Esther van de Bund

Esther van de Bund is a comic artist and illustrator from the Netherlands. Her work spans a wide range of styles and genres, from playful cooking comics to children’s books and socially engaged graphic novels. She made her debut with the food comic Smikkelen en Smullen (published in English on Webtoon as Cooking with Abe and Esther) and has since created work for publishers and cultural institutions including Kosmos, Loopvis, Syndikaat, Delubas, Kunstpunt Groningen, Rozet, and Zone5300.
Blending influences from manga, fantasy, and everyday life, Esther explores new ways of visual storytelling with humor, imagination, and emotional depth. Her graphic novel Guardians of Grunn addresses themes of disability and mobility, while the children’s book series Floris and Mr. Tortellini introduces young readers to Dutch flora and fauna. The first book in the series, De jacht op de dierendief (The Hunt for the Animal Thief), was nominated for the 2025 Kinderjury Award in the 6–9 age category and became one of the bestselling children’s books in the Netherlands in 2024. The sequel, Het ei van de olifantsvogel (The Egg of the Elephant Bird), will be released on October 1, 2025.
Since 2024, Esther has been editor-in-chief of Not A Mimic Zine, a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired anthology combining comics, illustration, and TTRPG-inspired content. The zine has been a great success, with its first two issues nearly sold out, and in September 2025 the third issue, Party, Banter and Downtime, was released. Esther will bring issues #2 and #3 to Malta Comic Con.