Ben 10 is one of the coolest kids’ shows ever released by Cartoon Network. Aimed at pre-teen boys, the show’s hook guarantees instant attention from that group. I know it’s got my 10-year-old mesmerized.

Benjamin Tennyson was never destined to be a regular boy. As he soon finds out, his grandfather, Max, was once part of a government group called the Plumbers. That’s kind of a cover for Grandpa Max’s retirement job, but as Ben discovers, there’s no way a regular “plumber” could have all the military training and knowledge of alien technology that his grandpa has.

How can a kid’s show not be a hit when it features a grandpa who goes into battle with alien technology and has more gadgets than the CIA and James Bond?

In the opening episode, a comet nearly hits Ben. Inside it is a device called the Omnitrix. The device clamps onto Ben’s wrist and gives him the power to transform into bizarre aliens with incredible powers. At first, the number of aliens was only ten, which gave the show its name. Now in its fourth animated season, Ben 10 has added to that list of aliens.

The concept is a lot like another superhero I read about when I was a kid. House of Mystery was a DC Comics title that featured mystery, horror, science fiction, and superhero runs. One of those was about a young man named Robby Reed.

While exploring near his house, Robby finds a mysterious dial that appears to be of alien origins. He takes it home and cracks the code (back in the 1960s, every kid who became a superhero seemed to be a scientist/brainiac), learning that if he dials the alien equivalent of H-E-R-O that he can become – for a short time – a hero. The catch is that Robby hardly ever turned into the same hero twice.

And it’s no wonder that Ben 10 has such a familiar comic book feel. The show was created by a consortium of comic book writers known collectively as Man of Action. The writers are Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau, and Steven T. Seagle, all of whom are known by comics fans everywhere for runs on different comic magazines for DC Comics, Marvel, and several independents.