Peter O'Donnell (1920 - 2010) received his first payment for a story at the age of sixteen, even before graduating from school. In 1938, he joined the British Army and served there until the end of World War II. Afterward, he wrote and worked for many media outlets, but O'Donnell's talents were best showcased in the format of comic strips. He created Garth from 1953 to 1966 and Romeo Brown from 1956 to 1962. With the character Modesty Blaise, who first appeared in 1963, he achieved great international success. The comic strips were published in numerous newspapers in over 40 countries, and he also released 13 novels and short stories featuring his heroine. Two films and a pilot for a television series were also produced. Until 2001, Peter O'Donnell continued to write from his home in Brighton about the adventures of Modesty Blaise. Jim Holdaway (1927 - 1970) began studying at the Kingston School of Art in his youth, but he interrupted his studies for a time to serve in the British Army. He completed his studies after the war and worked in the early 1950s for Scion Books, where he produced general artistic work, including comics. In the late 1950s and 1960s, he successfully worked as a freelancer on a variety of strips for major comic publishers Odhams, Hulton, and Fleetway. These included series such as Captain Vigour, The Football Comic, Steve Samson, Dick Hercules, Comic Cuts, and for Junior Express, The Red Rider and Joanna of Bitter Creek (1956), as well as Davey Crockett for Mickey's Weekly and Cliff McCoy for Swift Comic (both in 1956). Romeo Brown, also created by Peter O'Donnell, occupied him for seven years, followed by Modesty Blaise, until his early death in 1970.