DERIB

Derib © Digger.ngo

DERIB, whose real name is Claude de Ribaupierre, is a Swiss comic book artist and writer.
The son of painter and sculptor François de Ribaupierre, he showed an early inclination for drawing and painting. He entered the world of comics by joining Peyo’s studio, where he contributed to numerous pages published in Spirou, Le Journal de Tintin, and Pilote (notably for Peyo’s masterpiece: The Smurfs).
There, he met the great Belgian comic artists of the time: Franquin, Jijé, and Roba. In 1967, he published the first adventure of Attila the Dog in Spirou. Three more Attila stories followed until 1973.
In 1970, the creation of Yakari (with Job as the writer) established him as one of the great artists of his generation. Go West (with Greg) further strengthened his reputation, while Buddy Longway (1974), which he both wrote and illustrated, definitively placed him among the lovers of the American West, popularizing the myths of the cowboy and the great plains!
In 1981, then again in 1988, he continued his exploration of Native American culture with more personal works: Celui qui est né deux fois (He Who Was Born Twice) and Red Road (focusing on the contemporary West).
The 1990s were marked by more socially engaged works aimed at helping young people, such as Jo and No Limits.
His classic style—especially suited for younger audiences in Yakari—places him in the lineage of Franquin, Hergé, and Jijé. This has made him a generous, intergenerational artist, capable of captivating our imagination with both humor and thought-provoking storytelling!