About a decade ago, webtoons were not considered to be as valuable as traditional comics or webcomics. This was especially true for African comics as many Africans did not know about the webtoon format and consequently, there weren’t many African webtoon productions available on the market. Ten years later, the webtoon format has become so popular that many African comics lovers swear by webtoon alone. The huge success of platforms like Naver Webtoon, Bilibili Comics, Tapas, Manta Comics and INKR has helped democratize the webtoon format even more, attracting greater numbers of fans from different countries in different continents across the globe. Add the fact that webtoons are easy to read on the go with smartphones, as they are custom made to be consumed on these devices, and the fact that they are easily accessible, and you have a comics format that will drastically change the landscape of comics on the global stage in a few years to come.
In Africa, as hinted above, webtoons have become very popular. The format has been easily embraced by comics lovers on the African continent because it is easy to access and most of what is available can be consumed for free. With a smartphone and internet connection, anybody can access several webtoon platforms and enjoy hundreds or thousands of webtoons for free. These reasons, therefore, have put traditional comics from Africa in huge competition with webtoons.
This adoption of webtoon in Africa is truly changing the landscape of comics on the continent. However, a question still persists: Are there enough African webtoons out there. Well, for now, the number of traditional comics from Africa still outnumber the number of African webtoons available online. The reasons for this situation may be found in the lack of skills needed for the production of webtoons or the shortage of dedicated platforms for African webtoons. Well, whatever the reasons for this shortage are, it should however be noted that there still exist a decent amount of excellent African webtoons available for readers to enjoy. Today, Africa is blessed to have platforms like Zebra Comics and Raptures which do a great job every day to push African webtoons to markets in Africa and across the world. This has helped encourage many more comics creators to create their stories in the webtoon format. Many of these African webtoons are even published on the most popular webtoon platforms out there and viewed by many as worthy of being amongst the best.
So, which are the best African webtoons so far? Well, check out the list below to find out more.
1. KAWANA
IKEI lives the life of a billionaire kid: chic apartment, celebrity boyfriend, loaded bank account and free cruises to exotic places.
Curiously, she is doing all these while grappling with unvalidated courses at the University. The question now is: who sponsors this kind of lifestyle?
Well, many think her numerous dates finance her escapades. No! She comes from a wealthy family that can afford anything she may desire.
So why does she choose this questionable path? The answer lies in a deeply dysfunctional family.
Kawana is available to enjoy on the Zebra Comics app and website.
Created by Avandu Comics, this webtoon presents a situation where Poachers are a menace to African Wildlife. They hunt, sometimes butcher and eventually sell these animals, most of them endangered to the highest bidder. What if an elite unit was set up to stop them in their tracks? That’s Moraan, an elite unit sworn to protect and serve.
With Avandu Comics’ signature art style, this webtoon stands tall in a sea of African stories. It is available on Webtoon.
TOFUNMI is the granddaughter of the supreme god of the heavens, OLORUN. When OLORUN stops coming for their usual meetups, monsters begin to leak into the human world. TOFUNMI must leave everything behind to face these monsters, ghouls, and gods till she finds her beloved grandfather… protecting innocent humans along the way. UPDATED EVERY TWO TUESDAYS.
4. OLWATUUKA (Once Upon A Time)
Based off an African Folk Tale, The story follows a young boy (Kakama) who is set out to destroy a vicious demon that has terrorized the world and killed his family. Watch as the story unfolds revealing immense drama, action and comedy in the world where the youngest hero will put all to an end, or will he?
This wonderful webtoon is available to enjoy on webtoon.
5. ANAKI
Once, in the land of Tazeti, the gods lived amongst men. Due to their lust for the beautiful women created by their father Ra-mun, the gods had children in the world. These children, witches or as they were known, the Balemba, were born with special abilities never intended by Ra-mun for mankind.
He cast a barrier between realms and gods could no longer take flesh on Tazeti. Ra-mun hoped the power of the Balemba would fade with time, but they only grew stronger, their menace ever more present. Then, something changed, a new line of witches took up arms against their evil kin. And for thousands of years, they battled… In their last stand, their leader Ananzi, driven by emotion, could not finish them off. This cost her everything.
Ra-mun ordered the High Priest to create an Inquisition. This Inquisition an elite team blessed by Ra-mun himself was tasked with destroying all Balemba, both good and evil. There was to be no trace of their kind on this world. He prophesied that as much as one was left alive, the world of Tazeti will fall.
The Inquisition, lawlessly and with brute force exterminated all the witches. Save one, Ananzi. She hid herself for 100 years before a mere blunder led to her demise. But she was with child, and this child, Anaki, born in the midst of battle was hidden from the eyes of the High Priest and his Inquisition for 18 years till one day…One day, when Anaki’s power was cast in an hour of need.
Unknowing of her own power, and the threat against her kind, Anaki will have to withstand the Inquisition alone, where all the Balemba failed.
ANAKI is available on the Zebra Comics app and website.
Sophie the Giant-Slayer is simply a black and white adventure comic about a little girl fighting giants. Borrowing from Fortress of Solitude, “the comic tells the story of a female protagonist named Sophie who has received the task of slaying Earth’s biggest threat; giants. These are not your typical overgrown human-looking giants from the days your mom told you the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk” to help you sleep at night. These giants look threatening, evil and extra-terrestrial.”
You can read Sophie the Giant Slayer on Tapas.
7. RETROGRADE
One day, suddenly, everyone forgot…everything. Only a few people still remembered who they were. These people, called the Recallers, grouped themselves in a fortress at the top of a mountain called The Fako Colony. For a hundred years they lived in peace, away from a world that had become primal. Then, one day, an attack swept through the colony from the ‘Savages’, killing every living being. A group of young people led by Sagar, son of the leader of Fako, are charged with a mission to protect human knowledge and the very concept of civilization. Can he thrive in a world that seeks to destroy the very idea of humanity?
View RETROGRADE now on the ZEBRA COMICS app.
Obi with his two friends, John and Temi, are mystically transported to NeoAfrica. Upon arrival, they mistakenly break a bronze taboo and must serve out a one-year sentence in the Juju Peace Corp. Now, in the midst of a brewing war, they must undertake a dangerous quest in order to bring peace to the world. Obi, John, and Temi must travel throughout the vast continent of NeoAfrica, face each new juju and complicate their life both in the living world and the spiritual world.
Red Origins is available on webtoon.
Help Me, Ancestor is an episodic series that pays homage to the histories and ancestries of African people across the Continent. It focuses on the trials and tribulations of various deceased family members and friends (both heroes and villains) as they come back to haunt, help and otherwise hinder the lives of modern-day Africans.
10. KHADIJA
She wants to become a professional footballer, but her community frowns upon it.
Khadija Mahamat will have to defy faith and tradition, in order to rise to the highest heights of football.
Her journey takes her down the path of a religious and cultural dilemma. Wadding through the murky waters of the game, and the halals and harams of her faith, she strives to sign her name in the annals of football.
Khadija is available on Zebra Comics.
These are some of the best African webtoons you can find out there today. This list is not exhaustive and so gives room for us to come back with another list of awesome African webtoons. So, while waiting for the next list, check out the webtoons listed above and enjoy.
