COMIC DELIGHT
A cosplayer attends the international Comic Con at Kyalami race course in Midrand yesterday. Super fans, gaming fanatics and pop culture enthusiasts gathered at track for the opening day of South Africa and Africa’s first-ever Comic Con. The event, which runs until tomorrow, was packed with young and old super fans who came together to celebrate comic books, pop culture, anime, videos games and other entertainment. South Africans proved that they can cosplay like the best of them with attendees pulling out all the stops with costumes inspired by their favourite comic, film and anime characters. In true Comic Con fashion, attendees but a twist of their costumes by coming dressed as female versions of the Joker, Pennywise and Batman.
FROM the mother of dragons in Game of Thrones to Captain America from the The Avengers, thousands of comic book and science fiction fans went head-tohead for the best costume at the first Comic Con Africa yesterday.
Comic Con’s arrival in Africa coincides with a push by streaming services such as Netflix and Naspers’ Showmax to expand to capitalise on the continent’s love of comics and Hollywood movies.
Tickets for today and tomorrow sold out weeks before the launch, said Carol Weaving, managing director at organisers, Reed Exhibitions.
She said the event attracted comic, superhero and anime fans from Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria and that it would expand into other African countries.
As well as international comic book heroes, Comic Con Africa will showcase local characters such as Kwezi and Captain South Africa. International guests include Kevin Sussman from The Big Bang Theory and Travis Fimmel from Vikings.
Zimbabwean-born comic artist Bill Masuku said the event was a chance for people to learn more about locally produced comics and occupy spaces typically dominated by Hollywood.
“Growing up as a black child you are bombarded with mainstream media, whether movies or comic books, that have white people. To not see yourself is diminishing,” said Masuku, who has a black female superhero protagonist in one of his comics.
“I would like to push the narrative that black people can be superheroes without being sidekicks.”
Yesterday, the first day of the event, costumed fans played video games and shopped for merchandise at the venue, Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and International Convention Centre.
“We are here to just have fun,” said Chris Smithard, a market researcher dressed as Aquaman. “For ‘cosplay’ this is a big social gathering.”