Created by Naif al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti psychologist with multiple degrees from American universities, The 99 is a typical superhero comic book with a Muslim twist. The superheroes are ordinary boys and girls from countries around the world who are endowed with superhero powers upon each finding one of the 99 stones created in the wake of the destruction of an Iraqi library by evil villains. The superpowers are based on Allah’s 99 virtues such as generosity, wisdom, healing, strength, and love. All obstacles faced by The 99 are overcome through the combined powers of three or more members. This formula aims to promote values such as cooperation and unity throughout the Muslim world.
Although The 99 was inspired by Islam and has an Islamic context, religion is not the focus of the comic book. What Naif al-Mutawa and his team are trying to communicate through the series are universal values and morals that are found in Islam, as well as many other religions and within humanity itself.
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Naif al-Mutawa explains that the comic book is supposed to be for everyone, regardless of his or her faith. "I told my animation writers that it is only when Jewish kids think that the heroes are Jewish and Buddhist kids think they are Buddhist and Christians think they are Christian and so on and so forth that I will have achieved what I am trying to achieve."
The switch from psychology to comic books may seem like an unlikely career move. However, as Naif al-Mutawa explains the decision was anything but random. The idea for The 99 was inspired by a combination of factors. In the aftermath of 9/11, there was a general consensus by the media and the public that it was well planned out and diabolic. The only sinister planning Naif al-Mutawa could see was in the numbers.
In his interview with The Atlantic he explains, "There’s the fact that 911 is the emergency call number in the U.S. And quick math told me that 9 times 11 is 99, which is a very important number in Islam. And beyond that, if you look at the numbers 911 and read them from right to left as letters instead of left to right as numbers, it looks like the word Allah or God in Islam."
Regardless of who was responsible for 9/11, the fact remained that they had tarnished the name of Islam for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. As Naif al-Mutawa explains, in times of trouble in the western world, we often say "Sounds like a job for Superman." However, there was no Superman for the Islam. So, he created not just one Superman, but 99!
Although Naif al-Mutawa is now in the comic book business, his psychology background has a big influence on what goes into The 99. Even before he came up with the idea for The 99, he knew that he was going to take his psychology training and apply it to bettering the Muslim and non-Muslim perception of Islam. "The difference between how Islam is seen and how it thinks it is being seen is where perception lies. That is what I chose as a challenge for myself," Naif al-Mutawa says.
An "Origins Preview" issue of The 99 was published in the Middle East in May 2006, and reprinted for the United States in July 2007. The first issue of The 99 was printed in the Middle East in September 2006, and August 2007 in the United States. Since then, issues of The 99 have been printed monthly all across the world. The 99 is currently being published in English and Arabic in print form, and is also available for download via their official website. In addition to the comic book, the first of five planned The 99-based theme parks opened in Kuwait in March 2009. Also, an animated series for The 99 is currently in production.
Website: www.theatlantic.com
The 99 Website: www.the99.org
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