It’s Genndy Tartakovsky’s 42nd birthday (Jan. 17th) and I
thought I’d write a little bit about what the man means to me as
an animation fan.  To put it very simply, he means a lot. This
is the man who, in my opinion, created and wrote one of the best
American cartoons to ever be aired, Samurai Jack. Despite the
relatively static plot, had a stunning visual flair and style
and a quirky sense of humor. It took pleasure in itself as a
cartoon and as a highly visual medium (witness the lack of
dialogue in episodes like “Samurai versus Ninja”, “Tale of X-9”,
and at the climax of “The Princess and the Bounty Hunters”),
refusing to behave like a story told using animation, but
rather, animation used for storytelling. Looking back on it as
an adult, the cinematic pacing, the character types (Jack’s
seriousness and sense of purpose pitted against Aku’s
villainously goofy personality) and lack of ‘kid humor’ jokes is
refreshing and appealing next to the usual shit we get on TV,
and the throw-it-in variety of episode pl