lance spearman 71ment, and a modern African woman’s claim to be part of it, but for its char-
acteristically ironic twist as well as the juxtaposition of text and images so
typical of the magazine (see figure 2.5). This is most frequently displayed in
the fighting sequences. Harsh violence is accompanied by a commentary
that seeks to establish the coolness with which the protagonists mete out
punishment—for it is always Spear and his friends who comment on their
own actions, the antagonists being granted only an occasional “Ooeff!” or
“Aarrg!” At the same time, our heroes turn karate kicks and upper cuts into
delightful comedy sketches. Spear plants a punch to a thug’s face with the
announcement, “Have a knuckle sandwich” (no. 107: 10), and a few pages
later, he is in the air, knocking two guys out with a karate kick, letting them
know: “You guys look hungry. Have a meal” (no. 107: 23).
The fighting scenes are central to the elaborate imagery of African Film.
They convey a sense of action rarely found elsewhere in photo novels. This
is achieved by capturing actors as if in the middle of a dynamic move, from
camera angles usually associated with film. Sometimes speed lines, bor-
rowed from comic books, are added. Frequent changes in point of view,
reverse shots, a meaningful variation of different camera distances (from
long shots to close-ups), and varying picture sizes per panel give African
Film its cinematic look and feel. Actors display vivid facial expressions.
This adds to the liveliness of the imagery and is distinct from the often
boring visual aesthetics of contemporary non-African photo novels, where
actors, even if engaged in lively conversation, are captured with sealed
lips, to appear as immaculate as possible. W hile images in European and
A mer ic a n photo novel s have been a na ly zed a s bei ng on ly suppor t ive to t he
text-based narratives (Schimming 2002), images and texts are on a much
more equal footing in African Film, a nd i n ma ny sequences, especia l ly t he
fighting routines, images take the lead and would even work without ac-
companying texts. This is a remarkable development, which sets African
Film apart from the earlier European photo novel it was built on.
A PAN-AFRICAN FAN CULTUREMost issues of African Film I could get my hands on carry a last page
with a portrait of Lance Spearman and a direct address to the magazine’s