Comic Con Africa 2019: My One-day Life-changing Experience
After missing last year’s Con because I couldn’t get tickets, I made sure to not make the same mistake and had my fingers hovering over the ‘Buy Now’ button as soon as Comic Con Africa 2019 was announced!
As we drove to Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand my friend and I could hardly contain our excitement. It was like the thought of Comic Con itself breathed air into our lungs. We both have been dreaming about attending a Con and for me personally this has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember.
Growing up in a town and round friends that thought gaming, comics, and heroes were a bit weird for a girl like me to enjoy, seeing videos and posts from Comic Con was a breath of fresh air! As we stood in line waiting for them to let us in, I could hear the excited whispers of others. The lines began to fill up with the beautiful colors of the cosplayers who were attending. We spotted cosplays of Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, and so much more!! I have never seen so many self-confessed geeks gather at one location (apart from on TV). It was mind-blowing to see so many people showing off their passion and being able to express their feelings.
When the doors to the convention centre opened the air was suddenly filled with screams of excitement as we watched them open the line, everyone rushing to enter already having their desired location in mind. My friend and I already knew that we wanted to start with Hall 5 since we did not want to miss out on any of the shops. We were greeted with friendly smiles as everyone showed off their best crafts, plushies, keychains, basically anything your heart could desire! Although it is truly a dangerous environment to be in if you struggle to control your spending habits, like me!! As I expected the Funko pop line was full the entire day as people queued up to grab limited editions or pops that they haven’t seen or were unable to get before.
My absolute favorite spot was the art gallery. My friend and I decided that we would first walk around and look at things first BEFORE we bought anything…….Did it work? No! I walked away with 8 pieces of art that day and my wallet felt it :( Do I regret it? Absolutely NOT!! The art gallery was filled with beautiful colored artwork inspired by everything from games to superheroes, villains and TV shows. Ever since I was a child I have always been a sucker for Wonder Woman, she is a hero I grew up with (and possibly my all-time favorite superhero!!) so the moment I laid my eyes on the beautiful watercolor painting I just knew it was meant to be!
I also managed to get prints of some of my favorite Overwatch characters. Since it is the game that keeps me up most nights and I knew I would regret it if I did not take them home with me. You only live once, right?
But as with all big events there comes some small anomalies, not all was sunshine and rainbows at the Con (for me at least). After maybe two hours, I regretted my shoe choice (ones that I thought would have been comfy enough, turns out to be the wrong decision). We all know that huge events like this generate a lot of foot traffic and if you are someone that does not like bumping into others or slow-moving traffic then this would really give someone a headache. My advice for this, if you’ve never been to a Con, is to find halls or areas that may not be as busy as the others and start there. Hopefully, by the time you are finished seeing what is happening there, the other spots may have calmed down a little so you can take it at your own pace!
The panel discussions drew in loads of visitors as fans could not wait to be part of the hot topics and see the celebs. However, as Comic Con drew to a close throughout the final day many fans were left disappointed as a lot of acts and panels had to be canceled due to unforeseen reasons. The event allows fans to book probably about 15min with a celeb, to take a photo or two or to get an Autograph. Comic Con 2019 had something for everyone, even Saturday’s Rugby WorldCup match between the All Blacks and the Springboks was featured at the food court. I saw plenty of dads with their kids who were happy about being able to catch up with the score!
To end off my first experience and thoughts, Comic Con 2019 was a huge success and I can only see it getting better in the future! I’m already planning my 2020 Comic Con attendance in Cape Town. Although it’s sad that it’s no longer an hour’s drive away from home and is now a flight to the Mother City instead. I try to look at the bright side of it and see it as a brand new adventure!! And since the whole experience of Comic Con is like an adventure itself, I have twice as many things to look forward to!
I really look forward to seeing what next year has to offer. What cosplays everyone will show up with, what new talents, gadgets, and crafts they will put up on display. And who knows, maybe I’ll even try cosplay myself?
But what I’d like to know from you is, have you attended this year’s Comic Con Africa? Or have you had a chance to go to one of the Comic Con’s other shows around the world? I’d love to know! Maybe someday I’ll see you at one!
Lots of Love
