Mandy J Watson
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mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Mandy J Watson
@mandyjwatson.bsky.social
580 followers 140 following 2.4K posts
Tech-culture journalist. Copy editor. Game dev. Hire me!
World expert in South African comics (#sacomics) published after 2000.
Words: https://brainwavez.org/
Tiny games: https://mandyjwatson.itch.io/
Masked up in Cape Town, South Africa.
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mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Look at these awesome zines and stickers @janineveazue.bsky.social sent to me (includes equally awesome D&D stamps on the envelope!).

Thank you so much!

Find her zines here:
www.instagram.com/zinesbyjanine/

and here:
www.etsy.com/shop/Stitcha...
A (bad) photograph (sorry!) of two zines titled Office-Friendly Ways To Say WTF and Out Of Office Messages I Wish I Could Write, plus a sticker sheet with animal characters and stars and clothing items for winter, on top of an orange envelope with the addresses obscured that has three USA stamps with D&D art on them.
November 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Predator: Badlands is horrible. I don't even know if I'm going to write a review because even though it is (somewhat) better than Tron: Ares at least with Tron: Ares I had something to say. With Predator: Badlands I just don't care, which means writing is going to be an absolute slog.
One of the Predator: Badlands posters showing all the main characters in montaged hero poses etc etc and the tag line "First hunt. Last chance."
November 5, 2025 at 6:47 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
That would be this:
A tardigrade playing a violin. Don't know the origin. It's been floating around Bluesky for a while.
November 1, 2025 at 11:21 AM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Here's the art that goes with this.
A poster that says Comic Jam Cape Town Every 1st Sunday 11H00-13H00 @ Obz Books and there is a QR code. I don't know where it goes but there's a WhatsApp symbol. The art is in black and white and it shows two characters - a man in casual clothes, saying "Only R50 person", and an alien pig-like creature in armoured space casual clothes saying "Wowzers!" - battling it out with a giant pencil and a laser pistol. There are pens and ink bottles and such that are going flying in all directions.
October 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Behold! The interactive zine!

You can read more about how to get a copy in the blog post. The short answer is Readers Den Comic Shop Wynberg, The Book Lounge, and Clarke's Bookshop in Cape Town. Readers Den and The Book Lounge will also ship elsewhere.

Support indie book and comic shops and me!
A human hand holding a tiny (A8) zine. The cover is black and white and says The Time Machine A Tiny Adventure By Mandy J Watson There is pixel art of a book that says "2", because this is the second zine in the Tiny Adventure series, and an analogue clock whose hands are spinning.
October 30, 2025 at 2:17 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Zines! Zines! Zines! @openbookfestival.bsky.social started today and there are lots of zines at the Babel Tower table in the marketplace, including ones by Reinhard Venzke, Claude Naudé, @willowwaffle.bsky.social, @milo-wildcat.bsky.social, Catriona Towriss, and me!
A picture of part of the Babel Tower zine table showing over 30 zines by many creators from Cape Town and the Western Cape. Babel Tower No 2 - a collective zine - is new for Open Book. It was printed with four different cover options and includes work by me.
September 5, 2025 at 6:13 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
I also made the most nonsense #PixelArt and I love it!
The itch game page banner: The non-pixel-art text says "There's A Battle-Slug Monster In Your Basement" and "A One Page Solo RPG". The pixel art, which appears on the downloadable page as well, is a Polaroid of a slug with a heart drawn on it, lots of little hearts bubbling around the Polaroid for decorative reasons, and two cocktails. The slug may or may not be menacing. Its mouth is open and you can see its tongue and teeth. It has two eyeball tentacles on top of its head and two sensing tentacles on the side of its face.
August 18, 2025 at 12:40 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Bonus blooper reel:
August 9, 2025 at 12:14 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
my favourite doctor and companion
August 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
The jam was suitable for people of all skill levels, although there were quite a few #SAComics creators in attendance too. (Which resulted in catchup conversations and an impromptu comics and zines swap after the jam ended.)

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A group of people sitting at tables in the covered outdoor space behind Obz Books in Observatory, Cape Town. They are drawing comics on A4 sheets of paper. Photograph: Mandy J Watson
August 3, 2025 at 6:02 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
You can find it at a few independent bookshops and comic shops in Cape Town for R25: Readers Den Wynberg, The Book Lounge, and Clarke's Bookshop.

(Alternatively, R20 from me excluding shipping if you want it shipped.)

