Denis Kitchen on His Oddly Compelling Life

When you love comics, you become comics. Denis Kitchen began as a self-published underground cartoonist in 1969, but he quickly sprang into other roles, all serving the medium that first called to him. A year later, he launched Kitchen Sink Press, which would house numerous pioneers from the industry (R. Crumb, Howard Cruse, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, etc). His role as publisher would eventually force him into the position of defender, fighting for the rights of his artists and creating the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Now, Denis Kitchen's career is the topic of a new documentary, Oddly Compelling: The Denis Kitchen Story, which is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter. The film gathers an astonishing array of talent to praise Denis Kitchen and offer context to a life that has shaped all comic readers, whether they know it or not. In this week's podcast, we sit down with Denis Kitchen for a long chat about making comics and serving comics. The artist is an icon, but a humble one. He kindly accepts adulation while dismissing it in the same breath. We discuss how comics are "just pictures on paper," but simple images can have a world-altering effect. If you want to fall deeper in love with the art form, this episode is for you. Please find the Kickstarter for Oddly Compelling: The Denis Kitchen Story here. Follow Denis Kitchen on Instagram and visit his website. This Week's Sponsor We're sponsored by 2000 AD, the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10. Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode: Join Comic Book Club in Person CBCC's Comic Shop Road Trip Patreon Exclusive: Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Club Support Your Local Comic Shop Free Patreon Series Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY. The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page. Don't forget to grab your tickets for our June 29th Alamo Drafthouse Winchester screening of James Gunn's THE SUICIDE SQUAD, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts. Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators. Podcast logo by Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.