Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcover and softcover volumes. These included comic strip reprints in hard cover and soft cover. One of their best known products was the first total reprinting of Will Eisner's The Spirit first in magazine format then in color. The company closed in 1999.
History
In 1969 artist Denis Kitchen decided to self-publish his comics and cartoons in the magazine Mom’s Homemade Comics, inspired in part by Bijou Funnies and Zap Comix. The selling out of the 4000 print-run inspired him further, and in 1970 he founded Kitchen Sink Press (initially as an artists' cooperative) and launched the underground newspaper The Bugle-American, with Jim Mitchell and others. Under the name of the Krupp Syndicate, he syndicated comic strips to almost fifty other underground and college newspapers. In addition to Milwaukee artists like himself, Mitchell, Bruce Walthers, Don Glassford, and Wendel Pugh, Kitchen began to publish works by such cartoonists as Howard Cruse, Trina Robbins and S. Clay Wilson, and he soon expanded his operations, launching Krupp Comic Works, a parent organization into which he placed ownership of Kitchen Sink Press and through which he also launched such diverse ventures as a record company and a commercial art studio.
In 1993, Kitchen moved operations from Princeton, Wisconsin, to Northampton, Massachusetts in a controversial merger with Tundra Publishing. Media entrepreneur Fred Seibert cobbled together a group of small investors to try and reverse the fortunes of the company in 1997. After the failure of expansion into other venues of entertainment and merchandising, Kitchen Sink Press dissolved in 1999.
In 2001 and 2012, Denis published comics under the publisher name of Denis Kitchen Publishing.
In 2013, Dark Horse Comics announced an imprint, helmed by Denis Kitchen and John Lind, called Kitchen Sink Books. Dark Horse editor Philip Simon commented on unannounced projects saying "everything [Denis and John] are bringing to the table is going to be historically important.â€
Publications
Original titles
- Comix Book (2 issues, 1976, acquired from Marvel Comics)
- The Crow (various original mini-series)
- Death Rattle
- Gay Comix (later published by Bob Ross (publisher))
- Grateful Dead Comix
- Illegal Alien (reprinted by Titan Books and Dark Horse Comics)
- Life on Another Planet
- Kings in Disguise
- Megaton Man (now published by Image Comics)
- Melody (now published by Eros Comix)
- Omaha the Cat Dancer (now published by NBM Publishing)
- Snarf (Feb. 1972 - Oct. 1990)
- Xenozoic Tales
- Black Hole (4 issues, 1995 - 1998) (later republished with additional 8 issues by Fantagraphics Books)
- Bizarre Sex (1972) Comic Vine
Reprint titles
- Alley Oop
- Armed and Dangerous by Mezzo and Pirus (originally Les Désarmés)
- The Crow (now being reprinted by Pocket Books)
- Flash Gordon (now being reprinted by Checker Book)
- From Hell (Previously serialized in Taboo by Spiderbaby Graphix and Publishing before the series ceased publishing. Kitchen Sink then reprinted the series after Moore and Campbell Published it through Mad Love. Currently a collected edition is published by Top Shelf Productions)
- Krazy Kat (now being reprinted by Fantagraphics)
- Li'l Abner
- Nancy
- The Spirit (now being reprinted by DC Comics)
- Steve Canyon (now being reprinted by Checker Books)
- Yellow Kid
See also
- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Notes
References
External links
- Denis Kitchen and Kitchen Sink Press