I wanted to keep the price low to make it as affordable as possible.
A selection of the zines, lying on a wooden surface.
August 1, 2025 at 2:22 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
The zine is 32 pages, hand cut from a printed A4 sheet and then stapled, and has a 160gsm cover.

Consequently it is A8 in size (ie very tiny). #SAComics
The cover of The Light At The Frankenstein Place: A Tiny Adventure By Mandy J Watson. There is 1-bit pixel art at the top of an open book that says "1" (because t's the first in an intended series) and 1-bit pixel art further down of a skull and crossbones.
August 1, 2025 at 2:22 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Happening on Sunday, 3 August: Comic Jam Cape Town at Obz Books (76 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town). I don't know much about this but it's R50, 10am-12pm, bring your own supplies. Apparently it's going to be monthly.

More details here:
www.instagram.com/p/DMsmC70qn8H/

#SAComics
A poster from Obz Books showing an illustration of four excited people drawing. It says: Comic Jam Cape Town, only R50 per person, Sunday 3rd August, 10H00-12H00 @ Obs [sic] Books. There's also a QR code but I don't know where it goes.
August 1, 2025 at 1:53 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
The Magical World Of Fungi describes and illustrates more species of fungi but, this time, they are species that are beneficial to humans. You have to refold the zine if you want to read it as pages, although this isn't necessary as the sequence is clear even as a poster page.

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Two pages from The Magical World Of Fungi side of the zine (from a direct scan of Naadirah Moola's original zine). The left page says Psilocybe spp., which is lettered artistically, and there is a drawing of a few of the mushrooms, which is unlabelled. The right page says: • Contains psilocybin, natural psychedelic compound. • Used in indigenous ceremonies for healing & connection. • Known as THE MIND O P E N E R
July 27, 2025 at 5:52 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
As you page through the zine it describes a few species of toxic fungi, with stats explaining how they are dangerous to plants and humans, accompanied by illustrations. The final pages invite the reader to flip open the zine to the other half, which unfolds to reveal The Magical World Of Fungi.

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A photograph showing the zine open at the section about Aspergillus spp. (part of the toxic fungi section). On the left page, which has the heading ASPERGILLUS SPP, is a drawing of the fungus with labels pointing to various parts that are named CONIDIA, VESICLE, PHIALIDES, and STIPE. The right page has a little drawing of ground nuts and is labelled GROUND NUTS and VICTIM #2. (Victim #1 is maize, on the previous page, which is afflicted by a different fungus.) The text reads: EXAMPLES: A. FLAVOS, A. PARASITICUS • AFLATOXIN B1 = GROUP I CARCINOGEN -> TARGETS THE LIVER -> LIVER CANCER! • GLOBAL REGULATORY LEVELS FOR IMPORT AND EXPORT • THRIVES IN HOT + HUMID. -> POOR DRYING + STORAGE ARE HUGE RISK FACTORS. Photograph: Mandy J Watson
July 27, 2025 at 5:52 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Here's a bonus zine from our workshop for #SAComicsSunday, #IZM2025, and #InternationalZine Month: The Perilous World Of Toxic Fungi by Lemonzestt (Naadirah Moola).

(Don't miss the extra notes in the Alt text.)

#sacomics

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The cover of The Perilous World Of Toxic Fungi zine, which is just the text of the title written in pen. Photograph: Mandy J Watson
July 27, 2025 at 5:52 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
The zine showcases some of the seed pods in Towriss' studio inventory, with illustrations of each, some information about the pods, and details about who foraged them and where they were found (unless it's a secret location).

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A photograph showing the first two pages of the zine. The left page has four illustrations of small seed pods. The text reads: fish-mouth seed pod - a kind of eucalyptus size: approx 1cm. source: donated by Francois from tree felled near Hermanus star-seeds - various types of Eucalyptus size: 4mm - 1cm source for foraging: Tokai Park The right page has two illustrations of larger seed pods. The text reads: sunshine cup - aka mossy oak tree acorn cup. size: 3-3.5cm source: Francois collected near Platbos. Hakea seed pod - no nickname. size: 2cm foraging source: secret! Photograph: Mandy J Watson
July 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Since it is #InternationalZineMonth / #IZM2025, today's #SAComicsSunday showcase is another zine from the workshop we ran last month.

It's Seed Pod Selections: A Studio Inventory by Catriona A. Towriss.

(As always, don't miss the extra notes in the Alt text.)

