Chinonso Wilfred (ArtsbyNonso) is bringing sports comics back in a way that’s giving the Supa Strikers Gen Z and millennials grew up on. His illustrations went viral on X during the tournament, capturing the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 journey as it happened: the matches, the tension, and the team’s eventual exit at the semi-finals. In his sit-down with EscapeMag, we speak with ArtsbyNonso about his early inspirations, his work in music as a cover artist for top profiles including Jeriq and DJ Neptune, Marvel vs DC, the animation industry, the return of print media and that AFCON 2025 finale!
EscapeMag: We came across your comic on X and immediately felt nostalgic for Supa Strikers—what we grew up on. There were a lot of tweets about it, people saying things like, “Oh, there’s someone doing this,” “This is amazing.” We were like, okay, alright, this is cool. So we reached out like, “Hey, this is really amazing,” especially with the dramatic exit the Super Eagles had after everything that happened.
EscapeMag: But before we go into AFCON and the comic, we want to ask you: what got you into comic illustration? What got you into storytelling? What got you into animation as a whole?
ArtsbyNonso: I’ve always been drawing. Since I was a kid, I’ve always been drawing—it’s just my thing. I’ve always been creative, and I’ve also been really, really heavy into football.
“There’s always been this intersection of sports—football—and art for me since childhood.”
ArtsbyNonso: When I was little, I used to buy newspapers every morning. In secondary school, I would buy sports papers, and I’d try to draw the footballers on them. So there’s always been this intersection of sports—football—and art for me since childhood. Then I saw Supa Strikers, and I always wanted to create football comics.
EscapeMag: That’s cool. It’s like you’re recreating childhood for a lot of people—what our generation had. We don’t think the newer generations have stuff like this. Do you see this as something experimental or new? Have you given it a name yet?
ArtsbyNonso: I hope it becomes a series that goes on and on, but I’m not sure yet. I’m still focused on finishing the AFCON story, so I haven’t thought about naming it yet. Let us get this AFCON story done, then we’ll see where that takes us.
EscapeMag: No name yet. If we were to name it, what names would you go for? Just three random names you might consider.
ArtsbyNonso: If it was supposed to be a series… I don’t know. I like how it’s just called Supa Eagles for now. I can’t think of anything else.
EscapeMag: That’s cool. We think to find a name, you have to know the end of the story.
ArtsbyNonso: Exactly. I’m following a journey, so I didn’t think of naming it until I knew how it would end.
The Art: Colors, Style, and Influences
EscapeMag: Now let’s stay on the art. The style is very bold, distinct, and beautiful. What inspires the colors you use? What’s your art style generally?
ArtsbyNonso: A lot of people and works have inspired my art style over the years. People like Duro Arts When it comes to colors, I’m really inspired by Sirduks. I love the way he uses bold, vibrant colours in his work. Also Patrick Brown—he’s a Marvel artist. There are many other Marvel artists whose work I like. I don’t even know all their names—I just see the work and like it. I think there’s a Jorge Jimenez? But yeah, I take from different artists. I see something I like, and I incorporate it into my work. Even in animation, movies, or cartoons I’ve watched, those experiences come together and form my style.
EscapeMag: You mentioned Marvel. Are you team Marvel or team DC?
ArtsbyNonso: Team Marvel—for consistency. DC doesn’t have consistency. They keep rebooting. There’s no continuity.
“You can’t always try to please fans. You have to tell your own story.”
EscapeMag: Exactly. Why do you think there’s no continuity in animation? Why do studios keep changing direction?
ArtsbyNonso: I think it stems from the top. If there’s no coordination or solid idea at the start, there can be chaos. Also, fan reception can change things. But if they stay strong and keep going—even if the first one isn’t loved—you’ll see the vision over time.
EscapeMag: So you need someone at the top who stays committed to the idea.
ArtsbyNonso: Yes. Someone who says, “This idea is good. We’ll see it through.”
Marvel, DC & Animation
EscapeMag: Do you see yourself running your own animation studio someday?
ArtsbyNonso: Yeah.
EscapeMag: Would you rather run your own studio or take a creative role at a big studio like Marvel, DC, or Sony?
