Jan Mintaraga was born in Jogjakarta to an art-loving family. The young Jan loved to draw since his childhood and was often asked to display his works in class. In 1952, young Jan and his family moved to Jakarta. After Jan graduated from high school, he studied at ASRI Jogjakarta and then at ITB (Interior Design), neither of which he completed. At the beginning of his career, Jan created various kinds of comics such as romance, silat, wayang and history. Jan was eventually recognized for creating the famous superhero comics Captain Halilintar and Virgo. On December 14, 1999, Jan passed away.