "Iron Man 2," "Thor," "Captain America" and "The Avengers" there.

* The New York Post reports the Spider-Man musical has a budget of about $40 million, making it the most expensive stage production ever. It also looks like the show will open on Broadway next year

* Mandalay Pictures has optioned "Ramayan 3392 AD" from Liquid Comics, which recently completed a management buyout of Virgin Comics.

* Len Wein, whose credits are too numerous to even begin to condense, is writing a Watchmen videogame. He's qualified, having been the original editor on the classic comicbook. Game is set 10 years before the book and centers on various events mentioned in the graphic novel.

* David Goyer debunks all "Dark Knight" sequel rumors, saying that director Christopher Nolan hasn't even signed on to do another Batman flick, let alone decided which characters would be in it or who would play them.

* Marvel has announced a 26-episode animated Avengers series is in the works for 2011.

* Latino Review reports Ryan Gosling is in contention for the lead role in the Green Lantern movie WB is looking at filming next year.

* And Hollywood Elsewhere posts that Josh Brolin is set to star in a Jonah Hex movie, though the post and comments indicate this might be the sci-fi version of the character done in later years.

Standing out amid the hustle and bustle of such huge markets as Natpe and Mipcom can be difficult for even the best production companies. But the appeal of comics is helping indie animation studio Lincoln Butterfield to cut through the noise.

Founded by Robert Hughes, a helmer on Disney’s "Phineas & Ferb" series, and veteran business executive Joseph Walker, Lincoln Butterfield put together a comicbook for this year's Natpe to promote its proposed family animated series "Tan." Hughes says the comic flew off the table, and the company has recently signed a worldwide representation agreement with PorchLight Entertainment.

"The comic book has turned out to be the most powerful promotional tool we have in our arsenal," says Walker. "Unlike a traditional brochure or two-sheet, it has an inherent perceived value from the start. People hold onto comics because they never know what might become a collector's item. But, more important, the comic book is a superior way to 'transmit' the show is about. Each of a show's characteristics — from the plot lines to the look of the design to the type of humor — is there in one tidy package."

For Mipcom, starting next week in Cannes, LB has put together another comic for its adult-oriented comedy series "When in Rome." The series, about two cousins' misadventures in the ancient empire, evoke the look and feel of classic Mad Magazine work. Hughes says the company is talking with a couple of major comics publishers about doing more comics

The international market at Mipcom is a vital part of LB's strategy, which is to find international partners for co-production and distribution that would eventually circle back to an outlet in the United States. Other properties in development include "Venture Probe" — best described as "Star Trek" meets "Office Space" — and family series "N.I.T.: Neighborhood Investigation Team." The company currently has no plans now to adapt either series into a comic, but an "N.I.T." children's book is planned.

Yesterday, WB and director Zack Snyder showed some 25 minutes of unfinished footage from Watchmen to various members of the press. While I didn't see the footage, the reports coming in are impressive.

From Variety's Marc Graser:

The visuals are stunning. With Watchmen, he’s created a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel that will satisfy fans. The characters pop off the screen; you can almost feel the texture of their suits, meticulously designed by Michael Wilkinson. The production design by Alex McDowell is overly theatrical but a world you want to visit. Overall, the sequences are mesmerizing and almost trance-like. And it’s dark. Very dark. The Dark Knight has nothing on the grit and violence that’s on screen. But it’s the over-stylized nature of how it’s handled that doesn’t make it cringe-worthy or unwatchable.

From AICN:

Moore's tome has not humbled Snyder; it's emboldened him. Whereas Snyder seemed committed to channeling Frank Miller's 300 directly from the page to the screen (with every thrust and decapitation intact), he's bravely added his own flourishes to WATCHMEN. Aside from the music, which adroitly evokes the era (KOYAANISQATSI was very much a 1980s Cold War creation), he's also made reference to the most influential movies of our time. When you see Nixon in the War Room, it's Kubrick's War Room; when Dr. Manhattan is brutally taming Vietnam, it's Coppola's Vietnam (though, according to production designer Alex McDowell, minor stylistic alterations, like the shape of the overhead lights in the War Room, were necessary to avoid legal dust-ups*). Snyder may not be a stranger to audaciousness (he did, after all, remake DAWN OF THE DEAD), but this is the first time I've sensed him in the work. And I think this reconfiguring of classic cinematic tropes is a potentially brilliant idea. Conceptually, it's in keeping with Moore's depiction of pop culture rising up against (or knuckling under) the encroachment of full-blown authoritarianism; hell, I think the notoriously cranky writer might even approve of some of these changes.

And The New York Times:

The scenes on display Wednesday spared nothing when it comes to the messy side of the super life. One scene in the R-rated film has an unclothed pair of heroes lounging in their high-powered “Owl Ship” after a love-making session. Another focused on the gore-spattered ceiling left behind by some super-action.

In all, the scenes gave a much deeper look at the film than did the extended trailer Mr. Snyder showed at the Comic-Con comics and fantasy convention in San Diego last summer. Indeed, a 12-minute credits sequence retold American history from the 1930s to the 1970s, as if heroes — good, and not so — had driven the action.

The Times also reports that the current running time for the pic is 2 hours and 43 minutes, with Snyder saying he'll defend that all the way. And the topic of the Fox lawsuit evoked the usual deflections and statements of being focused on finishing the film for its planned March 6 release.