Bill Masuku on ‘Children of Captain Africa’ and Beyond

TNT Africa is shining a dedicated spotlight on the creatives behind superhero icons with the arrival of Children of Captain Africa – now available on DStv Catch Up. This new 53-minute documentary, produced and directed by Xavier Fournier and Frédéric Ralière, travels across Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe and beyond to meet the writers, illustrators, and publishers actively reshaping the continent’s comic book landscape.

The film features creators like award-winning Zimbabwean comic book artist and writer, Bill Masuku (‘Captain South Africa’), who notes the documentary is a vital look at “yesterday’s pioneers, today’s voices, and tomorrow’s visionaries.”

Bill Masuku is making serious waves in the global comics and animation scene. From bringing his self-published heroes like ‘Captain South Africa’ and ‘Tokoloshe Hunters’ to life, to crafting major projects like ‘Runeless’ for Disney Hyperion (under the Kugali Ink imprint), Masuku is a powerhouse of African storytelling.

His impressive resume also includes work as a storyboard artist on the Netflix/Disney x Kugali animated series Iwájú, which earned three Emmy nominations, and being named to the Forbes Africa Under 30 list in 2022. We sat down with Masuku to discuss his creative journey and what it takes to bring distinctly African narratives to international stages.

Can you share what initially inspired you to blend the superhero genre with a distinctly African narrative lens?

For more than a decade, some of the most vitriolic and hateful conversations on social media have been about tokenism, forced diversity and “black washing” in the pop culture space. Be it in Hollywood, comic books, or fantasy/sci-fi novels black and African characters have been systemically erased from the spotlight. Growing up loving superheroes but questioning why none looked or sounded like us made me realise that I would have to be my own answer to that very question.

What was the most challenging or surprising aspect about sharing your personal creative process in Children of Captain Africa?

Typically, interviews of comic creators are incredibly surface-level, which is a consequence of how quickly news outlets have to cycle through information while juggling brutal deadlines. This felt… deep and so well-researched, I was caught by surprise more often than once in the recording by how far back Xavier had noted my journey to moments that felt humble yet important.

How has the African comics industry evolved during your career, and what specific hurdles have you had to overcome?

I became aware of other creators across the continent around 2015. At that time, it was interesting to see the natural progression of an industry from the grassroots. Initially, the handful of us who began self-publishing would create narrative clones of Hollywood blockbuster superheroes that looked African but were effectively empty, in juxtaposition to ‘Captain Africa’, who wasn’t African yet told an original (while problematic) story. Getting to that middle ground of original African and authentically African speculative fiction storytelling in this medium has been a process of trial and error, with no blueprint of how to do so. We are the first, and if we work hard enough, we most certainly won’t be the last.

Beyond action, what deeper thematic messages do you infuse with Captain South Africa’s powers and challenges?

The first time I considered “adrenaline” as a superpower was when I heard the story of Angela Cavallo, who lifted a car off her son in a panic. She gained what is called “hysterical strength”. I would have loved to call her powers that, but there is a deep, traumatic clinical history associated with the dismissive misdiagnosing of women’s mental health under the umbrella of hysteria.

Yet despite being the physically strongest character, she chooses something far more powerful – her voice of reason. Choosing not to fight criminals but to fight the socioeconomic systems that breed crime in her society, such as housing poverty, unemployment, and social inequality.

As an independent creator, how do you balance staying true to your artistic vision and the expectations of a growing readership?

I don’t! Haha. Adding the nuance of turning art into a product has always been a complicated dance. Ultimately, we are the influencers of what taste is, so for consumers sometimes you don’t know what you want until you see it. The name “Captain South Africa” is incredibly derivative but putting her in a Xhosa super-suit, SA flag doek, and inspired on the heels of “must fall” movements circa 2015? No expectation could have predicted the book selling out at Comic Con Africa. I’ll just keep making the book for me, and those who love it are in for a long ride.

Did you have any mentors or established figures who significantly guided your transition from aspiring artist to professional comic creator? If so, what was their most valuable piece of advice?

My mother, “Don’t let a piece of paper define you.” With regards to my studying commerce and then supporting my journey into art.

Do you have a favourite place you like to create or a proven way of getting
into the zone when it comes to your work?

The shower works wonders for a creative headspace, and then quickly drawing notes on the steamed-up glass.

How do you approach the creation and distribution strategy for your comics in this age of digital and print?

I studied for a BCom, so all those hypothetical assignments of Business ABC have become my reality. I work as a B2C creating seasonally for convention attendees to Comic Con Africa, Comic Cape Town x FanCon, Afrogeek Fest, AVIJozi and other events. These have given me both a good estimate of the ideal size and annual budget for print runs. Where possible, I stock my books with the Readers’ Den. Digitally, I like non-competitive online stores with primarily African creators.

Looking to the future, what are you most excited to potentially explore within the superhero genre?

A ‘Captain South Africa’ Netflix original series. Because the story is set in a present day Cape Town it makes it easier to envision a live-action cast fighting to save the country with Table Mountain in the backdrop. But having grown up watching animated content and some experience as a storyboard artist for Netflix and Disney, directing a locally produced animated series is part of the vision. I already have a dream cast of actors who could bring the characters to life. From there, action figures and clothing lines as common as Ben 10 was back in the day.

Which African comic book artists do you admire or see as pushing boundaries with their work?

Clyde Beech and Loyiso Mkize. Going from working on Super Strikaz to creating Kwezi and now in the full bloom of their careers working on Yasuke, Super Scientists, DC Comics, and many films is nothing short of inspirational.

Over the course of your career, what tangible shifts have you seen when it comes to the importance and viability of African-created superheroes?

Many, but if I were to pick one tangible shift, it is the youth reading culture to the adult literacy pipeline. Stories that inspire children not just to be better people but also make them want to turn the page for a story that speaks to them is the bedrock of a functional society to build on higher pass rates in schools, more empathy between peers, and the value of the word-of-mouth stories we’re losing as we consume more and more overseas media.

If you had to start over, what message would you give to yourself as an emerging African comic book artist?

Don’t resist moving to the Clip Studio software, it was literally made to make comics. Stop being stubborn!