#Nigerian Comics

[chiderao-art]

'Black Female (Woman) {Sketch}' || @blavity @afropunk

#art #artist #blackart #blackartist #chideraoart #digitalart #graphicdesign #anime #comics #manga #african #nigeria #wakanda 🇳🇬 🖤 https://t.co/R8BPwkzFTY

[punkeropercyjackson]

Percy's interests i'm finally posting like i've been meaning to since i asked @keladeinos for a moodboard of them for our matching Pjo brainrot giggles

Blue.Just in general,in things and as a concept

Video games.He uses an emulator and buys all her consoles and games secondhand on anti-capitalist principal and his favorites are Animal Crossing,Night In The Woods,the Slenderman franchise and Fortnite

Cats.He's transfem(bigender + she/he/a bunch of neos)so she's a catgirl and her design makes her look like a tuxedo cat

Kidcore,legos included.Autistic swagger and coping mechanism combo

Alt music.Punk rock is her fave obviously(glamrock Percy?No?Just me?Alr)but her favorite band is Mcr and she's a massive The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys fan(Mike Milligram just like him fr)but she also loves rap and Megan Thee Stallion is one of her biggest idol's

The sea but this ain't about Poseidon,it's all Sally and he actually ruined it for him for a hot sec until he learned to reclaim it for himself and his egg cracking gave her a lot of room to make her gender thanks to how much femininity the sea offers(mermaids and sirens,pearl and seashell jewelry,the moon controlling the tides,ships being called 'she',the term 'Beach Bunny',etc).Her favorite are sharks obviously and she has a secondhand bought Aquapet

Energy drinks.She drinks only the blue flavors and her faves are Cotton Candy Bang and Gfuel

Child care.It's canon he's a Team Parent because how he treats younger demigods(Tyson-Not technically a demigod but ykwim,Bianca,Nico,Hazel)and he loves kids in general as seen with Estelle so he becomes the Camp Director during summer and would have it as a college major if he went

The Superfam.The only time she's ever mentioned a superhero is Clark Kent by saying Jason looks like Superman so i mean?????

And for Marvel she only cares about Spiderverse(including Spidey and His Amazing Friends),comics X-Men and Gwenpool.Gwen Stacy and Hobie Brown are her favorite Spiderpeople based off relatability and adoptability

Anarchy.It's unironically one of her special interest's and i say this only mostly as a joke(she also has a battle jacket obviously and knows how to diy things that don't exist,she's solarpunk in addition to crustpunk)

And not a hobby technically but his type is princess-y black women.The first time he ever described a female character his age as attractive it was saying Annabeth has princess hair and she's played by Leah Jeffries now,Rachel is a girlypop and widely headcanoned as nigerian yoruba and Andromeda was the princess of Ethiopia so the shoe certainly hits

[royal-confessions]

“If you read between the lines, what harry and meghan has basically been saying all these years is that “the commonwealth is bad, it’s basically empire 2.0 but it will be less bad if we become king and queen of the commonwealth because meghan, a biracial american, is 43% nigerian and harry, a white british royal, has always had a special place for africa because he’s always felt oppressed as a ginger compared to his blonde brother”. It’s kinda comical.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[but-a-humble-goon]

Can't believe the plot of the Mollymauk origins comic is seriously Molly and the gang foil a ye olde Nigerian Prince scammer.

[clioarcadia]

Hello, I tried to login to your Pateron but it wasn't working for me for some reason. Maybe because I'm Nigerian or I don't know. I was wondering if you could post it on inkbunny website so that people who can't have access to your Pateron can go to inkbunny website and read it. Please with a cherry on top.😁😁

Hello, I appreciate your interest to read it but I won't do it. The idea of making porn gallery to later post it in my Patreon is to gain money and keep it away from minors.

Once I finish the comic and spend a couple of weeks in Patreon, I will post it in my Picarto account. the deal is like "Those who pay get to see first"

Another chance to be able to see the process of the comic is to assist the livestreams of my Picarto on Saturdays.

PICARTO PATREON

-DAS

[sagau-my-beloved]

This isn't a request or anything but I just had a showerthought. In a reverse-isekai Zhongli and Itto would 10000000% fall for the nigerian prince scam 😂

And as much as I love them, I wouldn't allow them unsupervised internet access until they mastered readers "how to recognise and avoid scams" class

Itto would fall victim to every known scam in existence and it'd probably just be safer to keep him away from the internet all together

You think you got him completely protected with multiple lectures and tons of antivirus software, but then you come back to a 200 dollar bank deduction and five separate instance of malware because there were hot singles in the area (which he swears he only clicked on because he thought that meant something entirely different)

Meanwhile Zhongli is probably pretty well versed in the traditional scams, he was a god over a city of trade after all, so while he might suck completely at bartering, he's not one to just let people lie to him flat out

Of course that doesn't really apply over the internet—

Poor guy would lose so much money because he's both overpaying (rich person syndrome of overestimating price/buying the most expensive version because he's used to a higher price equaling better quality/not knowing how your money works anyway and assume something crazy like 1 Mora = 1 dollar) and falling victim to having an actual conscious, which you just can't afford to have on the internet

Don't let him shop online, just don't, but on the bright side, at least his chance of getting viruses isn't super high, and no one can top Itto when it comes to disregarding internet safety in comical ways anyway

He'd probably fully believe that a website having a firewall means that if he ever visits that site your poor computer would burst into flames and maybe explode

Meanwhile Zhongli's browser history would just be five hundred pages of random questions about your world, culture, and how to fit in modern society without people thinking you're a God 101

He might accidentally be put on a few FBI watchlists when he gets around to researching nuclear weaponry tho—

[the-lovely-cambion]

Character Analysis: Wendell and Wild Part 1

This analysis will be divided to two parts, one is before they went up to the Land of the Living and the second being after. I might make a third part, but I kinda need some like extra info or some storyboard videos and such. But anyway, let’s begin shall we.

So when we first meet the brothers, they basically show off their personalities that you may see in some types of media (i.e. tv shows, movies, etc.); one being the intellectual, but annoyed one while the other being the annoying and comic relief guy.

Fun Fact: Based on ImDb, both Key and Peele had to watch some Abbott and Costello episodes to truly give Wendell and Wild their personalities (search up Abbott and Costello up, you get my point)

But remember the scene where Wendell tells Wild that it’s his fault that the both of them got in prison, yeah just bookmark that for later it’s gonna have some significance.

Then we get to the scene in where Wendell and Wild are making their paper faire, in where Wendell basically vents to Wild on how their faire is so much better than Belzer’s faire and how Wild got them into the mess. Basically there’s a lot to unpack here. Namely on how Wendell acts during the before going to the Land of the Living scenes during the movie.

