Just prior to the San Diego Comic Con, Lego announced that they were licensed to release miniature Lego versions of popular DC Comics superheroes.

(Via Variety:)

Warner Bros. has expanded its relationship with Lego, granting the toymaker access t o DC Entertainment's complete library of comicbook characters and stories to launch DC Universe "Super Heroes" as figures and playsets.
The multi-year licensing deal, made through Warner Bros. Consumer Products, will start rolling out the new line in January, starting with 13 characters, including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and villains the Joker, Bane, Harley Quinn and Lex Luthor.

The first toys will be shown off at the Lego booth at Comic-Con Intl. in San Diego, where 3,000 exclusive Batman and Green Lantern minifigures will be distributed to launch a promo that runs August-December, enabling fans to create and submit videos, photos or illustrations of the characters to win trips to Legoland and Warner Bros. Studios.

WB and Lego had already been producing toys and videogames around the Batman franchise, and will launch a new set of playthings around next summer's "The Dark Knight Rises" through the Lego Batman collection. The "Lego Batman: The Videogame," published by WB Bros. Interactive Entertainment, has sold more than 12 million units since 2008."This partnership gives builders a chance to recreate the characters, vehicles and worlds of some of the most iconic super heroes, so they can relive the action and even customize it, a proven and winning formula in Lego construction," said Jill Wilfert, VP, licensing and entertainment for the Lego Group.

Just recently Lego also acquired the rights to the characters of Marvel Comics! Not since the days when Mego had released a line of doll-sized collectibles was there such promise for the toy aisles of the world!

Via http://www.tales2astonish.com:

The first figures in the superheroline will be:

From Marvel:
Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Loki and Black Widow, Wolverine, Magneto, Nick Fury and Deadpool, Spider-Man, and Doctor Octopus.

And from DC:
Batman, Robin, Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Bane, Bruce Wayne, Superman, Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman.

Here are some prototype images...

Click to view slideshow.

More images here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/model_gal/5960593966/in/photostream

Make sure to bookmark this page for more information: http://www.legosuperheroes.com/

Thanks to Sean Jamison for the heads up on this!