Tom Hardy: Lonely Bartender Who Rescues Dogs From the Mob

The Dark Knight Rises' Tom Hardy may star in the crime drama Animal Rescue, based on a short story by Shutter Island and Mystic River author Dennis Lehane.

Variety reports that Michael Roskam (Bullhead) will direct the Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment project.

The film reportedly "follows a lonely Boston bartender who rescues a puppy from a garbage can and becomes the target of the dog's abusive and mentally unstable former owner, while simultaneously getting caught in the middle of a criminal conspiracy playing out in his mob-controlled bar."

Source : ign[dot]com

Animal Crossing 3DS Has a New Name

During a new Nintendo Direct broadcast, the company finally delivered some news for stateside Animal Crossing fans. The title, which up until now has only been detailed for Japanese audiences, will be called Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It will be arriving in stores during the first part of 2013, though an exact release date still hasn't been provided. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.

What the mayor says goes.

For the first time, New Leaf has players acting as the mayor. You'll ba able to customize your town and your character to your heart's content thanks to the wide range of new and old customization options. Unfortunately we still have no news regarding the fate of Tortimer, the franchise's former mayor. Our thoughts are with you, Tortimer... wherever you are.

For more on Animal Crossing: New Leaf, keep it here on IGN.

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can keep track of her wild adventures by following Aminka on IGN or @GameOnAminka on Twitter. Game on!

Source : ign[dot]com

Japan Getting Mario & Animal Crossing 3DS XLs

Nintendo has unveiled two new special edition 3DS XL bundles, and they're ridiculously cute.

Both the New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Animal Crossing 3DS editions come bundled with their respective title, and are currently only slated for a Japanese release.

They look incredible (even if the Mario one does look a little bit like Louis Vuitton has tried his hand at console decoration), so it's a shame that they're region-locked. Still, there are a fair few Japanese titles we've been eyeing up lately that don't seem likely to get a Western release date, so it may be worth it for that reason alone.

You can check out the Animal Crossing and Mario special editions in all their glory below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and wants someone to buy him the Animal Crossing 3DS XL, please. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Animal Man #0 Review

Much like Swamp Thing #0, Animal Man #0 goes to great lengths to establish the dastardly ways of Anton Arcane, and succeeds. However, it also retreads much content that was inferred over the course of the series to date. We get a recap of Buddy’s strange role in relation to the Red, and a charming but ultimately fruitless summation of Buddy’s early days as Animal Man. These are moments that are well-written in the tradition of the dynamic between the members of the Baker family, but ultimately it’s nothing that is terribly necessary to witness.

That being said, Lemire does offer some great insight into the justification for the change he made to Buddy’s origin that is clever and thought-provoking, which is really the best thing that can be said about this issue. Though Lemire offers nothing particularly essential to the ongoing events of Animal Man, the ideas and thematic content he provides are interesting enough to warrant a read. It’s a bit of a leap to see Ellen so accepting of Buddy’s apparently alien-given powers, but at least their established dynamic in the previous 12 issues helps to offset that a bit.

Steve Pugh delivers some more fine work here, keeping up his usual momentum. Pugh’s ability to manage the bizarre radness of the Red alongside the quieter, more introspective moments in the Baker household remains impressive. The final scene between Buddy and Ellen in particular is great, considering that their conversation is predictable, yet Pugh is able to make you feel the impact through his stellar framing and emotional punch.

If not required reading, Animal Man #0 is still an enjoyable issue.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Comic Book Reviews for 8/1/12

This week in comics: Avengers vs. X-Men gets its groove back, the Swamp Thing/Animal Man crossover begins, iZombie comes to a close at Vertigo, Deadpool kills the whole Marvel Universe, Marvel goes all "Before X-Men" with The First X-Men mini-series, and Hawkeye gets a brand new solo series.

DC COMICS

Action Comics #12

Written by Grant Morrison | Art by Various

"Grant Morrison recently confirmed that he won't be continuing his Action Comics run beyond his initial 16-issue plan. That news casts a large shadow over issue #12. Like the rest of this story arc, there are both successes and missteps to be found, but the prevailing question now becomes 'How can Morrison properly wrap up such a wide-reaching story in a mere four issues?'" -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Animal Man #12

Written by Jeff Lemire & Scott Snyder | Art by Steve Pugh

"With any episodic story there inevitably comes the 'recap' installment where the characters spend a majority of the issue reflecting on the past and little else. Luckily, Jeff Lemire and Scott Snyder sidestep the painful parts of this necessary evil and add in just enough new content to set up for the long-brewing Rotworld storyline." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Batwing #12

