Sergio Toppi (1932 - 2012) was born in Milan, Italy. He devoted himself to an artistic career starting in the 1950s, creating illustrations for the UTET Children's Encyclopedia. Toppi's works appeared on a host of titles in Italy and abroad, and his strips were collected in several books. He last worked with the French publisher Mosquito, with which he made twenty-two books since 1994.

One of the best known series was a comic-strip version of the Thousand and One Nights titled Sharaz'de, originally serialized on Alter Alter in 1979 and later also published in France and Spain. His illustrations appear in various periodical publications, newspapers, and book covers.

He is known for his highly original compositions and layout, his wide-ranging choice of subject matter, and his phenomenal handling of line and hatching. As a draughtsman, he is nearly unparalleled in comic book art.

Just a few of his accomplishments include:

In 1986, he participated in the creation of Images of Sicily together with other important designers.

In the years 2000-2005, he created portfolios for various galleries.

In 2003, he created twelve black and white plates for the Leggende del Salento series, published in the limited edition volume Terre Foggiane - Spigolando in Capitanata (Edizioni GEMA).

In 2003, he began to collaborate with Edizioni Crapapelada (Spazio Papel), creating over a hundred large color illustrations in five years. All illustrations are inspired by different literary texts (sometimes written by the artist himself, sometimes suggested by the editor) collected in various portfolios.

In 2005, he did work for the American Marvel comic publishers.