I’ve been asked severally in random conversations and interviews what really is “African comics” and
what makes it different from comics from other regions and truthfully, it is difficult to give a clear answer without mincing words. You can tell if a comic is from Japan or from China or from America just by looking at the pages. How do we tell that a comic is from Africa? This; and several other factors led
me to Afroblot.
Derived from the two English words: Afro (Relating or pertaining to Africa) and Blot (a mark or stain made with inks), Afroblot (as I’ve decided to call it) is a comic book making pattern that relies heavily on the use of black, white, grey and red colour to create aesthetically pleasing comic book panels and pages. Afroblot is not a new STYLE of drawing, it’s a different (not necessarily new) PATTERN of making comic books.
WHY RED?
Different shades of red can be used to portray several elements. Clothing, emotions, mood, blood, fire, buildings, environment and more can be properly portrayed using red. Also, red gives off a brooding effect when used properly with black and white and it could be used to illustrate the gritty and sometimes) hopeful lifestyle and reality of many African inhabitants. Also, Africa is known for a lot of red. Sunset, beautiful mud houses, traditional attires and more have good amount of red in them.
Asides the aesthetics it provides, Afroblot also erupted from the desire to create lasting solutions to the problem of comic book production and distribution that has been a bane to the growth of African comics for a long time.
WHY AFROBLOT?
One of the reasons many African comic book studios and creators struggle with consistent comic release is the fact that comic books are very time consuming and very expensive to make and the financial rewards aren’t always very promising. In Nigeria for instance, a standard 22 pages comic book would cost millions of naira (excluding prints). Quality prints are very hard to come by and sometimes prints ruin the good works that creators have toiled for so long to put together. Sadly, this is because many of the printers available are not used to the comic book medium and it’s technicalities of printing unlike the western world. When you luckily find a very good printer, it could also cost millions and when the comics are finally out, there are few to no platforms (asides the limited number of existing comic conventions) that distribute the finished products to the audience. Hence, it could be a total loss for the creator. Most times, many African comic book creators and publishers have to cling to foreign audiences and platforms for monetisation and distribution thereby leaving core African audiences wanting.
COST FRIENDLY AND TIME FRIENDLY.
With Afroblot, production budget and timeframe is reduced without having to cut down on quality and aesthetics of the comic book. As Afroblot doesn’t rely on any colour asides red, it’s easier to cut out paying heavily to hire a colourist, this also cuts down the time spent on applying very beautiful and vibrant colours to panels and pages and this in turn increases production speed and frequency. (Please note, this doesn’t in anyway mean colourists are not essential to the comic book production process.
Infact, colourists provide major aesthetics and upgrades to comic pages).
EASIER AND BUDGET FRIENDLY PRINTS.
Afroblot makes printing easier. You do not have to worry at all about the colour quality of your comics being ruined and you do not have t seek the best printer out there (except if you wish to) before you
can print an amazing comic book. You also do not have to worry so much about how paper quality can
ruin your final prints. Many people usually opt for laminated glossy papers so colours could pop better.
You could decide to cut down on printing budget and go for lesser quality papers and still have great
vintage result as Afroblot doesn’t rely on vibrant colours for aesthetics. (This is however not implying going for bad quality papers). Also, printing comics with full vibrant colours cost way higher than printing comics with limited colours.
REGULATED PRINT PRICES/ IMPROVED DISTRIBUTION.
Due to the possible reduction in amount spent on prints, it becomes easier to print more copies and sell for lesser price and this in turn improves the collectors’ culture. One reason manga outsell many other comics is because it’s cheaper to print due to little to no colour involved and this also makes it easier to regulate prices in a way that almost anyone can afford to buy them. If comic book prices become regulated and more affordable, it helps distribution and it also encourages people to buy more.
On a final note, it is important to state that I do not necessarily aim at sidelining other artists, comic book publishers and comic book contents that do not align with the Afroblot pattern from the discussion of “African comics”. Publishers or creators can make comics in whatever way or style they want. I only aim to solidify the identity of African comics and also provide some form of remedy to the long existing problem of production, release consistency and distribution of African comics.