Kitchen Sink Press

Kitchen Sink Press
Parent company Krupp Comic Works
Status Defunct (1999)
Founded 1970
Founder Denis Kitchen
Country of origin U.S.
Headquarters location Princeton, Wisconsin (1970–1992)
Northampton, Massachusetts (1993–1999)[1]
Publication types Comic books
Fiction genres Alternative, Underground
Official website Denis Kitchen and Kitchen Sink Press

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 Milwaukee 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)[2][3] and launched the Milwaukee-based underground newspaper The Bugle-American, with Jim Mitchell and others.[4] Under the name of the Krupp Syndicate, he syndicated comic strips to almost fifty other underground and college newspapers.[5] 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.[6]

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.”[7]

Also in 2013, Columbia University's Rare Book & Manuscript Library made arrangements with Kitchen to acquire the archives of Kitchen Sink Press, including business documents, artwork, and correspondence. Columbia librarian Karen Green said the archives were "meticulously preserved".[8]

Publications

Original titles

Reprint titles

Artists and authors associated with Kitchen Sink

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection". Comics.lib.msu.edu. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  2. ↑ Acton, Jay, Le Mond, Alan, and Hodges, Parker. Mug Shots: Who's Who in the New Earth World Publishing: 1972; pp. 121
  3. ↑ Schreiner, Dave. Kitchen Sink Press, the First 25 Years. Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1994; p. 14 et seq.
  4. ↑ Kitchen, Denis. "Notes on the Underground... Confessions of an Underground Comics Publisher." Funnyworld #13 (Spring 1971), p. 30
  5. ↑ "Milwaukee Buzz: Milwaukee Talks: Denis Kitchen". Onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  6. ↑ Denis Kitchen Publishing at the Comic Book DB
  7. ↑ Burchby, Casey (2013-07-31). "Denis Kitchen Revives Kitchen Sink Imprint at Dark Horse". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  8. ↑ Reid, Calvin (18 December 2013). "Columbia Acquires Kitchen Sink Press Comics Archive". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 18 April 2015. Green called the collection “meticulously preserved” and joked about Kitchen: “God bless his compulsive, obsessive comics collecting tendences.” She said the comics literary agent Judy Hansen, who formerly worked with Kitchen Sink Press, told her of the existence of the collection and encouraged her to approach Kitchen. Although initially he said he wasn’t thinking about what would happen to the archive, Green said he eventually realized that Columiba University offered, "the resources to show off and preserve the collection. He knows his stuff will be taken care off."
  9. ↑ "Bizarre Sex (Volume)". Comicvine.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  10. ↑ "Les désarmés - BD, informations, cotes". Bedetheque.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.

External links

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