Denis Kitchen

Bio

Denis Kitchen, part of the late ‘60s “Underground Comix” movement, founded Kitchen Sink Press (1969-99), a leading independent publisher. He also founded the non-profit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in 1986, and chaired it for 18 years. His agencies represent numerous artists and estates. He’s co-written biographies on three cartoonists Al Capp (Bloomsbury), Harvey Kurtzman (Abrams), Harrison Cady (Beehive) and on Underground Classics (Abrams). Books about him include the monograph, The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen (Dark Horse) and Everything Including the Kitchen Sink by Jon Cooke. He curates exhibits of comic art in the US and Europe, and gives talks. He has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards. Kitchen was a first ballot inductee into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame, received a Life Achievement Award from the Museum of Wisconsin Art, has had several one-man art exhibits, and was granted an honorary doctorate by the University of Wisconsin in 2024. His latest book, Creatures From the Subconscious (Tinto Press) will be followed by a book of 3-D drawings from Fantagraphics in 2025. Kitchen is the subject of a documentary film, Oddly Compelling, set for release in 2026. He is also reputed to be part of the secretive Bushmiller Society.