Kim Deitch’s “How I Make Comics”
Book review by Dennis D. McDonald
Typical quote: “It’s uncanny! She’s been continuously projecting this portrait of herself onto the lunar surface, causing plant nutrients on the moon to grow into a perfect likeness of her face!”
I have a bad habit of reading too many books at the same time. Right now, for example, I’m reading:
“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville (2/3 finished)
Hannah Arendt’s “Eichmann in Jerusalem” (75% finished)
Donald Keene’s “Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912” (45% finished)
Jeff VanderMeer’s “Absolution” (50% finished)
Volume 10 of the manga series “The Apothecary Diaries” (purchased at the recently opened NEW Barnes & Noble store on Duke Street in Alexandria, Virginia)
On a recent trip to the Alexandria Public Library, I picked up Kim Deitch’s “How I Make Comics.”
I like graphic publications and cartooning. Deitch’s artwork seemed vaguely familiar. When I got it home I realized why: it reminded me of the artwork from one of my old underground comics which I pulled out of storage. Kim Deitch illustrated a story called “Bayooh Blooze” in “Occult Laff Parade No. 1” from 1973 (I have one of the 20,000 copies printed). That story is ridiculous but the drawing style and humor on display are recognizably similar to what we see in “How I Make Comics.”
This new book starts off with Deitch as a child meeting up with Donald Trump also as a child at a 1950s studio live broadcast of the Howdy Doody Show.
Read that and you realize you are in for a strange ride. The stories from then on are wild, weird, and interspersed with snippets of how he and his wife Pam collaborate. Some are out-and-out fantasy with frequent references to retro events and, occasionally, to real people including Deitch’s relatives as well as classic sci-fi celebrities such as Forrest J Ackerman. There’s even a reference to Esperanto buried here!
The book itself is gorgeous. The hardcover is in full color. The inside pages are printed on heavy paper and covered with Deitch’s striking, fanciful, and wildly detailed drawings. One story is in color, and the rest are in striking black and white. That’s a lot of black ink!
Some of what comes across here might actually be true. Reincarnated rats are one thing, but real people do pop up frequently. Be that as it may, even the most fantastic characters and storylines have just enough recognizable reality to make one admire Deitch’s imagination — and his devotion to his artistic labors.
I would love to have heard a conversation about creativity among Deitch, his wife Pam, and David Lynch!
There’s a fascinating talent on display here, one that I’d really like to sit down with to share a beer. The humor is sometimes gentle, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but never nasty or cruel, unlike some of the other artists or stories in my collection of old underground comics (which I have resolved to keep out of the hands of my grandchildren as long as possible).
I have not really kept up with Deitch’s work since his underground comics days, so I don’t know how his sensibilities may have evolved over time. He’s now 82 years old and expects to keep drawing as long as he can. More power to him!
Now, back to those other books!
Review copyright (c) 2026 by Dennis D. McDonald. For a fascinating discussion of Deitch’s creative process, his collaboration with his wife Pam, and his long career in comics, I highly recommend John Kelly’s June 29, 2026 interview with Deitch in The Comics Journal: This One Actually Has A Bit of Truth In It: How Kim Deitch Makes Comics.
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