In Saudi Arabia, a gawky teenager is transformed into a hulking creature. In Paris, a historian chases legends about mystical gemstones. In South Africa, a boy discovers a sparkling rock with healing powers. The characters are from a new genre of superheroes endowed with Muslim virtues and aimed at young Muslims in a comic book series called The 99. Launched in July, it is being billed as the worldÂ’s first superhero project drawn from Islamic culture.Its creator, 35-year-old Naif Al-Mutawa, admits the series -- based on 99 heroes who embody the 99 attributes of God in Islam -- is tricky in a religion where attempts to personify GodÂ’s power can spark protests and even death threats. But the U.S.-educated Al-Mutawa hopes to create a new Islamic pop culture. His Kuwait-based company is also rolling out classic US comic books -- from Archie to Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk-- to the Middle East in the Arabic language.
On Thursday he won the crucial blessing of Muslim clerics who manage a Bahrain investment bank. It approved US$25 million ($35 million) to help finance his company, Teshkeel Media Group, and pay for plans to launch an animated The 99 series for television.