Comic Con Africa is officially back in Johannesburg, folks. Well, it will be by the time Thursday 26 September rolls around, which is when the cosplaying geek event kicks off at Gauteng’s Johannesburg Expo Centre, spanning the entire weekend until Sunday 29 September.
If you didn’t do all too well at maths, that’s four days of geeky goodness involving the country’s best (and unfortunately, worst) cosplayers showing off their talents. It’s a celebration of pop culture involving some of Hollywood’s, er, finest and revelry in the event’s namesake – comic books. Oh, and of course there’s something for the gamers, too.
Those looking to partake in the festivities can pick up a general admission ticket for R200 a pop, while anyone hoping to experience the Con for all four days can buy a four-day pass for R700, saving R100. It’s worth noting that you’ll need a ticket in addition to any photo op or autograph opportunities you purchase at the event.
Show off your arty side
If you’re hoping to get anything more out of Comic Con than a regular run-of-the-mill shopping experience, you’ll want to make the trip to Artist Alley – arguably our favourite showing of the entire showing.
“Attendees can admire, discover, purchase, or even commission amazing artwork from over 120 artists as well as international artists who have produced work for iconic comic book publishing houses.”
Closer to the event’s launch, Comic Con Africa will unveil some of the bigger names whose butts will be sat in the Artist Alley in the hopes of drawing your attention away from the various food trucks littering the Expo Centre’s gardens.
If you’re interested in learning how to end up in the Artist Alley yourself, Comic Con Africa is putting on numerous workshops and creative panels “that cater to all elements of pop culture,” whether it be drawing or writing for comic books, or sewing your favourite character’s dress. You’ll be able to get in good with industry veterans (the ones willing to turn up to Comic Con Africa, at least) through Q&A sessions and discussions.
Uh… where is Smash?
Gamers, listen up. One of Comic Con Africa’s biggest hitters is gaming, and it’s going especially hard this year. From a partnership with Unplug Yourself that’ll have players pitting themselves against each other across a range of boardgames or learning to paint your minifigures like Henry Cavill (they’re just like us, guys!), to some of the best Counter-Strike action the country has to offer, there’s something for every type of gamer.
If it’s that last bit you’re interested in, you’ll need to look for the Telkom VS Gaming banner in the Gaming Hall. Here you’ll find a bunch of tournaments involving those guys who do this for a living – they’ll usually be the ones up on the big screen – and some free-to-play tournaments involving the guys you stand a chance against. Games include everything from EA Sports FC to Rocket League if past years are any indication.
Or, you could visit the Doritis Crunch Zone for a more casual slice of gaming life at Comic Con.
“Get ready for an epic test of your gaming skills in free-to-play tournaments. Doritos throws down the gauntlet for gamers of all levels to battle it out for bragging rights and awesome cash prizes. Don’t miss your chance to be crowned a champion and take a bite out of gaming glory!”
That’ll be intermingling with the pop-ups from South Africa’s various gaming brands, from Nintendo South Africa to Gamefinity, the official PlayStation distributor this side of the Southern Hemisphere. Possibly our favourite bit of the entire showing was the chance to dive into a demo build of Super Mario Bros. Wonder a whole month ahead of release. Fingers crossed something similar is on the cards for more upcoming Switch titles.
Playing dress-up (professionally, of course)
Whether you’re new to the cosplay scene, or look like those people up above, there’s no denying how integral it is to the overall vibe of any Comic Con, least of all Comic Con Africa. Dress up for the hell of it to bask in some glory from the plebs of the event, or take things a step further by entering your outfit into one of the various cosplay competitions scattered throughout the weekend.
Those more casual cosplayers can put forth their getups into the daily casual cosplay competition to “win spot prizes for the best dressed” or, if you feel your skills are up to it, you can sign up for the Comic Con Africa Championships of Cosplay, where the best of the country will compete to see who earns the right to represent Africa’s cosplay ambitions at the Crown Championships of Cosplay at C2E2 “against the best cosplayers from across the world.”
You’ll need to apply (here) ahead of time if you’re serious about competing in front of this year’s judges, who include Matthew Barry, Roxy Bunnie, Pregan Pillay and Jonathan De Klerk.
More of a watcher than a true cosplayer? No matter, Comic Con Africa has enlisted the help of some of the most well-known cosplayers around the globe to put their talents on display. Cutiepiesensei, Yuji Koi and Har_Fie will all be attending all four days of the festival to be goggled at, at your leisure.
Time to meet the “talent”
As ever, Comic Con Africa has secured the time from some of Hollywood’s most prolific actors – with that title falling onto Dan Fogler of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fame as well as Joe Manganiello who you might remember as Tobey Maguire’s 30-year-old bully in the first Spider-Man film.
Both actors will be in attendance from Friday, 27 September until Sunday, 29 September. You’ll need to be quick if you’re serious about nabbing a photo or an autograph from either of them, as they’re only available for specific sessions at random intervals throughout their time at the event.
You’ll need to pre-purchase tickets to meet with these celebs, with tickets ranging from R750 for a photo op, and R350 for an autograph. You can buy those tickets here. It’s worth mentioning (again) that anyone picking up a photo op or autograph will require a general admission ticket for the day you’ve booked to meet your celebrity.