For one thing, Wendell acts aggressive towards Wild for the things he did in the past that led to them being in prison, even trying to choke Wild when being force-fed the hair cream and basically threatening Wild to snap off his horns and make a fire. Adding to that, he basically gets annoyed at Wild for some of the things that he does or his ideas that he talks about, namely the their first scene in where Wild eats the hair cream, Wild basically wanting to help the Nigerian Prince even though not understanding it’s a scam, and Wild showing telling Wendell that the Tick he saw died. Although most of these got some resolutions (?), although technically Wendell liked the hair cream and he thought it was a brilliant idea that both him and Wild can use to revive their Hellmaiden’s parents.

Another part to add, Wendell is implied that he’s the one that gets punished for this and not Wild. Some theories that I have is that Belzer thought that Wendell started to brag about their faire to the others and not actually knowing that it was Wild’s fault or Wendell was actually the one who did the bragging and is blaming Wild for their imprisonment or that Wild joined him in bragging about the faire. But anyway, this is the catalyst for Wendell having temperamental issues when things don’t go the way he wants and hates the special treatment that his brother gets from his father.

Lastly, but this is pretty much important, Wendell is shown to be the more arrogant of the two. Like seriously, I feel like he brags more about the dream faire than Wild ever was (it’s literally in the dialogue). He’s basically shown to be blinded by wanting his dream faire a reality that it’s possibly implied that he gets mad when someone (mostly Wild) gives him a bad idea and berates them about it. Another thing to note is that he thinks highly of himself in the film, trying to look threatening but failing and also being fond on how good-looking he is. Another is how he wants to trying random actions just for the sake of his faire, but it’s either thwarted or just by common sense. He’s also shown to be money-hungry since all he ever wanting has funding for the faire, and gets angry when he doesn’t get the dough needed for the faire.

So yeah, in summary, Wendell’s pretty much of an arrogant jerk throughout most of his first part of the film. But let’s just hope that the second part won’t be that worse right? Right?!

For Wild, he’s basically more digestible when talking about his scenes in the first part of the film.

Although a pretty carefree and crafty dude, this guy…is actually really depressing. Like, there’s some depressing shit going on with this man.

For one thing, Wild is actually remorseful about him and Wendell being in prison and tries to make things right for the both of them.

Additionally, Wild is also shown to meet Wendell’s expectations, though it’s a 50/50 chance with his ideas and all. He also convinces Wendell that his ideas can help with their funding. In short, he’s doing this for the sake of Wendell’s dream faire.

Actually, now that I think about, I think it’s possible that Wild doesn’t want to be part of his brother’s dream of opening up a faire. But has to because he doesn’t want to upset him.

Think about it, Wild is shown to be supporting on Wendell’s ideas, even trying to use his ideas just to support the dream faire. Hell, even after they find out Kat is their Hellmaiden, Wild goes out of his way to tell Wendell that they should go to the land of the living to build their faire.

It’s clear that Wild’s doing the dream faire for his brother, but at what costs. I mean, Wild is basically mentally abused by his brother and is basically his assistant of some sorts. But he goes out of his way to support him even after all the abuse he has gone through. (Let’s just hope that the second part isn’t too depressing)

And that’s it for Part 1 of my character analysis, now time to work on Part 2 (if I have the motivation)

[disneytva]

Disney+ Sets Key Art And Trailer For KUGALI and Walt Disney Animation Studios "IWAJU"

The official trailer and new key art has arrived for Iwájú — a brand new series from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pan-African comic-book/ entertainment company Kugali, streaming on Disney+ beginning February 28.

Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, the exciting coming-of-age story follows Tola (voice of Simisola Gbadamosi), a young girl from the wealthy island, and her best friend, Kole (Siji Soetan), a self-taught tech expert, as they discover the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds. Kugali filmmakers — including director Olufikayo Ziki Adeola, production designer Hamid Ibrahim and cultural consultant Toluwalakin Olowofoyeku — take viewers on a unique journey into the world of Iwájú, bursting with unique visual elements and technological advancements inspired by the spirit of Lagos.

IWAJU soundtrack by Walt Disney Records will debut March 1, 2024 on all digital music platforms. The music is by renowned Nigerian composer Ré Olunuga, whose credits include score for Walt Disney Studios "Rise" (2020).

[rubin-therubix-loverofblorbos]

Hi, thanks for answering my ask, If it's not too hard can you tell me your race head canons for all the Mercs?

You're the best.

Engie: BLACK. He is not white. no. no don't look at the game. or the comics. or anything else related to engineer tf2. you cannot see that man at night. he's too much of a southern-black-mother-haver to be white. who cares about his dad, his MOM was BLACK. Polite, mildly violent when he needs to be, intelligent? His momma not white you can't change me.

Soldier: Native/Black. Mother Inuit and father African, OG last name Domoraud, got shortened to Doe through Immigration; OG first name was Amaqjuaq, but his parents had to choose a name on the spot. He has many identity issues, don't ask. Never takes off his helmet 'cause he doesn't like his monolids.Very touchy about the subject of race because where he lived was probably nearly as bad as Texas in terms of racism, feels he needs to devote every waking second to America or else he doesn't belong there. Yeah. He needs a bit of help. Has a weird accent but he hides it pretty well. Wow I rambled there...

Spy: Black/asian. Wow I really just dipped Tf2 into charcoal, didn't I? Didn't realize how many of them I Poc-ified until I put it down on paper. His mom was an asian woman, very stern, but she had a soft spot for her gender-weird kid. Dad was a black man, sweetheart, but he wasn't good at caring for people. Mother was a ballet star and taught him, he fucking mastered it. Broke his hip and disabled himself for life, but mastered it. Somehow he dramatizes it even more that it already was, and what actually happened was already halfway out a soap opera.

Sniper: Native. Māroi biological and Aboriginal Aussie Adoptive. He's Native on top of Native. Family spoke Antakarinya at home and he taught himself Māroi. Like Soldier, he has identity issues because languages and cultures get jumbled up in his head sometimes. Hates getting told he can't participate in Aboriginal activities because he isn't actually related to his parents. "BITCH? I WAS RAISED DOING THIS SHIT?" Is very passionate about his culture, especially his Antakarinya, because that is a language two breaths from death.

Scout: Black/white. LIGHTSKIN. CHEERIO-LOOKIN' MOTHERFUCKER. LITTLE E-FUCK-FEMBOY ASS. Soon as he pull out that fried chicken he's in a chick's panties. No explanation because you don't need one.

