Willy Nielsen was born in Århus, and began his career working as a typographer. He also worked for an advertising agency, through which he illustrated announcements and catalogs for Sommers Magasiner and Daells Varehus. Fascinated by history, Nielsen began his comic series 'Egene' in the comic magazine Skipper Skræk in 1948. The series, a historical chronicle from prehistoric Denmark, ran until 1961.
