At the “Comic Con Africa” event in Johannesburg, South Africa, a 16-year-old boy dressed in the yellow costume of the superhero “Wolverine” and wore claws made from plastic straws, while another person opposite him disguised as “Deadpool” from the comic world. One of them, named Neil Petal, joked, “He annoys me; I really want to slap him.”

This year’s festival is held at the same conference center where the G20 leaders will meet in November. The stars this time are not on stage but all around the venue corridors, as thousands of cosplayers passionate about comics, video games, superheroes, and Japanese anime series flocked in, indifferent to the scarcity of celebrities.

Among the guests was Dan Fogler, who plays Jacob Kowalski in the “Fantastic Beasts” film series derived from Harry Potter.

Of the estimated 70,000 attendees from Thursday to Sunday, teenage participant Chigovatsu Nabi joined for the fourth consecutive year. This year, she spared no expense, spending all her savings on a shiny white and blue wig, colored contact lenses, high-heeled shoes, and delicate angel wings that appeared to sprout from the back of her head.

Her inspiration was “Sunday,” the villain in the Chinese game “Honkai: Star Rail,” where animated characters fight alien monsters.

She told AFP amid a crowd mixed with superheroes like “Wonder Woman,” “Darth Vader,” and “Spiderman”: “I feel happy to be at this event.” She noted that “there aren’t many such gatherings in Africa, and this is the only chance to express ourselves and connect with people of the same kind,” as pop culture fans unite around shared interests.

“Comic Con Africa” started as an event for comic book fans but has grown significantly, with studios using it to launch their latest successful movies and TV series. At the Johannesburg event, competitions were held for popular esports games like FIFA. In one corner, teenagers lined up with headphones on, staring at screens playing their games.

27-year-old exhibitor and former video game champion Elias Masheti joked about the scene, “The competition was a nightmare and reminded me why I’m happy to be retired.”

The prize pool offered about $1,700 to the winner, more than six times the monthly minimum wage in South Africa.

The young man proudly added, “We are on the same level as Comic Con festivals in Europe and America.”

Damian Wilson (31), returning for the third year to experience “Clear Obscure: Expedition 33” himself, said, “People try to judge based on visitor numbers, but the quality here is excellent.”

Wearing a black and white striped shirt inspired by the game, he added, “We’re here just for the vibe.”