Pyro: Black. Heavy Nigerian accent, even when their speech isn't muffled people can barely understand them at times. Doesn't have the best english pronunciation, but their voice is jacked up anyways, so it doesn't matter. Fluent in American and British ASL despite this. Big person, bigger heart. 6'7'' 265 LB person with a voice deep enough to hit the Earth's core skipping around in Kidcore Aesthetic™️ and putting stickers on everything.

Demo: Black. we all know buddy. Although I feel like the Scottish are so on a different plane of being that they should be their own race. Black/Scottish. Very smart and has multiple degrees in chemistry and he drinks so much his blood has turned into pure alcohol. Scottish behavior. He wears kilts often, but sadly wears pants under his most times because they're. yknow. on a battle ground. But I think it's a shame. Can you tell I am getting tired.

Medic: I don't fuckin know. German. His race is Germany. The whole country. You ask him his race because his skin is very swarthy so you can't tell whether he's a really tan white guy or a weirdly light black guy. He's a pacific islander/white mix, but he actually barely knows. He'll remember his mother was Polynesian and go Oh. I forgor [Insert skull emoji and a facebook minion meme about mortality}.

Heavy: Black/white mix. He got his mother's beauty marks and his dad's bulkiness. Weird genes, very light but he has very pronounced black facial features. Big nose, big lips, high cheekbones. He gets asked if he's albino more than you would think. People actually don't expect him to have such a heavy Siberian accent because you expect white Vodka twink or white vodka dad that sneezes real fucking hard to have that much of a accent, not the guy that looks like he came out of a Nella Larsen book.

OH MY FUCK I'M DONE.

[samueldelany]

Nnedi Okorafor, (born April 8, 1974, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.), Nigerian American author whose science fiction and fantasy novels, short stories, and comics for both children and adults express her concepts of Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism. Okorafor often promotes young Black girls as superheroes in her work, and her writing investigates racial inequality, sexual violence, and other social issues.

[insomniac-jay]

DC OC Reading Lists

Billie Sunday | Faerie

Titania Knights: Faith, Trust, & Fairy Dust: The debut of DC's newest all girl team, the Titania Knights, and their newest heroes: Faerie, Hermia, Emerald, and Witchbane. Released around the same time as the first Blue Beetle comic.

Faerie - Billie's solo comic. It's an overall character study and exploration into her life as a Metahuman, relationships, and her future as she prepares to head off to Miami for college. It is confirmed that her and Jaime are in a long distance relationship.

Faerie: Miami Vices - Billie starts her journey as a nursing student, but not before she gets a message from Zatanna Zatara about malevolent magical forces in the city.

Fatale: Bloody Paradise - Billie makes a cameo as the nurse helping Jahzara recover from a car accident

Faerie & Blue Beetle - Billie and Jaime, now at a comfortable point in their lives, get married and settle down into a domestic life with each other in El Paso...or as domestic as one can be when they're a superhero

Faerie: All Haill the Queen - An Elseworlds comic where Titania names Billie as her successor to the throne of Fairyland

Jahzara Nwadike | Fatale

The Watchers: Public Enemies - The debut of Jahzara, daughter of a Nigerian business mogul, as the elusive Watcher Fatale in her quest to eliminate Bruce Wayne.

The Watchers: Watchers vs Owls - Jahzara joins the Watchers in the fight against the Court of Owls after Duchess (Serilda von Meier-Berger) is attacked in her home after refusing to join them

Fatale: Sins of Star City - After being framed for a crime she didn't commit, Jahzara flees from Gotham and hides in Star City

Fatale: Black Paradise - Now a successful lawyer living in Florida, Jahzara's work as Fatale isn't done when enemies from her past come back and new ones emerge

The Watchers: Future is Ours - Jahzara, now in her late 30s, trains the next generation of Watchers alongside Vicia

The Watchers: Who Watches the Watchers? - Jahzara's backstory and how she came to join the Watchers

Fatale: Corporate Espionage - An Elseworlds story where Jahzara and Duke meet later in life as adults

Vicia Lopez | Crimson

The Watchers: Honor Among Rogues - Vicia's debut alongside the rest of the Watchers. She has a few volumes dedicated to her character development

The Watchers: Public Enemies - Major supporting character since this series is mainly about Jahzara

Crimson & Pantheress - Duo series of Crimson and Pantheress (Imani Javiera) as they fight crime in Gotham's underground to keep their communities safe

The Watchers: Watchers vs Owls - Vicia joins the war after the attack on Duchess. A major moment is when she kills Talon

The Watchers: Future is Ours - An older Vicia helps Jahzara train the new Watchers, which includes her daughter Sanai Sheila Todd

The Watchers: Who Watches the Watchers - Exploration into Vicia's life before joining the vigilante organization, her relationship with Madame Nightshade, and how she joined

Blood Mary & the Final Girls - Elseworld story where Vicia never joins the Watchers; instead escaping juvie and becoming Bloody Mary, a murderous antiheroine

Crimson: Deadly Venom - Another Elseworlds where Vicia stayed with the Black Widows as an assassin

Greynasha Wiley | Crypt

Crypt: Back From the Dead - Greynasha's debut series. Based off the Static Shock cartoon, a major theme of the series is Greynasha learning how to live with her powers and the remorse that comes with being a survivor of the Big Bang

Midwest Titans (@punkeropercyjackson) - Greynasha is a member of the Midwestern branch of the Teen Titans alongside Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, and Static, Greynasha's love interest

@floof-ghostie @calciumcryptid @peachyblkdemonslayer @theautisticcentre @moonage-gaydream

[downthetubes]

British creator Bryan Talbot, currently working on a new graphic novel, The Casebook of Stamford Hawksmoor, has been officially inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.

There were honours for other Brits, too: Tula Lotay, with Becky Cloonan, for Best New Series, Somna: A Bedtime Story, published by DSTLRY; for British/Nigerian Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, for Best Lettering, author Michael Molcher, for Best Comics-Related Book, I Am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future, published by Rebellion: https://downthetubes.net/brit-wins-at-2024-eisners/

[fortressofserenity]

X-Men and Cultural Appropriation

I think this has to be said, if because even if X-Men stories preach a message of diversity and tolerance yet some X-Men fans are racist. Either they mock people of other ethnicities, outright dislike them or fetishise them but never show any real interest in them as people. This isn’t helped by that the X-Men stories are built on a flawed foundation, one built on a false equivalence in comparing otherwise potentially murderous (and currently murderous) characters to victims of racism. Kate Pryde has killed a lot of people these days, I don’t think a lot of black people go on killing people and committing crime.

