The lanky main character Old Master Q, his friend Big Potato and other staple characters such as Mr Chin and Mr Chao, were usually featured in the series.

The Star, quoting Sin Chew Daily and China Press, reported that the publisher of this iconic comic, Wu Zhong Xing, passed away at the age of 98.

For almost 50 years, Wu, who founded Ng Hing Ke Book & Newspaper Agency that later published the popular 'Old Master Q' comics, was regarded as a titan in Hong Kong's publishing industry.

A perfect partnership

According to the report, Wu and the series creator Alfonso Wong Kar Hei met unexpectedly and ended up working together for over 40 years on the series.

Alfonso has since died. According to CNN, he passed away at the age of 93 in 2017.

The comic was first published in 1962 in Hong Kong and is still in publication today.