The annual Blood. Sweat & Ink: Wits AfroManga compendium returns with its third volume! Themes of class, identity and culture resonate throughout its three independent issues, which continue to unpack AfroManga as a storytelling format for manga lovers. As we continue to explore our hybrid genre, we develop new ways of thinking about ourselves, our communities, and our future histories.

From a radioactive wasteland to Model C schools, Volume 3 explores three different takes on life and living in the City of Johannesburg. With our first-ever annual theme ‘Local Is Lekka’ in mind, this year’s slate of projects focused on unpacking South African identity. With questions like ‘Who are we?’ and ‘What are we made of?’ circling their minds, our graduating students reflected on their experiences as young South Africans, faced with tumultuous social, political and economic challenges, and used these comics to tell their stories.

Limited only to 22 pages and shades of black, white and grey, our students dove into the world of Seinen and Kaiju, creating poignant yet fantastical representations of the young, African psyche. We begin with Did You Know? A ‘be careful what you wish for’ storyline about a pair of nemeses, who are forced to confront their differences with nobody but themselves to turn to. Then, we move on to Lens, a story about class, conflict, and the cost of friendship between best-friends Rhea and Thandi. Finally, we welcome Super Mega Afro-Mecha Poesklap! Where car culture and radioactive fallout converge into a mech-courier adventure in Old Jozi.