After an incredible first day at Comic Con Cape Town, where Wilma Joubert took 1st place in the Brother Sew-A-Thon competition, thousands of fans, some adorned in the most incredible and authentic Cosplays, lined up outside the CTICC for a second day of pop culture and gaming fun. Hosted by the City of Cape Town, in Partnership with Fancon, Comic Con Cape Town has more to offer than what meets the eye.
As festivalgoers eagerly flocked in to immerse themselves in a geek fuelled universe, American actors Tati Gabrielle, Jason Moore, Ross Marquand and Kat Graham returned to the Main Stage to engage with their roaring Capetonian fanbase. The Guest Spotlight Sessions offer the exciting opportunity for guests to interact with their favourite actors, streamers, illustrators and cosplayers through a question-and-answer format.
K-pop fans witnessed a performance by Cape2Kpop, a proudly Capetonian dance crew with a K-pop inspired flair. Bringing the heat to the Main Stage was Claremont-based arts school, School of Rock who entertained fans with their talent in a one-of-a-kind performance. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, globally renowned Comic Con host, DJ Elliott brought Call of Duty YouTuber, Marley Thirteen on stage to chat about how he cultivated his following and become known as one of the most well-known local Call of Duty (COD) players.
Brimming with bright lights, pumping music and eager gamers, the Doritos Crunch Cup brought the heat with their daily competition inviting COD players to compete. With several opportunities to win big including Teken on Saturday and FIFA on Sunday, guests witnessed two friends go head-to-head in a nail-hitting game in hopes of winning the daily prize of R7000 and an Xbox.
Down the hall, Telkom VS Gaming kept gamers glued to their screens with their FIFA King of Hill offering which was open to gamers looking for a thrill. Zaid April, the reigning SAFA e-cup champion, joined guests to give them a real sense of competition, which kept fans and players at the edge of their seats.
“It’s so exciting to be at Comic Con Cape Town! It means a lot that I’m here at the festival because I really want to become a gamer one day. Out of all the games I play, Fortnite has to be my favourite”, says 9-year-old William Prinston who flew all the way from Pretoria with his family to immerse himself in the gaming experiences on offer.
While at the Pop Culture Content Zone, the Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) saw hundreds of guests in and out of their whimsical activation, boasting a variety of activities geared toward animation enthusiasts. After spotlighting French-produced anime, Director and Animator Ulysse Malassagne took the audience through the past decade of the animation industry, highlighting the various challenges of crafting 2D animations.
Character Animator, Annike Pienaar set out to give fans the low down on the ins and outs of the animation industry in a session entitled Things I Wish I Knew Before. Pienaar also talked about her favourite projects that she’s worked on like Sing 2 and Revolting Rhymes which has received international recognition. Adding to the educational nature of CTIAF, Ariane Suveg, Head of Kids Channels for Warner Media Africa, joined the Pop Culture Content Zone to enlighten enthusiasts on What Broadcasters Want You To Know about the content creation and industry as a whole.
Women animators have cemented themselves as industry leaders over the past few years and the Cape Town International Animation Festival geared day-two towards celebrating these trailblazers with a screening of the best female-directed short films submitted to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival held in Annecy, France. Amongst the various activities on offer for animation enthusiasts, the Protea Room at CTICC 2 was home to five-and-a-half hour workshop on how to Create Your First Cinematic Shot.
“Cape Town is constantly building to become a premier film and media destination not just for Africa but the entire world. On average we have around 10 000 film, television, online series and commercials shot in Cape Town annually. Cape Town is also home to over 50 percent of the game development studios in the country. Add to that a growing animation sector that is making waves on the international scene and the Mother City is the perfect place to host Comic Con Cape Town. As the City of Cape Town we are thrilled pop culture enthusiasts have answered the call and made it a success”, says City of Cape Town spokesperson, JP Smith.
The Artist Alley Spotlight Stage drew in hundreds of comic fans as satirical cartoonist Zapiro took to the stage to discuss the impact of cartooning and how it connects people around the world. Although the pop culture hall features local and international artists and illustrators, the creativity of African artists shone throughout. One these very individuals, Sean Izaakse spoke to fans on his latest project, DC’s Green Arrows where he redesigned the costumes of the iconic characters and added his spin onto its look and feel.
As the home of content creator, StreamerCon gave content creators another dayfilled with hacks on how to elevate their content. Hero27_Creations, Chloe_ZA, DaddyCOolZA, ConCon, and RustyPieLovers came together to equip budding creators with the knowledge to gain followers and increased engagement – one of the hardest aspects of building an online community as a streamer. Then, commenting on the ever-changing Metaverse, where AI is becoming the future, four local streamers engaged on how Vtubing is taking over the streaming space.
As more anticipation builds towards the arrival of David Oaks on Saturday, the incredible cosplays expected to be seen on and off the main stage as the Cosplay Regional Champs take place on Sunday, and the excitement builds around the winners’ announcement of the gaming tournaments, fans are gearing up for an incredible next two days, as Comic Con Cape Town keeps the heartbeat of the city alive.
