The China Mail - Fans pour into S.Africa Comic Con despite few celebrity headliners

At this year's festival -- held at the same venue set to host G20 leaders in November -- the stars weren't on stage. They were the fans.

Thousands of self-professed nerds, comic book lovers, superhero fans and anime obsessives descended on the Johannesburg venue, undeterred by a noticeably slimmed-down celebrity lineup.

Highlights nonetheless included Dan Fogler, best known for playing Jacob Kowalski in the Harry Potter spin-off "Fantastic Beasts".

Around 70,000 people were expected to attend the convention, which runs from Thursday through Sunday.

Among them was Tshegofatso Nabe, attending for the fourth year in a row.

The teenager left nothing to chance this time, maxing out her savings on a striking blonde-and-blue wig, coloured contact lenses, high platform shoes and delicate angel wings that seemed to sprout from the back of her head.

Her inspiration? Sunday, a villain from "Honkai: Star Rail", a Chinese-built game where anime characters battle space monsters.

"The cosplay community is so kind and this is the only time in the year when I can experience the joy of wearing this costume outside without someone looking at me weirdly," she told AFP, as Wonder Woman, Darth Vader and Spider-Man mingled nearby.

"There aren't many conventions in Africa, and this is the only chance to express ourselves and connect with people who are in the same fandom," she added.

South Africa, often considered one of Africa's most progressive countries, still grapples with conservative attitudes that sometimes view cosplay and fandom culture as trivial.

- Here 'for the vibes' -

Originally, Comic Con began as a grassroots event for comic books fans to meet but it has grown exponentially and is today used by studios to launch their latest blockbuster movies and TV shows.

At the Johannesburg event, competitors also battled it out in popular eSports games like "FIFA", with contests interspersed with music.

In another corner, rows of teenagers with headphones clamped to their ears gazed into curved screens, their gaming stage bathed in the pulsating glow of strobe lights.

"We are on par with Comic Con festivals in Europe and America," said exhibitor and former gaming champion Elias Machete. "People are trying to look at the numbers but the quality here is so beautiful."

Damian Wilson, a 31-year-old salesman who returned for the third year, agreed: "We are just here for the vibes."

E.Lau--ThChM