Comic Con Cape Town 2021 Round-up

Comic Con Cape Town Pop Up took place on Saturday the 2nd of October in and around the Mother City. In partnership with Film Cape Town and hosted by the City of Cape Town, this reimagined taste of Comic Con Cape Town was a resounding success which brought much hype and excitement. With 17 different pop-ups around the City Bowl, fandoms came together to submerge themselves in a world of pop-culture and gaming.

The day kicked off at Redemption Burgers at the Old Biscuit Mill. Emerging artists from around the City came together for live draw sessions on what inspires them and their creative process.

Other art pop up activities included the nail biting Shooting the Breeze live sketch battles, between some of Cape Town’s top illustrators and street artists. The semi-finals had fans excited and cheering as artists battled against the clock, and their competitor, to make it into finals. The battle saw Wayne Beukes (waynebks) and Skumbuzo (skubalisto) go head-to-head to take R5000 and prizes sponsored by POSCA. Skumbuzo walked away victorious.

Tabletop gamers gathered at Kind Regards, Dunkley Square to be enthralled by dungeon masters for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns as well as compete in Magic: The Gathering. The Magic: The Gathering winners for the day were Darryn Mays coming in 1st place with Callum Cameron-Smith and Shirag Maharaj placing in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The much-anticipated Comic Con Cape Town Regional Cosplay competition kicked off at VEGA Campus with 25 casual cosplay participants, judged by Rene Staack, the General Manager of Comic Con Africa and Comic Con Cape Town as well as Carol Weaving, MD for Reed Exhibitions Africa. The Casual Cosplay participants entered to showcase their authentic (and sometimes even unique) interpretations of looks from different games, films, series, and anime. The top 3 places were taken by Sunrea Cosplay for Mitsuri Kanji (Demon Slayer), Kitten for Chocola (Nekopara), and first place was secured by Julian Jaye for Captain Deadpool.

The kids cosplay, proudly brought to you by Build-a-Bear, saw Cloe Walter win for her cosplay of Ash, from Pokémon. Strutting her stuff with Pikachu in hand and Butterfree on her shoulder, this young cosplayer blew everyone away with her representation of the legendary Pokémon trainer.

The Regional Masters of Cosplay Championship, in partnership with Brother,was a roaring success with world-class cosplayers taking to the stage to show off their creations. The Masters was judged by Gammablast Cosplay and Lars Neilson. The judges choice award went to FrostyKitty Cosplay, and the prize for Needlework went to Baka Sakura Cosplay. For the category of Armour and Construction Jaechild Cosplay won for showcasing Albedo.

The overall winner, who will progress to the National Masters of Cosplay Competition at Comic Con Africa (Johannesburg) in September 2022 was Ludus Cosplay for his cosplay of Grandmaster Link, an original design based off of the iconic franchise, The Legend Of Zelda. Overall, it took 5 months to create and design and boasted components of the various titles of the games.

Comic Con Cape Town Cos Paly Regionals – Tiano-Xavier-@duskanddawn (photograpy Comiccon)

Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fans came together for fan-favourite quizzes and action packed activities! The excitement was palpable as fans battled it out at Mojo Market and Beerhouse to win collectable merchandise from each fandom.

Film and series fans were blown away with first-looks and exclusive screenings at Ster-Kinekor and Labia Theatre. Fans were given the chance to see the highly anticipated movie Dune before its official release on the 22 October 2021. The Addams Family 2 offered fun for all ages, and a horror night left the fans on the edge of their seats with Don’t Breathe 2, and a sneak peek of Chapelwaite Episode 1.

Gamers, both casual and competitive, flocked to ATK Arena for an action-packed time which tested their speed with F1 time trials and fighting skills in Tekken show downs.

The pop-up activities also featured an industry side, with The Business of Gaming Connect: Cape Town session. Discussing Cape Town as a Gaming Hub, the workshop, held at VEGA Campus welcomed attendees interested in a future within the industry.

A highlight to a day of excitement and getting to know the Mother City was the pirate dress-up sunset cruise on the Jolly Roger. With much excitement and many wonderful looks, fans set off to end the day of pop-culture fun.

Looking back at the weekend – Carla Massmann, Show Director for Comic Con Africa and Comic Con Cape Town – said that having seen how the fans engaged with the pop up, and sense of community, we recognise that the Mother City is as excited as we are for a full force festival.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb