It’s been more than two years since the last in-person Comic Con event, and the hype is starting to boil over. Comic Con Africa likes to make each event bigger than its last, and it’s no different for 2022. This year we’ll be pulling up to the Johannesburg Expo Centre, with three halls of nerdiness to explore. From gaming, celebrities (there are a few you won’t want to miss) cosplay, and comic books, 22 to 25 of September is shaping up to be a perfect weekend.

Artists Alley

A staple of Comic Con Africa is the Artists Alley. There’s usually a hall kitted out with hundreds of stands, with artists from all over showing off their art. This is where the life of the party usually is; viewing all our local artists’ hard work on display. Near the Artists Alley this year is Author Avenue and The Block. The Block is a place for fans to produce their own merch and prints, and sell them off to other fans.

At the moment, fifteen international and local comic-book artists are confirmed to be attending this year’s event.

Andrew Lee Griffith (USA)
Bill Masuku (Zimbabwe)
Daniel Govar (USA)
Jason Masters (South Africa)
Karl Mostert (South Africa)
Livio Ramondelli (USA)
Sean Izaakse (South Africa)
Steve Ellis (USA)
Team Kwezi (South Africa)
Tony Moy (USA)
Zach Howard (USA)
Tasia M S (South Africa)
Stephane Roux (France)

Cosplay

Plenty of attendees rock up to Comic Con in their own homemade attire. It’s great to walk around and spot characters like it’s a giant game of I-Spy. This year, three professional cosplayers are attending all four days of the event;

Taryn Cosplay (Italy)
Elizabeth Rage (USA)
Leon Chiro (Italy)

The cosplay talent will be wandering around, showing off their latest cosplay designs. They’ll also spend time at the main stage, answering questions and giving out tips and tricks, throughout the weekend.

The “Talent”

Yesterday, we knew of two guests who would be making their way to Africa – Tati Gabrielle (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Uncharted) and Selwyn Ward (Red Turbo Power Ranger). But that all changed last night. Comic Con had two big names hidden up its sleeves – Ross Butler (13 Reasons Why, Shazam) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna of Stranger Things 4, Twilight). Three out of four of these actors are attending all four days, ready to sign autographs and grab a couple of photos with fans (for a price). Gabrielle will only be available for three out of the four days of Comic Con Africa.

Gaming

Gaming will go big at this year’s Comic Con. Gamers can access the best of esports with the Telkom VS Gaming Master tournament, with the finals taking place during the event itself. Fans can follow the preliminary rounds over the coming month before the event. Find a team, and cheer them on.

Additionally, we have the Doritos Crunch Cup and the Redbull Campus Clutch tournaments to look forward to. The Doritos Crunch Cup is a free-to-play tournament for everyone wanting to play. If you feel you’re great at FIFA, Tekken, Fortnite, and Street Fighter, then you can enter the event to become the best (of those who aren’t paid to do this for a living).

The Redbull Campus Clutch is a tournament for Valorant that took place throughout August, with the finale taking place on the weekend of the event.

The Stores

As usual, Comic Con is the perfect place to buy all the latest nerdy merch. Comic Con confirmed that more than 10 exclusive Funko! Pops would be revealed over the month of September. Keep your eyes open on the Comic Con socials to see if there’s anything of interest for you. Lines tend to be often extremely long, so make sure to arrive early for the drops.

Never seen before

New to the agenda for this year is the StreamerCon section. It’s a place to meet some of your favourite local streamers, YouTubers, bloggers, and podcasters. Eight spotlight content creators are confirmed to attend, with a further 36 smaller streamers and YouTubers making their way to the event. There’ll be Q&As and panels that offer a glimpse into the world of streaming.