As for Storm or Ororo Munroe, she comes off as a white person’s idea of an exotic black person. Not so much as an actual Kenyan, which is why she doesn’t speak any degree of Swahili (or even Luo and Gikuyu), doesn’t eat or cook Kenyan dishes and doesn’t even celebrate Boxing Day every 26 of December. Karma has been recently rectified by a writer of actual Vietnamese descent, who knows if Storm will eventually get the same treatment. Besides African comics fans exist, I’m even part of a Nigerian comics fan Facebook group.

Africans have done fan art of things like Hunter x Hunter and Bugs Bunny, so they’re not that ignorant of international pop culture in this sense. But I think because X-Men tends to appropriate a lot from African Americans that it’s telling it hasn’t led people to appreciating actual black people, as if the African American experience is more palatable if done by white people. It’s not hard to see why African Americans do complain about cultural appropriation when they see it, as if the things they’ve been mocked for look cool on anybody else.

I also don’t think X-Men stories delved on those who speak or know minority languages, that is other than Yiddish and it becomes telling why there’s not a single mutant who speaks any degree of Welsh or East Frisian as far as I know. I could be wrong in here, you might say that these languages are irrelevant. But people have been ostracised for speaking those languages, to the point where they don’t want to pass it down to others to avoid being stigmatised even further. Perhaps this goes a long way in explaining why X-Men writers’ tendency towards false equivalence always fails actual ethnic minorities and minority language speakers.

There’s not a single mutant in the X-Men world that I know of who speaks Irish to some extent, not a single mutant who speaks something like Lakota or Cheyenne even if it provides representation to those who speak these languages. So X-Men will never be a good stand-in for ethnic minorities, not helped by that they’re barely if ever written by these people. Actually I don’t think there are any X-Men fans who bother learning minority languages, I have tried the same with Irish and Breton but mostly due to Irish folk music.

So if there is a gap between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, it becomes more evident in the X-Men world in how writers try to position mutants as the most oppressed yet not a single mutant speaks in almost any given minority language and how others come off as white people’s impressions of ‘exotic’ people until now.

[thelastonewastaken]

On Comedy and Comedians

In recent years, there's been a lot of debate about comedy and comedians, and about whether specific comedians are funny. So I thought I'd put some of my thoughts down, these are of course only my subjective opinions. I'm sure there must be a well-researched book on this matter.

Comedy is a performing art

It's very audience-based, and comedians learn how to work their audience: selecting the right jokes, presenting them in the right order, using specific inflections to deliver the punchline etc. It's no wonder that when on tour, comedians add a few jokes to their routine that are about the specific location they're in. (For example, watch Katt Williams' opening monologue at a show in Jacksonville.)

So if you listen to a comedian and don't think they're particularly funny, the first question you should ask yourself is whether you're a part of the audience they're speaking to. There are a wide range of comics doing very different types of comedy: Jerry Seinfeld does observational, everyday humour; Sarah Silverman likes to shock and takes pauses for effect; Michelle Wolf does conversational, quick-paced bites; Dave Chapelle does bit-wise comedy where you have to remember the full set; Aries Spears is great at mimicry; Jeff Ross is great at roasts; the list goes on...

In addition, comics build on the artistry of others: Seinfeld developed his niche based on Cosby, Eddie Murphy took some bits from Richard Pryor. So if you do not like one comic, there are many more you could like. One might simply not be for you, it doesn't mean they are not funny.

Jokes can be mean

The only requirement for a joke is to be funny, it might be mean, maybe tone-deaf, maybe even ignorant, but it should be funny. It might be funny in ways people are ashamed to admit, but that's what comics play on - that's their entire reason for existing.

Comics do not do shows to make people mad. It's counter-intuitive for a comic to try to displease their audience, it makes no sense on their part. They gain absolutely nothing from doing that, and they've thought about their jokes long before they say it. So trust me, they're not trying to be mean when they say something mean, they're being funny.

I agree that there's a thin line though. It gets mean when they continuously punch down on the same person, but typically comics direct a one or two jokes at a person then move on. So it's always good to think about intent. For example, Chris Rock's GI Jane joke at the Oscars was funny and relevant. It was a joke about a movie to an audience celebrating film and it was delivered perfectly.

No subject is off limits

Off-limit subjects are antithetical to comedy as an art form. You can not have a subject that people are afraid to make jokes about. It defeats the whole purpose of comedy. If you're offended by a joke because it's insensitive to something you hold dear, it's important to consider if it could be funny to someone who has no idea how dear you hold the subject matter.

You might also want to think about why you're very offended by it, most times it has nothing to do with the comedian. And I say this as a Nigerian (scams are a popular joke) and a Catholic (take your pick) who stutters (I mean...).

You have to evaluate a comic's full set

Long before comics record their specials that appear on Netflix or HBO, they go on tour. They test each joke at comedy clubs and nights they MC, they adjust and fine-tune each joke, gauging the laughs they get and how people respond to them.

When they record their specials, the jokes are ready. They know how to deliver them, when to back off, and when to double down. They also know how the audience will respond. So when evaluating a special, you can't take one joke and analyze it, you have to analyze the whole body of work. You shouldn't see a clip online and judge it, it's a bit like listening to only one song off a musician's album and passing judgement on it. You're unlikely to know what they were trying to do.

So, how do you know a joke is funny?

Comics usually play up a scene from reality and deconstruct it. It might be something they've witnessed or something imagined, they might focus on the scene's actors, the characters behind the scene, or the scene itself. They might ponder on what the outcomes of the scene were or should've been.

Then, they have to select an aspect of the scene for comedic rendering. To do this, they employ some language devices: analogy, onomatopoeia, symbolism, etc, as well as some elocution strategies. They may enlist some audience participation.

The only test for whether a joke is funny is whether the devices employed fit the aspect of the scene selected. And it's a valence test, i.e., how funny was it, as opposed to a content test, i.e., was it funny or not. The difference between a published comic and your funny friend is that the former's jokes are typically of high valence and the latter's jokes are of low valence. Whether a joke needs to be explained has no impact on whether it's funny or not, but typically the higher the valence, the less explanation is needed.

Finally,

There is the chance that you're listening to someone who just isn't funny, but unless you're in a comedy club that takes on unknown comics still trying to hone their craft, it's very unlikely.

[zawescource]

Actor, Stars Of Tomorrow, 2009.

