Kim Deitch

Kim Deitch
Deitch in a 2004 photo.
Born	(1944-05-21) May 21, 1944 (age 72)
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Cartoonist, Writer, Artist
Pseudonym(s)	Fowlton Means
Notable works	The Boulevard of Broken Dreams Alias the Cat!
Awards	Eisner Award, 2003 Inkpot Award, 2008
Spouse(s)	Trina Robbins (m. c. 1969; div. c. 1970) Sally Cruikshank (common-law, 1971–c. 1982) Pam Butler (m. 1994–present)

Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles) is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in the underground comix movement of the 1960s, remaining active in the decades that followed with a variety of books and comics, sometimes using the pseudonym Fowlton Means.

Much of Kim Deitch's work deals with the animation industry and characters from the world of cartoons. His best-known character is a mysterious cat named Waldo, who appears variously as a famous cartoon character of the 1930s, as an actual character in the "reality" of the strips, as the hallucination of a hopeless alcoholic surnamed Mishkin (a victim of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams), as the demonic reincarnation of Judas Iscariot; and who, occasionally, is claimed to have overcome Deitch and written the comics himself. Waldo's appearance is reminiscent of such black cat characters as Felix the Cat, Julius the Cat, and Krazy Kat.

The son of illustrator and animator Gene Deitch, Kim Deitch has sometimes worked with his brothers Simon Deitch and Seth Deitch.

Deitch's influences include Winsor McCay, Chester Gould, Jack Cole, and Will Eisner; he attended the Pratt Institute. Before deciding to become a professional cartoonist, Deitch worked odd jobs and did manual labor, including with the merchant marine. Searching for a path, he at one point joined the Republican Party; at another point he became devotee of Hatha yoga.