Adrian Villagomez

When it comes down to it, Beast Wars: Transformers is probably my favorite childhood cartoon. This will sound silly when talking about a cartoon, but I love how mature the series is. Maybe it's because it focuses on mechanical beings rather than organic ones, but the action can be pretty heavy. Characters are ripped apart by gunfire, heroes and villains die, and at one point the Maximals' entire existence is threatened. To compare, on the great '90s Spider-Man cartoon, Spidey wasn't allowed to throw a punch; and Mary Jane couldn't die (too traumatic for kids?), so she fell into another dimension.

But even if the battles can be brutally entertaining, the character relationships deliver a much needed comedic element. Watching a rat with a Brooklyn accent mouthing off to a velociraptor twice his size just doesn't get old.

Death, comedy, and an awesome new set of Transformers mythos - what more could you ask for?