Comic Creator/Publisher Denis
Kitchen To Speak at Norman Rockwell Museum
On View through June 27, 2008

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Noted comic book creator/publisher Denis Kitchen will join the list of presenters for a special screening of the documentary "Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist" at Norman Rockwell Museum on Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m. The film takes an in-depth look at the life and career of Will Eisner, one of the greatest innovators in the history of comic books, whose work is featured in the exhibition "LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel." Along with filmmakers Andrew D. Cooke and Jon B. Cooke, Kitchen will share his memories of working with Eisner and explain how his work continues to influence new generations of artists (Eisner's character The Spirit will be released as a major motion picture this Christmas, directed by graphic novelist Frank Miller). Admission to the screening and panel discussion is free with regular Museum admission, however space is limited. To reserve tickets please call 413.298.4100, ext. 260.

As artist, businessman, innovator, and visual storyteller, Will Eisner enjoyed a career that encompassed comic books from their early beginnings in the 1930s to their development as graphic novels in the 1990s. During his sixty-plus career, Eisner introduced the now-traditional mode of comic book production; championed mature, sophisticated storytelling; was an early advocate for using the medium as a tool for education; and pioneered the now-popular "graphic novel." The creator of the groundbreaking "A Contract with God," Will Eisner considered himself "a graphic witness reporting on life, death, heartbreak, and the never ending struggle to prevail."

Comic creator, publisher and entrepreneur Denis Kitchen began his professional career in 1968, creating "Mom's Homemade Comics" as a self-published underground cartoonist in Milwaukee WI. The success of this venture led in 1969 to his formation of Krupp Comic Works, Inc., a small hippie empire which included Kitchen Sink Press, the comix publishing company; and The Cartoon Factory, a commercial art studio. A chance meeting with artist Will Eisner, resulted in Kitchen reintroducing Eisner's work to a new generation of creators. In addition to Eisner, the award-winning Kitchen Sink Press has published the work of such notable creators as Harvey Kurtzman, Milton Caniff, R. Crumb, and Howard Cruse. Kitchen is the founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation dedicated to defending the industry's First Amendment rights, and is a partner with Judith Hansen in Kitchen & Hansen Agency LLC Inc., a literary agency representing leading comic artists and writers.