Fans, young and old, of cosplay, gaming, live-action role-playing and the world of fiction are taking advantage of the perfect opportunity to shine Comic Con Africa 2022.
Over 60-thousand people are expected to immerse themselves in comics, anime, sci-fi and Kids-Con at the Johannesburg Expo Centre this weekend.
Festival goers are due to see the likes of international stars such as Ross Butler and Jamie Campbell Bower from Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Comic Con Africa 2022, an interactive four-day event attracting thousands of people, including children, who are inspired to embrace the superhero, or villain, within.
Comedian, Zaid Motala, has described the importance pop culture and gaming among fans of fiction – saying there is an increase in the number of people joining the fantasy/Sci-Fi community.
“What you find with all fandoms including this one is it is so central to many people’s human experience. For me to have any part in bringing that to life and letting it be a point where they can express themselves at Comic Con Africa – we have quizzes scheduled for every day. So, very excited for that.”
For those Hellfire Club fans, English actor, Jamie Campbell Bower – who stars as Vecna in the latest season of Stranger Things – is among the international celebrities expected to attend the event while visiting South Africa.
While some cosplayers choose to purchase their costumes, others took the time to design and make it themselves. Like Nico van Nirkerk, who spent around 900 hours creating his.
“I enjoy challenging myself, so its fantasy, Sci-Fi and just coming up with something to create a very shocked expression on people who see me. I stopped countuing at 400 hours. So I was around half way done on 400 hours. So give or take, it was 900 hours of work.”
Contrary to some beliefs, Comic Con is not simply a convention for nerds. It draws together a broad range of entertainment genres across the globe and is undoubtedly fun for all.
