The 99

The 99 (الـ ٩٩ al 99), also written as The Ninety-Nine (التسعة وتسعون al-tisa'a wa tisaun), is a comic book published by Teshkeel Comics, featuring a team of superheroes based on Islamic culture and religion.

The series is a creation of Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, founder and C.E.O. of Teshkeel Media Group. The creative team for The 99 is composed of comic book industry veterans such as Fabian Nicieza, Stuart Moore, June Brigman, Dan Panosian, John McCrea, Ron Wagner, Sean Parsons and Monica Kubina – all of whom have worked at both Marvel and DC Comics.

Although the series is based on Islamic concepts, it is promoted as appealing to universal virtues, and the religion of each character is not made explicit. The character cast consists of Dr. Ramzi, a scholar and social activist, the 99 youngsters (some of them children), with special abilities conferred to them by "Noor" gemstones, and a set of evil characters led by the power-hungry Rughal, who seeks to steal the power of the Noor stones and their bearers for his personal benefit. Rughal is intended by the creators to be an analogue to Osama bin Laden, with his misuse of Islam and his dictatorial intentions. The storyline pits the 99 led by Dr. Ramzi in their pursuit of social justice and peace against the forces of chaos and evil, overcoming ever new challenges - as typical of this genre of superhero comics.

Publication history
An Origins Preview was first published in the Middle East in May 2006, followed by a US reprinting in July 2007. The 99 #1 was printed in September 2006 in the Middle East and was published in the US in August 2007 as First Light. Subsequent issues printed monthly to The 99 #7 within the USA and is ongoing monthly internationally. Indonesian and Indian editions are ongoing on a monthly basis.

A 6-issue crossover mini-series with the Justice League and The 99 began publication in October 2010.

Characters
The 99 are ordinary teenagers and adults from across the globe, who come into possession of one of the ninety-nine magical mystical Noor Stones (Ahjar Al Noor, Stones of Light) and find themselves empowered in a specific manner. All dilemmas faced by The 99 will be overcome through the combined powers and capabilities of three or more members. Through this, The 99 series aims to promote values such as cooperation and unity throughout the Islamic world. Although the series is not religious, it aims to communicate Islamic virtues which are, as viewed by Dr. Al-Mutawa, universal in nature.

The concept of The 99 is based on the 99 attributes of Allah. Many of these names refer to characteristics that can be possessed by human individuals. For example – generosity, strength, faithfulness, wisdom are all virtues encouraged by a number of faiths.

In compliance with Islamic tradition, the Arabic version of the aliases of each of the 99 is written without the definite article "Al-", because use of this precise form is exclusive to Allah. This serves to remind that The 99 are only mortals, and sets them as human role models, with their qualities and weaknesses.

The members of The 99 who have been revealed so far are:


 * Aleem - The All-Knowing
 * Naser Ali; precognition


 * Baeth - The Sender
 * Fadi Hassem; teleportation of inorganic objects


 * Baqi - The Everlasting
 * Hatem Al Johary; superhuman stamina, potential immortality


 * Bari - The Healer
 * Haroun Ahrens; tactile healing abilities


 * Batina - The Hidden
 * Rola Hadramy; can render herself and others unseeable, and make visible that which is hidden (including encrypted computer files)


 * Darr - The Afflicter
 * John Weller; generates pain waves


 * Fattah - The Opener
 * Toro Ridwan; teleportation


 * Hadya - The Guide
 * Amira Khan; tracker / navigator


 * Hafiz - The Preserver
 * Jabbar - The Powerful
 * Nawaf al-Bilal; super-strength
 * Nawaf is a normal teenager until an explosion shatters a hidden "Noor stone", embedding shards of the stone in his skin. The shards trigger Nawaf's transformation from a gawky teenager into a two-metre tall giant weighing 200 kilograms. The Saudi military government unsuccessfully tries to contain Nawaf. Finding that he is unstoppable, they turn to a world expert on Noor stones, Doctor Ramzi Razem. Razem teaches Nawaf that he needs only add self-control and compassion to be a formidable force for good.


 * Jaleel - The Majestic
 * Atash Hourmaan; flame control and immunity


 * Jami - The Assembler
 * Miklos Szekelhydi; able to create mechanical constructs


 * Kabeera - The Great
 * Mubdiayn - The Creative
 * Mujiba - The Responder
 * Dayana Samsudin; encyclopaedic knowledge


 * Mukit - The Nourisher
 * Mumita - The Destroyer
 * Catarina Barbosa; enhanced strength, speed and agility


 * Musawwira - The Organizer
 * Abena “Liza” Dagate; ability to instil order intuitively


 * Noora - The Light
 * Dana Ibrahim; illumination powers


 * Rafie - The Lifter
 * Murat Uyaroglu; control over gravity


 * Raheema - The Merciful
 * Raqib - The Watcher
 * Samda - The Invulnerable
 * Aisha Mokhtar; immovability, impenetrable force field


 * Sami - The Listener
 * Nizar Babikr; senses and controls sound


 * Wakila - The Guardian
 * Wassi - The Vast
 * Ashok Mohan; enlargement of body parts, can grow his entire body at once when linked in a "triad" with two other 99 members


 * Widad - The Loving
 * Hope Mendoza; can induce positive emotions

Reference: The 99: Beginnings, JLA/The 99, The 99 website

Tie-ins
The first of five planned 99-based theme parks opened in Kuwait in March 2009. An animated series has been produced and Teshkeel Comics signed a multimillion dollar deal with Endemol to produce the series.

In the news

 * THE 99: Changing stereotypes through Muslim cartoon characters, Forward Magazine, May 20, 2010
 * Superman, Spiderman... Jabbar, Gulf News, Aug 20, 2010
 * Comics to Battle for Truth, Justice and the Islamic Way, The New York Times, January 22, 2006
 * Superheroes Powered on Islam, The Washington Post, February 8, 2006
 * Muslim (not Marvel) superheroes, The Guardian, March 27, 2006
 * Holy Superhero!, The Gazette, May 6, 2006
 * Previewing Teshkeel's The 99, Newsarama
 * Reinventing Superman FLYPMedia.com
 * Kuwaiti Entrepreneur Hopes to Create the Next Pokémon, Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2008
 * It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's 'The 99' Newshour, March 20, 2009
 * Merica, Dan. "Muslim superhero comics meet resistance in U.S.." CNN. October 5, 2011.