A breakdown of all the Lagos Comic-Con winners in 2019.

Lagos Comic-Con is the biggest geek and pop-culture event in West Africa, drawing in scores of animation, comics, games and digital art enthusiasts.

Other than being a great gathering for geeks and fans alike, Lagos Colic-Con is also an amazing platform for creators to be awarded and celebrated. 

Every year at Lagos Comic-Con, creators across comics, games, animation and cosplay are recognized and awarded for their invaluable contribution in growing and raising the profile of the Nigerian geeksphere. 

There are different award schemes at Lagos Comic-Con namely Comic Panel FIST Awards, (the main award), Animation du Monde and the Cosplay Award. 

Below are the winners of each award. 

Comic Panel FIST Awards

This year’s FIST Awards was judged by three judges, Pam Chan, Joelle Epee Mandengue, Ronan Lancelot and Roosevelt Pitt. These judges rate all submitted comics on different parameters including illustration, writing and colouring. The Fist Awards secretariat collates the score sheets and calculates the average scores from these parameters. The comic book with the highest average scores wins the category.

Epoch Comics and KBS Comics dominated the awards this year, each bagging 3 awards including Comic Book of the Year and Comic Studio of the Year respectively. closely by KBS Comics.

A call to comic studios and creators to send in titles published between July 1, 2018, and July 1, 2019, to be considered for the award. Studios nominated were Comic Republic, YouNeek Studios, Epoch Comics, Peda Comics and KBS Comics.

The comics nominated were Diche, Mbuze and Under The Sun from Peda Comics, Jujuman #1, Jujuman Noir Chronicles, Skyranger, Now Man from KBS Comics, Hero Kekere, Hero Generation, Guardian Prime Genesis, Itan, Amadioha and Beatz from Comic Republic, God Killer (Collectible Comics), Malika #1 & #2 by YouNeek Studios, The Prophecy 2, Aegis and Seraph from Epoch Comics and Escape by Bab Akaba.

Best Writer & Illustrator

Kelly Kalu (writer) & Chima Kalu (illustrator) Jujuman Chronicles

JUJUMAN NOIR CHRONICLES Chapter 1: An ominous occurrence visits a native Igbo girl, Oriemma leading to a tragic revelation: a relic of high spiritual importance has been stolen. Find out more in this sizzling preview chapter. Though this is a preview chapter, it is a full sequence in itself.

Best Colorist

Tarella Pablo (Seraph #4 – Obfuscation)

More than 100,000 children go missing from around the world. Nobody is able to track their abductors even with sophisticated surveillance. 

The Angels try to uncover some of the perpetrators, but human will and a massive horde of demons cause them to back down. Meanwhile, Scourge brings the battle to Oshogbo accompanied by Azazel, to Angel Tumal’s utter amazement.

Neophyte

Mbuze #1 by Peda Comics

Torn from his family by ravaging marauders, death could not hold his unbreakable thirst for revenge and without a glimmer of his uncanny destiny as a Newborn. The unbreakable as he has come to be known hails from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo which was founded by Lukeni Lua Nim.

The Kingdom of Kongo is located at northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of Congo and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Best Packaged Comic

Malika Fallen Queen #2

Set in fifteenth-century West Africa, Malika (pronounced “Ma-LIE-ka”): Warrior Queen follows the exploits of queen and military commander Malika, who struggles to keep the peace in her ever-expanding empire. In Part Two of the hit graphic novel series, Malika uncovers a painful betrayal by one of the people closest to her. The treachery unnerves a usually stoic and composed Malika, allowing her enemies both known and unknown, internal as well as external, encircle her, positioning themselves for the destruction of Azzaz, the empire she spent her entire adult life building. Can Malika recompose herself and save her people once again? Or is this betrayal the beginning of the end for Malika and the people of Azzaz? Only time will tell.

Best Cover

Aegis #5

Following Dede’s rescue from the hospital assassin and Nikky’s mysterious escape from the two thugs, Knife is deployed not just to clean up their mess but take out the trio, which he does masterfully.

Meanwhile, Dede is face to face with some core members of A.E.G.I.S who literally send him plunging down a watery slope and everything takes a brand new turn.

Comic Studio of the Year

KBS Comics

KBS comics universe is a shared reality for various characters ranging from everyday people to the less mundane, a supernatural and a magical universe to unknown entities in realities many tale bearers forgot.

This is the home of characters like The JujuMan, Herdsman, Sharadum, SkyRanger, Ijele, TheMenders, the Khitans, YelowDeath, Dim Man and more.

Learn more about KBS Comics.

Comic Book of the Year

The Prophecy #2 – The Foreseen Adversary

This battle has flared since the dawn of time, but now in this period of seeming peace, it’s about to be waged again. Two forces will be in conflict, two allegiances will battle from the womb of humanity. A son will be born, yet another will be given and one will seek out the other to tip this balance eternally. In this final frontier, in whose favour shall it tip?

Animation du Monde 2019 Lagos Comic-Con Winners

The last preliminary leg of Annecy Animation du Monde Africa (see all the winners this year), facilitated by African Animation Network took place at Lagos Comic-Con 2019. Two of the winners at this round, Daniel Coker of LOL Gh and Sitraka Randriamahaly from Madagascar were finalists at previous Animation du Monde pitches, NAICCON and AAFFia respectively. They emerged as winners at Lagos Comic-Con in the same way Kabelo Maaka did with her project, The Fam at Nairobi Comic-Con.

Animation du Monde Winners at Lagos Comic-Con 2019

• SCUM (Special Covert Unit Mission) 2 by Daniel Coker (Ghana)
• Moramora by Sitraka RANDRIAMAHALY (Madagascar)
• Kweeto the Genius Mosquito by Brian O. Wilson (Nigeria)

Cosplay Prize

Folorunsho Kelly (dressed as the Joker)

Update (November 2, 2019): This article wrongly listed The Prophecy #1 as Comic of the Year instead of The Prophecy #2. This has been fixed and duly updated.