The 99 was created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa as a way to promote peace and understanding; the title refers to the 99 names of God, and the characters are envisioned as role models embodying Islamic values that are shared by other cultures. We asked comiXology CEO David Steinberger to talk to us about this new addition to the line.

Robot 6: I know you have done single-property apps before, like Scott Pilgrim, and publisher and retailer webstores, but is this the first single-property webstore?

David Steinberger: We did a Transformers dedicated Web Store a few months back, but that’s the only other one. In that case, it was starting a new relationship. For this one, it’s that this is a special property — the only one from Teshkeel — and together we determined it should be sold directly on their site.

Robot 6: Why did you feel this particular property merits its own app and webstore?

David: Everyone at comiXology thinks that what Naif and his crew at Teshkeel are trying to do with The 99 is pretty important. We really wanted to put our shoulder in to this project and give The 99 as much exposure as we could.

Robot 6: Is it available worldwide or just in North America?

David: All these books are available worldwide.

Robot 6: This is one property that would seem to have a broad appeal among people who don’t necessarily read a lot of comics. Are you doing any marketing outside the usual channels?

David: Teshkeel does a great job promoting The 99, so right now, we are focusing on getting as much content into the App as fast as we can. As that runs its course, we will certainly work with Teshkeel on new promotional opportunities. We need to figure out the right opportunities, at the right time. Our goal is to get The 99 in front of as many people as possible!

[Note: This article originally stated that the 99 was based on the 99 names of the Prophet Mohammed and was corrected on November 11.]

JLA/The 99 #1

More than a year ago DC Comics announced a JLA/The 99 crossover, featuring DC’s flagship team meeting up with Teshkeel Comics’ Muslim superheroes. Now DC’s The Source blog has revealed not only the cover to the first issue–hey, check out the new threads on Wonder Woman– but also the creative team and the release date. The first issue of the six-issue mini-series, by writers Stuart Moore and Fabian Nicieza with art by Tom Derenick, comes out in October.

The 99

DC’s The Source blog announced today that the Justice League will meet Teshkeel Comics’ The 99 in an upcoming mini-series. Fabian Nicieza, who is no stranger to either set of heroes, will write the book (CBR spoke with Nicieza about the project back in 2007). The release date and artist will be announced at a later date.

From the Source:

THE 99 team, which debuted in June 2006, was recently identified by Forbes Magazine as one of the “Top 20 Trends Sweeping the Globe.” Not too shabby, huh? In THE 99 — created by Naif Al-Mutawa — are a team of superheroes, including Jabbar the Powerful and Noora the Light who must collect 99 gems encrypted with the wisdom and power of the ancient Dar Al-Hikma library of Baghdad, which are spread across the globe.

They even have their own theme park, and a cartoon is in development.

The announcement comes on the same day that the BBC has posted an open letter from Dr. Naif al-Mutawa, who created The 99, to his sons. In the letter, he explains where the idea for the series came from:

Khalid, you were born in New York City, shortly after 9/11. I had already made a decision that I needed to find a way to take back Islam from its hostage takers, but I did not known how. The answer was staring me in the face. It was a simple, and as difficult, as the multiplication of 9 by 11: 99.

So, at the age of 32, I uncapped my pen to create a concept that could be popular in the East and the West. I would go back to the very sources from which others took violent and hateful messages and offer messages of tolerance and peace in their place. I would give my heroes a Trojan horse in the form of THE 99. Islam was my Helen. I wanted her back.

If you’re interested in seeing more of The 99, previous issues of the series can be downloaded for $1.99 each. There’s also a free preview of each issue if you’d like to try before you buy. There is also a free “origins” issue.