The annual Blood. Sweat & Ink: Wits AfroManga compendium returns with its fourth volume!

Themes of friendship, identity, and culture resonate throughout its eight 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.

With our annual theme ‘Harmony Through Diversity’ in mind, this year’s slate of projects focused on unpacking South African imagination.

What can you look forward to?

An epic battle in the land of Konjaku, a rescue mission commissioned through the Sixty Second Kill App, a high-stakes showdown at Three Way’s Farmer’s Market, an adventurous coming-of-age story in Cape Town, a mission to the surface of NeoJozi, a gritty journey to friendship between two swordsmiths, a heated cooking competition in Canada and finally an electric rebellion against the corrupt elites of Johannesburg!

Limited only to 22 pages and shades of black, white and grey, our students create poignant yet fantastical representations of the young, African psyche.

In this collection you will find:
Clash of Honor, 60 Second Kill, Market Mayhem, Dezemba, Bottle Caps,Clean Cut, A Fork in the Road, and Lights Out.

We commend our students, who put all of their blood, sweat and ink into making this project happen. Without them, AfroManga would not exist. We would also like to thank the Wits Digital Arts Department for their continued support. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to run our pseudo-studio. Finally, we would like to thank you, reader, for supporting our initiative and engaging with our work. Without you, our stories would fall into silence.

We hope you enjoy reading this volume as much as we did making it!

Jess Alexander and Tamara Tesoriero (Co-Lecturers and Project Leads)