Comic for Straks Studeren? (September 1982)
Jan Kruse is a Dutch scripwriter, cartoonist, comedian and actor, based in Deventer. Active since the 1970s, he has made comics and cartoons in commission for the government, magazines and commercial clientst. For many years, Kruse was one of the main writers of the Dutch Disney magazines, scripting many epic adventures, thematic stories and back cover gag series with Donald Duck and his family, as well as several secondary characters.
Early life
Jan Christiaan Kruse was born in 1946 in Hengelo. From an early age, he was captivated by drawing, writing, acting and other forms of art. A reader of the Dutch Donald Duck weekly from the start, he was strongly inspired by the storytelling of Carl Barks. After his education at the Art Academy of The Hague, he began his career as a cartoonist and commercial artist during the 1970s.
'Pas Op De Helft'.
Staatsdrukkerij comics
At the start of his career, Kruse was a graphic artist with the state-owned publishing house and printery Staatsdrukkerij, where he also worked on comics and cartoons, making him one of the first Dutch cartoonists to make comics commissioned by the government. For this publisher, Kruse and his colleague Ton van Riel illustrated 'Ludiek met Grafiek' (1971), a comic booklet spoofing the style of the hippie generation, while promoting an education in graphic arts. The text was written by Staatsdrukkerij director Theodorus Hendricus Oltheten. In that same year, Kruse also created the comic 'Legioen van Linke Lom' (Staatsdrukkerij, 1971), promoting so-called "Lom schools" for children with learning and behavioral difficulties in The Hague. With co-writer Loek Elfferich, Kruse additionally made the landscape-format booklet 'Pas op de Helft' (Staatsdrukkerij, 1973), about secondary education.
In 1976, Kruse made the illustrations for the 'Politiek Dier Kwartet' ("Political Animal Quartet"), a card game by D66 politician Hans van Mierlo in which funny animal characters visualize and explain the activities of the Dutch House of Representatives. Later, during the early 1980s, Jan Kruse was also one of the comic artists and illustrators for Straks Studeren?, a magazine series published by Staatsdrukkerij for the Ministry of Education to help high school students choose their follow-up studies. Among the other comic creators who contributed to these booklets were Carry Brugman, Jos Lammers, Peter de Smet and Tais Teng.
Illustration for Okki #12, 1977-1978.
Jan Kruse Art & Act
Eventually based in Deventer, Kruse has been working as a self-employed artist and actor, operating under the banner Jan Kruse Art & Act. During the 1970s, his illustrations appeared in the school magazines of publisher Malmberg (Okki, Taptoe), and for Misset Horeca, a specialized magazine of the Dutch Catering Association, he made the 1980s comic features 'De Uitbaters' and 'Kopstoot'. He also provided the illustrations for youth books like 'De Helden van de Edisonstraat' by Annette Colen (Omniboek, 1984). In addition, he has been active as a theatrical writer, director and performer, for instance with annual New Year's Eve cabaret performance in his hometwon Deventer, in which he gave satirical commentary on the local news. Jan Kruse has also been an actor in advertising commercials, and appeared as supporting actor or extra in a variety of Dutch films and TV series, including 'Baantjer', 'Het Zonnetje in Huis', 'Kees de Jongen', 'Loenatik - The Movie', 'Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden' and 'HotNews.nl'.
Opening panel of the script for Disney story H85154. The published story in Donald Duck #1988-50 had artwork by Mau Heymans.
Disney comics
Between 1983 and 2021, Kruse was one of the leading scriptwriters of the licensed Dutch production of Disney comics by the publishing houses VNU and later Sanoma. From the start, he scripted several longer stories with the Duck characters, drawn by, among other people, Ben Verhagen, José Colomer Fonts, Mau Heymans and even the American artist Don Rosa. Especially with Verhagen as artist, he was responsible for several epic adventure and treasure hunt serials, made in the tradition of Carl Barks. Several of them have become classics of that time period, such as 'In the Footsteps of Jules Verne' (1989), 'The Treasure Temple of Khaos' (1989), 'The Diamond of Duncan McDuck' (1990) and 'Trapped in Castle Rollingstein' ('Het Graniet van Nevelingen', 1991).
Starting in the early 1990s, Kruse also began writing many back-up features with secondary Disney characters, like the Big Bad Wolf and his Foul Fellows' Club, or B'rer Rabbit with his neverending attemps at stealing B'rer Bear's carrots. During the 2010s, his output was expanded with whodunnit stories starring Basil from Baker Street and the womanizing escapades of loafer parrot José Carioca. However, Kruse's main output remained with the Duck characters, whom he starred in many satirical stories inspired by current affairs, human behavior and political weaving and dealing. Most of his stories from this later time period had artwork by Sander Gulien, Bas Heymans or artists from the Barcelona art studio Comicup.
Opening panels of Kruse's script for the special Donald Duck episode set in South Holland, featuring the Dutch prime minister (Donald Duck #17, 19 April 2012)
Under the editors-in-chief Thom Roep and Joan Lommen, Kruse was the go-to scriptwriter for the annual back-cover gag features as well as prominent thematic and jubilee stories. Kruse scripted the back cover gag series for 1988 ('Gus Goose', drawn by Mark de Jonge), 2001 and 2006 (both 'Uncle Scrooge' with Sander Gulien), 2007 ('Clarabelle Cow & Horace Hosecollar' with art by Studio Comicup), 2008 ('Beagle Boys' with Sander Gulien), 2011 ('Jose Carioca' with Bas Heymans) and 2014 ('Gladstone Gander' with Daniel Pérez). On the occasion of the weekly's 55th anniversary in 2007, Kruse scripted a 42-page story in which the Ducks visit the Dutch capital Amsterdam for the first time. Drawn by the Brazilian artist Carlos Mota, the story appeared in a special issue dedicated to the city. In a similar tradition, Kruse scripted the 2012 story cycle in which the Duck family visit all the Dutch provinces (drawn by Maximino Tortajada Aguilar), as well as the 2014 series starring "duckified" Dutch celebrities. In addition, Kruse has scripted thematic stories related to the magazine's 60th anniversary (2012), the crowning of King Willem-Alexander (2013), English playwright Shakepeare (2014) and the Dutch abstract painter Mondriaan ("Mondrizwaan", 2016).
Over a period of 40 years, Kruse provided the Dutch Disney production with over 1,600 stories, gags and cover ideas. Along with Evert Geradts, Mau Heymans, Frank Jonker and Ruud Straatman, he ranks among the most productive writers for Donald Duck magazine in the Netherlands. In 2010, the 31st volume of the book series 'De Grappigste avonturen van Donald Duck' was dedicated to stories written by Jan Kruse.
In the early 2000s, in addition to his work for the Disney titles, Kruse also provided occasional gag ideas to the Dutch family comic 'Jan, Jans en de Kinderen', produced by Studio Jan Kruis for the women's weekly Libelle.
Jan Kruse, drawn by Jan-Roman Pikula (2010).