Icon magazine's debut last summer, with David Lynch's visage plastered across the cover, sat relatively quiet on newsstands, as if browsers didn't know what to make of this pretentious, culture-covering newcomer. Yet via a series of popular cover stories (Oliver Stone, Clint Eastwood) and any number of great features (such as the "Access" page, which provides further research sources for each issue's individual articles), the magazine has gradually distanced itself from its fluffier peers. A self-proclaimed "Thoughtstyle" magazine, Icon sticks out from its glossy brethren for two key reasons: taste and intelligence. High-quality production values and a simple but cool design make the magazine attractive; strong content makes Icon a creative success. The magazine's interviewers exceed the basic and bland standards to which most Q&As rigidly adhere: December's interview with enfant terrible screenwriter Harmony Korine (Kids, Gummo), for instance, justifiably pats itself on the back for its intriguing inquiries, and January's issue investigates the career of actor John Turturro, as well as the disturbing sadism of porn producer Max Hardcore. The regular "Iconography" section expounds at length upon the history and significance of seemingly banal cultural totems like the turtleneck, candy hearts, and the condom. Only the conspicuous absence of female subjects reminds readers that Icon is a men's magazine, but there are more than enough interesting and informative detours in each issue to make up for that conspicuous marketing tactic.