Kitchen Sink Press

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Kitchen Sink Press
underground comics
ImprintsKrupp Comic Works
Kitchen Sink Comix
Kitchen Sink Enterprises
Top Dollar Comics
Official websitewww.deniskitchen.com

Kitchen Sink Press was a

The Spirit
—first in magazine format, then in standard comic book format. The company closed in 1999.

History

Origins

In 1969

college newspapers.[7]

In addition to Milwaukee artists like himself, Mitchell,

cartoonists as Howard Cruse, Trina Robbins and S. Clay Wilson (as well as taking over the publishing duties of Bijou Funnies
from 1970 to 1973), 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.

Kitchen established a long-running relationship with

Death Rattle vol. 1 (3 issues, launched in 1972), Bizarre Sex (10 issues, launched in 1972), Snarf (15 issues, launched Feb. 1972), and Dope Comix
(5 issues, launched in 1978).

The publisher supplemented revenues with the sale of merchandise such as posters, buttons, trading cards, and sound records.[8]

1980s

Legal restrictions in the mid-1970s closed down many

Reed Waller, and reprints of older works by artists such as Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, and Ernie Bushmiller. Kitchen Sink also maintained a large back catalogue. As Kitchen devoted himself to publishing, his own cartooning work became scarce.[8]

Transitioning from an underground publisher, in the 1980s Kitchen Sink launched such titles as

Omaha the Cat Dancer
. Kitchen Sink continued publishing the Snarf anthology until 1990.

Kitchen launched a second volume of The Spirit reprints in 1983, with a smaller page count and in standard comic book format. This incarnation of the reprints ran for 87 issues until 1992. Also in 1983, he launched the magazine Will Eisner's Quarterly, featuring new work by Eisner (previously, excerpts of Eisner's new projects had appeared in the Spirit magazine). The 1980s also saw Kitchen Sink branching out into reprints of classic comic strips beyond EIsner's work. Kitchen Sink published Steve Canyon reprints from 1983 to 1992, Li'l Abner collections from 1988 to 1999, and Nancy collections from 1989 to 1991.

1990s

Continuing their practice of collecting comic strips, in the 1990s Kitchen Sink reprinted volumes of

Fantagraphics Books
.

Tundra, move to Massachusetts, and demise

In 1993, Kitchen moved operations from Princeton, Wisconsin, to Northampton, Massachusetts, in a controversial – and ultimately disastrous – merger with Tundra Publishing.[9][10][11]

Kitchen Sink/Tundra's output was strong through 1993, as reflected in the company's success at the 1994

Eisner Award
that year for Best Comics-Related Book for Understanding Comics.)

In 1994, the company was sold to a Los Angeles–based investment group.[13] The company spent the bulk of 1996–1998 releasing various original The Crow limited series, but the writing was on the wall. Media entrepreneur Fred Seibert cobbled together a group of small investors to try to reverse the fortunes of the company in 1997.[14] After the failure of expansion into other venues of entertainment and merchandising, Kitchen Sink Press dissolved in 1999.

Later projects

In 2001 and 2012, Kitchen published comics under the publisher name of Denis Kitchen Publishing.[15]

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".[16]

Also in 2013,

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".[17]

Publications (selected)

Original titles

1960s–1970s

1980s

1990s

Reprint titles

Artists and authors associated with Kitchen Sink

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Steve Krupp" was a comics character created by Kitchen as a stand-in for then-Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee. Kitchen created the Krupp character in 1975 as part of the cover illustration of Comix Book #3.[6]

References

  1. ^ Fox, M. Steven. "Snarf". ComixJoint. Retrieved Nov 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection". Comics.lib.msu.edu. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  3. ^ Acton, Jay, Le Mond, Alan, and Hodges, Parker. Mug Shots: Who's Who in the New Earth World Publishing: 1972; p. 121
  4. ^ Schreiner, Dave. Kitchen Sink Press, the First 25 Years. Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1994; p. 14 et seq.
  5. ^ Kitchen, Denis. "Notes on the Underground... Confessions of an Underground Comics Publisher." Funnyworld #13 (Spring 1971), p. 30
  6. ^ Kitchen, Denis. "Denis Kitchen Serigraph: Steve Krupp S/N," Steve Krupp's Curio Shoppe. Retrieved Sept. 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Milwaukee Buzz: Milwaukee Talks: Denis Kitchen". Onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  8. ^ a b Worcester 1996, p. 40.
  9. ^ "Kitchen Sink Press Buys Tundra Publishing". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 158. April 1993. pp. 15–17.
  10. ^ "Kitchen Sink to Reorganize". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 160. June 1993. pp. 7–9.
  11. ^ "Newswatch: KSP/Tundra : Who Owns What?: Kitchen Goes on Record; Eastman Owns Part of Kitchen Sink Press". The Comics Journal. No. 161. August 1993. pp. 9–11.
  12. ^ "Kitchen/Tundra Cleans Up on 94 Harveys". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 169. July 1994. p. 27.
  13. ^ "Kitchen Sink Press Sold to L.A. Investment Group". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 169. July 1994. pp. 13–15.
  14. ^ Stump, Greg (June 1997). "Teetering Towards a Shutdown, Kitchen Sink Searches for a Savior". News Watch. The Comics Journal. No. 196. pp. 7–14.
  15. ^ Denis Kitchen Publishing at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
  16. ^ Burchby, Casey (2013-07-31). "Denis Kitchen Revives Kitchen Sink Imprint at Dark Horse". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  17. ^ 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 Columbia University offered, "the resources to show off and preserve the collection. He knows his stuff will be taken care off."
  18. ^ "Bizarre Sex (Volume)". Comicvine.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  19. ^ Fox, M. Steven. "Dope Comix," ComixJoint. Accessed May 13, 2018.
  20. ^ "Les désarmés - BD, informations, cotes". Bedetheque.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.

Works cited

  • Worcester, Kent (February 1996). Caswell, Lucy Shelton (ed.). "Kitchen Sink Press: The First 25 Years". Inks. 3 (1).
    ISSN 1071-9156
    .

External links
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