The 99
The 99 ( Arabic : الـ ٩٩ al 99) is a comic series about an Islamic superhero team; it is published by the Kuwaiti comic book publisher Teshkeel Comics .
The series is a creation by Naif Al-Mutawa , founder and CEO of the Teshkeel Media Group. The drawing team consists of comic artists experienced in the “ superhero genre ” such as Fabian Nicieza , Stuart Moore , June Brigman , Dan Panosian , John McCrea , Ron Wagner , Sean Parsons and Monica Kubina ; everyone had worked for Marvel or DC Comics before.
Although the series is conceived in an Islamic way, universal virtues are advertised and the religion of each figure - with the exception of a few headscarves - is not clearly portrayed.
Release history
An Origins Preview was issued in the Middle East in May 2006, followed by a reprint for the US in July 2007. The first regular issue of The 99 was printed in September 2006, which was published in August 2007 in the US as First Light . The subsequent issues were published monthly; Indonesian and Indian editions of the comic series also appear monthly.
A six-part crossover miniseries featuring the Justice League and The 99 was released in October 2010.
In 2015, Naif Al-Mutawa, the inventor of the comic, had to answer before a Kuwaiti court for insulting religion.
characters
The 99 heroes are ordinary teenagers and adults from different countries who each came into possession of one of the 99 magical Noor stones and thereby acquired supernatural powers. In this way, the comic series tries to convey values such as cooperation and unity for the Islamic world, as well as Islamic virtues, which, according to Al-Mutawa, are of a universal nature. Nevertheless, the figures are not designed as religious characters; none of them pray or read the Koran . Ince doesn't see The 99 as religiously framed per se, with Nathanael Riemer understanding the comic series as a religious comic.
The number of superheroes in the series is related to the 99 names of Allah . Many of these names refer to attributes that human individuals can show, such as generosity, strength, loyalty, wisdom.
So far the following characters have been represented:
- Aleem - "The All-Knowing"
- Baeth - "The Sender"
- Baqi - "The Everlasting"
- Bari - "The Healer"
- Darr - "The Afflicter"
- Fattah - "The Opener"
- Hadya - "The Guide"
- Jabbar - "The Powerful"
- Jaleel - "The Majestic"
- Jami - "The Assembler"
- Mujiba - "The Responder"
- Mumita - "The Destroyer"
- Musawwira - "The Organizer"
- Noora - "The Light"
- Rafie - "The Lifter"
- Raqib - "The Watcher"
- Samda - "The Invulnerable"
- Sami - "The Listener"
- Wassi - "The Vast"
- Widad - "The Loving"
Web links
- Official website
- Muslim Superman , article on Qantara.de , August 29, 2012
- TED video launch , July 2010, Oxford, England
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 'Why I based superheroes on Islam' BBC News , July 2, 2009
- ↑ Interview with Sonja Zekri , in: Süddeutsche Zeitung No. 35, February 12, 2015, p. 9.
- ↑ Ince, Serkan: The 99 - Islamic Comic? A cultural and religious studies analysis using the example of the 1st edition of the Arabic comic series The99. (Student script) . Grin, Norderstedt 2012.
- ^ Nathanael Riemer: Religiously inspired and religious comics in Islamic cultures . In: Nathanael Riemer, Jörn Ahrens and Frank T. Brinkmann (eds.): Graphic novels and comics as media of religious cultures . Springer Press, Berlin 2015, p. 165-199 .