The Buy Pile for July 10, 2013

San Diego’s Comic-Con International is one week away, but there was plenty of paneled pandemonium happening at comic book stores today, including the second issue of Superman Unchained, the latest installment in Scott Snyder’s Batman: Zero Year storyline and a fantastic tale in the pages of Mark Waid’s Daredevil.

Here’s the complete list of the books I’ll be reading, bagging and boarding this evening:

• Daredevil #28
• Savage Wolverine #6
• Superman Unchained #2
• Batman #22
• Justice League #22

Although it’s only tangentially related to comic books, I’d like to take the opportunity to gush a bit about Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, which hits theaters this weekend. Yes, it’s another movie about giant robots causing property damage, but it’s hard not to look forward to witnessing del Toro running on all cylinders. I recently revisited Pan’s Labyrinth and the exceptional Hellboy II: The Golden Army, so I’m excited to see how he handles a blockbuster of this scale. Bring on the Kaiju!

Del Toro’s ‘Justice League Dark’ Could Fit into ‘Man of Steel’ Universe

Although I really don’t think Warner Bros. should even consider a Justice League Dark film until they successfully pull off a proper Justice League movie, the latest news about Guillermo del Toro’s forthcoming project project starring John Constantine and his supernatural buddies is pretty promising.

The Hellboy and Pacific Rim director told MTV that the upcoming film will likely take place in the same universe as Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, bringing DC and Warner Bros. that much closer to recreating the magic that Marvel Studios has enjoyed for the last five years.

“I think that the great thing about the Dark universe is that you have this possibility of basically creating this supernatural group, and you can play with different worlds, but I would love to see the DC Universe become as cohesive as the Marvel Universe," he told MTV. "So if there is any correlation I will honor it."

Del Toro is in the process of rewriting the outline for the as-yet-unnamed Justice League Dark film. For more info, head over to MTV.com.

Guillermo del Toro Kicks The Hobbit

Ready for some bad news? Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) recently told J.R.R. Tolkien fansite TheOneRing.net that he will no longer be directing the planned two-part film adaptation of The Hobbit.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life,” Guillermo said. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.”

However, hardcore Tolkienites need not start crying into their Elven cloaks just yet. The films are reportedly still happening, and are scheduled for release in December 2012 and December 2013.

But what does Academy Award-winning Lord of the Rings director and Hobbit executive producer Peter Jackson have to say about his pal del Toro’s departure?

“We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave The Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films—due to reasons beyond anyone’s control—has compromised his commitment to other long term projects,” Jackson said. “The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years.”

While he won’t be in the director’s chair, del Toro is still co-writing the screenplays, and will remain as close to the production as possible—assuming it ever moves forward.