Artsbyonso: It would be amazing to work on a huge platform, but it’s important to have your own stuff going on. The most important work I’ve done are the projects I did for myself. My own ideas are the ones I’m most proud of.
EscapeMag: Aside from the Supa Eagles comic, what other project is special to you?
ArtsbyNonso: The work I did for Jeriq is special because working with him is amazing. He has a lot of ideas, and I do too. So we go back and forth, and the end result is something we’re proud of. Working with Jeriq is one of the highlights of my career so far. Also, the album cover I did for DJ Neptune last year was very special. I had to dig deep—it was one of my deepest works. It took months to come together. It was one artwork, but it took a lot of time.
“A lot of people don’t understand that animation and comic-making take time—especially if you want to get it right.”
Working Alone, Time, and Discipline
EscapeMag: How long did it take for the Supa Eagles comic?
ArtsbyNonso: I’m not even done yet. It takes time. Right now, I’m working on it alone—writing the script, sketching, inking, coloring. So it takes a lot of time. I have other work, but I spend six to eight hours a day on it.
EscapeMag: Are you open to working with a team? Are you hiring?
ArtsbyNonso: I’m not hiring yet. But I will definitely get more hands on it soon.
EscapeMag: How did you feel seeing the reception to the comic?
ArtsbyNonso: It was nice. I was happy. Twitter is a hostile place. It’s toxic and weird, honestly. So getting that reception was great. I try to avoid Twitter drama as much as possible. I just follow artists, engage with their work, post my work, and do small football banter.
EscapeMag: When it blew up, did you expect it to become a national phenomenon?
ArtsbyNonso: No. I thought it would get a normal reception—my people. I didn’t know it would blow up like this.
Super Eagles & Afcon 2025
EscapeMag: It deserves every bit of attention, especially the locker room scenes. When you were coming up with the characters, did you research the players? Are you going full real-life story, or are you adding fiction?
ArtsbyNonso: I can’t legally go full into individuals. Of course, we know how they behave on the pitch, but I’m not going deep into individual characteristics to avoid problems. I want to focus on the story, which is about the journey in AFCON after the World Cup qualifier failure—how they redeem themselves. It’s more of a team story than individual stories.
EscapeMag: How did you react when we lost in the semi-finals on penalties?
ArtsbyNonso: I watched the team throughout AFCON, and in all my years of watching football, I’ve never seen a Nigerian team play like this. I was hoping we would reach the final. So my hopes were high. When we lost, it was heartbreaking. But it’s football—those moments make you love the game more.
On Print Revival
EscapeMag: What’s your vision as an illustrator and comic artist? What project are you working on? What do you want to do with comics?
ArtsbyNonso: It’s something that I’m really, really into. Growing up, I used to play football. I even wanted to go pro at some point. I want to keep telling football stories. Football and art are my life. Later this year, I’m dropping another comic. I’m working with Oyiga Michael to tell the story of a regular Nigerian kid trying to play football professionally—from the streets. We want to tell a realistic, modern story of the challenges they face and how they overcome them.
EscapeMag: You made a post about partnering with a printing house to physically produce Supa Eagles as a comic book.
ArtsbyNonso: Yes. When the artwork was going viral, they reached out to a partner to make copies of the comic. I checked them out, and we had conversations. I’m really happy because it won’t just be online—it will be printed. Copies will be out soon.
“Online is cool, but we need print media we can hold.”
ArtsbyNonso: Yes, print media is coming back. Online is cool, but we need print media we can hold. I don’t like reading on my phone because I get distracted. I want to put my phone aside and read a book.
Defining Success
EscapeMag: As an artist, what’s your definition of success?
ArtsbyNonso: Success is doing what you love and being happy while doing it.
That’s all. For me as a person, it’s just being happy in general. That’s success to me. It doesn’t matter, let’s say, how much you have or what you’ve been able to achieve. As long as you’re not happy, you don’t have a reason. You don’t live a fulfilled life. The only way you can be fulfilled is if you are happy. And if you do the thing that will make you happy. You understand? So, yeah. That’s just it. I want to just be a happy person in life.
