Henk Kuijpers

After finishing his studies in sociology, Henk Kuijpers published his first short stories in the magazines Pep and Baberiba. The magazine Pep published his story 'Het Misdaadmuseum' in 1974-75, and when Kuijpers was asked to do a sequel, he focused on one of the female characters to take the leading role. This marked the beginning of the career of Kuijpers' trademark series, 'Franka'.

Franka is an elegant young woman with a passion for sports. She experiences many strange adventures due to her career as an archeologist. Introducing a woman protagonist in an adventure comic was a brave stroke, but Kuijpers became famous through her creation. 'Franka' appeared subsequently in Pep, Eppo, Wordt Vervolgd, Sjors en Sjimmie, Sjosji and Veronicagids, as well as in a series of albums since 1978. The 'Franka' series has been translated in French and published in Spirou magazine.

Henk Kuijpers is a realistic comic artist who works in a Clear Line style with a great sense of detail, especially in his backgrounds. In addition to 'Franka', Kuijpers does a lot of advertising assignments, among others for Margriet magazine. In 1997, he launched Franka Magazine, an information magazine about his famous character and its author.