FRATPACKER WORLD.

A Comic Con Review

As South Africans we would watch TV and movies, seeing & hearing about the magic that is Comic Con. If you’re new to the concept of Comic Con, it is meant to be a wonderland for everything comic, animation, anime, manga, superhero, gaming and sci-fi based. A place where fantasy meets reality…yet somehow it feels as if that spark is missing or isn’t being translated for the South African crowd and I have some thoughts and feelings on maybe why this may be the case.

Let’s begin at the world of comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, animation, anime and cosplay. It’s more socially known to be more of a white person’s hobby, interest or activity. Now while even in white cultures it is seen as more of a nerdy, geeky and weird trait to enjoy and have in black cultures the level of perceived weirdness is multiplied tenfold with cases of ostracization taking place or being teased, bullied or roasted for having a liking and passion for such interests. It made one feel as though they were doing something wrong or had to enjoy in secrecy to not have the negative stigmas thrown upon you.

What made things harder was the lack of representation for black people and people of colour in these comics, shows, series, movies and such. Having said that I’ve always been of the understanding that as a creator of anything one would create from their lived and perceived experiences so I’m not expecting a white person to create with a person of colour’s perspective in mind, especially back in those days and that we should always be promoting and encouraging our own people to start taking up these spaces and create our own stories and narratives around these interests. Growing up facing the ostracizations from both sides, whether intentional or accidentally, it felt like there was no safe space for one to express themselves. Having to either enjoy in privacy, secretly searching for your tribe or living it out loud and proud, facing the criticising and roasting head-on. This was all until 2018 when Comic Con arrived in South Africa for the first time.

When the news first broke in 2018 that for the first time ever Comic Con would be in Africa, hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the Coca-Cola Dome, it broke the internet. The world’s largest comic, superhero, anime, gaming, sci-fi and cosplay convention was coming to South Africa, and everybody was in a frenzy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the first one or the second in 2019 and then in 2020 Covid-19 was the cause for a Comic Con Africa free year. The convention came back in 2021 and in 2023 I had the privilege and honour of being selected to participate as media for the convention and have been to every Comic Con since.

Now that we’ve gone through the history of Comic Con Africa, let me breakdown my experience with the event these past 3 years. My first year attending in 2023, it was held at The Nasrec Expo Centre, and I went as selected media, so the experience was cool and different to the regular bought ticket. We were invited to a media address night at Cracker Zac in Rosebank and then invited to a walkthrough of the convention on the Wednesday, the day before the convention officially opened. We were told of new editions happening at the convention such as; Street Con – A spot to highlight, what they would call the “urban” culture but we really know they mean black and hip-hop culture, Otsuka Town – A collaboration and partnership between South Africa and the Japanese government and arts program, The Table Top Tournament – Showcasing table top games, which are card games like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic The Gathering and more.

As a first timer, this was exciting, and I felt fresh-faced and wide-eyed. Even though I was media, I had to go in cosplay because it would feel criminal otherwise. I went to 3 out of the 4 days, going as Monkey D. Luffy, and Donkey Kong. The experience was truly amazing seeing all the different and amazing cosplay and costumes from the home-made to the crazy complex machinery and make-up people had. The whole centre was filled and buzzing with excitement. Seeing so many black and people of colour enjoying their passion and hobbies with full joy and no fear of judgement or teasing. Having black kids, parents and adults stop and ask you for a picture and just to talk favourite anime or comic and genuinely share a passion and love with others that look like you are a blessing. A better feeling was walking around the convention and seeing different stalls, finding new local vendors that either sell or create their own comics, posters, merchandise and more. It opened my eyes to a whole deeper and active world within South Africa that hasn’t been highlighted because of the stigmas around it. The Street Con was dope with them showcasing that hip-hop is a fantasy world itself with its descriptive writing and artforms that present itself in graffiti, sneaker culture and its fashion.

With everything looking and feeling so good, I had noticed some areas of concern or critique that were worthy to note.  My first critique would be that in the space and area they have the main stage where they have the talks and cosplay competitions was centred in the busy of everything and makes it confusing to know what’s going on at the time or to pay attention to the show taking place on stage. It feels as though they should have a whole area set up specifically for the different talks and speakers that could serve as a conference area and patrons can attend the talks and programs they would like to attend. This would lead me to the next point which would be the programming. They usually set their talks with the international guests early at around 9am – 10am which is hard on a Saturday morning and especially with people having to prepare and get into their cosplay before arriving. This includes the gaming tournaments as well. Lastly it would be the entertainment factor with South Africans being people known to enjoy a great time and celebration it felt like in a world based off imagination it was very limited. I wondered why they hadn’t hired choreographers and stunt people to dress in cosplay and re-enact or create new fight scenes with characters or do a flash mob, having mini competitions around of trivia, quizzes, guess the character, a scavenger hunt where you have to find or take pictures with certain characters or getting clues by visiting different stalls. The entertainment area that did have live bands performing should learn the South African market and get the artists that also provide a commercial appeal and attraction for your average person who may just be looking for a great time out while learning more about a culture they were previously shout out to.

These were my initial worries and in the last two years unfortunately it hasn’t gotten any better with Comic Con Africa taking away the Street Con and removing some of the speaker engagements. The spread of information for the program has gotten lost in the communication with people not knowing which competitions or showcases taking place and were. For example, this year quite a few people were surprised to find out that there was an amateur and fan cosplay competition participation and not just the professional one. Talking about the cosplay competition, I’ve personally never been able to experience with everything happening, everywhere all at once by the main hall. Last year when attending Comic Con Africa as a patron this time, it felt as though it was just a convention for vendors to find new customers and market themselves but not as a fantasy experience. This year with it being moved earlier in the timeline from September to August, it felt rushed and with knowing what to expect it felt like going to school opening your lunchbox at break knowing you’re going to get the same old cheese sandwich; yeah, it’ll do the job but there’s no craving for it. Even with the tabletop games, they could make them an exhibition and have people sign-up for tournaments and prizes, dress it up and present it like a spectacle and battle of the best to ever lay hands on a deck.

I know I maybe sounding like I’m being overly critical and just knit-picking at things but in a world and country where young black kids and kids of colour aren’t really encouraged to get into comics, anime, fantasy and the sci-fi world. Besides the stigma and ostracization around it there also comes in the barrier of costs and knowledge. With most coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, most don’t have the money necessary to hire out and buy the professional and authentic cosplays or costumes ad because not being encouraged to look into the world of fantasy most are clueless on where to start and how one is able to make their own homemade cosplay using everyday products. It could be really cool if, before leading into the main event, Comic Con would do workshops and activations around the townships and cities in Johannesburg on cosplaying and all it’s sub-genres like make-up, performances, sewing and more.

Comic Con Africa has such potential to make an impact in the world of fantasy in South Africa and Africa as a whole but they need to engage with the people and community, in terms of immersing themselves into the event culture of the people and providing us with an experience instead of a convention. Help change people’s realities and bring them the fantasy that we so desperately seek and hope to be immersed and engulfed in.