#ComeXposed

[eugeneramirez]

Everything is going to be alright. Adelanté. . . . . #behindthescene #BTS #makingof #photography #comexposed https://www.instagram.com/p/By3U9gXDlzs/?igshid=1jflvfnmv63lu

[squidmag]

7 Great Resources for Discovering African Comics

These are 7 of the best resources for discovering African Comics

Googling African Comics these days thankfully returns a series of articles highlighting one African comic or the other. But that’s several articles pointing you in many different places (or saying the same darn thing about the same darn comics). If you’re like me, that means bookmarking a tonne of pages for later when you can sift through and find your favourites. That’s not very productive and…

[billmasuku]

Zimbabwe 2017 comic book season is upon us! It kicks off with the release of the much anticipated Comic Up vol 2 featuring work from top comic talent in the country. A lil bonus for @enigmacomix fans. New batch of T shirts are stocked for youuuuuuu!! Get hype #hype #comic #black #african #cool #d23expo #comiccon #comexposed #a #lit #friday #friyay #yaas (at Comexposed)

[sokhaku-blog]

First roar of the year! #characterdesign #comics #comicart #cute #victory #conceptart #badass #bunnylove #bunny #anthropomorphic #games #comexposed #graphicnovel #makingcomics #earrings #illustration

[glitzempireofficial]

Makoni & Mapondera are creating a whole world of comics and animation by letting people share their stories

Makoni & Mapondera are creating a whole world of comics and animation by letting people share their stories

On April 25, 2015, more than 50 people gathered in Harares Gothe Zentrum Institute to attend the countrys first-ever Comexposed convention. All of the other people at the convention were dressed as anime characters from the anime and manga series, “Bleach.” Only one person at the convention had dreadlocks and was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans as Kevin from the “Ed, Edd, and…

[loyoshflib]

​​​​В прокат скоро выходит «Черная пантера» — фильм про одного из первых чернокожих супергероев, по отзывам критиков являющийся «лучшим у Marvel».

​​​​В прокат скоро выходит «Черная пантера» — фильм про одного из первых чернокожих супергероев, по отзывам критиков являющийся «лучшим у Marvel». «Лучшие фильмы Marvel» появляются каждый год, однако мне стало интересно, как обстоят дела с комиксами на Черном континенте. Изучать локальные комикс-сцены всегда интересно: там можно легко найти как откровенный трэш, так и шедевры, Африка не исключение. Африканская комикс-культура не является современным явлением, она существует с колониальных времен. В первую очередь читатели познакомились с европейскими комиксами (BD), позже стала популярна и американская супергероика. Как и другие события, развитие местных авторов стало возможно лишь с обретением независимости африканскими странами в 1960-х годах. В этот период появились многочисленные политические карикатуры, газетные стрипы и комикс-журналы. В 1970-х начался обратный процесс: под властью диктатуры расцвела цензура, контролирующая СМИ. Однако, судя по воспоминаниям, запрет телевидения наоборот сделал комиксы постоянными спутниками африканских подростков. Дальнейшая демократизация повлияла на расцвет жанра во всех направлениях: от репринтов иностранных изданий до выпуска авторских работ. Стали появляться и образовательные комиксы, издаваемые НКО при участии африканских авторов и посвященные вопросам здравоохранения и гигиены. Благодаря этому началась миграция авторов и иллюстраторов во Францию ​​и Бельгию, где они создали художественные ассоциации для продвижения африканских комиксов. Для многих публикации до сих пор остается большой проблемой и им приходится полагаться на иностранных издателей. Однако молодое поколение сильно отличается от представителей традиционной школы. Вдохновленные ренессансом черной культуры (афрофутуризм, афропанк), они причудливо смешивают современность и мифологию, не стесняются поднимать острые вопросы и активно используют технологии: цифровая графика, сбор денег на Kickstarter, онлайн-релизы и прочее. Лагос, крупный город в Нигерии, стал столицей африканской супергероики — именно там появились самые большие комикс-студии. YouNeek Studios, Comic Republic и Vortex воссоздают классическую супергероику со вселенными, населенными могучими существами со сверхспособностями. В схожем ключе работает южноаф��иканский Kwezi и другие более мелкие проекты: Black Sage, Newborn Saga и Generation Identity. На их фоне немного выделяются Kolanut Productions, продвигающие придуманное ими «афроаниме», и Leti Arts, выпускающие комиксы и игры по вселенной Africa’s Legends. Менее мейнстримную сторону представляют Маргарита Абуэ (Aya of Yop City, номинант премии Айснера и Ангулемского фестиваля), Midas Monkee (серия о египетских оборотнях The Pack и афро-космоопера Yohance) и Blue Forest Collective, создавшие красивые мультфильм и комикс Kariba, вплетающие мифологию в историю постройки одноименной дамбы. Не забывают в Африке и про кино: в 2012 году вышел фильм о подростке со сверхспособностями Leo, а в 2016 были запущены супергеройские сериалы Jongo и Yemoja: Rise of the Orisha (оба спорят за звание первого). Регулярно проходят и комикс-конвенции: нигерийский Lagos Comic Con, кенийский Naiccon и зимбабвийский Comexposed. #comic #chaosss_comic #Africa from Фантастика. Все о фантастике. Отзывы, новости и статьи о .. http://fantasy_sf.tggram.com/post/567 via http://fantasy_sf.tggram.com

