FIVE SETS OF EARLY CHINESE COMICS China, Macao. Five sets of modern early comics (manhua) with 2, 4 or 8 volumes inside. Executed mostly in black print, with multi-coloured covers. Chinese humorous and narrative drawing began to take on characteristics of Western-defined cartoons of the period at the juncture of the 19th and 20th cent. Growing dissatisfaction with Qing dynasty reign and revolution in 1911 increased the contact with the outside world that brought in different ideas and modern printing technology, including lithography. Condition: Traces of age and wear. Discolorations, some creases, stains and tears mostly around the margins of the covers but also on some pages of the comic books. Provenance: Private collection of a German artist and collector living in Southeast Asia. Weight: 294 g Dimensions: 13 cm x 9 cm