He remembers it, so you don’t have to!â„¢

I’m a big fan of ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, and by far his greatest stuff comes from his weekly Nostalgia Critic videos.

Animation seems to fall within the critic’s crosshairs more often than not, which of course cuts right to my geeky core. It’s great to see stuff like The Pagemaster or Captain Planet get the beatings they truly deserve. And his top 11 lists (he likes to go one step beyond) have introduced me to a few movies I’d otherwise not have known existed. The Critic’s videos are funny, informative, and definitely something to look forward to every Wednesday.

Welcome to a land inhabited by creatures known as Sugar Babies. Sugar Babies are born in a facility in Sugar County known as The Garden. Sugar Babies need sugar to function properly. Sugar Babies are born for the sole purpose of glorifying their creator The Sugar Goddess.

…That would be the plot synopsis of Sugar Babiez, a twice-weekly comic drawn by fellow RIT cadet Bob Rutan.

Bob and I were in comics club back at school (wait, sorry, Guild of Sequential Illustrators) before he went off to the magical land of animation. The comics Bob brought to club were the highlight of every meeting, as they were more twisted than a pretzel factory run by Chubby Checker. Good to see not much has changed since graduation. Mayhaps the best thing to do is read it from the beginning.

Ah, Clamburg. Come for the overcast skies, stay because the giant cat is blocking the only road out.

Meet Vendetta. She’s a grade-school mad scientist of sorts who has the town of Clamburg in her clutches. Classmates flee in terror from Vendetta’s creations (“Fiends,” she calls them) which cause nothing but trouble. Whether it’s a sentient pair of scissors or an over sized hamster with a short temper, these fiends give Vendetta the leverage to get away with whatever she wants. Even the teachers are helpless; for weeks it’s been nothing but recess on the syllabus.

Meet Charlotte. Charlotte is the new girl in town, and is all butterflies and rainbows even in monotone Clamburg. She frequently breaks out into song, which Vendetta dislikes. She keeps befriending the most lethal of Vendetta’s fiends, which Ventdetta really dislikes. And Charlotte is absolutely convinced Vendetta’s her new bestest friend in the world, which Vendetta really really REALLY dislikes. Vendetta would like nothing more than to wipe the smile off of Charlotte’s perpetually cheerful face, but her plans to crush her spirits (or just crush Charlotte) keep backfiring.

So goes the plot of the popular Flash cartoon by Amy Winfrey. Amy’s work is equal parts charming and twisted— see MuffinFilms and Big Bunny. After a three year hiatus, the cartoon is set for revival on Nickelodeon. The show airs weekends at 11 on the Nicktoons channel (but not regular Nick? Come on!!) Of course, you can still catch the old Flash episodes on the official site.

It’s definitely a rarity to see a web cartoon make the jump to TV, and having seen the first few episodes, even more rare for the end product to be so close to the original. So be sure to tune in and support the show!

Deja Vu? Yup, we’ve given the spotlight to Lancaster before, but considering the comic wrapped up a while ago with a spectacular finale, it deserves a second look. A long, way overdue second look, you slacker.

Reading Lancaster is like discovering a long-lost Saturday morning cartoon from your childhood that still holds up today. You could almost swear it used to come on between Dennis the Menace and GI Joe. Poinko hits on all the right notes: memorable characters (a paranoid panda, a reformed spook, and a gadget-building fanboy) nefarious bad guys (a scheming company man, a slacker goat and the evilest dead turtle ever,) fun inventions (Plasmata Palm!) and a surprisingly well-crafted story.

Our hero Lancaster is just trying to get by as Northcod Lake’s resident Ghost Detective; displacing bad spirits and helping the tamer spooks move on to a better afterlife. If it’s not the ghouls after him, it’s the Eclipse Corporation, who would rather be the only ghost hunting game in town. Lancaster must prove himself to his friends and hometown if he wants to continue keeping Northcod’s spectral streets safe.

Poinko’s a hyper-talented artist and author, and I’m humbled to be part of the Scienteers with him. The whole story is online now. Go read it! Also, seems the guy has moved onto a few new projects, so be sure to keep an eye out for what’s next…

This Chris Sanders kid…. he’s going places. Sure, he’s a fresh new face to the webcomic scene, but you watch. His expressive style and unique characters in Kiskaloo make for an enjoyable, chaotic good time. Here’s hoping Chris keeps drawing week after week… it’s sure to land him a big time job someday.

In this past week, I ruined a popular sitcom, took down a ring of cuddly mobsters, ran for President against a reanimated Abraham Lincon (and won!), destroyed the internet, and travelled to the moon in a beat-up 1960 DeSoto. Thank the heavens Sam and Max are back.

Is this double dipping? Maybe… we have spotlit Steve Purcell’s webcomic before on the site. But this entry is all about the related adventure games by Telltale, whose awesome-ocity deserves special attention.

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Hey! Spotlights! Remember those?

Reader Starflier sends in this month’s webcomic spotlight. There’s a lot to like about Ben Hatke’s comic: The art is incredible, the stories are sweet (but aren’t afraid to show their fangs once in a while,) and the personalities really come across, even with the one-shot incidental characters. Zita’s premise is ultra simple (reread the title,) but comics tend to not end up where you think they will.