When the words used to describe Ashton include “brilliant”, “strong”, “charismatic” and “fabulous”, it is a fair bet to assume this young actor, now making her name in the theatre, is about to hit the big time. It was Ashton’s performance in the Olivier award-winning play Gone Too Far!, first in 2007 and again in 2008, that earned her such unqualified praise from UK casting directors. Playing an aggressive, unloved teenager who stokes the violence between Jamaican and Nigerian youths in south London, Ashton was a blistering whirlwind of physical energy, raw emotion and smart comic instincts. She went on to prove her versatility, playing Bianca in Othello at the Globe in 2007, and was back at the Royal Court in Eugene Ionesco¹s Rhinoceros last year. Ashton¹s acting has also led her to writing, and she is under commission to the Bush Theatre and the Clean Break theatre company.

[historyhermann]

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire Spoiler-Filled Review

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, known as Kizazi Moto for short, is an Africanfuturist animated film anthology series. It is the second animated series produced by a South African animation studio, Triggerfish. It follows Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes, which premiered on Disney+ earlier this year. Peter Ramsey is the executive producer. Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston join him as supervising producers. Shofela Coker, Raymond Malinga, and Ahmed Teilab developed the series. As a warning, this review will discuss death, blood, suicide, and other related themes. This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Kizazi Moto, being reviewed here, wouldn't exist.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-third article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on August 6, 2023.

Unlike some other series, Kizazi Moto is a bit hard to describe. While each of the ten short films within this series clearly has an African perspective, told by one or more directors, the themes of each episode can be vastly different. The music, animation style, writing, and everything else can also differ. Sometimes, it feels like the sinew holding the series together is not as strong as it could be. Even so, each film stands on its own, with many providing a possible starting point for future animated series.

In order to understand where the series stands, it is important to have some background about the genre. This series is outwardly Africanfuturist. In the reporting, before the series released, some media outlets incorrectly described it as "Afrofuturist." These two genres are not the same. Afrofuturism, which is well-known as a genre, explores intersection of science and technology with the African diaspora, addressing concerns and themes of that diaspora. The term was coined in 1993 by White male cultural critic Mark Dery. This has led some to use broader terms like "Black science fiction" and "Black speculative fiction" or embrace the term "Africanfuturism".

Africanfuturism centers on fusion of African mythology, history, culture, technology, and point of view, within Africa itself. Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor coined the term in 2019. She described it as a sci-fi sub-category deeply rooted in "African culture, history, mythology and point-of-view" which does not center or privilege Western countries, while retaining optimistic future visions. It is also, in her description, written and centered on people who are of African descent, and rooted in Africa. As such, it can also include the African diaspora.

While there has been more Africanfuturist literature, and comics, in recent years, there are very few films. One such film put in the genre (by some) is Black Panther. Others have included Pumzi and Ratnik, along with Okorafor's Binti and Who Fears Death, which are getting live-action series adaptations. Even so, there are no currently ongoing Africanfuturist series. As such, Kizazi Moto may prove vital to the possibility of future series in the genre. It will only join the ranks of series in development, like Iwájú, created by a Pan-African British company, Kugali Media, in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios.

As such, Kizazi Moto differs from My Dad the Bounty Hunter, the upcoming Dantai (produced by Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowr). The still-in-production Iyanu: Child of Wonder (releasing in 2024) may include some Afrofuturist, or Africanfuturist, elements. More common examples of Afrofuturism include music of R&B/pop/funk/hip hop/soul musician Janelle Monáe and R&B/soul/hip hop musician Erykah Badu.

The first episode/film of this series, "Herderboy," features artful, colorful, and amazing animation. It is coupled with impactful voice acting and fitting music. The story of a wanna-be hero, Ndahura (voiced by Koona Blair Matthias "Wonders"), is typical. Some characters are speaking Yoruba (voiced by people in Benin, Nigeria, and Togo). The beast, a Nyamiyonga (voiced by Jon Olson), feeds off negative energy. Both are unique. It is unlike any other series I've seen. There aren't any simple naming conventions, like the original world of the Diamonds in Steven Universe called "Homeworld," rather than something more creative. The herding of cattle to gain crystals, known as chwezinite, to power their society shows the sci-fi nature of the episode. What really caps off this episode are the amazing action sequences and compelling characters.

The episode/film is directed, and written, by Raymond Malinga. Mpho Osei-Tutu does other writing. I was unfamiliar with any of the voice actors, either Florence Kasumba (voiced Ndahura's sister, Captain Katono), Idringi Patrick "Salvado" (voice of somewhat technology adverse Dushiime), or Omara Daniel (voiced of robot Isingoma).

The second episode/film of Kizazi Moto, "Mkhuzi: The Spirit Racer," is unlike the first. It focuses on racing. The episode/film is set in a futuristic city where some speak Zulu. The racing scenes are fluid. They fit with characters jumping across the screen, garnering the viewer's attention. Unlike the first episode/film, this episode/film focuses on the importance of family, culture (being Zulu), and ancestry. The themes of displacement, gentrification, and togetherness are key. The neighborhood where Manzo (voiced by Nasty C) and his mother Manomi (voiced by Carol Ofori) live, is almost demolished by Ogun (voiced by Hakeem Kae-Kazim). He is an intergalactic racing overlord. Manzo only saves it when he takes on his mother's garb as Mkhuzi and becomes all-parts Zulu.

The episode/film had nice upbeat rock music and well-done animation. It has none of the same directors and writers as the first one. Malcolm Wope directed and created it. Simangaliso "Panda" Sibaya was a fellow director. Leslie Pulsfier wrote the episode. Apart from the aforementioned voice actors, I was unfamiliar with Sandi Dlangalala, who voices racer Cosmizi. In some ways, this episode reminded me of Birdie Wing, but that anime is more wild with golf-obsessed Mafia, even more than The Phantom Menace, which has a well-known pod racing scene, or similar scenes in Star Wars Resistance.

When it comes to writers, each episode/film had distinct individuals. The animation and writing weren't done in the United States. As such, their studios aren't mentioned on a recently-circulated spreadsheet noting conditions within animation studios. However, their labor and economic conditions are worth noting. The entertainment industry remains highly profitable. Disney, brought in over $55 billion to the company's Media and Entertainment Distribution division in 2022 alone. They can clearly pay writers, and actors, what they deserve, and fulfill their demands in the recent strikes. It should be no issue for them at all.

The third episode/film of Kizazi Moto, "Moremi," took a quite different tact than the others, making it stand out. In part, this was because it had moderate violence. It artfully combined mystical magical, and sci-fi themes all in one. Like the first episode/film, the Yoruba language is spoken. In some ways, this episode reminded me of the episode in the far-too-short animeseque Yasuke in which the samurai, Yasuke, travels upstream with Saki. A fundamental difference between that series, focused on the Black experience, is that this episode has character development, depth, and no tonal shifts.

This episode/film focuses on the frailty of the human condition, family togetherness, and the value of one's soul. The protagonist Luo (voiced by Tolowanimi Olaoye), who must recharge himself every day to keep his heart functioning, learns a story from Moremi, the woman who saves him from soul-eating monsters. Moremi (voiced by Kehinde Bankole) tells him that in the past, the land of Ife was filled with the aforementioned monsters from another realm. She adds that woman built a machine which closed the inter-dimensional gateway between worlds. Of course, even though this woman made an oath to the Gods, she vowed to save her child by any means necessary, even if the monsters returned.

This Kizazi Moto episode/film has a touching ending, with Luo merging his life force with the child, Olu. As a result, the monsters depart, and Moremi, the woman from the story, finally can reunite with her child. I can't even think of a series in which a character gives up their soul to save another person. Rapunzel in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure nor Steven Universe in the series of the same name has done anything like Luo. The only equivalent I can think of is what happens in the original Tokyo Mew Mew manga and the early 2000s anime. Masaya Aoyama uses the Mew Aqua inside of him to not only sacrifices his own life, but that of villainous Deep Blue. This does not happen in the reboot series, which has more of a "happy ending" than in the original series (or manga).

I wasn't familiar with the episode's director, Shofela Coker, co-writer, Vanessa Kanu, or co-director, Andrew McNally. Coker even voices a character (Malimbe) in this episode/film. Coker is known for his animation and video game work and for feature films like Liyana. Kanu is a new screenwriter. He is a staff writer on Supa Team 4, reportedly the "first original African animated series" on Netflix. McNally is co-creator of Isaura, a South African animated film in development. It focuses on climate change and environmental conservation, and centers on Mozambique. The same company that made that film, Studio Lucan, also did the work on this episode. The episode/film, it is inspired by the real mythological story of Yoruba hero Queen Moremi/Moremi Ajasoro of Ife.

The fourth episode/film of Kizazi Moto, "Surf Sangoma", goes in another direction. It's about surfing and finding yourself. It begins in a dark place. The grandmother of the protagonist, Njabulo, is pulled under water by squids. This mortifies her grandson, who tries in vain to save her, but fails. Then, there is a flash forward to the present, where Njabulo is a surfing coach, and he talks to his friend, Mnqobi. In an almost ominous tone, an announcement declares that surfing beyond the wall, which protects the city, is illegal and deadly. Even the high water is said to have caused civil unrest. In a scene, which reminds me of the bike chases in the often-forgotten Tron: Uprising, Mnqobi and Njabulo race one another and find a spot which gets them "over the wall".

This is where the episode becomes horror-like. Locals talk to Njabulo (voiced by Mandisa Nduna) and Mnqobi (Omiga Mncube), declaring that they either have to surf or leave. Although Njabulo refuses to take part, with his grandmother's voice telling him to avoid the water, Mnqobi obliges. All of them have squids, from the water, attached to their heads. This is even worse than the brain slug in Futurama. It's more like the insidious brain worms in two episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. To make matters worse, Mnqobi joins the local surfers and they beat up Njabulo, stealing his board, the last thing he has left of his grandmother.

With an undoubted lesson that people should confront their fears, the voice of Njabulo's grandmother tells him to return to the water. Although the local surfers taunt him, he continues onward. His grandmother saves him from the ravenous squid. She is now part of the ocean. One of the best animated sequences in the episode follows. Njabulo is chased by other surfers, with the music and pace fitting the action. In the end, he is able to rescue his friend.

Perhaps to indicate the world's cruelty, the surfer with malintent, Mlindos (voiced by Carlos Fonseca Mokgata), is brutally killed/subsumed by the squid. Although Njabulu and Mnqobi survive, a final scene, which shows a squid, in the water near the former city, roaring, implies a possible continuation. It also indicates that the city may be under direct threat.

This Kizazi Moto episode/film has to be one of my favorites. Not only do some of the characters talk in Zulu, but the animation is smooth, colorful, and unique, having its own flair. On the other hand, it is a bit like a horror film. It is, perhaps, the scariest of the lot, and it took some time to come around to it since I'm not a big fan of the horror genre, with some exceptions. I wasn't aware of any of the directors (Catherine Green, Nthato Mokgata, and Graham Gallagher), nor the creators (Nthato Mokgata and Terence Neale) or the writers (Nthato Mokgata, Catherine Green, and Phumlani Pikoli).

Similarly, I hadn't heard of Sabelo Gumede (who voices Mlindos' associate, Nsimbi), Tyson Ngubeni (who voices Mlindos' associate, Joko), or Krofaa Sani Sekyiamah (who voices a little surfer girl/Njabulo's student at beginning of the episode). Mokgata is part of a South African visual art duo and musician otherwise known as Spoek Mathambo. He has a distinctly and "socially-engaged" Africanfuturist perspective. Neale is known for music videos.

The other six episodes/films continue the show's "unique African perspective" and play to a big audience. This series may be a breakthrough for the animation industry in Africa. Disney has under-promoted this series, without question. This leaves it up to the individual creators to do the promotion on their own. Triggerfish, the animation studio primarily behind the series, was praised on Glassdoor. Comments described it as extremely organized, having a great company culture, inspirational, great upward mobility, and high-quality animation. The same comments criticized it for a messy production pipeline, low job retention, and low pay.

I was intrigued when I saw the title of "First Totem Problems," the fifth episode/film of Kizazi Moto. The colorful animated scenery and cheerful music pulled me in, as were the struggles of the protagonist. Sheba (voiced by Rene Setlhako) cannot get on a train because it doesn't identify her as an adult. Later, she attends a ceremony to get a totem, so she can become an adult. By accident, she ends up in a dimension where her ancestors are living, akin to the spirit world in Elena of Avalor.

She is determined to get a totem. She enters the totem printing room with that goal. Her ancestors tell her that a totem is connected to your community and can't be manufactured. This doesn't faze her. She makes her own totem and is verified as an adult; despite the damage her actions may have caused within the spirit world.

Honestly, this episode/film was the least favorite one. The message appears to be that someone's determination and smugness will help you achieve your goals. Not sure that is a good lesson. The episode could have done something similar to Hilda, where her arrogance causes her trouble and issues with others. I hadn't heard of the episode's writer/director, Tshepo Moche, nor Maame Boateng and Khadidiatou Diouf, who provided additional writing. The same went for the voice actors, like Tumi Morake, Lillian Dube, Rampepe Mohohlo, and Sne Dladla who voiced Momzo, Mimi, Malume, and Wewe respectfully.

