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Stephanie Gladden
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Bongo Profile: Stephanie Gladden
Transcribed By Bruce Gomes (bgomes@simpsonsarchive.com)
from Simpsons Comics #18
© Bongo Entertainment, Inc. , 1996.
Favorite Artists/Influences:
The Near-Holy Trinity of Charles "Sparky" Schultz, Chuck Jones, and Berkely Breathed.
Favorite Lines Heard During Career in Animation:
"You're drawing too many cells."
"I had a dream last night and now I have a vision of how this spot should look..."
"Your sense of justice and morality won't allow you to follow our policies."
(Really. That's what they said...)
God Bless the Japanese for:
Sushi
Godzilla
Brush Pens
Vinyl Monster Models
Totoro
Favorite Sport:
Marathon Napping.
Favorite Pastime:
Ridin' around in the car listening to Rockabilly tunes, cuz man - that's Action-Packed!
Top Ten Ways to be Steph's Pal:
1.) Diamonds, my eye! Original comic art is girl's best friend!
2.) Mention how neat kangaroos are.
3.) Tell her she's a good cartoonist.
(Do not, however, say she's a good cartoonist for a girl)
4.) Talk about the symbiotic relationship between Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.
5.) Offer her chocolate creme-filled donuts. (mmmm... donuts.....)
6.) Drive up in your green convertible Karman Ghia.
7.) Be prepared to discuss the clever music stylings of Nick Lowe.
8.) Tell her you think diminutive, blonde women are really, really attractive.
9.) Distract her with bright, shiny objects.
10.) Lure her with Unagi rolls.
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A Chat With... Stephanie Gladden
Creator of Hopster's Tracks
The Brand Spankin' New Series From Zongo Comics!
Transcribed By Bruce Gomes (bgomes@simpsonsarchive.com)
from Simpsons Comics #37
© Bongo Entertainment, Inc. , 1998.
Hi Steph - so what is Hopster's Tracks about?
It's a bunch of stories about a group of critters - their daily doings living in a small town, and how they react
to each other. There isn't an epic story or even very long stories.
So is it a comic book about nothing? Like "Seinfeld"?
Well, I'd say the focus isn't necessarily the situation they're in - those are typical sorts of problems dealing with life -
the fun comes in the way the characters interact - so in that kind of way it's kinda "Seinfeld"-y.
Where is Hopster's Tracks set?
They live in small town Georgia, but Melba (the kangaroo) is from Texas, so she talks about Texas a lot. Of course
her forebears [SIC] are from Australia, but that's another story.
Sounds like you've been doing these characters awhile...
Oh sure. They've lived in my sketchbooks for years. I've been drawing Alky the rabbit for at least 10 years;
Melba showed up shortly after that. First I throught they'd be in newspaper comic strips - but those are so limiting
now. When I started drawing comic books five years ago, I realized that was the best medium for a cartoonist - they are
almost limitless.
Are the stories autobiographical?
Oh, Lord, I hope not! Well, to a degree, yes. Snippets of my life are are included, but the truth has been
stretched - really stretched!
Who is your audience?
Anybody! I think most people can relate to the situations and characters. It's not written with kids in mind,
and I'm not censoring myself, but it's still all-ages. There's a little cussing, but it's nothing that Bart Simpson
hasn't said on TV! I think kids will like the cartooniness of it, even if they don't get all of the interpersonal stuff.
Any final words?
Buy my book! Seriously, I want people to have a good time when they read the stories... I want them to feel the same
as when they're watching their favorite old cartoon.
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