[bestdroneforthejob]

4 Cool Things We Saw At Comexposed Converge 2018 #drone #droneracing

There was supposed to be Drone Racing but it ended up as more of a drone showcase as the wind was hell-bent on ensuring that no one races. from Google Alert - drone racing https://ift.tt/2pPRUxj via IFTTT

[kaditay]

My friends @kugalimedia beat us @squidmag with this upcoming anthology of African comics with work from @salimbusuru x @avandu.af, @shhh_maverick x @madcomicsng and @billmasukuart x @comexposed You can pre-order the pilot issue via the link in @kugalimedia' bio. In Kugali's words, Superman hasn't reached Africa's shores yet so we need you to help us save the day! ⠀ #magazine #anthology #africanart #panafricanism #mythology #folklore #fantasy #fantasyart #illustration #artstagram #deviantart #african #blackart #behance #jutsu #comic #afrocentric #afrique #behance #epicfantasy #wacom #darkskin #deviantart #conceptart #fantasy#scifi #scifiart #afrofuturism — view on Instagram http://ift.tt/2rRMQMw

[soulscifi]

Comexposed – Kariba sets sail Comexposed, the source of all things comics, gaming and animation in Africa.

[eugeneramirez]

#Comexposed #comicbook day is a social event and market place for #popculture enthusiasts. Enjoy good #food, #music #videogames and costumed heroes from your favorite comic books . #comiccon #art #animation (at Comexposed)

[squidmag]

Ghanaian Comics at Pa Gya! A Literary Festival In Accra

Ghanaian Comics at Pa Gya! A Literary Festival In Accra

2017 has been pretty amazing so far for the African geekdom, especially where comic books are concerned. From NAICCON (Kenya), Lagos Comic Con (Nigeria), Comexposed (Zimbabwe) and the just concluded NerdCon (Ghana), these events are helping geeks find new spaces to thrive in as fans and/or creators.

As creators and/or fans of African comics, however, there is barely any representation from…

[billmasuku]

Pick up Comic Up vol 1 & 2 from the @comicconzim website! #indie #comic #d23expo #comiccon #sdcc #nycc #color #july #2017 #zim #african #blackgirlmagic #scifi #fantasy (at Comexposed)

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: “The World You’re Crafting Isn’t in a Vacuum”: A Zimbabwean Comics Artist on Social Justice and Storytelling

Cover of the upcoming ‘Razor-Man 5’ (all images courtesy of Bill Masuku)

Over the past few years, the Zimbabwean comic industry has grown significantly. In 2015, an artist collective called Comexposed launched Zimbabwe’s first-ever comic book convention. According to TechZim, it “highlighted the animation talent in the country and shed some light on the burgeoning local comic industry.” Since then, Comexposed has held multiple comic book events. Speaking at Comexposed 2016, co-founder Eugene Mapondera said that the event showed how the local comic industry has grown rapidly since the event’s inception.

Most of the international comic community hasn’t yet recognized the cultural and political importance of the Zimbabwean comic scene. Despite this, Zimbabwe — which has been described as a “great comic book incubator” — continues to produce talented artists like Bill Masuku.

Masuku is fast becoming one of the most well-known comic artists in Zimbabwe. He, along with the well-known Zimbabwean graphic artist Dananayi Muwanigwa, created a popular character named Black Zeus. Masuku went on to create the character Razor-Man, and that series, along with his other comics, are now being produced by Enigma Comix Africa, a subsidiary of Sigma-Digital Studios. Razor-Man debuted and then sold out at Comexposed’s Comic Book Day in 2016. Masuku is currently working on the fifth comic in the Razor-Man series as well as a superhero comic called Arcadia Knights. He’s also collaborating with Amanda Chaniwa on Drama Mama, a slice-of-life comic about five women experiencing life after high school.

Masuku has a consistent ability to combine beautiful line work, witty writing, and socially aware storylines to create entertaining work that pulsates with political themes. I spoke to him about his work, his social commentary, and the nature of the comics scene in Zimbabwe.

*   *   *

Bill Masuku at Harare LitFest, 2016, photo by Susanna Sacks

Let’s start at the beginning: How did you get into creating comics? What attracted you to the medium?

I started drawing comics when I was in Grade 5 [age 11]. I really enjoyed it. Books are great, but they only give half a story. They don’t always convey what the author envisions. When I first read Harry Potter, for example, Hermione was definitely black in my mind, so it was quite a shock to see her as white in the movie. Comics prevent that issue because they’re both written and visual, and I was attracted to the union between those two forms of storytelling.

One of the biggest challenges was that the access to comics in Zimbabwe was nearly nonexistent. It was only much later in my life that I actually got to hold a comic book and look at how it’s done from start to finish.

