Stephen DeStefano (born 1966) is an American

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

, animator and

storyboard artist A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions. Work A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and marke ...

best known as the co-creator of 'Mazing Man and

Hero Hotline Hero Hotline is a fictional DC Comics corporate superteam introduced in ''Action Comics Weekly'' #637 (cover-dated January 1989). It was created by Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano. History Hero Hotline is a corporate 24/7 hero for hire company ...

with writer

Bob Rozakis Robert "Bob" Rozakis (; born April 4, 1951) is an American comic book writer and Editing, editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man'' and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man". Career Bob R ...

Early life

DeStefano was born in

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...

, New York and attended the

High School of Art and Design The High School of Art and Design is a career and technical education high school in Manhattan, New York City, New York State, United States. Founded in 1936 as the School of Industrial Art, the school moved to 1075 Second Avenue in 1960 and mor ...

Career

DeStefano's first credit in the comics industry was as the creator of the characters Zeep and Thumbelina in the "

Dial H for Hero ''Dial H for Hero'' is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the di ...

" story in ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #483 (July 1981). His first professionally published comics artwork was a one-page parody of the " I…Vampire" feature in ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'' #306 (July 1982). DeStefano wrote and drew "The Mini (Mis)Adventures of Nick O. Tyme" in ''

New Talent Showcase ''Showcase'' is a comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of the series was to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring untested characters i ...

'' #6–12 (June–December 1984). He then teamed with writer

to create 'Mazing Man, a character introduced in an eponymous series beginning in January 1986. After the cancellation of that series, the Rozakis-DeStefano team created

in ''

Action Comics Weekly ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications and ...

'' #637 (January 1989). After a four-issue run as a back-up feature, Hero Hotline received its own six-issue

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

. In the 1990s, DeStefano was a frequent contributor to ''

The Big Book Of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just over half of them (ten out of seventeen) ...

'' series published by

Paradox Press Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton the imprint was renamed. It is best known for graphic novels like '' ...

. His other comics work includes credits at

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

Disney Comics Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on, starting with ...

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

, and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. As an animator, DeStefano has worked on such series as ''

The Ren & Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Decemb ...

'' and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...

''. He inked the ''

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

'' limited series drawn by

Genndy Tartakovsky Gennady Borisovich Tartakovsky (russian: Геннадий Борисович Тартаковский, born ), commonly known as Tartakovsky (), is a Russian-American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, voice actor, storyboard artist, ...

in 2016–2017. In 2020, DeStefano won the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Emmy for Character Design on the Genndy Tartakovsky series, "

Primal Primal may refer to: Psychotherapy * ''Primal'', the core concept in primal therapy, denotes the full reliving and cathartic release of an early traumatic experience * Primal scene (in psychoanalysis), refers to the witnessing by a young child of ...

Filmography

Television

As voice actor

Film

Bibliography

;Apple Comics * ''101 Other Uses for a Condom'' #1 (1991) ;Dark Horse Comics * '' Cheval Noir'' #26, 44 (1992–1993) * '' Hellboy, Jr.'' #1–2 (1999) * ''Hellboy, Jr., Halloween Special'' #1 (1997) * ''

Instant Piano ''Instant Piano'' was a humorous comics anthology published by Dark Horse Comics. It ran for four issues from 1994 to 1995. Awards and recognition Writer Evan Dorkin received an Eisner Award for Best Short Story The Eisner Award for Best Short ...

'' #1–4 (1994–1995) * ''Wolf & Red'' #2 (1995) ;DC Comics * ''

'' #637–640 ("Hero Hotline" feature) (1989) * ''

Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! ''Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!'' was an all-ages comic book series published by DC Comics as a part of its Johnny DC imprint. The series debuted in September 2008, and was originally written and drawn by Mike Kunkel.Bizarro Comics Bizarro () is a supervillain/anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy'' #68 (1958 ...

'' #1 (2001) * ''

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

'' vol. 3 #3–4 (1989) * ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...

'' #200 (one page) (1983) * ''Cartoon Cartoons'' #16, 22–23, 32 (2003–2004) * ''Cartoon Network Action Pack'' #7 (2007) * ''Cartoon Network Block Party'' #3 (2005) * ''

Cool World ''Cool World'' is a 1992 American live-action/animated black comedy fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt, it tells the story of a cartoonist w ...

'' #1–4 (movie adaptation) (1992) * ''

Dexter's Laboratory ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...

'' #11, 30 (2000–2002) * '' Elvira's House of Mystery Special'' #1 (1987) * ''Fast Forward'' #2 (1993) * ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

Secret Files and Origins ''Secret Files and Origins'' (abbreviated ''SF&O'') is a series of One-shot (comics), one-shot comic books and Limited series (comics), miniseries produced by DC Comics during the late 1990s and 2000s. Publication history The books are a combina ...