Written by Judd Winick | Art by Marcus To

"Hit the panic button, folks, because Batwing is officially in trouble. I get the idea. Really, I do. Justice League International could benefit from tapping into other books’ readerships. David Zavimbe is from Africa. Stick the JLI into Batwing, and both titles do better, right? Not really." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.5

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #2

Written by J. Michael Straczynski | Art by Andy & Joe Kubert

"Aside from Silk Spectre, Nite Owl might be the Watchmen character best suited for an extended origin treatment. After all, Nite Owl is essentially equal parts Blue Beetle and Batman held together by a glue of sexual dysfunction. Unfortunately, issue #1 did too little to realize that potential, as it powered through Dan Dreiberg's early years and all the way up to his early team-ups with Rorschach. Where is there left for the series to go from there?" -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

Detective Comics #12

Written by Tony Daniel | Art by Tony Daniel

"Way to prove me wrong, Mr. Daniel. In my review for Detective Comics #11, I expressed my satisfaction with the depth given to Mr. Toxic. I was hopeful for a closer look at the emotions driving Mr. Toxic’s desperate quest in issue #12. I was expecting an open-ended portrait of a conflicted new villain. I was wrong." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

4.5

Dial H #4

Written by China Mievelle | Art by Mateus Santolouco

"One of the goals of the New 52 relaunch was to offer more bold and unique series outside of the usual superhero crowd. For whatever faults it might have, Dial H is never guilty of being familiar or formulaic. If anything, its weirdness has been a hurdle to overcome. Luckily, China Mieville's opening arc has progressed to the point where it's easier to see past the surreal nature of the writing and appreciate the characters." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Earth 2 #4

Written by James Robinson | Art by Nicola Scott & Eduardo Pansica

"The most alluring feature of Earth 2 is how it continues to build its unique world and introduce old characters in new ways. I never thought the Atom would win me over, but here I am rather impressed with his impactful debut. While there are a few other good moments in this issue, a lack of elegance in the transitions and dialog stop this from being the standout title it could be." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

G.I. Combat #4

Written by Various | Art by Various

"For better or worse, G.I. Combat #4 offers little change over the previous issues. The series is still you best outlet for man vs. dinosaur mayhem, and its revamped take on Unknown Soldier is becoming comfortably decent, if not spectacular. As far as whether this book has more long-term potential than Men of War, that still remains to be seen." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.0

iZombie #28

Written by Chris Roberson | Art by Mike Allred

"After just over two years, it’s time to say goodbye to Gwen, Spot, and the rest of the inhabitants of Eugene, Oregon. This issue marks the conclusion to iZombie, and rather surprisingly, Chris Roberson and Mike Allred manage to wrap up the many plot threads and deliver a satisfying, if bittersweet, end. Though the arc has felt somewhat truncated over the course of the last few issues, this installment takes its time to deliver the necessary send-off to the many characters we’ve come to love over the course of 28 issues." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Red Lanterns #12

Written by Peter Milligan | Art by Miguel Sepulveda

"This issue of Red Lanterns looks amazing thanks to Miguel Sepulveda’s incredible artwork along with Rain Beredo and Santi Arcas’s superb coloring, but Peter Milligan’s script is all over the place. He has a compelling story that has the characters in interesting situations -- Atrocitus faces his vengeful first Red Lantern and Bleez is tempted to become a Star Sapphire -- but his overdone dialog makes it an ungraceful affair. If anything, Milligan provides several large plot twists that bring the first year of Red Lantern stories to a mostly solid conclusion." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.0

Stormwatch #12

Written by Peter Milligan | Art by Will Conrad & Julio Ferreira

"When the New 52 revamp of Stormwatch was revealed, many fans questioned the purpose of including Martian Manhunter. Was this series anything more than a consolation prize for J'onn losing his Justice League founder status? Flash forward a year, and now the thought of J'onn leaving this quirky team is a depressing one. Issue #12 serves as a proper sendoff for the hero even as the book looks forward to the future." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Swamp Thing #12

Written by Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire | Art by Marco Rudy

"Forget Avengers vs. X-Men and forget Trinity War. The only crossover I’ve genuinely been looking forward to (post-Omega Effect, that is) is Rotworld. Animal Man #12 kicked off the prologue chapter that continues here in Swamp Thing #12, and the two issues rely on one another pretty heavily. If you’ve been reading both books, I would say Animal Man #12 is less important to the Rotworld story so far, though it does depict the first meeting of Buddy Baker and Alec Holland. Swampy #12, however, holds the fun stuff as we get to see just what kind of desperate scenario these two characters have gotten themselves into." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Source : ign[dot]com