Creator of ‘The Simpsons’ looks to the 31st century, thinks Cartman would chop off Bart’s head in a fight.

The irony that Matt Groening’s first acclaimed comic strip was called “Life in Hell” couldn’t be stronger, since his life over the past 20 years has clearly been anything but. With his flagship success, “The Simpsons,” moving into its third decade, Groening has hardly been a one-project guy. He still draws “Life in Hell” every week, and in 1999 he created “Futurama,” an animated series that takes place in the 31st century. After runs on Fox, Cartoon Network and Comedy Central (where it still airs), “Futurama” is now being produced as feature-length films that are both broken down for episodic broadcast, and released full-length on DVD. The latest, “Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder,” comes out on DVD on Tuesday.

“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane sings the opening song of the new “Futurama” movie. but He’s parodied “The Simpsons” on his show, and “South Park” has taken shots at “Family Guy.” Is there a rivalry between you guys?

Yes, of course. There’s some gentle spoofing of each other. Although Fox has told both “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” to knock it off. You didn’t have “Bonanza” making “Gunsmoke” jokes.

Bart Simpson takes on Eric Cartman and Stewie in a prank fight. Who wins?

Actually, “South Park” did that. I watched with great apprehension, and was just grateful they didn’t chop Bart’s head off, because Cartman and his pals would blow Bart out of the water. Bart’s a gentle soul. He’s only 10 years old, so the consequences of his actions are not as bad as they’ll be in a few years. But we always thought there was a dark undercurrent to Bart’s behavior in that as a teenager, his shenanigans would go from high jinks to felonies.

“The Simpsons” finally went HD last week and you made changes to the opening. Is it better now?

People say we finally changed the main title for the first time in 20 years, but the truth is the main title changed constantly. We’re always throwing in what we call Black Bart gags, where Bart is writing on the blackboard, and we switch little things around. Lisa’s saxophone solo switches.

The clouds at the very beginning of the main title were always unsatisfying to me. My original direction to the animators was the make the clouds as realistic as possible, and as we go through the clouds we enter this cartoon universe of “The Simpsons.” Finally, after a couple of decades, they’ve gotten closer to what I had in my mind. Not perfect, but better.

What’s the weirdest fan tribute you ever got?

People sometimes send me edible figurines, like cakes or cookies in the shapes of characters, and almost invariably they arrive smashed or moldy. It’s a mixed message when you open up the package and see a broken Homer Simpson cookie. One time, [we] were sent cookies in the shape of dog biscuits placed in a dog biscuit box. I brought them into the writers’ room, and [they] ate ’em all.

There was a recent controversy about Nancy Cartwright [the voice of Bart Simpson] using Bart’s voice to promote Scientology. How did you feel about that?

We all know the real God – the one true God – which is the Mighty Thor. It was quite obvious that it got blown up beyond what was intended, and we’ve moved on.

Now that you’re successful, how do you base “Life in Hell” on your real life?

First of all, deadlines are pretty hellish. So I still face the weekly deadline I’ve been [facing] for 29 years. The other thing is, my life has changed for the better, and if you look in the upper right hand corner of the strip, I’ve subtly changed the title of the comic from “Life in Hell” to “Life is Swell.” That gives you a tip on how things are going.