#sacomics

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The cover of the zine Seed Pod Selections. It is black text with no images and says: SEED POD SELECTIONS A studio inventory CATRIONA TOWRISS Photograph: Mandy J Watson
July 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Each page presents a term or phrase that's evolved in her family, such as "kalezemity" and "unca-hol"; a drawing to illustrate the term; and a mention of who came up with it.

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Pages 6 and 7 from the Lindelwa Cele's zine A Family Portrait. Page 6: There is a drawing of the head and shoulders of a man, seen from behind. He is wearing a hat. Text: Kalezemity TRANSLATION When your parents or loved ones watch you intently as you disappear into the distance. Gogo. ["grandmother": attribution of the family member who came up with the term] Page 7: There is a drawing of a small bottle of alcohol. Text: Unca-hol TRANSLATION The beer, Uncle sneaks in during weddings - When he is supposed to be babysitting his nephew. Khehla. [Attribution of the family member who came up with the term]
July 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Cele is in the process of documenting her grandmother's stories and memories. For the workshop, she decided to make a zine about some of the language and terminology that has naturally evolved in her family circle.

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A photograph of a hand flipping through the zine to show its A7 size and some of the pages. One that is partly visible says "Where are the geckos?" and it's an explanation of the term that means "gherkins" in Cele's family, with a picture of a gecko that's crossed out next to a picture of a gherkin jar. Another that's partly visible says "I tell you, gogo" ["gogo" means grandmother], which means "This tea is very hot, listen very well"; in other words, "I've got some good gossip". Photograph: Mandy J Watson
July 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
It's #IZM2025 (International ZIne Month) and also #SAComicsSunday so here's another zine from the workshop I co-facilitated in June: A Family Portrait by Lindelwa Cele.

(As always, there are additional details in the Alt text.)

#SAComics

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A photograph showing the cover of A Family Portrait, by Lindelwa Cele. It is a ballpoint pen drawing of the outlines of the heads and shoulders of a group of people, surrounded by loose rectangular shapes meant to evoke the sense of a photo frame. Photograph: Mandy J Watson
July 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
From the Netflix technology blog: With these models specified by AV1 standard, the encoding process first removes the film grain from the video. The standard does not mandate a specific method for this step, allowing users to choose their preferred denoiser. Following the denoising, the video is compressed, and the grain’s pattern and intensity are estimated and transmitted alongside the compressed video data. During playback, the film grain is recreated and reintegrated into the video using a block-based method. This approach is optimized for consumer devices, ensuring smooth playback and high-quality visuals. For a more detailed explanation, please refer to the original paper. By combining these components, the AV1 Film Grain Synthesis tool preserves the artistic integrity of film grain while making the content “easier to compress” by denoising the source video prior to encoding. This process enables high-quality video streaming, even in content with heavy grain, resulting in significant bitrate savings and improved visual quality.
July 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
Since I know Tolosana's work well, and his tendency to work in a restricted palette, I suspect the full colour bits are Roblin's changes and the 2023 version is Tolosana rethinking how to express the story through colour, especially with the text now moved to more legible blocks.

7/
[I've split the page into two because the alt text didn't fit] The first page of the 2023 version of Space Diner. The text is now predominantly all in blocks placed in suitable spaces in the art in the various panels, which makes it easier to read. The text itself, however, is smaller, which makes it harder to read. Panel 1: A picture of a diner in space. Space, itself, is not visible, as it was in the 2015 version. Instead the background is a solid orange. The diner art has been updated and has more detail. Text: Space Diner written by James Roblin Illustrated by El Chucho Narration: I chased the Shifter from system to system. Panel 2: The bounty hunter approaches the diner. The mascot on top has been redesigned and its most prominent feature is a grinning mouth. Instead of large, open eyes the eyes are closed slits. Narration: Strange to think it should all end here. Panel 3: The bounty hunter walks into the diner. There are more objects around the counter and there is more detail in the art. Narration: The waitress had a SPARK about her... But... Panel 4: The waitress approaches the bounty hunter. There is a thought balloon above him but you can't see what he's thinking as it's cut off by the panel border. In breaking with the narration-only style of the 2015 version, the waitress speaks in this version of the comic's only speech bubble. There is more detail in the alien at the counter trying to get the waitress's attention, as well as in the environmental art around and behind him. Waitress: Hi What can I get you? Narration: ...I'd been in this hunt long enough to know anyone is a suspect. I ordered eggs, NUKED!!! Some Space-BUM called her away and I... [I've split the page into two because the alt text didn't fit] Panel 5: The closeup revealing the bounty hunter's face. In this version no shadow is cast across it and the shading is different, although the art is almost exactly the same. Instead he is coloured in the light orange while the background is yellow. In the 2015 version the colouring made him appear weary. In this version he seems a little more determined and menacing. Narration: ...turned my eyes to the rest of the room. I was a bounty hunter and I knew my trade. I'd been in a few scrapes. I wasn't as pretty as I used to be. But in the end I always got my mark. SHAPESHIFTERS though... those... are the tough ones. Panel 6: We see the bounty hunter's point of view looking deep into the diner again. There is more detail in the art and the environmental art. The windows aren't really apparent, except for the fact that you can still see a small (redesigned) spaceship floating outside, which indicates that the windows are there. The aliens at the back booth have been redesigned. The waitress, who is walking back behind the counter, is very subtly coloured light orange, while the rest of the panel is yellow, with some black shadows, and the narration box is orange. Narration: THATS [sic] why they're worth the Big BUCKS!!! You have to hope they slip up, and you have to spot 'em when they do. The trouble was... this place was a CIRCUS.
June 29, 2025 at 7:31 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
The colouring of the 2015 version is purple and violet tints, tones, and shades with small areas of full colour in a couple of places (notably the view of the universe outside the diner's windows). The 2023 version is flatter colour using orange, yellow, and a very light orange.

