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History and
Background of DKP:
Publisher
and cartoonist
Denis Kitchen founded
and ran Kitchen Sink Press
(KSP) for thirty years (1969-1993
in Wisconsin and 1993-1999
Massachusetts). KSP was initially
one of the pioneer underground
comix publishers,
producing titles like Bijou
Funnies, Mr.
Natural, Mom's, Homemade
Comics, Gay Comix, Bizarre Sex,
Home Grown Funnies, Omaha the
Cat Dancer, Corporate Crime and
Dope
Comix)
and artists such as R.
Crumb, Jay Lynch, Skip
Williamson, Richard Corben, Howard
Cruse, Art Spiegelman
and Kitchen himself.
KSP
evolved into an eclectic house
that published a wide range of
newspaper comic strip
collections by such classic
cartoonists as Ernie
Bushmiller (Nancy
& Sluggo), Al Capp
(twenty-seven volumes of Li'l
Abner), Milton
Caniff (Terry & the
Pirates, Male Call and
twenty-six volumes of Steve
Canyon), Will Elder
(Goodman Beaver), Will
Eisner (The Spirit),
Frank Frazetta (Small
Wonders, Pillow Book, Li'l Abner),
V. T. Hamlin (Alley
Oop) George Herriman
(Krazy Kat), Harvey
Kurtzman (Hey
Look!, Goodman Beaver, Jungle
Book and Flash
Gordon: 1952), R. F.
Outcault (Yellow Kid),
Alex Raymond (Flash
Gordon and Secret Agent
X-9) and Cliff Sterrett
(Polly & Her Pals). Kitchen
Sink Press also co-published
definitive collections of 1930's
and 40s Batman and Superman
newspaper strips with DC
Comics.
KSP
published collections, comic
books, and graphic
novels by leading
contemporary artists like Crumb
(Kafka, Artistic, Carload O'
Comics, Waiting For Food, The R.
Crumb Coffee Table Art Book),
Eisner (more than twenty
graphic novels and collections), Mark
Schultz (the Cadillacs
& Dinosaurs saga), Howard
Cruse (Wendel, Dancin'
Nekkid With the Angels), Jack
Jackson (Secret of San
Saba,
Lost Cause), Dave
McKean (Cages), Charles
Burns (Curse of the Mole
Men, Blood
Club, Black Hole),
Scott McCloud (Understanding
Comics,
Zot!), Alan Moore (From
Hell), Monte
Beauchamp (The
Life and Times of R. Crumb
and the first 8 Blab!)
and many, many others.
KSP
also produced an array of
inventive comic-related
merchandise ranging from 78
RPM Record Albums (R.
Crumb), 33 rpm Picture Discs (Omaha
and
Spirit), Tin Signs (Crumb,
Batman, Betty Boop, Superman), Pinback
Buttons (100s), Statues
(Omaha, Mr. Natural), Postcards
(100s) and Trading
Cards (dozens) to
Boxed Candy Bars (Cadillacs
&
Dinosaurs, Melody, Freak Brothers
Munchie Bars, Jeff Smith's Bone
Bars, Betty Boop and Crumb's Devil
Girl Cho-Bars and Hot Kisses tins)
and much more.
For
an illustrated capsule history
with sidebars by many of the
press' most famous authors, see Kitchen
Sink
Press: The First 25 Years,
still available from DKP in
softcover and signed hardcover
editions.
Following
the demise of KSP, Kitchen founded
Denis Kitchen Publishing Co.,
LLC (DKP) in 2000 on a much
smaller scale. While he insists
that DKP will never grow to the
size and scope of KSP, he admits,
"I simply can't pull my foot
entirely out of the publishing tar
baby. Expect just three or four
new books or projects a year. But
thanks for your past and current
support.
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