by Oddly Compelling filmmaker Ted Intorcio
The message coming from President Trump is chillingly clear: your freedom of speech is conditional—acceptable only if it aligns with the party line.
When I first partnered with Soren to create Oddly Compelling: The Denis Kitchen Story, I expected an engaging deep dive into a fascinating career—great art, colorful characters, and a rich history of underground comics. What I didn’t anticipate was how this story would become a vital reflection of our times—a rallying cry for the defense of our most basic human right: the freedom to speak out.
Recent events in Los Angeles have laid bare the uncomfortable truth: the rights promised under the Constitution are under threat. Government actions are increasingly mirroring those of authoritarian regimes, where dissent is punished and expression tightly controlled. In this context, The Denis Kitchen Story is more than a biography—it’s a reminder of what’s at stake.
Denis’s journey is uniquely American. A poor kid from the Midwest, armed with imagination and grit, chose to make art on his own terms—consequences be damned. In doing so, he became a defender of free speech and a champion for marginalized voices at a time when creative expression was under attack from both the government and hate groups.
Denis didn’t just make space for those voices—he fought for them. He founded the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of comic creators and readers alike. Now, it’s our turn to carry that torch.
I urge you to help us bring this documentary to life. Watch the trailer. Share it with your friends and family. Consider supporting the project by pledging for one of the available rewards. In doing so, you’re not just helping to tell Denis’s story—you’re taking a stand for free speech, for artistic freedom, and for democracy itself.
With the same fearless spirit that drove Denis, let’s rise to this moment.
Oddly Compelling: The Denis Kitchen Story is on Kickstarter until Thursday, June 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
