# Stephen DeStefano

Stephen DeStefano (born 1966) is an American comics artist, animator and storyboard artist best known as the co-creator of 'Mazing Man and Hero Hotline with writer Bob Rozakis.

## Early life

DeStefano was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York and attended the High School of Art and Design.

## Career

DeStefano's first credit in the comics industry was as the creator of the character Captain Electron in Adventure Comics #479 (March 1981), and then the characters Zeep and Thumbelina in the "Dial H for Hero" story in 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 #306 (July 1982). DeStefano wrote and drew "The Mini (Mis)Adventures of Nick O. Tyme" in New Talent Showcase #6–12 (June–December 1984). He then teamed with writer Bob Rozakis 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 Hero Hotline in Action Comics Weekly #637 (January 1989). After a four-issue run as a back-up feature, Hero Hotline received its own six-issue limited series. In the 1990s, DeStefano was a frequent contributor to The Big Book Of series published by Paradox Press. His other comics work includes credits at Dark Horse Comics, Disney Comics, Fantagraphics Books, and Marvel Comics. As an animator, DeStefano has worked on such series as The Ren & Stimpy Show and Futurama. He inked the Cage limited series drawn by Genndy Tartakovsky in 2016–2017. In 2020, DeStefano won the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Emmy for Character Design on the Genndy Tartakovsky series Primal. In 2024, he contributed art to the Alex Hirsch book The Book of Bill.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Writer | Storyboard artist | Art director | Animator | Notes |
| 1992–96 | The Ren and Stimpy Show | Yes | Yes | | Yes | background designer, layout artist, layout supervisor, and background assistant |
| 1993 | 2 Stupid Dogs | | | | Yes | background designer |
| 1994 | Beethoven | | | | Yes | character designer |
| 1995 | The Baby Huey Show | | Yes | | | ep: "Operation Immunization" |
| 1995 | The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | Yes | | | | also assistant director |
| 1996 | Earthworm Jim | | Yes | | | |
| 1998 | Superman: The Animated Series | | Yes | | Yes | background key designer |
| 1998 | The New Batman Adventures | | Yes | | | |
| 1999–2001 | What a Cartoon! | | Yes | | Yes | three episodes; models ("King Crab: Space Crustacean") and prop designer ("Foe Paws") |
| 1999 | Courage the Cowardly Dog | | Yes | | | ep: "The Demon in the Mattress" |
| 1999–2001 | The Woody Woodpecker Show | | Yes | | | |
| 2001 | Imp, Inc. | | | | Yes | animation layout |
| 2002 | Poochini's Yard | | Yes | | | ep: "Diva Dog" |
| 2002 | Welcome to Eltingville | | Yes | | | TV short |
| 2002 | Private Eye Princess | | Yes | | | TV short |
| 2003 | Xiaolin Showdown | | Yes | | | |
| 2004–10 | The Venture Bros. | | Yes | Yes | Yes | character designer |
| 2006 | Minoriteam | | | | Yes | illustrator; ep: "Tribe and Prejudice" |
| 2006 | The X's | | Yes | | | ep: "Homebody" |
| 2006 | Plastic Man in: Puddle Trouble | | Yes | | Yes | model designer; TV short |
| 2006 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy | Story | Yes | | | ep: "Anger Mismanagement" |
| 2006–07 | Drawn Together | | Yes | | | |
| 2007–09 | Random! Cartoons | | Yes | | | two episodes |
| 2007 | The Modifyers | | | | Yes | character designer |
| 2010–11 | Sym-Bionic Titan | | Yes | | Yes | character designer |
| 2011 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Yes | Yes | | | ep: "Four-Star Spectacular!" |
| 2012 | Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | | | | Yes | character designer; ep: "Catch a Falling Star" |
| 2012 | Secret Mountain Fort Awesome | Yes | Yes | | | ep: "Festro Gets Glasses" |
| 2012 | Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil | | Yes | | | two episodes |
| 2012 | The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes | | Yes | | | |
| 2012 | Dreamworks Dragons | | Yes | | | two episodes |
| 2012 | New Teen Titans | | Yes | | | ep: "Apprentice: Part Three" |
| 2012 | The Looney Tunes Show | | Yes | | | |
| 2012–13 | Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated | | Yes | | | storyboard revisionist |
| 2013 | POV | | Yes | | | ep: "Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps" |
| 2013–18 | Mickey Mouse | | | | Yes | character and prop designer |
| 2017 | Samurai Jack | | Yes | | Yes | storyboard layout, storyboard clean-up, and layout keys |
| 2018–19 | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | | | | Yes | character designer |
| 2019 | Primal | | | | Yes | character designer |
| 2020–23 | Looney Tunes Cartoons | | | | Yes | character designer |
| 2022 | The Cuphead Show! | | | | Yes | character designer |
| 2023–present | Unicorn: Warriors Eternal | | | | Yes | character designer |

#### As voice actor

| Year | Title | Role(s) |
| 1994 | The Ren and Stimpy Show | Chalky Cheesefist |
| 1995 | The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | Additional voices |
| 2002 | Private Eye Princess | Hildegard the Maid |
| 2008 | The Venture Bros. | Dr. Paul Entmann |

### Film

| Year | Title | Storyboard artist | Animator | Notes |
| 1995 | Runaway Brain | | Yes | Visual development artist |
| 2006 | Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo | Yes | | TV movie |
| 2007 | Futurama: Bender's Big Score | Yes | | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs | Yes | | Direct-to-video |
| 2012 | Big Top Scooby-Doo! | Yes | | Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | | Yes | character designer |
| 2018 | Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation | | Yes | character designer |
| 2022 | Hotel Transylvania: Transformania | | Yes | character designer |
| 2024 | Fixed | | Yes | character designer |