The 99

Comic

The 99 (الـ99 or التسعة وتسعون) is a comic book, created by Naif Al Mutawa and published by Teshkeel Comics, featuring a team of superheroes with special abilities based on the 99 attributes of Allah in Islam but some are virtues encouraged by a number of faiths. 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. The set of evil characters is led by the power hungry Rughal, who seeks to steal the power of the Noor stones and their bearers for his personal benefit. The storyline pits the 99 led by Dr. Ramzi in their pursuit of social justice and peace against the forces of chaos and evil.

The series was created by Naif Al Mutawa, founder and C. E. O. of Teshkeel Media Group. The initial creative team for The 99 was 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. The 99 was first launched in Kuwait in 2006 after it received approval from the country’s Ministry of Information, following which it was released globally. In September 2006, Unicorn Investment Bank acquired a stake in Teshkeel Media Group. Since the bank has a Sharia board, the investment enabled The 99 to gain approval in Saudi Arabia with its Sharia compliance.

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. The 99 only ran five issues in printed form, but both Middle East and USA editions continued to be published electronically until September 2013, with the final issue being #35. Indonesian and Indian editions were also produced. A 6 issue crossover mini series, JLA/The 99, with the Justice League and The 99 began publication in October 2010. In total, there were 35 numbered issues, 6 unnumbered special issues. and the 6 issue crossover miniseries. In 2011, a webstore for the sale of English and Arabic digital editions of The 99 was launched on comiXology, which is currently active.

During the siege of Baghdad in 1258, books from the House of Wisdom were tossed into the Tigris river by the Ilkhanate Mongol forces and allied troops to use them as a bridge. Downstream, scholars dipped 99 gemstones into the water to absorb the wisdom and power from the books.

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 are 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 series creator 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. One of the characters, Batina The Hidden, wears a burqa, which some reports highlighted.

The 99 Village theme park opened in Jahra, Kuwait in March 2009. An animated series, The 99, was produced and Teshkeel Comics signed a multimillion dollar deal with Endemol to produce the series. The series was later banned by Kuwait. The series aired in nearly 70 countries, including on ATV in Turkey, Cartoon Network in Asia and South East Asia, RTE in Ireland, ABC in Australia and Yahoo! Maktoob’s video on demand platform and MBC in the MENA region. The series launched on Netflix in December 2012. The interactive website the99kids. com was designed by Aardman. Creator Naif Al Mutawa and The 99 were the subjects of the 60 minute long PBS documentary Wham! Bam! Islam! by Isaac Solotaroff broadcast in October 2011 as the season premiere of PBS's series "Independent Lens". Al Mutawa and The 99 were featured in Manislam, a 2014 documentary directed by Nefise Özkal Lorentzen exploring the burden of manhood in Islamic cultures.

In April 2009, The 99 was honored at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations “Marketplace of Ideas”. Al Mutawa was awarded “The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Award” for The 99 at the World Economic Forum in May 2009. In July 2009, The 99 received the Eliot Pearson Award for Excellence in Children’s Media from Tufts University. In January 2015, Al Mutawa was presented with the 2014 Islamic Economy Award in the Media Category for Teshkeel Media Group and The 99 from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Al Mutawa has been listed by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center as one of ‘The 500 Most Influential Muslims’ for his creation of The 99, every year since 2009 to 2018.