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Interviews

Unleashing the Power of African Characters: The Comic Republic Story

 

Introduction

Meet Michael Balogun, General Manager and Head of Comic Productions at Comic Republic, a revolutionary character-based entertainment company. Comic Republic specializes in crafting captivating stories using comic book characters of African origin and backgrounds, resonating with audiences in Africa and the diaspora. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the exciting journey of Comic Republic, how it all began, its unique approach to storytelling, and its remarkable success over the past decade.

The Birth of Comic Republic: A Passionate Dream Turned Reality

Almost a decade ago, four passionate individuals gathered around a dining table, fueled by their love for drawing, energy drinks, and laughter. Among them was the visionary CEO who saw the potential in their creative endeavor and decided to take it to the next level. Thus, Comic Republic was born. Among the quartet, Toby, one of the first four, proposed the name change from “Comic Central” to the now-iconic “Comic Republic.”

From Print to Online: A Bold Move that Rewrote the Rules

Given the relatively poor reading culture in the region, the traditional approach of selling comic books in print seemed uncertain. Instead, they decided to take a bold step and made their content freely available online. Initially met with skepticism, this decision ultimately turned out to be a game-changer for Comic Republic. Their unique storytelling style began attracting attention, reaching a global audience and even catching the eye of major corporations like BBC, Al Jazeera, and more.

The Power of Original African Stories

Comic Republic stands out from the crowd due to its commitment to creating original and authentic African stories. Their content draws inspiration from African heritage, deities, tribes, and origins, infused with a touch of the Western world. Their team of skilled writers and artists work tirelessly to ensure that the stories they present resonate with both African and international audiences.

Click the video below to watch the interview

 

A Marvelous Comic Library and Unparalleled Frequency

One of the many feathers in Comic Republic’s cap is its vast library of African comic books. Offering two new comic books each month, totaling 24 releases in a year, they stand unrivaled in their dedication to producing fresh and captivating content. This relentless drive to provide consistent entertainment keeps their readers eagerly coming back for more.

A Digital Presence: The Gateway to Success

Comic Republic primarily operates online, capitalizing on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. By offering their comic books for free, they earned exposure and built a substantial fan base, which has become a stepping stone to success. In addition, they have their own app available on the Play Store and have creatively addressed the iOS limitations through a Progressive Web App.

Investors and Growth: Fueling the Comic Revolution

To sustain and expand its business, Comic Republic has garnered support from investors and shareholders. This financial backing has allowed them to maintain their operations, grow their team, and continue to deliver outstanding content to their eager audience.

The Future of Comic Republic: Where Creativity Knows No Bounds

As Comic Republic continues to flourish, they remain dedicated to their mission of showcasing the richness of African stories and characters to the world. Through innovation, determination, and an unwavering love for storytelling, they are set to leave an indelible mark on the global comic industry.

In conclusion,

Comic Republic is not just a company but a symbol of creativity and the celebration of African culture. Their journey from a humble dining table to becoming the powerhouse of African comic entertainment is an inspiration to aspiring creators and artists alike. The legacy they are building promises to endure and leave an everlasting impact on the world of comics. So, why Comic books? They answer, “Why not?”

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Customer Showcase: Souper Dishes- A Nigerian Homemade Food Business

Photograph of Souper Dishes Founder, Nneka Adesanya

Whether you’re looking to start a business but don’t know if it’s what you are cut out for. Or you’ve started already but you are looking for ways to forge ahead;  Nneka Tomilola Adesanya, Founder of Souper Dishes – a homemade Nigerian food business,  talks about super essential business information. It’s her startup and business growth story, plus ways she’s retaining old customers and attracting new ones.

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Interviews

This Farmer Wants To Eliminate The Middlemen

It is bad enough that only a tiny portion of Nigerian undergraduates know what they’d do after school, worse is the fact that a tinier fraction of this population do not know how to go about it. This however is not the case with Kazeem Salman a graduate of University of Ilorin, Kwara State who went against all odds to establish Munab Nigeria, an Agric business with the goal of strategically distributing farm produce in the most efficient manner.

Kazeem Salman
Kazeem Salman

Can you tell us a bit about yourself growing up, and what prompted you to start Munab Nigeria?
I grew up in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara state. Even though

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Interviews

Meet Maryam- The Physiotherapist Who sells Pants

What endeared the whole team to her business was her simple yet unique logo design. The colour choice was superb as the designer cleverly utilized the magenta and white, leaving no stone unturned as all relevant syllables were marked where necessary, following the rules of the Yoruba vocabulary.

The above and few other reasons lured us into taking it further by reaching out to Maryam to know more about her hustle and how she’s been able to run her small business alongside schooling.

This 500 level Physiotherapy student of College of Medicine (UNILAG) didn’t disappoint as she provided succinct explanation in making every point clear.

Here’s how it all started

“I started my underwear business

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Interviews

How Blessing Alabi Nurtured Her Fashion Brand Despite Her Fears

For this Kogi born model, leaving her job to start a fashion outfit was somewhat difficult and really challenging as she lost a whole lot including close relationships but did this deter her from her dream?

This interview with Alabi Blessing, founder of TheStyleArchitect will guide us through her world, her hustle and her brand.

 

How It All Started

Being the second child and  first daughter from a family of 6, I knew I wanted to connect with people, have not just conversations but one that will yield positive results, on the other hand, I had a thing for style, l’d get angry on seeing people wear clothes that are 2 sizes smaller, like, I literally found myself walking up to people and politely righting some Wardrobe wrongs. ( lol. I still do, I can’t help it.)

ThestyleArchitect

Fast forward to last year April, when I made the decision to leave my job and start, just start something.