The Penguin has long been rumored to be appearing in Batman: Arkham City - his Iceberg Lounge club even appeared in the very first teaser trailer for the game, back in 2009. Now Rocksteady Games Marketing Manager Dax Ginn has confirmed the monocled menace's presence in the game, and gives some details to arkhamcity.co.uk:

we've made him a really horrible, nasty piece of work - but still with the delusion of grandeur. He dresses well, but in a poor taste, and we've made him this brutish, brutal guy but also key into collection fascination that he's had through out the years.

Sounds like a good amalgamation of the Penguin's many permutations we've seen in the comics over the years, from umbrella-carrying fop to beaked mutant to straight-up thug.

Say it isn't so, Mistah J!

Arleen Sorkin, the original, definitive Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series (and numerous other Bat-media, all the way through Batman: Arkham Asylum) will not be voicing Harl in the upcoming Batman: Arkham City.

No word on the reasons for Sorkin's departure, but we can take comfort in knowing that her replacement has an excellent comics pedigree: ladies and gents, meet your new Harley Quinn, Tara Strong!

Strong has a ridiculously prolific resume, but you probably know her as the voice Bubbles on The Powerpuff Girls, and more importantly she's deeply entrenched in the animated Bat-verse.

She was Barbara Gordon/Batgirl on Batman: TAS, Vicky Vale on The Batman, and most recently she's voiced The Huntress on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. She also appears as Lashina in the DC Universe animated movie Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

Sorkin's departure isn't happy news, but there is every reason to believe that Strong will do Harley justice. She's talented, versatile, funny, and she knows her way around Gotham City. I'm confident she'll nail it and do right by the fans.

Jaw, meet floor. From the first frame to the last, this gameplay-heavy trailer (with plenty of cutscenes too, showing off the awesome voice talent like Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn) for Batman: Arkham City is a knockout.

And no, I'm not just referring to Harl and her li'l slugger.

The soundtrack, the moves, the action, the baddies - everything about this trailer clicks, and builds my already sky-high anticipation for the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, my bid for the greatest superhero videogame to date (sorry Maximum Carnage - we had some good times), to a fever pitch.

I'll be holding Batman: Arkham City in my hot little hands on October 18, the day of release. Yeah, I pre-ordered.