A comic about truth, justice, and the Islamic way
Muslim superheroes populate a new comic book designed to entertain – and serve a serious purpose
from the April 25, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
The 99 comics are glossy and full of splash – just what you'd expect from artists and writers who cut their teeth creating classics like Batman, Spider-Man, and X-Men. Character designer Dan Panosian sees The 99 as a way to cultivate cross-cultural understanding that flows both ways. "Comic books reach young people, and young people are going to shape our tomorrow," says Mr. Panosian, whose drawing credits include Spider-Man, Hulk, and Captain America. "If they can develop an affection toward characters representing different cultures, they might be less apt to promote hate throughout the world."
Co-writer Fabian Nicieza brought 20 years of experience working on titles like X-Men and X-Force to The 99. "The ingredients are all the same but the dish we're making is a little bit different," says Mr. Nicieza. "I can't copy what Superman has done for 60 years and apply it to Jabbar because Clark Kent grew up in Kansas and Jabbar didn't."
Yet, while the characters' cultures are reflected in their personalities and actions, there's still plenty of commonality. "There's a universality to young people, the decisions they make, the things they want out of life," says Nicieza. "When they get together, a lot of those cultural barriers start to fall down, no matter how they were raised."
About 10,000 Arabic language copies are distributed monthly to newsstands, supermarkets, arcades, and hotels in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. A copy sells for about $1.50. Limited quantities, including English versions, can also be found in Cyprus, Mauritius, and Taiwan. To date, Egypt is The 99's largest market, where about 40 percent of their print run is sold.
In the fall, an English version of The 99 is slated to be available in the United States in print and online. Price: $2.99 for an issue.
Teshkeel Media Group, the company al-Mutawa created to distribute The 99 as well as Marvel and DC Comics in the Middle East, has gotten inquiries from companies from Spain to Indonesia about marketing spin-off products for European and Asian markets.
"When you do something based on Islamic culture, that's global," says al-Mutawa.
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