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The Cosplay, Creators And Comics Of Lagos Comic-Con 2017, Nigeria's Biggest Geek Gathering To Date

Published Tue, 19 Sep 2017 08:30:39 -0500

By Abdulkareem Baba Aminu

Last Saturday, fans thronged NECA Center, venue of the annual Lagos Comic-Con. Way more than the estimated 5,000 attendees expected from around the world showed up. The doors opened by 9:00am, and a slow trickle of guests turned into a torrent in a couple of hours. At some point, a more precise figure will be made available by the show's organizers, which should give a clearer picture of just how much it has grown since the first one in 2012.

Most of the major publishers, creators and studios were present. Comic Republic, Vortex, YouNeek Studios, Peda Comics, Epoch Comics, Spoof! Animation, and many more had well-staffed stands. A good number of new books were announced, and some debuted at the con, like the trade paperback of Kickstarter smash-hit Newborn, which sold out in no time.

While there's still a ways to go, there was cosplay too. Another interesting aspect to the show is that there was a cash prize of one hundred and fifty thousand naira, roughly the equivalent of $500. The winner turned out to be a character from Assassin's Creed. There were interesting variants of American characters, and also some Nigerian comic book characters too.

The animation studios present were there in full force, with multimedia presentation systems and live demos for fans. Young attendees even enjoyed 'snap lessons' in animation and digital art by the pros. There also were a number of screenings of new animated movies and series, most notably from Spoof! Studios.

There also were many points provided by publishers where kids could grab pens, pencils or markers and draw, most times under the tutelage of an established name. This, in some cases, availed their parents free time to wander the coon themselves and score their favorite books and talk to creators.

The Fist Awards were also handed out, in a variety of categories like Best Artist (Martin Okonkwo for his work on 'Aegis' #3 from Epoch Comics), Best Writer (John Nova for 'Aegis' in a double whammy from Epoch Comics), and more.

What was obvious, though, is that there is a growing number of publishers, fairly-sized as well as the smaller indies. Creators, too, are rising even as healthy competition is evident in the industry.

Retailers, too, enjoyed brisk business, as there were many Marvel, DC, IDW, Image and Valiant comics on sale for fans of all ages to snap up. Of course, Nigerian comics dominated the shelves.

Another interesting point to note is that Nigerian comic books are more popular in the digital format than hard copies. Bleeding Cool spoke to Jide Martins, the CEO of Comic Republic, one of the top guns, and he confirmed it. "We publish 16 titles, and believe me, the digital copies move way faster, with an average of 48,000 downloads per title. But I guess it helps that they are free, so readers can experience our work and buy the hard copies," he said.

Bleeding Cool also cornered Somto Ajuluchukwu, CEO of another of the major players called Vortex Studios, who are known for their lushly illustrated supernatural thrillers which weave African folklore and contemporary tales. "All the clamor for diversity can find satisfaction within Nigerian brands, like Vortex, where we tell our stories our way, without trying to be like anyone else," he said.

On moving copies, Ajuluchukwu said: "We've almost clocked half-a-million downloads so far, and we have over 13,000 subscribers." Currently Vortex, like Comic Republic, is letting fans read the comics digitally, for free. "But we'll monetize them come January next year," he said.

We spoke to Ayodele Elegba, founder of the Lagos Comic Con, and while exhausted, he was the picture of happiness. "We had a phenomenal show, but we're not resting on our oars. The planning for next year's show begins today, now," he beamed.

By the end of the show, there were thousands of satisfied fans leaving, clutching all kinds of swag, from comic books and posters, to T-shirts and toys. Even the pros had a great time meeting and catching up with each other. The geek spirit was indeed strong with this one.

Abdulkareem Baba Aminu is a newspaper editor and award-winning journalist based in Nigeria. He has reviewed comics, novels, movies and music for a variety of platforms and is currently the Editor of the Saturday edition of the Daily Trust, one of the most influential newspapers in his country. You can follow him on Twitter: @KareemReal

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