Hugh McNeill (1910 - 1979) Hugh McNeill was born in Manchester and apprenticed at an Art studio, the Kayebon Press, attending evening classes at the Manchester School of Art. Hugh was best known as a brilliant "funnies" artist for Knockout but his "straight" strips are a delight and his Dick Turpin work is amongst his best. McNeill was chosen by Leonard Matthews to start off the long series of Dick Turpin strips, which were to appear on the back page of the original large-page format Sun. Called "Highway Days", the strip introduced a new companion for Turpin - a girl comrade, Moll Moonlight (a character created by Leonard Matthews). These strips were originally light-hearted affairs but soon after the format of the comic changed, so too did the Turpin stories. The readers were suddenly plunged into the Gothic horror genre of the "penny bloods" and Turpin and Moll Moonlight found themselves in a series of adventures set in haunted manor houses where weird happenings were very much the order of the day and the chief villain was the splendidly evil master criminal "Creepy" Crawley. Watercolour on card, laid on backing sheet An original set of two watercolour and ink drawings by the well listed illustrator, Hugh McNeill 1910-1979. Used in Jack and Jill originally in the 1960's and reused again in the 1983 Holiday Special. A very good original example. Signed to the last cell at lower right to one page. [each image cell: 10cm x 15.5cm] Condition: a little toned and with grubby marking to margins. Publishers stamps and info to margins. Please see images for further detail.