Daan Jippes
A Dutch cartoonist revered for his masterful, Barks-like line, who became the guardian of classic Disney duck art for a new generation.
Born 1945 (age 81)·Dutch cartoonist·Birthday: October 14·The Silent Generation
Biography
In the niche, passionate world of Disney comics, Daan Jippes is considered a master draftsman and a savior of legacy. His career is defined by an almost scholarly devotion to the style of Carl Barks, the 'good duck artist' who created Scrooge McDuck. Jippes didn't just imitate Barks; he achieved such a fluent command of the line weight, character expressions, and comedic timing that he became the go-to artist for restoring and completing Barks's own unfinished work. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he produced hundreds of covers and stories for publishers like Gladstone and Egmont, often redrawing older stories by other artists to match the Barksian standard. His work ensured that decades of Disney duck lore remained visually cohesive and accessible. For fans, a Jippes-drawn story guarantees a specific quality: the clear storytelling, the lively poses, and the warm humor that defined the golden age of Disney comics, preserved as if by a master restorer of animated art.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Daan was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Daan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Daan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 80
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 81 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the primary artist chosen to complete and illustrate unfinished story ideas by Carl Barks in the 1990s.
- Redrew numerous classic 'Junior Woodchucks' stories for Egmont, unifying their art to a Barks-like standard.
- Created hundreds of cover illustrations for Gladstone Publishing's Disney comic magazines in the 1980s.
- His meticulous style is considered the closest any artist has come to replicating the essence of Carl Barks's artwork.
- Illustrated new stories for major Disney characters like Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and Mickey Mouse for the European market.
Did You Know?
Before focusing on Disney, he worked on the Dutch comic series 'Sjors & Sjimmie' and created his own strip, 'Candid Camera'.
He is known for being extremely meticulous, sometimes spending a full day drawing a single comic page.
Jippes was personally contacted by Carl Barks, who approved of his artistic approach and collaborated with him.
He has also worked as an animator, contributing to the 1985 animated film 'The Adventures of the GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'.
Despite his fame among Disney comic aficionados, he maintained a relatively low public profile in the Netherlands.
“The line must be clear, the gag must land, and the duck must feel alive.”
