Ente Dank! - Herbst in Entenhausen | Donald Duck | Cover

Cover illustration + pencil prelim for 'Autumn in Duckburg' published in September 2025 by Egmont

Arild Midthun (born 1964) is a Norwegian cartoonist, newspaper cartoonist, and illustrator who has been active in the Norwegian comics industry since 1980. His drawing style is strongly influenced by the traditional Franco-Belgian bande dessinée tradition.

In 1980, Midthun visited the Semic publishing house in Oslo with his art portfolio. Impressed by his work, editor Terje Nordberg began sending him scripts. The first series by Midthun to be printed in Serie-fokus was an early version of Sirkus, scripted by Tormod Løkling. Together with Løkling, Midthun went on to draw a number of series published in KOnK. Script duties on Sirkus were later taken over by Nordberg and Eirik Ildahl, and the series eventually became a regular feature in Fantomet.

In 1983, the first of three albums of Truls and Trine was published. This Norwegian children’s comic follows a boy and a girl who encounter elves and trolls. The series was awarded a prestigious Norwegian cartoon prize by the Ministry of Culture (and Church Affairs).

Midthun was also a regular contributor to Norsk MAD and Pyton, a satirical magazine known for its focus on body parts, bodily fluids, and bodily sounds. He appeared in almost every issue of Pyton and drew most of its covers, signing his work under the pseudonym Arnold Milten. Together with Løkling, he created the character Bottolf Nerd, which became a regular feature in the magazine. In collaboration with John Kåre Raake, he also created a series about a 'Norge Rundt' reporter.

In 1988, the first album of Troll, a series created in the Franco-Belgian tradition, was published. The first album received the SPROING Prize, while the second album won the Ministry of Culture’s Cartoon Prize. Despite this critical recognition, the series was eventually discontinued due to poor sales, demonstrating that awards are not everything.

From 1996 to 2004, Midthun drew Pappa og Pestus (written by Nordberg and Ildahl), which was published in Ernie. The artwork for this series was markedly more simplified than in his earlier work.

Over the years, Midthun continued to build his reputation, often shifting styles depending on the publication—ranging from highly realistic drawing to approaches based on photographs and other visual references. He has produced numerous comics and graphic novels, spanning genres such as action, thrillers, graphic adaptations of classic literature, and children’s comics.

In 2004, Midthun began drawing Disney comics for the publisher Egmont, where he continues to work as an artist for Donald Duck & Co., making him the only Norwegian artist contributing to one of the country’s most popular magazines. He has drawn covers for the magazine since 2004, and on June 9, 2005—Donald Duck’s 71st birthday—a longer story illustrated by Midthun was published for the first time.

In addition to his comics work, Arild Midthun has worked as a freelance illustrator, completing assignments for various book publishers and newspapers, including Aftenposten. In 2013, he received the SPROING Award for the second time, this time for the Donald Duck Norwegian Stories Christmas booklet The Battle for Christmas, written by Tormod Løkling and Knut Nærum. His work for the Danish publisher continues to this day.