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The 99 – A Cribsheet

Has anybody been reading Justice League/The 99? It’s the cross over mini-series featuring the Islamic inspired superhero group the 99 and DC Comics’ JLA. It’s one of those good old-fashioned “living on the same Earth, but only just met” out-of-continuity crossovers. That may sound disparaging, but it’s not meant to be. Admittedly the first issue was a bit OTT as everybody was dropped into their respective positions, but the remaining issues have been quite good.

Nevertheless, its biggest problem is that the background and origins of the characters are left to the shortest of captions and there isn’t much room for characterisation as such. So the following is a crib-sheet of information on members of the 99 put together as much for my reference as anything else.

The 99 (the short version)

There are a series of 99 magical gems called Noor Stones. Certain rare people are turned into superhumans via contact with a Noor Stone. A businessman/philanthropist called Doctor Ramzi Razem is searching for these people and has brought them together as a superhero team called The 99. However, the Noor Stones are also sought by an evil immortal called Rughal. He started off as Razem’s secret backer, but has since begun to openly oppose him.

There is an excellent official website for the 99 at www.the99.org which gives biographies and a lot more background than I’ve got room for here. Their comics are available for purchase as PDF files and there is a special The 99 Origins issue which is free.

Members of the 99

Dr Ramzi Razem

  • Name: Dr Ramzi Razem
  • Origin: Founder of the 99. Dr Ramzi is an internationally recognised philanthropist and businessman. His public goal was the promotion of world peace, but he secretly believed that peace would only be attainable if the Noor Stones could be found and uses to elevate humanity. He is the 99′s “Professor X”.
  • JLA/The-99: When he first appears Ramzi is attending the opening of the City of the Future with Jabbar, Noora, and Samda.

Bari

  • Codename: Bari the Healer
  • Alter Ego: Haroun Abrens
  • Place of Origin: South Africa
  • Powers: Tactile healing abilities
  • Origin: Bari discovered a Noor Stone whilst digging his sister’s grave and used it to heal his sick mother. The stone accentuates his ability to diagnose disease and can even heal wounds.
  • JLA/The 99: Met the JLA at the The 99 Steps Foundation in Seville, Spain when they brought Darr back to the 99.

Darr

  • Codename: Darr The Afflicter
  • Alter Ego: John Weller
  • Place of Origin: St Louis, USA
  • Powers: Generates waves of a pain.
  • Origin: He’s American, the victim of a drink driving accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. He visited a new age healer to help his depression and was given a stone to aid his meditation. You’ve guessed it, the stone was a Noor Stone, and John gained the power to project his pain outwards at other people as a “painwave.”
  • JLA/The-99: The wheel chair bound Weller had returned to St Louis, USA to consider his future when he came under attack by the New Madmen. A microscopic Starro spore inside him triggered his superpower causing waves of pain in everybody around him. The JLA attended and stunned John before taking him to the 99′s Seville base for study.

Fattah

  • Codename: Fattah the Opener
  • Alter Ego: Toro Ridwan
  • Place of Origin: Indonesia
  • Powers: Teleportation
  • Origin: He was just a restaurant washer-up until he discovered a strange belt in a local second-hand shop. It gave him the power to create teleportation portals.
  • JLA/The-99: Met Hawkman whilst investigating the source of earthquakes in Brazil. Revealed that they were caused by the awakening of a new Noor Stone gem bearer.

Hadya

  • Codename: Hadya the Guide
  • Alter Ego: Amira Khan
  • Powers: Tracker and navigator
  • Place of Origin: London, UK
  • Origin: She escaped the constraints of her traditional family by becoming fascinated in maps. Even as a child she could draw maps of places she’d never been and annotate them with details she could never have actually known. Her power is gifted to her by a Noor Stone embedded in a necklace that she always wears.
  • JLA/The-99: Met the JLA at the The 99 Steps Foundation in Seville, Spain when they brought Darr back to the 99.

Jabbar

  • Codename: Jabbar The Powerful
  • Alter Ego: Nawaf Al-Bilali
  • Powers: Super-strength
  • Place of Origin: Saudi Arabia
  • Origin: The first evidence for the survival of the Stones presented itself when a young Saudi man called Nawaf Al-Bilali was forced across a mine field by criminals. An exploding mine shattered a Noor Stone that the youth was unwittingly carrying and embedded its fragments within his skin. The stone gave him vast superstrength and turned his body into an almost uncontrollable hulk. Ramzi convinced the Saudi’s to leave the boy in his care and transferred him to Paris where they removed enough of the fragments to give Nawaf control over his abilities. Ramzi then named him Jabbar, the first of his 99.
  • JLA/The-99: When he first appears Jabbar is one of the three members of the 99 accompanying Dr Ramzi to the opening of the City of the Future. He, Noora and Samda tried to settle the crowd during the Starro initiated riot.

Jami

  • Codename: Jami the Assembler
  • Alter Ego: Miklos Szekelhydi
  • Powers: Able to create mechanical constructs
  • Place of Origin: Hungary
  • Origin: He was an insular child-genius whose abilities were boosted to a superhuman level by the family locket he unwittingly wore (yeah, it was a Noor Stone). He can visualise the blue prints of any device he looks at and can assemble advance machinery by sheer effort of will.
  • JLA/The-99: Met the JLA at the The 99 Steps Foundation in Seville, Spain when they brought Darr back to the 99. Created the machines used by the Flash and Atom to diagnose Darr’s problems.

Mumita

  • Codename: Mumita the Destroyer
  • Alter Ego: Catarina Barbosa
  • Powers: Enhanced strength, speed and agility
  • Place of Origin: Portugal
  • Origin: She is a mysterious runaway who when found by Dr Ramzi was working as a criminal enforcer.
  • JLA/The-99: Met Hawkman whilst investigating the source of earthquakes in Brazil. Revealed that they were caused by the awakening of a new Noor Stone gem bearer.

