Havank - Hoofden op hol (12/1/2006)

Daan Jippes, born in Amsterdam, began his career with the layout division of publisher De Geïllustreerde Pers in the 1960s. His first comic 'Hipper' appeared in the magazine Revue in 1967 and 1968. He then joined the magazine Pep, where he did lay-outs and cover illustrations, as well as some installments in the series 'Pepspotters'.

Pepspotter

After a short story in cooperation with Willy Lohmann, Jippes teamed up with Martin Lodewijk to create 'Bernard Voorzichtig'. Only one story appeared of the character, called ' Twee voor Thee'. After the publication in Pep in 1972, it appeared in album at Oberon a year later. Jippes worked three years on 'Twee voor Thee' and used a virtuoso drawing style that alternated it's influences from the Dupuis school (Franquin) and Floyd Gottfredson's 'Mickey Mouse'. Many Dutch artist still use it as a reference and source of inspiration.

While still working for Pep, Jippes illustrated covers and an occasional story for the Dutch Donald Duck weekly and De Flintstones. In 1975, Jippes became art director of the production of Dutch Disney comics. The Dutch production had started in 1969, but gained in quality under Jippes' guidance. Jippes drew many covers, and wrote several stories. He drew some stories himself, in a vivid style that has nearly the same quality as Carl Barks' drawings. But he also did only lay-outs, that were finished by artists like Freddy Milton.

Twee voor thee

In 1980, Jippes was asked to work for the Disney Studio's in Burbank, California. He worked as a character designer on Disney films like 'The Black Cauldron' (1984), 'The Rescuers Down Under' (1990), 'The Prince and the Pauper' (1990), 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991) and 'Aladdin' (1991). One of his best known designs is that of Jafar, the villain from 'Aladdin'.

Donald Duck - Patat-à-la-petoet, 1975 (German edition)

While in the USA, Jippes continued to do cover illustrations for Oberon's Disney publications, most notably the album series 'De Beste Verhalen van Donald Duck' and 'Oom Dagobert'. He also worked on the US newspaper comics starring 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Donald Duck' in the 1980s.

Comic strip from the Duckstadkrant (1973)

By 1999 he returned to The Netherlands to set up Studio Jan Kruis at the editorial offices of magazine Libelle in Hoofddorp, after the retirement of Jan Kruis. He was art director for a couple of years, and supervised the production of the weekly 'Jan, Jans en de Kinderen' comic, that was drawn by Rob Phielix, Gerben Valkema and Peter Nuyten.

Sketch for a Winnie the Pooh children's book

In 2001, Daan Jippes won the Stripschapsprijs. In that same year he started to write and draw 'Donald Duck' stories directly for the Danish publisher Egmont. Besides his own stories, Jippes redrew the 'Junior Woodchuck' and 'Donald Duck' stories that Carl Barks had written after his retirement, a project he had started for the Dutch publisher in 1992.

Havank - Twee voor thee (24/2/2006)

In 2005, he began working on a comics adaptation of the 'Havank' detective stories, which he signs with Danier. The comic was published in newspaper Algemeen Dagblad and then in album. Daan Jippes works through his own Studio Lijnlust in Bussum, that he shares with Rob Phielix and Gerben Valkema.

1999 version of Carl Barks story 'Wailing Whalers' by Daan Jippes


Original version by Kay Wright from 1972

Daan Jippes in De Nederlandse Stripgeschiedenis

INDUCKS entry