"The 99" is a comic book series featuring Muslim characters from different nations who get together to fight injustice. The man behind the concept is a Kuwaiti named Naif al-Mutawa who had the idea of personifying some of the alleged 99 attributes of God in superheroes with names such as Jabbar, Noora, Ramzi Razem and Batina.
Each character personifies a special chief feature or attribute. Jabbar who comes from Saudi Arabia can grow to be immense - Noora from the United Arab Emirates can perceive hidden truth - Batina, whose name is derived from the word meaning hidden, is veiled.
The early edition has a plot that draws on Islamic history. Ninety nine gems or Noor Stones that were encoded with the 'wisdom of Baghdad' have been scattered throughout the world. Twenty superheroes are dispatched to find them and retrieve the wisdom and power they enshrine, before an adversary discovers them.
The fact that The 99 features Islamic superheroes doesn't distract from the very obvious American-style portrayal of the characters. Neal Adams, the DC comics illustrator contributed to the series, as did Dan Panosian, known for his work on Spider-Man and The Hulk. The American input is front and center.
The early edition has a plot that draws on Islamic history. Ninety nine gems or Noor Stones that were encoded with the 'wisdom of Baghdad' have been scattered throughout the world. Twenty superheroes are dispatched to find them and retrieve the wisdom and power they enshrine, before an adversary discovers them.
The fact that The 99 features Islamic superheroes doesn't distract from the very obvious American-style portrayal of the characters. Neal Adams, the DC comics illustrator contributed to the series, as did Dan Panosian, known for his work on Spider-Man and The Hulk. The American input is front and center.
While reflecting on The 99 and its unique message, it's worth also looking at the impact the superhero genre has had on American culture.
In an America of failed institutions, wide social divides, a faltering economy - the superhero who rights injustices performs a type of 'mythic redemption.' This is arguably a factor that short-circuits the impetus toward social action... the hero who absolves us of responsibility.
John Shelton Lawrence co-author of The Myth of the Superhero, has argued that there is a correlation between myth and passivity:
The superhero myth can drive fantasies that are at root anti-democratic, even anti-social. Whether we are speaking of the cowboy-like delusions of the Bush administration with its unilateral approach... the criminal actions of a Timothy McVeigh... or the on-screen exploits of a Steven Seagal... in every case the central belief of the players involved is the simplistic idea of 'super' action to counter alleged evil.
John Shelton Lawrence put it very well:
The simplistic good-versus-evil scenario is dangerous because it undermines the capacity to appreciate shades of differences, the art of compromise, empathy and expressions that address our common humanity. The 'solution' is often presented in the form of consequences carried out by superheroes who at times behave essentially like larger-than-life criminals.
Some argue that video games and comics that celebrate the myth of the superhero is nothing more than harmless entertainment. But it would be naive to believe that there is no spillover into more general attitudes and beliefs.
Playing out a variant of the superhero myth within an Islamic context comes with its own set of challenges.
The fact that The 99 refers to the attributes of God is a mixed recommendation, because religion has been in the vanguard of war and strife throughout history. However despite the God reference the comic doesn't contain explicitly religious themes.
This hasn't shielded it from criticism. The reference to the 99 attributes of God has drawn heat in the Islamic world from those don't believe the attributes should be personified in human characters. Al-Mutawa has made clear that he does not include those attributes considered to be 'divine.'
In an America of failed institutions, wide social divides, a faltering economy - the superhero who rights injustices performs a type of 'mythic redemption.' This is arguably a factor that short-circuits the impetus toward social action... the hero who absolves us of responsibility.
John Shelton Lawrence co-author of The Myth of the Superhero, has argued that there is a correlation between myth and passivity:
Voting participation is steadily declining, especially among our younger citizens who spend the most time absorbing the mythic products that come to them as computer games, movies, comic books, and television programs.
The superhero myth can drive fantasies that are at root anti-democratic, even anti-social. Whether we are speaking of the cowboy-like delusions of the Bush administration with its unilateral approach... the criminal actions of a Timothy McVeigh... or the on-screen exploits of a Steven Seagal... in every case the central belief of the players involved is the simplistic idea of 'super' action to counter alleged evil.
John Shelton Lawrence put it very well:
... we can see the tension between what we might call "constitutional realism" and the call of the superhero myth. President Bush himself has often spoken the language of the myth in describing the way "we will rid the world" by fighting "the evil ones" and has threatened to "go it alone" in the American battle. The truth is that the will cannot be mapped according to the myth.
The simplistic good-versus-evil scenario is dangerous because it undermines the capacity to appreciate shades of differences, the art of compromise, empathy and expressions that address our common humanity. The 'solution' is often presented in the form of consequences carried out by superheroes who at times behave essentially like larger-than-life criminals.
Some argue that video games and comics that celebrate the myth of the superhero is nothing more than harmless entertainment. But it would be naive to believe that there is no spillover into more general attitudes and beliefs.
Playing out a variant of the superhero myth within an Islamic context comes with its own set of challenges.
The fact that The 99 refers to the attributes of God is a mixed recommendation, because religion has been in the vanguard of war and strife throughout history. However despite the God reference the comic doesn't contain explicitly religious themes.
This hasn't shielded it from criticism. The reference to the 99 attributes of God has drawn heat in the Islamic world from those don't believe the attributes should be personified in human characters. Al-Mutawa has made clear that he does not include those attributes considered to be 'divine.'
Naif al-Mutawa
The comic series has a number of socially redeeming features. It aims to promote cooperation and unity in the Islamic world. The message isn't explicitly religious, rather it focuses on Islamic virtues which Al-Mutawa describes as 'universal in nature.'
While the Islamic virtues the creator is promoting are certainly laudatory, it's hard to overlook that these virtues are not always in evidence in the lives of Islamic societies. Recently the world witnessed a ruthless crackdown on protesters in Iran. Women in Saudi Arabia have had to struggle for basic rights... such as the right-to-drive. In Iraq there have been reports of vicious attacks on homosexuals.
Al-Mutawa conceives of his message as reaching beyond the Muslim world. He says that he hopes the appeal of the comic will cross the religious divides:
While the Islamic virtues the creator is promoting are certainly laudatory, it's hard to overlook that these virtues are not always in evidence in the lives of Islamic societies. Recently the world witnessed a ruthless crackdown on protesters in Iran. Women in Saudi Arabia have had to struggle for basic rights... such as the right-to-drive. In Iraq there have been reports of vicious attacks on homosexuals.
Al-Mutawa conceives of his message as reaching beyond the Muslim world. He says that he hopes the appeal of the comic will cross the religious divides:
I told the writers of the animation that only when Jewish kids think that THE 99 characters are Jewish, and Christian kids think they're Christian, and Muslim kids think they're Muslim, and Hindu kids think they're Hindu, that I will consider my vision as having been fully executed.
In a recent BBC article Naif al-Mutawa explains why he set out to create The 99.
A New York Times article for more background on the comic and its creator - here.
Tags:
