Africa’s ultimate pop culture and gaming festival is less than 10 days away from opening its doors which will invite fans to flock into Johannesburg Expo Centre to experience the best in cosplay, art, comics, gaming, and more. Over the long weekend, fans from across the country will have the opportunity to meet some of their favourite celebrities and content creators. With Saturday general access tickets and weekend passes already sold out here’s a breakdown of what to expect.
Last night, Comic Con Africa hosted a media launch at Cracker Zac’s in Rosebank where guests were able to get the scoop on everything that they needed to know about the upcoming festival while snacking on finger lickin’ good snacks provided by the presenting sponsor – KFC. Much excitement was drawn to the international film and series stars that will be attending the festival, namely:
· Anthony Daniels, renowned for his iconic role as C-3PO in the Star Wars saga
· Veronica Taylor, famed as the original English voice of Ash Ketchum in Pokémon
· Ross Marquand, known for his roles as Aaron in The Walking Dead as well as Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
· John Barrowman, the iconic fan-favourite Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood as well as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowverse across the TV shows Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow
· Denim Richards, the recently announced addition to the line up features as Colby Mayfield in the hit series Yellowstone
In addition to mainstream stars, Comic Con Africa is also excited to welcome voice over artists from some of the industry’s largest titles, including:
· Martin Copping, best known for his contributions as Mozzie from Rainbow Six: Siege, as well as featuring as Lucas Riggs in Call of Duty: Vanguard
· Jeff Teravainen, best known as Sam “Zero” Fisher in Rainbow Six: Siege
Comic Con Africa is proudly dedicated to showcasing South African actors who are creating waves both within South African borders and on the global stage. This year Comic Con Africa will highlight two local celebrities, namely:
· Steven John Ward, who portrays Mihawk in Netflix’s recent live action adaptation of the iconic anime series One Piece
· Cameron Scott, South African writer, producer, and actor – having written and starred in the acclaimed short film Ring of Beasts and having featured in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth 3 and the Bachelorette SA
“I couldn’t be more thrilled that Comic Con Africa has started highlighting homegrown potential right here in SA and I’m honoured to be among those featured,” said local spotlight guest Cameron Scott.
“I think this is a huge step in the right direction for our local fandom and pop culture community, so, grab your tickets and I will see you there.” Scott added.
From the screen to the pages, Comic Con Africa is also highlighting two authors from South Africa in an exciting venture to diversify the celebrity offering of the festival. This year Comic Con Africa will highlight:
· Dale Halvorsen, the award-winning book cover designer and illustrator who is one part co-author of Girls of Little Hope
· Sam Beckbessinger, bestselling author of Manage Your Money Like a F*ucking Grownup and the upcoming relocation guide moving to the UK: A Concise Guide for South Africans. Beckbessinger is also one part co-author of Girls of Little Hope.
Both local and international comic book artists will also feature at the event including Nooligan who has stamped his impact on pop culture and the comic universe with his iconic range of statues designed for DC Comics. The local comic book artist landscape also boasts talent that has contributed to large publishers like DC Comics and Marvel Comics. For Comic Con Africa 2023, the line of local comic book artists over Heritage Day weekend includes:
· Sean Izaakse, whose artwork has brought life to heavy hitter Marvel Comics’ Characters such as Thunderbolts, the Fantastic Four, and Captain America
· Jason Masters, who has also brought Marvel’s Avengers and Captain America to life
· Karl Mostert,a local comic book artist that has worked on titles including Batman: Urban Legends, Detective Comics, as well as DCeased: Hope at World’s End
· Warren Louw, who has brought to life Harley Quinn, Power Girl, Vampirella, as well as Sacred Six
· Sebastian A Jones, president of Stranger Comics – a publishing focused on the fantasy world of Asunda and children’s books.
As a staple of Comic Con Africa – Cosplay (dressing up) remains a huge attraction for fans. Weather it’s grabbing a photo opportunity with someone dressed as your favourite character, or if it’s escaping the real world and entering the realm of your favourite franchise – Comic Con Africa remains the largest cross over episode. More than casually dressing up, many make a career out of Cosplay and achieve global acclaim – three international guests of this nature include Princess Sachiko (South Africa), Har Fie (England), as well as Sakura Flor (Netherlands)
This year, Comic Con Africa is shining a spotlight on Anime and Japanese pop culture. Two Japanese lifestyle YouTubers will be in attendance – Aki Dearest and The Anime Man. Moreover, Jack Lang, Executive Producer and Vice President for International Business Development and Licensing at Polygon Pictures, adds to the event’s allure as the first-ever Industry Guest.
The nature of Comic Con is unfortunately synonymous with changes in the guest line up, with voice over artist Chad Michale Collins and cosplayer Lindsay Elyse no longer able to attend the event.
Comic Con Africa 2023 is shaping up to be a not-to-be-missed festival, Saturday General Access tickets and Four Day Passes are already sold out and will not be available at the gate. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets for R200 through Howler here: https://bit.ly/CCA2023_tickets
* A reminder from the organisers that only tickets purchased from Howler will grant admission to the festival. The organisers wish to remind fans that the authenticity of tickets purchased from a third party cannot be guaranteed. The only source of official tickets from the organisers are found on Howler.
** Please note that all guest appearances are subject to change without notice.