5/
[I've split the page into two because the alt text didn't fit] The first page of the 2015 version of Space Diner. The text, in Tolosana's handwriting, runs in suitable spaces in the art of each panel. Panel 1: A picture of a diner in space. Spaceships are parked (berthed?) around its perimeter. There is a large mascot of a burger with big eyes mounted on top of the diner, along with the words "Space Diner". Text: Space Diner [with the Falcon Comics logo next to it] written by James Roblin illustrated by [an icon that is a stylised "L." (/"EL.") and is one of Luis Tolosana's old signatures] Narration: I had chased the Shifter from system to system. Panel 2: A closeup of the burger mascot on top of the diner and below it we see the person narrating, a bounty hunter, from behind as he approaches the diner. He has horns on the top of his head and an X, which might be a scar, in the hair at the back of his head. He is wearing a jacket with a popped collar. Narration: Strange to think it should all end here. Panel 3: The bounty hunter has entered the diner. There are arcade machines to one side. The waitress is behind the counter holding a tray of drinks and an alien creature is hunched at the counter eating. Narration: The waitress had a spark about her. Panel 4: The waitress comes up to the bounty hunter to greet him and take an order. The alien at the counter is in the background, trying to get her attention. Narration: But I'd been in this hunt long enough to know that anyone is a suspect. I ordered eggs, NUKED. Some space-bum called her away. [I've split the page into two because the alt text didn't fit] Panel 5: We finally see the bounty hunter's face. Shadows fall across the top of it and we see a bunch of scars running across his nose and right cheek. Narration: I turned my eyes to the rest of the room. I was a bounty hunter, and I knew my trade. I'd had some close shaves, wasn't as pretty as I used to be. But in the end I always got my mark. Shapeshifters though... those are the tough ones... Panel 6: We see the bounty hunter's point of view as he looks along the depth of the diner to assess who is around. There are booths on the left in which aliens are gathered. Beyond them, space in full colour is visible through the windows. The counter is to the right and a doorway to the back presumably leads to a restroom. The waitress is walking back behind the counter. Narration: Thats [sic] why they're worth the big bucks. You have to hope they slip up, and you have to spot 'em when they do. The trouble was... This Place was a circus.
June 29, 2025 at 7:31 PM
mandyjwatson.bsky.social
#SAComicSunday: Space Diner is a four page digital comic by British writer James Roblin and #SAComics creator Luis Tolosana that I don't think was ever printed. Two versions exist: the original, which was published in 2015, and an updated version that was published in 2023.

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The Space Diner comic was originally inspired by this artwork by Luis Tolosana of the interior of a diner filled with alien creatures who are hanging out at all the booths. A waitress, who has small wings, is walking past in the foregound with a tray of drinks. (She is one of the characters in this scene who made it into the comic, albeit adjusted because in the comic she also has a tail. The aliens at the booth on the far right also made it into the comic, although they were redesigned in the 2023 version.) The diner is lit by fancy globes and the back wall has "Falcon Comics", Luis Tolosana's comics brand for a few years in the mid 2010s, written on it in large letters, along with the Falcon Comics logo.
June 29, 2025 at 7:31 PM