'' #2 (1999) * ''

Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbor ...

and

the Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...

'' #4 (1997) * ''

'' #1–6 (1989) * ''

'' #306, 311, 313–315, 321 (1982–1983) * '' Just Imagine Stan Lee... Secret Files and Origins'' #1 (one page) (2002) * ''

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

'' #9 (2002) * ''Looney Tunes'' #100, 150 (2003–2007) * ''Looney Tunes Magazine'' #6 (1991) * '' 'Mazing Man'' #1–12 (1986) * Mazing Man Special'' #1–3 (1987–1990) * ''

'' #6–12 (1984) * ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animation, animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative List of Scooby-Doo media, media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the orig ...

'' #28–29, 45, 77, 79 (1999–2004) * ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' vol. 2 #16 ('Mazing Man), #30 (

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the first superheroes to ...

), #34 (

G'nort G'nort (pronunciation: "nort") Esplanade G'neesmacher is a character appearing in DC Comics. He is a member of the Green Lantern Corps and later a Darkstar and a member of the Justice League Antarctica. He resembles an anthropomorphic dog and is ...

) (1987–1988) * '' Superman and Batman: World's Funnest'' #1 (2001) * '' Superman Villains Secret Files and Origins'' #1 (1998) * ''Sweatshop'' #1–3 (2003) * ''

Wednesday Comics ''Wednesday Comics'' was a weekly anthology comic book launched by DC Comics on July 8, 2009. The twelve issues of the title were published in 14" x 20" broadsheet format, deliberately similar to Sunday newspaper comics sections. Each edition f ...

'' HC (one page) (2010) * ''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional cha ...

'' #8 (1991) * ''Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes'' #3 (1988) * ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #7, 13, 15–16 (1985–1986) * ''Who's Who Update '88'' #1 (1988) ;Paradox Press * '' The Big Book of Bad'' (1998) * ''The Big Book of Little Criminals'' (1996) * ''The Big Book of Scandal'' (1997) * ''The Big Book of Urban Legends'' (1994) * ''The Big Book of Vice'' (1999) ;Disney Comics * ''

Disney Adventures ''Disney Adventures'' (also short-formed as ''D.A.'') was an American children's entertainment and educational magazine published twelve (later ten) times per year by Disney Publishing Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney Consumer Products, a unit o ...

'' #97–1, #97–8 (1997) * ''Walt Disney's

Mickey Mouse Adventures ''Mickey Mouse Adventures'' was a Disney comic book first published by Disney Comics from 1990 to 1991. It featured Mickey Mouse as the main character along with other characters from the Mickey Mouse universe. Somewhat similar in style to the a ...

'' #1–2, 7–11 (1990–1991) ;Fantagraphics Books * '' Critters'' #32, 38, 50 (1989–1990) * ''Itchy Planet'' #3 (one page) (1988) ;Harvey Pekar * ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interva ...

'' #14 (1989) ;Marvel Comics * ''

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. It is the second film in the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989). ...

'' #1 (movie adaptation) (1991) * '' Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book'' #1–3 (1991–1992) * ''

'' #1–4 (2016–2017) * ''Video Jack'' #4, 6 (1988) ;NBM Publishing * ''Classics Desecrated'' (1995) ;Oni Press * ''

Jingle Belle Jingle Belle is a fictional comics character created by Paul Dini. The spoiled teenage daughter of Santa Claus, she has a humorously contentious relationship with her famous father. She is usually motivated by feeling unappreciated or being jea ...

'' #1–2 (1999) * ''Oni Double Feature'' #13 (1999) * ''Oni Press Summer Vacation Supercolor Fun Special'' #1 (2000) * ''

Paul Dini Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...

's Jingle Belle Winter Wingding'' #1 (2002) * ''Paul Dini's Jingle Belle's All-Star Holiday Hullabaloo'' #1 (2000) ;Palliard Press * '' XXXenophile'' #6 (1992) ;Renegade Press * ''Renegade Romance'' #1–2 (1987–1988) ;United Plankton Pictures, Inc. * ''

SpongeBob Comics ''SpongeBob Comics'' was a comic book series based on the animated TV show ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', published by United Plankton Pictures and distributed by Bongo Comics. It was initially published every two months in the United States beginnin ...

'' #4–5, 34, 43 (2011–2015)

References

External links

*
Stephen DeStefano
on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

*
Stephen DeStefano
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
Stephen DeStefano papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:DeStefano, Stephen 1966 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists American comics writers American male voice actors American storyboard artists American writers of Italian descent Animators from New York (state) Artists from New York City Comics inkers DC Comics people High School of Art and Design alumni Living people Marvel Comics people People from Jamaica, Queens