Noora

  • Codename: Noora the Light
  • Alter Ego: Dana Ibrahim
  • Powers: Illumination Powers
  • Place of Origin: UAE
  • Origin: She was a spoilt rich brat until she is kidnapped from university by men trying to extort money from her father. She was thrown down a deep well where she found a Noor Stone that she then used to escape.
  • JLA/The-99: When she first appears Jabbar is one of the three members of the 99 accompanying Dr Ramzi to the opening of the City of the Future. She senses the corruption in Albert Chou. She, Jabbar, and Samda tried to settle the crowd during the Starro initiated riot.

Rafie

  • Codename: Rafie the Lifter
  • Alter Ego: Murat Vyaroglu
  • Powers: Control over gravity
  • JLA/The-99: Met Hawkman whilst investigating the source of earthquakes in Brazil. Revealed that they were caused by the awakening of a new Noor Stone gem bearer.

Samda

  • Codename: Samda the Invulnerable
  • Alter Ego: Aisha Mokhtar
  • Powers: Immovability, impenetrable force field
  • JLA/The-99: When she first appears Samda is one of the three members of the 99 accompanying Dr Ramzi to the opening of the City of the Future. She pushes Chou away after Noora senses the corruption in him. She, Jabbar, and Noora tried to settle the crowd during the Starro initiated riot.

JLA/The 99 #1

Issue Credits

Writer
Stuart Moore, Fabian Nicieza
Artist
Tom Derenick, Drew Geraci
Colourist
Allen Passalaqua
Letterer
Rob Leigh
Associate Editor
Rachel Gluckstern
Editor
Mike Carlin, Marie Javins, Naif Al-Mutawa (Consulting)
Cover Artist
Felipe Massafera

Quotes

Mad Man 1: You say mall, I say, “Maul!”Mad Man 2: That joke would work a lot better if you had a word balloon over your head when you said it.

Synopsis “The City of Tomorrow”

The City of the Future is a brand new high-tech, eco-friendly metropolis built under a protective dome in the deserts of Arabian Peninsula. It has taken seven-years to build and has been partly designed by Waynetech’s Lucius Fox. Members of the Justice League and The Ninety-Nine superhero teams address the assembled press telling them how the City matches their own multi-cultural endeavourers. A man called Doctor Chou shakes hands with Superman, but is pushed away by the Ninety-Nine when they recognise him as a representative of Rughal, a man sworn to destroy them. Suddenly the crowd erupts into a senseless riot and the superheroes from both teams wade in to stop the spontaneous and unexplained violence.

Continue reading

JLA Solicitations for November 2010

DC has released their Brightest Day solicitations (including the JLA) for November 2010. JLA #51 features a great variant cover of Starman and Congorilla by David Mack (the subject may not be as pretty as his Supergirl cover, but it’s great to see all team members getting their cover turn). The other five Leaguers (Jesse, Donna, Batman/Dick, Jade, and Supergirl) it refers to are the direct surrogates of the heroes the Crime Syndicate are based on so that makes sense.

The solicitation for Generation Lost pretty much confirms that either Captain Atom or Magog is going to die (Magog’s title has just been cancelled, you do the math). It would appear to be a fairly definite conclusion to the White Lantern directive for Max, but the series isn’t even half over yet. The second part of the JLA/The 99 crossover is also solicited.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #51Written by JAMES ROBINSONArt by MARK BAGLEY, ROB HUNTER & NORM RAPMUNDCover by MARK BAGLEY & ROB HUNTER1:10 Variant cover by DAVID MACKIn “Justice League: Omega” part 2, as the battle between the JLA and the Crime Syndicate within the Hall of Justice explodes into the streets of Washington D.C., a new villain bent on his own form of conquest prevents any other heroes from helping save the nation’s capital. It’s up to five members of the Justice League to save the city’s people, with serious repercussions for one Leaguer, who may turn to the dark side. In order to help their teammates, Bill and Mikaal must begin an odyssey across the world that will evoke memories of Prometheus.Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.On sale NOVEMBER 17 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #13-14Written by JUDD WINICKIssue #13 art by JOE BENNETTIssue #14 art by AARON LOPRESTICovers by DUSTIN NGUYEN1:10 Variant covers by KEVIN MAGUIREDC’s biweekly JUSTICE LEAGUE event continues!In issue #13, Max Lord sends his newest recruit to confront the JLI. But what happens when Magog tries to kill Captain Atom in a fight to the finish? Someone will die, creating repercussions that will affect the future timeline of KINGDOM COME!In issue #14, the JLI has been framed for murder. Now, hunted by Checkmate and put on the world’s Most Wanted lists, our heroes are exhausted and pushed to their limits – which is why the Creature Commandos choose now as an opportune time to attack them!Retailers please note: These issues will ship with two covers each. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.Issue #13 on sale NOVEMBER 10Issue #14 on sale NOVEMBER 2432 pg, FC, $2.99 US

JLA/THE 99 #2Written by FABIAN NICIEZA & STUART MOOREArt by TOM DERENICK & DREW GERACICover by FELIPE MASSAFERAThe groundbreaking crossover between DC Comics’ JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA and Teshkeel Comics’ THE 99 continues…Someone – or some thing – has taken over the minds of many of Earth’s civilian population. And to make matters worse, the JLA has also fallen victim! How CAN the 99 hope to stop an out-of-control Superman? Perhaps with Batman’s and Wonder Woman’s help, the young heroes of the 99 can actually make a difference!On sale NOVEMBER 24 * 2 of 6 * 32 pg, FC $3.99 US