Supa Strikas (Source Wikipedia English language)

Supa Strikas is a South African association football-themed comic[1] about a titular football team dubbed "the world's greatest." Despite their enormous talent, the players must adapt in a game where being the best is only the beginning and where the opposition is always full of surprises. The Supa Strikas comic prints 1.4 million copies per month in 16 countries. Supa Strikas also appeared on Caltex and Texaco as an ad. The franchise was acquired by Moonbug Entertainment in 2019 and later sold to Disney India in 2020.

Country

Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia

Language

English, French, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional), Vietnamese, Khmer, Thai, Malay, Tagalog, Arabic, Hebrew, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Urdu and Kiswahili

Genre

football-themed comic

Published

2001-2020

The comic's global headline sponsor is Chevron, (the Caltex and Texaco brands appear on Supa Strikas' match and training apparel), with other headline sponsors including Visa, Guaranty Trust Bank and Henkel. Partner sponsors also feature depending on region, including Grassroot Soccer, Metropolitan Life, Spur Steak Ranches, Visa, South African National Roads Agency, and MTN amongst others.

Sponsors exposure includes perimeter boards in-game scenes, product placement / engagement (e.g. the team often eats at KFC in the South African edition), and full-page advertisements. It is currently sponsored by KFC and Old Mutual in South Africa.

History and development

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Supa Strikas was founded by Andrew Smith, Oliver Power, Lee Hartman, and Alex Kramer[2][3] Supa Strikas was originally created by a South African company but that relationship only lasted a few months. After it was bought by a South-African company, it became, like all successful comics, an exercise in making money out of fandomRoy of the Rovers. Afterward publication spread to various sub-Saharan African countries.[4] By 2002 publications in the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia. Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda soon followed.[5]

The comic receives sponsorship from several companies, including Nike, Caltex, and other South African businesses. Consequently, the sponsoring firms have their product names placed on various panels.[1][6]

The series was based on the life of Thuthuka "Terry" Zwane, a boy from the Soweto area of Johannesburg.[5] With demand for the comic growing increasingly global, Supa Strikas’ core characters remained local, but a more international cast grew around them, including characters of Asian, Latin American and European extraction.[citation needed]

The periodic comic was available across Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, Réunion, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt); Latin America (Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala); Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland) and Asia (Malaysia and the Philippines).[7]

The comic has also been adapted into an animated series by Animasia Studios.[8] The series debuted in 2009 with 47 episodes – each with approximately 22 minutes of run-time – and aired in selected regions until 2010.

The titular soccer team adventure through the world of soccer in their bid to win the Super League trophy in their country, dubbed in their stadium "Strikaland." On their way across the globe, the team explores the roots of the game (from Mexico to China), meets its most extraordinary past and present players, and confronts the most unscrupulous coaches and players from their rival teams.

The story centers around the team's young striker, Shakes, whom many believe is the best striker in the world. Shakes and his teammates, however, consider the acclaim as a mere beginning. The game's global legacy and the players who dream of being crowned Super League champions mean Shakes must constantly challenge himself to remain in contention. As a result, he often finds himself spearheading the team's exploration of the unknown – be it a strange land, a strange opposition, or a new soccer challenge.

The stories in Supa Strikas combine humor (often in the form of the characters Spenza and El Matador as the comic relief), action, technology, and exploration in the context of a real soccer challenge. In addition, the stories are usually positive life messages that deal with self-actualization, fair play, teamwork, and respect.