Silver, pen name of Guido Silvestri (born 9 December 1952 in Carpi, Italy) is an Italian comic book artist. He began his career in the early 70's as an apprentice to the famous Italian humour cartoonist Bonvi (Franco Bonvicini). Silver is most notably known as the creator and main author of Lupo Alberto. This funny animals comic details the adventures of a blue wolf, Alberto, a representation of the common man with a goal in life and a certain amount of bad luck. Alberto, a resident of the McKenzie farm, constantly tries to steal a hen named Martha (who is his girlfriend), while Moses, a sheepdog, does everything he can to stop him. Lupo Alberto first appeared in February 1974, as a series of strips published in 'Corriere dei Ragazzi', a 1970s kid magazine related to the newspaper 'Corriere della Sera'. Since 1985 a series of monthly comic books has been released, following a short-lived series (composed of 8 issues) launched between 1983 and 1984. For many years the Lupo Alberto strips have been especially popular among teenagers, spawning a rich merchandising franchise, including school diaries and greeting cards. The character was used in the 1990s for a massive anti-AIDS campaign promoted by the Italian Ministry of Public Health, emphasizing safe sex and the use of condoms.