We’ve all heard a lot by now about how completely awesome Heath Ledger is supposed to be as the new Joker in The Dark Knight. Well I’m not sure I really believed it… until last night when I saw the first Dark Knight teaser trailer attached to the I Am Legend print being shown at a Dallas press screening.

It’s not an exaggeration. Ledger’s transformation is amazing. I’m not talking about the makeup here, I’m still not entirely sold on Mr. J’s new look. I’m talking about Ledger, who has somehow chameleoned himself into the character to the point that he’s almost completely unrecognizable. I didn’t know the guy had it in him.

The trailer, which debuts this Friday in front of I Am Legend, is mostly a haphazard collection of images. Honestly, it’s a little muddled, but I doubt anyone will notice they’ll be so busy geeking out over Batman. We get some great shots of the new Batcycle, the Batmobile playing tank on some cars, plenty of Joker, and a lot of narration. You’re going to love it.

While you wait for Friday, Warner Brothers has just released two brand new Dark Knight images. They pretty much cover the primary focus of the trailer. Joker and Batman on a motorcycle. Take a look at them both with just a little scroll: