Kwezi: Uhlelo lomqokeleli

The African superhero universe is set to widen in South Africa. Kwezi, which means “star” in Xhosa and Zulu, is the brainchild of Loyiso Mkize a designer and fine artist who got his start in comics as an illustrator for the long-running Supa Strikas soccer series. Mkize describes Kwezi as “a coming of age story about finding one’s heritage.” The comic follows a narcissistic teenage boy named Kwezi as he discovers his superhuman abilities amid the daily hustle of the fictional Gold City– a bustling metropolis modelled after Johannesburg. Portrayed as a cocky anti-hero obsessed with selfies and Twitter, Kwezi is initially fueled by the attention from his adoring online fans, but he soon finds out that his powers come with a cultural responsibility. To accurately reflect Kwezi’s world and that of potential readers, the comic’s dialogue is peppered with street slang and pop culture references that place the story in a familiar context for young South Africans. The first three issues were self-published and took three years to develop after local publishers balked at the idea that a South African superhero could be a successful endeavour.

Loyiso Mkize is a visual artist based in Cape Town. Born in Butterworth, Eastern Cape, Loyiso developed a love for art from the age of 5 and has followed his passion to this day - becoming a fine artist, comic book illustrator and founder of a visual arts company Loyiso Mkize Art (Pty) Ltd. Loyiso's skillset has predominantly been in painting and illustration, out of which he developed a career. The works all speak proudly, of an African identity. The overarching force behind his work is telling the African story above all, and articulating its varied textures, colours and ideas - thus forming a lifelong narrative and aesthetic driven artistic journey.