I first became aware of Stephen DeStefano (and his work), at a young age, through a comic book of his called ‘Mazing Man, and I have been following his career ever since. And what a career it has been! How cool would it be to say, “Yea, I worked on Ren & Stimpy AND I also have a comic strip in the Weekly World News!!!” It would be pretty darn cool.
CH.Fred: How long have you been animating or drawing?
SD:I’ve been drawing professionally for about 25 years now, since I was
15. Really, I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember, since I was about 3 years old.
Who are some of your influences?
In no particular order, my influences are Jack Kirby, Jack Cole,
Laurel and Hardy, Floyd Gottfredson, Bob Clampett, Bob Camp, Milt Gross, Tex Avery, Alex Toth, Emery Hawkins, the Marx Brothers, Rod Scribner, Robert Altman, Dave Tendlar, E C Segar, Billy DeBeck, Frank Robbins, Buster Keaton, George Herriman, Chad Grothkopf, Fred Opper, Jimmy Swinnerton, Fred Lasswell, Chic Young, Jim Steranko, Dick Briefer, Dan DeCarlo, Charlie Chaplin, Warren Kremer, Gene Deitch, Sheldon Mayer, Federico
Fellini, Henry Boltinoff, Harold Lloyd, Bud Sagendorf , Chris Reccardi, Bill Wray, C C Beck, Roy Crane, Lynne Naylor, Howard Hawks, Orson
Welles, Harvey Kurtzman, Carl Barks, and the Fleischer Cartoons.
Where were you born?
I was born in Jamaica, Queens, in New York City.
Did you go to school for Art or Animation? If so, where?
I had only one year of formal training at the High School of Art and Design, in Manhattan. I was 14 years old.
Before animation, you had your start in the comics industry. What were some of the titles you worked on?
I co-created ‘MAZING MAN for DC Comics, published between 1985 and ‘86. In the mid-nineties, I was one of the co-creators of INSTANT PIANO, an anthology featuring Mark Badger, Robbie Bush, Kyle Baker
and Evan Dorkin. I also worked on books like HERO HOTLINE, LEGION, and
BIZARRO for DC, MICKEY MOUSE for Disney Comics, BILL AND TED’S
EXCELLENT ADVENTURES for Marvel, and Paul Dini’s JINGLE BELLE, for Oni
Press.
What was your first job in that industry?
I…BABY VAMPIRE was published in DC’s HOUSE OF MYSTERY in the early 80’s. It was a one page gag, spoofing the lead feature in the book at the time.
Did working in that field prior to animation train you, or prepare you for the Animation industry in any way? Which field do you prefer?
I tend to think of the art of comics as the art of design. When you
draw a page of comics, you’re actually creating a design that needs to be immediately readable to the audience. This helped immensely when I finally did arrive at my first job in animation. I had a basic
understanding of how to tell a story, but I also had the ability to
design characters, and backgrounds that would read clearly and easily to the viewer. I’ve since gotten much better at both jobs, thankfully.
Although I make the majority of my living from working in animation, an artform I dearly love, I do think of myself as a comic book artist, still. It’s simply the medium I feel most comfortable in.
You worked on the Plastic Man Pilot. Tell us about that and what you did on that. How was it to finally make a turnaround and work on a project deeply rooted in Comics after being in animation for a while?
Along with director/producer Andy Suriano, I storyboarded the Plas
pilot, as well as did many designs.
Working on it was great, it was something I really wanted to do and I felt lucky to have gotten the job. Part of the reason why Andy chose me to board the cartoon was that, in the late 80’s, I actually drew Plastic Man for DC’s SECRET ORIGINS title. And, Plas is one of my all time favorite characters.
It’s a shame to hear that the PM project didn’t work out. Plas is such an ideal candidate ripe for the animation process. Why do you feel it was passed on? How do you feel about that?
I’m disappointed that Cartoon Network passed on the Plas project, but
that’s business. Both the network and the producing studio, Warner Brothers, were quite supportive in the process of creating the pilot; they went into it wanting a success as much as anyone else. In the end, however, it made more business sense NOT to do it as a series, and that’s hard to argue with.
What are some of your hobbies outside the world of animation?
I find myself collecting more mainstream comics than I have in many, many years. Other than that, I exercise, hang out with my girlfriend, my friends, my cats. I cook. And I have a good 250 movies in my Netflix queue.
What are you working on currently in the animation industry?
Currently, I’m storyboarding FUTURAMA for Rough Draft. I’m writing and drawing SPONGEBOB comics for Nickelodeon magazine, as well as drawing
my ALIEN BABY comic-strip for WEEKLY WORLD NEWS.
What company do you work for or have you worked for?
After 25 years in the cartooning business, it might be easier for me to list who I haven’t worked for, rather than who I have. Still, the list would include DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Disney, King Features,
Nickelodeon, Dark Horse, Oni, Rough Draft, Simon and Schuster, Jumbo
Films, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, NoodleSoup Productions, Adult Swim, Film Roman and Universal Studios.
What do you think makes for a great cartoon?
My favorite cartoons all have the feeling of being crafted with a
singular vision, of being personally crafted. I love that the Warner’s directors all conveyed a personal style and sensibility in their films, each completely different from the other. MGM cartoons had that, Tex Avery’s style being quite unique from Hanna-Barbera’s style.
And of course, not only did the Fleischer studio have a certain house style, but the different animators all conveyed a specific feeling in their particular scenes.
Have you ever shown your art in galleries?
No, I’ve no interest in that, really. My art is conveyed through a
series of images, either viewed as television, or read as a book, but not designed to be seen on a wall. A fine artist I’m not.
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to break in or just beginning in the industry?
Study your craft; study the history of your craft; ask questions,
always; push yourself to discover; keep an open mind; be proud of what you’re doing, but always remember, on your worst day, you could be digging a ditch. Essentially, you’re being paid, or will be paid to draw cartoons, and what a blessing that is.
Is there anything you want to say to the people out there in Channel Frederator Land reading this?
Just–thanks for the continued interest in my work. And specific
thanks to Carl Greenblatt and Uncle Phil Rynda for putting the bug in Jeaux’s ear to interview me. And, while I’m at it, thanks to Jeaux himself for the interview!
What animation DVDs have you picked up lately?
I think the last bit of animation I watched on DVD was ULTIMATE
AVENGERS, of all things. And I surprised myself, because I liked it a lot….Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man and the Wasp versus the Hulk!?
Geez, does it get better than that?
What animation/art websites do you check in on regularly?
Oh, you know, I’m a Cartoon Brew junkie. I also check Newsarama(the mainstream comics news site) continuously, trying to see what Batman will get himself into in the coming months!
Thank you for the very cool and inspiring interview Stephen! Please wander over to Stephen’s Blog, for even more DeStefano branded Coolness! You won’t be sorry!!!
Keep them peepers (and in some cases, One of em’!) glued to the Fred Tube Only on Channel Frederator, Yr #1 SOURCE for Animation News & Interviews!
This is just a taste of one of the great interviews I have tucked under my sleeves. Enjoy!
-JX!
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