Has the accessibility of comics changed since you were younger? Why do you think it’s important that young people in Zimbabwe have access to these books?

There are small bookshops that are importing more international content, and we, the local creators, are trying as much as we can to put out the books into as many places as possible. It’s something that the entrepreneurs of the comic book industry are working toward. One of our mandates is to get as many of our books into as many people’s hands as possible.

Having access to things like comic books is super important for younger people. The adult literacy rate in most African countries is really low, and maybe it’s because of access to books themselves. But it’s definitely crucial to be able to get someone interested in reading early, to get them to want to learn more, to read more, to be literate.

From ‘Razor-Man 5’

Your comics explore a lot of social justice issues. How do you think comics enable us to explore these issues in a way that other mediums might not?

I think when it comes to social justice issues, when I’m writing my comics, the four main ones I focus on are race, gender, class, and ableism. The term “tokenism” has developed because there’s not enough diversity in general media, and I think to balance that, as a writer, you need to be aware that the world you’re crafting isn’t in a vacuum. We need to have more people of color representing themselves, just not in isolation. Or rather, not having them represent an entire race on their own. Black characters in mainstream comic-book movies often provide comic relief or some type of singular characteristic that forms a blanket representation of the entire race or culture.

On the point of gender, women characters are often represented as damsels in distress or as eye candy. We only see one type of women’s body, or one kind of female character. There’s an entire spectrum of body shapes, characterizations, and sexualities and genders that aren’t shown in mainstream media.

I think the nature of comics is to be political, to push boundaries, and to broadcast ideas. To be able to send a message while still being entertaining is definitely one of the major reasons why comic books still flourish today.

From ‘Arcadia Knights’

We’ve spoken before about how being Zimbabwean means you face a lot of specific challenges when it comes to making your work visible. International publications tend to say that your work is too niche — despite the fact that they regularly publish articles about similar artists in the United States.

Yeah, there are definitely some socioeconomic differences between creating here and creating overseas, or even farther north in Africa. One example is Roye Okupe, who’s Nigerian. For his comics, he launched a Kickstarter, which immediately gave him a much wider visibility because of the nature of the platform. He’s able to crowdfund, so he doesn’t have to take out a loan or find another job to be able to make comics. And that same statement applies overseas, where comic artists can find more visibility. Because of economic sanctions, Zimbabwean artists can’t use services like PayPal or Kickstarter. Those two points — funding and visibility — are both major hurdles in garnering more interest and being able to push more production out.

Many artists have used comics to talk about social issues. For example, Hyperallergic has covered Joy Brabner, Palestinian artist Leila Abdelrazaq, and the comics newspaper RESIST!, which was recently distributed at the Women’s March in the US. Why do you think it’s important that we have Zimbabwean comic books specifically? How can Zimbabwean artists address the social issues Zimbabweans face in a way international artists can’t?

It all comes back to context. Because of intersectionality, race, gender, and class are all big things that affect us globally. But then colorism, tribalism, and the intricacies of intersectionality come into play when you’re in a different socioeconomic location, or even just a different geographical location. As a writer, it’s crucial to be able to raise awareness about these issues at home. For example, there’s no one talking about being gay in a country where that’s illegal, and what actually happens to you when you come out to your parents. When someone who is not from here [writes about that], they’ll miss the subtle nuances that make the issue relevant to someone who is here and going through it. Having an open-minded writer who talks about these issues creates hope for the reader.

From ‘Razor-Man 5’

What are you working on at the moment, and how does it tie into those issues?

The two big projects I’m working on are Razor Man and Arcadia Knights. The Razor Man comic focuses on the Zimbabwean idea that no matter your situation, you can “make a plan.” Every Zimbabwean knows that catchphrase. It reflects the idea that no matter how bad things get, you’ll make it to the other side. Arcadia Knights is a team superhero book about people who just found themselves with powers. They’re not super buff, they’re not scientists, they’re not billionaires, and they’re not experts in their fields — they’re just regular people who ended up with powers. It’s going to be one of my most diverse projects so far. There’s a young Indian girl, there’s a black guy who’s struggling with class issues, there’s a girl who’s struggling with eating disorders, but it actually leans into one of her powers. I’m more excited for Arcadia Knights than Razor Man, despite Razor Man being more popular at the moment.

Razor-Man 5 is now available from Enigma Comix Africa.

The post “The World You’re Crafting Isn’t in a Vacuum”: A Zimbabwean Comics Artist on Social Justice and Storytelling appeared first on Hyperallergic.

from Hyperallergic http://ift.tt/2nxpK6W via IFTTT

[nigerianguide]

Comexposed, Zimbabwe’s annual comic book & digital arts convention returns in April 2017

http://dlvr.it/NRJFSd

[tinodiwa]

Coz I support local comics 100%! @comexposed #comexposed #ZimComicArtists (at Harare, Zimbabwe)

[eugeneramirez]

More #lineart from last week. This was an interesting project to #design and #illustrate. . . . #comicbookart #commissionart #illustration #comexposed #enigmacomixafrica