My disappointment from the fifth episode/film of Kizazi Moto faded away when I watched "Mukudzei". This episode/film not only criticizes online culture and obsession with likes as hollow, but it has the lesson that togetherness and cooperation are more important than individuality. Muku (voiced by Pious Nyenyewa) realizes this firsthand, while he is spray painting the ruins. He is transported, due to a timeline glitch, to a future parallel universe, Muchadenga. In this universe, Great Zimbabwe was never colonized. A fellow scavenger named Rumbie (voiced by Genesis "Gigi Lamayne" Manney) saves him. Rumbie tells him this society has all sorts of technology and the most sophisticated justice system in the multiverse. A monster bird chases them and there is an intense, and well-animated, chase through a tunnel.

The biggest twist is not that Muku realizes he messed up or that Rumbie is also from the past, and saw her brother die in the ruins. It is the fact that the bird is trying to help them get back to the past! The bird even assists them in keeping open the portal so they can return to the present, where Rumbie meets her mother (voiced by Fungai Muzoroza), once again. Muku realizes that being #1 as a social media influencer doesn't matter. Rather, talking to his dad is more important. Preserving one's culture and history is another important theme.

Like the other episodes/films, I hadn't heard of the directors (Tafadzwa Hove and Pious Nyenyewa). While Hove was the writer, Nyenyewa also was the episode's creator and voice of Muku, one of the protagonists, as noted earlier. Hove describes himself as a "filmmaker". Nyenyewa is a Zimbabwean who leads the studio, Alula Animation. Manney is a South African rapper known as Gigi Lamayne. This series is the voice acting debut of her and Muzoroza.

The seventh episode/film of Kizazi Moto, "Hatima," was one of the strongest. And I'm not only saying that because I enjoy reading stories about merpeople like Mermaid Huntress (formerly named Ice Massacre), Mora in Disenchantment, Coral in High Guardian Spice, or Lettuce in Tokyo Mew Mew New (who can sometimes be a mermaid). The fact that this took place in an underwater society makes me think of the underwater battles in Star Wars: Clone Wars, the secret society of Atlantis in the 2000s Disney films (Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Atlantis: Milo's Return), the Gungan society in Star Wars, or the oft-appearing Atlanteans in Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice, and other properties.

"Hatima" has common themes like a father's death at the hands of an enemy. Being deemed unworthy to be a warrior, with someone holding you back from your potential is not a new concept. I liked that Mati (voiced by Nkosinathi Mazwai) is headstrong. He won't listen to the reasoning of his brother, Sana (voiced by Tshepo Howza Mosese). Sana doesn't understand Mati's anger, or wants to use a "weapon of war", the Hatima. In fact, he declares that the Hatima are only used by the "air-breathers" (i.e., the humans) and that they don't use them. The backstory begins almost innocently. Nhela (voiced by Mo Mjamba) works in her makeshift lab. Her sister, Alani (voiced by Tumela Candice Modiselle) helps her. She learns that sodium chloride causes the Hatima cells to grow instead of destroying them.

It predictably goes south. Their actions incur the disappointment of King of their society, and their father (voiced by Herald Khumalo). He takes away the Hatima. After Nhela mocks his decrees, Alani refuses to work with her. In a possible allusion to chronic illness, Nhela, who is near death, and coughing up blood, submerges herself in the Hatima. She has changed. But no one will accept her, even after her pleas that this substance can cure all sickness.

The worst betrayal is that Alani says they can "fix" and return her to normal, which is ludicrous. Does she want her sister to almost die, again? Unsurprisingly, she leaves the society, feeling shunned by everyone. This connects to Mati and the battle underwater. This whole story is in a memory orb, which reveals this backstory. It causes him to embrace his "enemy," Ntsako (voiced by Lebo Mochudi), and realize they are all related. In some ways, this resolution makes me think of the sirenas in Elena of Avalor, likely referring to the mythologic creature in Filipino culture, which is like a mermaid.

I was familiar with themes of acceptance, the "other," ancestry, and family. Even so, I hadn't come across a series where characters speak Afrikaans, a West Germanic language which evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony used by German, French, Dutch settlers, and those they enslaved. Due to this history, it makes sense that the "oppressors" are speaking this language. I can easily sympathize with what Mati and Nhela are going through, on some level.

This episode/video has extreme potential become a full animated series. Whether Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane, who were the directors, with Maluleke as creator and Mogajane as writer, want to pursue a longer series, I'm not sure. Tatenda Mbudzi was also on the crew, helping with dialogue. I hadn't heard of Sekoati Tsubane (who voices Mati's father) or Kgomotso Kekana (who voices Young Mati), who are voice actors in this series. Maluleke is a digital artist, while Mogajane is director and writer.

The last three episodes/films of Kizazi Moto are unique, but also connect to others. The eighth episode "Stardust", is all about discrimination, realizing who you want to be, and your "destiny" mixed with magic, amazing 3-D animation, and well-fitting music. The protagonist, Nawara (voiced by May Elghety), wants to escape her hard life, and sees the Oracle as the answer. Despite the Oracle's guard saying that her "kind" isn't allowed, the Oracle (voiced by Laith Nakli) gives her a scroll. He says that it has what she deserves. When she learns there is nothing inside the scroll, she is enraged. She declares she will "take" her destiny by herself.

Not everyone likes the Oracle. He is the enemy of the Pallids. They want a magical star from him, even destroying his droid protector. Later, Nawara escapes with some scrolls. Even so, she feels bad after the Oracle is captured. She becomes friends with Riphi, the oxen-like beast who is the Oracle's animal companion. She goes on a typical hero's journey to the observatory. In a powerful scene, the Pallid boss (voiced by Mo Ismail) tells Nawara that she shouldn't waste her pride and ambition because people like her don't get to choose their destiny. Of course, she can't accept this. She fights alongside the Oracle and the Pallids are defeated. Comically, they are thrown out of the observatory.

The end of this episode/film implies that Nawara may stay with the Oracle, as she says that she wants to be "nothing, but this". The camaraderie between Nawara and the Oracle is one of the best parts of the episode/film. The same can be said for the voice acting by Elghety, Nakli, Ismail, Amir Hedayah, Rami El Ashram, and Nayra El Sheikh. The latter three voice the droid announcer, a Pallid man, and Pallid woman. Ahmed Teilab wrote and directed this episode/film. Kenyas screenwriter Voline Ogutu does additional writing. Their talents make "Stardust" that much more impactful.

