Cartoons were once the staple of children's programming, but with the success of shows like The Simpsons and South Park, along with the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, it seems that cartoons geared to adults and older teens are now more widely accepted. That being said, the internet also has many sites dedicated to the production and screening of such work. In some cases, these web-toons are becoming almost as popular as some of the shows on television. So without further adieu, here are this week's sites: 

Homestar Runner - http://www.homestarrunner.com

How could I talk about Web Cartoons if I didn't mention this one... the behemoth... the site the keeps on growing. Homestar Runner is the secret everyone knows about. I know I mentioned the games section last week, but HSR is just so much more than the games. As they say in the introduction to the site, the real reason you are going to want to go there is first and foremost, the Strong Bad Emails. Strong Bad, for those of you who have never been to the site, is a Mexican wrestler masked, boxing glove wearing superstar, and about every week, he answers an email from a fan of the site in an entertaining and somewhat insulting way. But its not all about Strong Bad... there is a whole slew of other characters to interact with, including the aforementioned dimwitted Homestar Runner. When I first discovered the site about 18 months ago, it took me about a week to get through everything there.... I expect it will take you at least that long to see almost everything on the site. Of course, there are also a lot of easter eggs to find as well. The one thing I have to give the Brother Chaps credit for is the site is very clean... I would have no problem whatsoever showing almost anything from HSR to children... like some kids might not get all the references, but they would still enjoy these toons. Another oddity is that there is absolutely no advertising on the site which is a rarity these days on the net.

30-Second Bunnies Theatre - http://www.angryalien.com

There is just something about seeing a classic movie like The Exorcist done in a way that you've never seen before, and would never expect. I think the most shocking thing is that Jennifer Shiman actually manages to condense a movie into exactly 30 seconds.... its stunning really. And with each new installment of the series... well, I am more often than not impressed by them as well. Jaws, The Shining, Alien and that 3-hour epic Titanic have all been given the 30-second treatment, and for Starz Halloween special, the site has been commissioned to do 3 more bunnied-up movies, so we have much to look forward to in the coming months. 

Happy Tree Friends - http://www.happytreefriends.com

Another site in the cute style.... until you start watching the cartoons. This is one of the most disturbing, violent cartoon series I've ever seen. I mean, it looks and sounds like something that would be shown to preschoolers.... and then someone goes through a shredder and leaves the whole scene blood-splattered or all of a sudden, Flippy the bear has a war flashback and ends up killing his friends Green Beret style. This is some sick, sick stuff... but if your sense of humor includes seeing cute animated animals get decimated in violent, bloody, and very gruesome ways, then this is the site for you... but if you like your cartoon violence a little more abstract... then stay away. 

Joe Cartoon - http://joecartoon.atomfilms.shockwave.com/pages/home/

Joe Cartoon is a little gross... a little bloody, and a lot pointless, but it is still funny... which is what counts. One of the cartoons in particular, called "The Boss" a feel good cartoons that any of us who have had a total jerk as a boss can relate to and applaud at the end of. I do have to warn you that there is a quite a bit of violence towards rodents on the site, though it isn't nearly as bad as the Happy Tree Friends in that regard. The style is very rough, but it doesn't make the toons any less funny. Joe Cartoon is unapologetic about being a time-waster, because frankly, that's what most of the cartoons are. Stupid, violent, and funny.  

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