Why it's the best drama cartoon of all time

Jonny Quest was IMO the best dramatic cartoon ever made in America for many reasons. I am speaking only of the original 1964 series.

1) The stories were excellent. They often dealt with espionage, the cold war, mystical issues, and sci-fi themes, and in an adult way. I particularly remember the episode about the Egyptian mummy, which dealt with the issue of Arab Nationalism, which was a big deal in the 60s. Can you imagine any cartoon today dealing with such a serious issue?

2) The characters were drawn realistically. This created a sense that this was a serious story-telling vehicle, not just some kiddie cartoon. Some have criticized the animation as not being very good, but I don't agree with this.

3) The music was outstanding. The jazzy, brassy scores perfectly fit the action on the screen - if the scene was scary, the music was scary, if the scene was action-packed, the music reflected that.

4) People died. The cartoon did not shy away from serious plot developments like death. Although it was not always explicitly shown, you knew when a villain died. This show was not watered down to be politically correct.

5) Great gadgets. Doctor Quest was a genius and had all manner of great gadgets to combat villains, including a VTOL airplane, an advanced submarine, video phones.

6) Great monsters. Who can forget the robot spy or the invisible monster, two of the coolest enemies of all time.

7) It scared the crap out of you.

8) It was exciting, in a way no cartoon has been ever since.

9) Every little kid who watched the show like me, wanted to be Jonny Quest

A terrific show!