Luciano Bottaro (born 16 November 1931, died 25 November 2006) was an Italian cartoonist, particularly known for his work on Disney comics. Bottaro's comics had a simple and angular art style and often abounded with surreal tone. His works have been published in a number of European and South American countries. Some of his Disney duck stories have only recently appeared in North America, through the publisher Fantagraphics. Bottaro was born and lived most of his life in Rapallo, a small town on the shores of the Italian region of Liguria. His collaborators and pupils from the Bierreci studio - which he founded in 1968 - are sometimes referred to as the 'Rapallo school' of Italian cartoonists. Bottaro began working for the Disney production in 1951. This makes him a member of the first generation of Italian (and European) Disney cartoonists, alongside the likes of Giovan Battista Carpi and Romano Scarpa, and almost a contemporary of the American (back then anonymous) master Carl Barks. Bottaro illustrated Disney comics, especially featuring Goofy, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge, till the middle of 80's. Many of his stories were co-created with writer Carlo Chendi, another founding member of the 'Rapallo school'. Outside of Disney, Bottaro worked a lot for the French publisher Alpe, for which he created Pepito, his most famous original character. Pepito got its own magazine in 1954, also featuring other Bottaro's series, such as Saturnino and I Postorici.