Mike's Picks of the Week:

Speed Racer - Take a childhood favorite cartoon, add in two creative directors(The Wachowski Brothers), a visionary special effects guru(John Gaeta) and a talented cast(Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, Susan Sarandon) and you have the makings of a very interesting movie. I only wish my one year old son were old enough to take to see this. I am such a nerd that I actually took Friday off to go see this on IMAX.

The Digital Plague - Jeff Somers burst onto the scene with last years The Electric Church featuring hitman Avery Cates trying to survive in a monolithic, dystopian future. Avery returns in the fast paced, blood soaked sequel that features a nanotech virus designed to kill the world. Everything I loved about The Electric Church is here in spades. If you like noirish post cyberpunk in the vein of Richard Morgan or Jon Courtenay Grimwood TDP is right up your alley.

Larry's Pick of the Week:

Vanity Fair I don't usually go for magazines with perfume samples in 'em, as a rule, but this month's Vanity Fair in addition to the Barbara Walters gush-fest and the reanimation of James Frey and the gasp! Lolita-esque pics of Disney tween Miley Cyrus (c'mon, the one draped across Dad's lap is more disturbing than the one Puritans are het up about, don'tcha think?)... in addition to all that frivolity, there's an excellent piece about a U2 straying over Russian airspace at the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. "There's always some son-of-a-bitch who doesn't get the word," said Kennedy. Too right, Mr. President. Too right.

Ash's Picks of the Week:

Suburban Glamour TPB: This collection came up in conversation a few weeks ago, and it's finally hitting the stands this week. Growing up sucks, suburban life sucks, and it gets even worse when your stuffed animals start talking to you. This volume is the first in an ongoing series of minis, and $10 is the perfect price to hop into Astrid Johnson's colorful life.

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip: I remember reading an interview something like fifteen years ago (Wikipedia tells me it was fourteen) in a magazine with Prince describing this raw, bluesy guitar-driven cd called The Undertaker that was never to see the light of day. Here we are in the future, and Trent Reznor's escape from Interscope has him releasing quirky little projects with complete control over his pricing and distribution. The Slip is a funky, loose little album that's got some great hooks, some fun textures and a couple of twists. Is it The Downward Spiral or Year Zero, redux? No - but why does it need to be?

Get The Slip here for free.

Erin's Pick of the Week:

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Orange Blossom Cream Ale: It's like orange soda. But it's beer! But it's like orange soda! Reconcile the contradiction and you get the most amazing alcoholic beverage ever. Originally lovingly brewed as the summer seasonal by Buffalo Bill's in Hayward, California, this delicious little concoction is nationally distributed by Pyramid Brewing out of Seattle, Washington. Check out the label first, all vintage orange blossom lookin' and then crack one open. Sniff. Oranges and a hint of vanilla and maybe, just maybe, some hops. Pour it out and marvel at the orange tint and just a hint of orange tint in the foamy (but not overpowering) head. Take a sip. See the first three sentences.

There are some who might say that this sweet brew lacks the conviction of regular beer and, you know what? I bet those are the same people who say that winter is their favorite season.

http://www.buffalobillsbrewery.com/

Rich's Picks of the Week:

Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #1 - What do you get when you cross Iron Man with Swingers? Well, the Iron Man movie, I guess, but Swingers/Iron Man director Jon Favreau is also writing an Iron Man comic now with Adi Granov (who did some design work for the movie) and it takes place in Vegas. Sure to be money.

Invincible Iron Man#1: But, if seeing the movie this weekend got you so jazzed up that you want to buy TWO Iron Man comics you should absolutely pick up the #1 issue of the new ongoing series written by new Marvel go-to guy Matt Fraction. It sounds like it hits on all the points that people coming from the movie directly to a comic would expect to see including - the son of Obadiah Stane!

Julian's Pick of the Week:

Conan #50 The closing issue for an excellently written and beautifully drawn volume of Conan. The end of an era in his life with the beginning of the next one coming. Conan #50 shows the title character going back to Cimmeria after his travels, with Conan The Barbarian shipping this summer, showing why Conan decided to leave Cimmeria again and go forth to new adventures. I've loved this title since the preview they had years ago, Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord were perfect choices and I thought no one could successfully follow such a strong act. Tim Truman and Tomas Giorello proved me wrong and kept me buying the book, just as they will keep me buying Conan The Cimmerian.