The year in comics
As chosen by Bill Masuku, creator of Tokoloshe Hunters, a fan-favourite Afro-manga that is soon-to-be-republished.
Bill Masuku
Celestial Eyes (Nigeria)
If John Wick and The Witcher had a baby, it’d be this supernatural crime thriller. From the mind of John Uche, with art by Francis Goodluck, comes the mature, magical Celestial Eyes. Onwanuju, the occult detective with a full blue moon in her eyes, and Odi Maria – her adventurous best friend – investigate mysterious cases that plague their city.
Kalabash (Zimbabwe)
Afro Tokyo is a Zimbabwean company creating southern African stories with art influenced by Japanese manga. Its Kalabash anthology aims to create easily accessible print stories rather than high-cost graphic novels. Although the pages are black and white, the writing and art creatively play with anatomy, page flow, and graphic-design principles.
Imbokodo (South Africa)
This beautiful fantasy epic from Thabo Rametsi, Thabiso Mabanna, and Katlego Motaung is unlike any comic before it. In the Monomotapa empire, Queen Nyameka commands the greatest warriors in all of Ndawo, the Imbokodo (“rock” in isiZulu). Here, a woman will fight to join them and stand for the queen, the empire, and for the freedom of all Muntu.
Touch & Follow (Cameroon)
Most comic books from Africa lean into sci-fi and fantastical worlds inspired by great but forgotten cultures. In contrast, Touch & Follow is a slice-of-life drama with a hint of love potions. It makes for a quintessential African story while using Zebra Comics’s app to elevate the passionate and comedic narrative flow in a way that is not limited by paper.
Carry On (Ethiopia)
In their contributions to Etan Comics’s speculative fiction anthology, comic creators from across the continent consider what happens after a great change – and how great changes force us to make hard decisions. Carry On is an assortment of space, time-travel, metaphysical, and genre-bending stories of identity, culture, and the enduring human spirit.