This thesis examines three South African comic books published by the South African Council on Higher Education and The Storyteller Group, both nongovernmental organizations, in the late 1980s/ early 1990s and argues that they functioned as subversive tools in the anti-apartheid movement. Distributed for free amongst black South African students, Down Second Avenue, Mhudi, and Equiano use historical events to raise awareness about contemporary issues, such as education, segregation, and unequal treatment. Through textual and visual analysis of the comic books and their worksheets, I examine how they create visual literacy for these youths, thus empowering their audiences. I situate these comics within a larger discourse of comic book culture in South Africa with an eye to understanding how popular media critically engages youths in their surroundings. Doing so provides much needed critical analysis of African comics, as well as adding to literature exploring the role of images in political struggles.