Supa Strikas
Supa Strikas is a South African association football-themed comic 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.
The comic's global headline sponsor is Chevron,, 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, and full-page advertisements. It is currently sponsored by KFC and Old Mutual in South Africa.
History and development
Supa Strikas was founded by Andrew Smith, Oliver Power, Lee Hartman, and Alex Kramer Supa Strikas was originally created by a Nigerian 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. By 2002 publications in the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia. Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda soon followed.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.
The series was based on the life of Thuthuka "Terry" Zwane, a boy from the Soweto area of Johannesburg. 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.
The periodic comic was available across Africa ; Latin America ; Europe and Asia.
The comic has also been adapted into an animated series by . 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, 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, 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.
Squad
Characters
Shakes
Shakes Mokena is a Supa Strikas striker who is from South Africa, he wears a number 10 jersey, which he inherited from his father, Jomo, who was one of the greatest players during his time. though he is seen wearing a number 19 jersey in "Rookie Season". He is the main character of the series, and is especially well known for his "bicycle kick", which he was taught by his dad when he was a child. His other well known skills are "Scorpion Kick" and "Knuckle Ball". Shakes has light brown skin and spiky black hair. He can be quite humorous at times, and loves soccer with all his heart. When things go wrong or something unusual happens, he usually figures out what is going on, but most of the time he is not believed until the end. In Rookie Season, we see that he was 16 years old then and has a mom and younger sister. His best friend is Spenza, a childhood friend and a Superfan of Supa Strikas. Skarra, a now striker for Invincible United, was also his best friend, but ironically is now his sworn enemy. Shakes is considered one of the best players in the Super League, along with El Matador and Twisting Tiger. Shakes is one of the many talented football players in the Super League and is a quick learner. He can think out a game strategy as well as solve puzzling mysteries. Despite being caught and put through disasters from his rivals, he still manages to win games. He seems to be observant of his game, he is also has the ability to move at his peak of his skills to perform extreme focus, concentration, and will in the game.El Matador
Carlos El Matador, nicknamed "El Matador", is a striker for Supa Strikas from Spain who wears the number 20 jersey. He was the most expensive player in the Super League prior to the Amal three getting signed for Sultans FC. He tends to be melodramatic, and he is often seen wearing aqua sunglasses. He is also known as 'Fighter'. El Matador is incredibly self-absorbed, being the wealthiest player on the team. El Matador's net worth is an estimated $144 million, with 25% coming from his salary and the rest from his many endorsements. He owns two gold Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560–4, one Coupe and one Spyder, both nicknamed "Bruno." His other cars include a purple Lamborghini roadster with red chrome, a black and silver two-tone Rolls-Royce Ghost, a silver Nissan GT-R NISMO, a bright green McLaren 570S, a blue Cadillac Coupe de Ville, and a red Aston Martin One-77. He likes to live a lavish lifestyle. El Matador is regarded as one of the best players in the Super League and is one of the highest-scoring players. He uses his head efficiently. He is well known for his striking abilities as well as his volatile personality and showmanship on the field. El Matador loves the limelight a little too much, sometimes forgetting that soccer is a team sport. His dream is to have a statue at Strikaland.Automatic
Automatic was a midfielder of the team accompanying Dancing Rasta with jersey number 24. He is bald, has a beard and wears a white headband. He betrayed Supa Strikas by joining their arch rivals, Invincible United, after getting replaced by Shakes. He is worse than Shakes. He was so bad it resulted in the Strikas holding trials for a new player. He is known for his amazing throw and great defending technique. Automatic has got a wife named Sarah and two children called Benji and Marcus. Benji recently joined the Invincible United Under-13 squad, which made Automatic a proud fatherKlaus
Klaus von Klinkerhoffen, known as Klaus, is a player from Germany who wears the number 2 jersey. He has long messy, blonde hair. In some episodes, he was seen playing as a defender and midfielder. Though he isn't very well-built, he is the Supa Strikas' spare striker. Nicknamed the "Supa Sub", he will automatically replace lead strikers Shakes or El Matador on the field if either one is unavailable, injured, or too tired to play. He has blonde hair and green eyes and pale skin. He is quite tall compared to most of his teammates. Klaus has excellent passing techniques and terrorizes tired opposition defense as a super substitute. He puts on a vulnerable and comical facade to lower the opponents' expectations of his playing, yet he is dead serious when scoring goals. Klaus tends to sneeze when nervous. His favorite food is strudel. Klaus always buys his Aunt Hilda presents from every city Supa Strikas visits. He is addicted to the Inspector Von Spector series and believes that the butler is always guilty. He is also selfish sometimes and gets angry for small things. He is the third Striker of the team. Klaus can be easily distracted, and quickly succumb to pressure. He is seen behaving childish and in a child type-like manner. He also sucks his thumb time and again, has a carefree spirit, and a weird sense of humor. Thus, he is rather awkward to be with.Regardless of his strange personality, Klaus is actually naturally talented. Sadly, his talents go to waste because of his extreme nervousness, instability of mind, and insecurity of not measuring up to his teammates', coach's, and fans' standards. He may lock himself in the shower room if ever he grows too nervous before a match. Apart from these he also owns a BMW Isetta as shown in the "Rookie Season".