Modern Nerd Cartoons

We all know that the 90's were the greatest decade for nerdtoons, but you don't always have to look back 20 years to find a great animated geek show. Here are 5 cartoons from just the last 10 years that you can watch with your kids and still feel hip.

5: Teen Titans

Marvel may make the better movies, but DC dominates the comic book cartoon medium. Teen Titans was a fresh take on my favorite superhero team, done in an anime style. The show is funny, extremely well voice acted, and action packed. The show also gave underrated villains like Lobo and Deathstroke a great 2nd impression. Teen Titans also has one hell of a catchy theme song, available in English and Japanese!

4: The Clone Wars

So remember how the prequels sucked and they ruined your life? Well, the animated adaptation of the infamous Clone Wars is fucking brilliant. You get to see Jedi's actually using their brains to solve problems and the action is believable for once. 

3: Batman Beyond

Yes, two DC shows on the list, but if you've ever seen Batman Beyond, then you know why. The show has a silly premise, it's Gotham City 60 years from now, all high tech and futuristic, and Bruce Wayne, (now an old man) trains a young teenager named Terry McGinnis to be the new Batman. What makes this show so spectacular is the attention to detail and the dark exploration of hypothetical ideas. What if Superman was a brutal vigilante in the future? What if The Riddler and The Scarecrow had children who became evil best friends? The show is dark, riveting, and supremely compelling. Also, the Batman Beyond movie, Return of The Joker, is in my opinion, the greatest animated superhero movie ever made.

2: Adventure Time

This show is made for those who live in the nostalgic nerd past. With a video game or dungeons and dragons reference in every single episode, Adventure Time is a giggle fest based on all the different influences of geek culture. This show has a bizarre but intelligent sense of humor, and two main characters you can really relate too if you love elves, lasers, and Nintendo. This show is made by nerds, for nerds, and Jake the Dog is voiced by my favorite voice actor John Dimaggio! Adventure Time is already a classic that will be playing in my house for the rest of my life. 

1: Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra

Avatar The Last Airbender ran for 3 seasons. In that short amount of time, the creators of this masterpiece were able to craft one of the most beautiful stories ever told, cartoon or not. This series has a soul, and every single character absolutely drips with intrigue. The choreography, the sound design, the story itself, the voice acting, the dramatic moments and the comedic moments are all absolutely perfect. And after all of that extreme wonderfulness, they follow up with a spinoff series that rivals the greatness of the first with The Legend of Korra. My son will watch this with me when he gets just a little older, and he will know what true animated art is. If you haven't seen Avatar yet, do yourself a favor, your heart will forever thank you for it.