The African comic book industry has grown tremendously over the years. Digital platforms have been critical in promoting and exhibiting African comics to a global audience. This post will feature the top 5 digital platforms for African comics.
1. KUGALI MEDIA
Kugali was founded in 2017 by three African creatives, Olufikayo Adeola (Nigeria), Tolu Olowofoyeku (Nigeria), and Hamid Ibrahim (Uganda). The platform aims to promote African storytelling through comics, art, 3D Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), animation, and augmented reality. Kugali has a vast collection of comics in different genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, and action. Some of the popular titles in Kugali include “Lake of Tears,” “Nani,” and “Mumu Juju.”
On an even more positive note, Kugali Media is collaborating with Disney on an animated series called Iwaju. This will be Disney’s first foray into an African-created project, as well as its first collaboration with another creative company. The animated series will debut on Disney+.
Kugali’s website has a sleek, modern style that is simple to use. The platform offers a limited selection of free digital African comics. Joining their Patreon community allows you to access premium features while also supporting the amazing job they are doing for the African comic book industry.
Click here to access their digital platform.
2. ZEBRA COMICS
Zebra Comics, founded in 2016 by Ejob Nathanael and a group of like-minded artists, is a publishing company dedicated to developing and distributing African and Cameroonian stories. Their objective is to present the diversity of African cultures to a global audience through the medium of comic books, which they regard as the future of storytelling.
Zebra Comics’ digital platform has a vintage design that is easy to navigate on desktop and mobile devices. Zebra Comics offers some of its comics for free, however, to have access to the full catalogue, fans can choose to pay for a subscription. It is available to both Android and iOS users.
Click here to have a look.
3. COMIC REPUBLIC
Comic Republic is another digital comics platform that has been making waves in the African comics industry. It was founded in 2014 by Jide Martin, a Nigerian comic book creator, and writer. Comic Republic creates and publishes comics that prominently feature African people, places, and mythology. Comic Republic focuses on publishing African-inspired superhero stories and has quickly become a go-to platform for readers interested in this genre. The platform has published several comics such as “Avonome,” “Might of Guardian Prime,” and “Eru.”
Comic Republic allows users to read their comics online or download them to their devices for a fee. In addition, the platform has an active community of creators who regularly publish new content, making it an exciting platform to watch for new and exciting African superhero stories.
Their work has gained recognition, with CNN featuring them as an African Startup on November 23, 2016. As a digital platform for African comics, Comic Republic has garnered a devoted following for their engaging stories and diverse characters. Their success has led to a production deal with Emagine Content and JackieBoy Entertainment in 2021 to bring one of their popular comics, Ireti, to the big screen as a feature film.
Click here to enter the world of heroes.
4. WAANDA COMICS
Yannick Deubou Sikoue founded Waanda Comics, a group of talented and committed young people who specialize in art, graphic design, audiovisual communication, publishing, and animated film production.
Waanda Comics ensures client satisfaction by providing original content on their digital platform of African comics. The platform promotes African culture and history through comic books and other forms of entertainment, such as animation. Waanda Comics has a collection of comics in different genres, including action, sci-fi, fantasy, and drama. Some of the popular titles include “Android Night,” “CATY,” and “EKIEE! KAMER BOY.”
Access their collection of African comics, including Manga and Webtoon, in both digital and physical formats, with the option to read online or have your preferred comics delivered physically, and the convenience of making payments via Mobile Money (in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, and Benin) or bank card.
To access these, click here.
5. RAPTURES
Raptures’ studio network and digital platform are dedicated to producing high-quality webtoons, comics, and animations that communicate captivating tales about Black Americans, Africans, and Arabs. The team is spread across Nigeria, Ghana, the UAE, and the US, and they are dedicated to becoming a reference in the field of African comics.
They provide a diverse range of mobile comics, including romance, action, comedy, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and others. Their digital platforms include an easy-to-use interface, and some of their comics are free. Some of the titles you should check out on Raptures include “Chiwetel,” “Chronicles of Sa-Ra,” and “Tales of Miss Koi-Koi.”
Click here to be raptured.
I’ve read a few comics from comic republic and zebra comics. Respectively, Ireti and Kawana were my favourite from both teams.
Zebra Comics is top on my list though.
This is quite insightful. I think Anaki is gonna be my favorite from Zebra Comics. Guardian Prime is my favorite from Comic Republic.