Homestar Runner is a tough-to-navigate site full of short Flash animations starring an odd collection of characters. It’s a labor of love by two brothers, Matt and Mike Chapman. Over the past few years, they’ve developed a distinctive style influenced by 80s pop culture, a taste for the wholesome yet strange, and their own subtle humor.

One section on their site has become something of a break-out hit. (My cousin says it has really caught on at the high school where she teaches.) Nearly every week, Strong Bad answers an e-mail from one of his fans. My first exposure to this site was a coworker showing me trogdor, one of these. I didn’t really get it at first, but I was curious enough to check out a few more. After watching a dozen or so, I was hooked. Much of the humor is character driven and self referential, so be sure to give it a chance. Warm up with helium, frat party, monster truck, comic, girlfriend studying, japanese, and unused e-mail. Then finish up with my favorites: techno and spring cleaning.

If you like Strong Bad’s e-mail, seek out the other goodies on the site, including Lookin’ at a Thing in a Bag, Everybody to the Limit, Where is the Cheat?, Marzipan’s Answering Machine, and Homestarloween Party. If you got this far, go and buy a T-shirt. Because they don’t clutter up their site with banner ads, it’s their only source of revenue.