Cape Town turned full geek mode this long weekend, as Comic Con Cape Town 2025 took over the city from May 1st to 4th. What started as Readers Den’s humble Free Comic Book Day (yes, that tiny shop in Claremont) evolved into FanCon and now, in its final form, Comic Con Cape Town — the plucky little brother of Comic Con Africa in Johannesburg. It’s bigger, bolder, and nerdier than ever before… but still has some homework to do.
Let’s get the good stuff out of the way: Fortress of Solitude was there in full force. We filmed. We photographed. We gawked at the cosplay. We spent way too much money on toys, comics, and games. And yeah, we left with much lighter wallets and heavier backpacks.
The guest lineup was pretty epic. Ian McDiarmid, the actual Emperor Palpatine himself, graced us with his sinister presence. Michael Trucco of Battlestar Galactica and The Big Bang Theory fame showed up, along with anime fans’ favourite voice actor, Zach Aguilar (Demon Slayer, Genshin Impact, Fire Emblem). Local stars like Siv Ngesi and current UFC middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis brought the South African flair. Dricus, by the way, was courtesy of… Checkers? Yup, the grocery chain had one of the biggest exhibits.
Testing out Netflix’s surprisingly intense Squid Game activation was a highlight. Yes, it only lasted 15 minutes, but trying to complete four games under pressure with your kid shouting, “Move faster!” is a memory you don’t forget.
But let’s address the Wookiee in the room: by Friday morning, all tickets were sold out. If you didn’t already have one, tough luck — no door sales.
This was my first time back since the baby days of FanCon, mostly because I don’t like crowds, noise or people breathing near me. But I’ll admit it: the event was well spaced. Food stalls outside. Flea market madness on Level 1. Tabletop gaming on Level 2. Panels and chaos on Level 3. It’s organised enough that one day is plenty — unless you have four cosplays to show off, then sure, splurge on the full pass.
Still, not everything was sunshine and Funko Pops. The actual “comic” part of Comic Con? Pretty neglected. Again (Sergio addressed this in his write-up about Comic Con Africa 2024). It felt more like “Merchandise Con”, with most of the comic book artists and their comic books isolated to a corner section. And don’t get me started on the knock-off stalls. AI art on mugs, fake plushies, dodgy figurines — it’s a grey market free-for-all. Major brands like Toys R Us, Build-A-Bear, Funko, Exclusive Books and Readers Den are forced to compete with shops selling shady stuff for half the price.
Even the food section could use a level-up. The food was limited to a few food trucks. No KFC, no special menus, and R38 for a Coke? I’ve eaten in airports for less. So, I grabbed a slushie instead (even walked off with a Slush Puppie machine). All of that said, shoutout to the Big Dog hotdog stall. That thing slapped. I’m still daydreaming of another bite.
Another disappointment was that big studios like Disney, Warner Bros., Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor were all… MIA. Where were they? You tell us. With films like Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Lilo & Stitch and Jurassic World Rebirth around the corner, you would think they would have plenty to showcase. Instead, Netflix and M-Net (who showed behind-the-scenes interviews of The Last of Us Season 2 on an abandoned train) were the only ones present.
So was it perfect? Nah. But Comic Con Cape Town 2025 was still the best the city has seen — and it’s getting better. Slowly. Like a Padawan who’s clearly done some training — not quite a Jedi Master yet, but definitely on the right track.
But will I be back next year? Absolutely. It’s only going to get better. Seriously, there hasn’t been this much lightsaber swinging and anime screaming in one place since a Dragon Ball Z marathon hit SABC2 back in the 2000s. Comic Con Cape Town 2025 was fun and exciting. It just needs to level up a bit more to match its Jozi sibling.
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Tell us, what did you think of Comic Con Cape Town 2025? Did you manage to snag a ticket?