The ninth episode/film of Kizazi Moto, "You Give Me Heart" shares some similarities with the previously mentioned episode/film, "Mukudzei". However, this episode/film, more than any of the others, criticizes the absurdity of online value. The protagonist, Sundiata "Sundi" (voiced by Sechaba Ramphele), has only two followers. This differs from Phefo and Moepi, voiced by Mhlangabezi Richard Mashiya and Lesego Vorster. He joins a show in which contestants are from a version of Earth called Oro Kotoko. Winners enter the land of the Gods, called Hodimo, and become the new God of creativity. In order to do so, they must convince Maadi, goddess of plenty, to favor them. If the judges are displeased, then a contestant can be rejected.

Luckily for Sundi, he ascends. The announcer, Tsbinki (Mukovhe Monyai), has it out for him, because Sundi embarrassed him by turning him into a clay hummingbird during the contest. Maadi is willing to help him. While he is happy for her help, he never gets close to the follower count he needs to truly ascend: one million followers. He admits to her that it is hard to get people to like you. When he sees the true form of Maadi (voiced by Pearl Thusi), he films her, and causes him to reach his goal.

This is at a cost. He embarrasses her. It results in her losing so many followers that her goddess status disappears. In the final part of the episode, he strikes back. Everything falls apart, with the help of Maadi, with each of the gods losing their forms, and the system overloads. Maadi and Sundi hold hands and tell the program, Jojoba (voiced by Simba Mudereri) to "delete" it all. They appear to die happy while this horrifying place disappears from existence.

"You Give Me Heart" was one of my favorite Kizazi Moto episodes/films. I thought the imagery of the Gods working in cubicles is apt. I've always thought that if a higher power was even possible (which it isn't), there would be a massive bureaucracy to manage everything. This is almost never depicted in fiction. I liked Tsbinki's character, to an extent, as she is very energetic and emphatic. Some of the designs reminded me of Gem fusions like Sunstone, Sugilite, and Sunstone in Steven Universe. The director/creator, Lesego Vorster, and writer, Nonzi Bogatsu, were both new names to me.

The final film/episode of Kizazi Moto, "Enkai", shares themes with "Hatima". The mother Goddess, Shiro, has fun with her child, Enkai. Both speak Swahili together. Despite this warmth, she insists that Enkai isn't ready to create new life, and is not ready to come with her to Earth. Understandably, Enkai worries about her mother. She is excited when she makes her first being. Curiously, she travels to Earth and walks through a slum in Kirinyaga Mega City. People there are rapping that the Euro-Kenya Corporation is exploiting a mountain. Her mom, who is trying to put out fires made by the corporation's robots, saves her, just in time.

Shiro's belief that the corporation won't destroy the sacred mountain is proven wrong. The corporate greed, of the humans, almost kills her. Not all hope is lost. Enkai (voiced by Stycie Waweru) creates a whole new world, using items from Earth over years and years, called Thayari. She tells her mom that humans can only save themselves now. She adds that isn't her mom's responsibility anymore, and heals her mother (voiced by Sheila Munyiva). In the final sequence of this episode/film, they both dance in this new world happily.

While the Earth is "left to die", Shiro did as much as she could. She almost died trying to protect Earth. This episode/film has the implication that humans have no one to look up to but themselves. In some ways, this is an atheist theme. This contrasts with many of the other episodes/films, which have almost religious, or religious themes. I wasn't familiar with the voice actresses for Enkai or Shiro, nor those for Awa (Kate Harbor) or Makanga (Varees Marko Lukyamuzzi). The director/writer, Ng'engo Mukii, was also new. She is a film director and Tufts University professor.

I have further thoughts on Kizazi Moto before I end this review. The series was promoted badly. I only remembered it all thanks to some savvy users on social media. As such, the promotional campaign could have been better. Secondly, having all ten episodes/films drop one day is a recipe for having them disappear altogether, with people forgetting about them. The release of the episodes/films should have been spaced out along 10 weeks, or five weeks at minimum.

This series is unlike any other series I've seen, in part because it is an anthology. Each episode/film doesn't necessarily connect to the previous one. Even so, they all show the brilliance of African animation industry, whether through the writing, animation, or dialogue. Although I haven't seen any of the episodes of Star Wars: Visions yet, it has a similar feel, in terms of each episode standing alone and not necessarily connecting to those before it. At the same time, this series differs from other well-known sci-fi anthology series like Black Mirror, The Twilight Zone, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and Love, Death & Robots.

African stories are front and center in Kizazi Moto, just as Mexican stories are at the center of Victor and Valentino and Villainous. The fact that Ramsey, known for his co-direction of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, gives this series credibility. Unfortunately, many originally incorrectly labeled this as "Afrofuturist," despite the distinction as I noted earlier in this review, with some exceptions. With the premiere of Supa Team 4 late last month, My Dad the Bounty Hunter season 2  this month, and premieres for Iyanu: Child of Wonder, and Dantai, hopefully in 2024 or 2025, Black science fiction is moving to a broader audience.

Recently, Disney announced that The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder would be getting a third season. At the same convention, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it was also revealed that The Sunnyridge 3, StuGo, Dragon Striker, and The Doomies will be going into production, along with a second season of Kiff, and future premiere of Primos sometime this year. All of this shows that Disney appears to recognize the value of diverse storytelling.

On the other hand, Disney continues to resist demands of striking writers and actors. Recently, newly-anointed Disney CEO, Bob Iger, denigrated striking writers and actors as "very disruptive". The former are asking for a ratified labor contract, a fair residual formula for streaming services, stronger regulation of self-tape auditions, preventing artificial intelligence from replacing actors, while the latter want to limit use of artificial intelligence in the writing process, size of writers' rooms, job security, and increased pay.

Due to Iger's statement, there's no guarantee Disney would pay them fairly or accept their demands at the present. However, it seems unlikely that the twin strikes by actors and writers will last long-term because, hopefully, the studio heads likely want to make a deal, even though some want to let things drag on until union members start "losing their apartments and...their houses." Furthermore, it is not known how this will impact Disney's push for diverse storytelling.

Kizazi Moto, along with various aforementioned series which are in production, those renewed, or those airing (Kiff, Hamster & Gretel, Moon Girl, and Hailey's On It!) is part of Disney's present course of action. Disney also has series in development such as Iwaju, Cookies & Milk, Tiana, or Moana: The Series. Clearly, the executives want to bring in, promote, and produce non-White stories. This was already clear with the Thai focus in Amphibia and various Black and Afro-Latina characters in The Owl House. It is even more evident with recent announcements.

I'm not sure where Kizazi Moto will go from here, but each has the potential to be expanded into their own series, or something more. I hope that they don't suffer the fate of the little-known web series, Recorded by Arizal, by Filipino creator Yssa Badiola. That series was ignored by Rooster Teeth, and not greenlit into a full series, despite the amazing potential of the four-episode prelude.

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire can be watched on Disney+.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.