Tanino Liberatore

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Cover of The Man From Utopia.

Gaetano Liberatore, better known as Tanino Liberatore (born April 12, 1953) is an Italian comics author and illustrator of international repute. His best known fictional character is RanXerox.

[edit] Life and work

Born in Quadri (province of Chieti), Liberatore went to high school in Pescara where he met comics artist Andrea Pazienza. He later finished his architectural studies at the University of Rome. From 1974 to 1978, he designed record covers for RCA. In 1978 he met Stefano Tamburini and published his first work in Tamburini's comics magazine Cannibale. In 1978 Rank Xerox was born, a cyborg-punk, ultra strong creature created by Tamburini. Several stand alone hardcover albums ensued, translated in several languages.

Liberatore's work has been republished in several international comics magazines (Transfert, Métal Hurlant, A Suivre, L'Écho des savanes, Chic).

He has also done the art direction for films.

[edit] Trivia

The cover of Frank Zappa's The Man From Utopia album features an illustration by Tanino Liberatore, showing Zappa as RanXerox.

In 1984 he drew the album cover for the New York City based ska band, The Toasters, first 7inch release, Beat Up. During this time he also created a few 'one of a kind' pieces of art work for Toasters frontman Robert "Bucket" Hingley.