Wham! Bam! Islam! - The 99

Recently, I came across this comic book called “The 99.” I don't read comic books too much anymore other than like the occasional Archie. I did read “Persepolis” which is a graphic novel and loved it. I went on and researched what “The 99” is about and here are some explanations the author, Naif Al-Mutawa, gave about his comic:

"In 1258, the Mongols invaded Baghdad and all the books in the library got thrown into the Tigris River, which changed color. Which color it changed to is a matter of debate," says Al-Mutawa, "but every kid in the Muslim world knows this date."

“In the comic book version, the library curators gather the books before the Mongol invaders have a chance to get them then transfer all the accumulated history and knowledge of the library onto 99 mystical gemstones. These gems are then scattered all over the world.”

“The comic's title refers to the 99 attributes of God (or Allah, in Arabic), including ‘generosity, strength, wisdom, foresight, mercy, and dozens of others that are not used to describe Islam in the media today.’”

“The comic seeks to act as a metaphor for what's happening in the Islamic world”

"The appeal of 'The 99' is that it is based on global attributes that are present in all cultures and makes a point of emphasizing that which humanity shares in common, not what separates us," he says. "The books are based on Islamic values, which are global and universal. No one religion has a monopoly on them."

too add to that... an intense trailer:


and a news report on it for some more depth:


There's a free copy of the comic on the site [the99.org] it’s pretty cool - drawn like an old school Marvel comic and what not. I don’t believe that Naif Al-Mutawa is by any means trying to embody the characteristics of Allah into these characters. In fact it’s not even a religious comic book – it’s just your basic superhero comic. The plus is that we're being exposed to more Islamic culture/history than we would from like Superman... awesome awesome.