Charles Henry Chapman, who usually signed his work simply C.H. Chapman, was the first to illustrate a comic version of Frank Richards' creation 'Billy Bunter' in the late 1930s. Born in Thetford, Norfolk, Chapman was apprenticed to an architect. Around 1900, he started contributing cartoons to magazines like The Captain, Marvel, Pluck, Boy's Friend, Boy's Herald, Boy's Leader, Chips, Comic Cuts, Jester and Big Budget. He was the artist of 'Ally Sloper' in Ally Sloper's Half Holiday for a brief time in 1908.
In 1911 he began a collaboration with The Magnet of the Amalgamated Press, which lasted for almost thirty years. He illustrated many of Frank Richards' 'Greyfriars' stories, starring 'Billie Bunter'. Chapman also drew the first nine two page 'Billy Bunter' comic stories in the early issues of the Knock-Out Comic magazine in 1939. Chapman didn't stay long on the comic, since his style was more suitable for illustration and cartoon work, but kept illustrating 'Billy Bunter' novels up until the 1950s. The 'Billy Bunter' comic was eventually taken over by Frank Minnitt.
