Posted on 09/24/2005 5:39:56 PM PDT by Rodney King
it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Jalila, the new Arab super heroine, coursing across the sky, black hair flying, in her battle to right the wrongs and ensure that justice prevails in West Asia.
"I'll make you swallow your teeth, killer!" she threatens her foe, muscles rippling under her skin-tight garb, as she lands a hard right to the chops. Also see: Sify Offbeat special
Tough as she is, Jalila, the creation of 36-year-old Egyptian Ayman Kandeel, is not left on her own to fight the forces of evil.
There are also Aya the Princess of Darkness, Zein the Last Pharaoh and Rakan the Lone Warrior. Each month, an entire issue is dedicated to just one of the four.
Kandeel founded AK Comics in Cairo in 2003 to create a comic to compete with Superman, Batman and other Western super heros, in hopes of dominating the local market.
"AK Comics characters are to represent a role model for Arab youth and also to promote, advocate and endorse a positive as well as civilized image of Arabs in the West", according to the company's mission statement.
Zein, Aya and Jalila live in an imaginary era, sometime after a 55-year-war, which ended with a peace in the Middle East that is maintained by the United Arab Forces.
Rakan, on the other hand, lives in the past, in a time when his parents perished in the Mongol invasion.
Of the four, who all have a profound distaste for violence, only Rakan kills his enemies, and then with the greatest reluctance.
"This sad display of man's evil nature makes me sick," Rakan muses, as he surveys a battlefield littered with the arrow-pierced corpses of soldiers.
Following on from that first hint of morality-tale-wrapped-in-entertainment is another key element of Kandeel's philosophy. Religion is a taboo subject, and no minaret or church tower will be seen.
"These characters are meant to be a role model for children," says AK Comics director Marwan al-Nashar.
"To spell out their faith would be the same as saying that one religion is better than another."
Sify Home >> News & Info >> News >> Fullstory sms news
Move over Superman, Arab super heroes are here! By Joelle Bassoul in Cairo Friday, 23 September , 2005, 11:16
Continued from Page 1
Though the guidelines stipulate that "there are no direct references to political disputes", politics is heavily suggested in some stories.
For example, Jalila lost her parents in the explosion of the Dimondona nuclear reactor, whose name is remarkably like that of Israel's Dimona reactor. Also see: Sify Offbeat special
She is also the Saviour of the City of All Faiths, an implicit but transparent reference to Jerusalem, which is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
And Aya's archfoe is the chief of the underworld gang, Jose Darian, a name reminiscent of the late Israeli general, Moshe Dayan.
The comic first appeared in Egypt in February 2004, with only 400 copies printed. A year later, the figure was up to 6,000, and by July it had reached 11,000.
AK Comics say 54 percent of the readers of the magazine, published in both Arabic and English, are between the ages of seven and 14.
In a country where the average monthly wage is just under 100 dollars and an imported comic book can cost around three dollars, AK Comics has come out with a black-and-white version that sells for only 15 cents.
Earlier this summer, the comic appeared for the first time at bookstores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It should hit the shelves in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan next summer.
But while the comic will be selling in the Gulf, the highly conservative cultures in Saudi Arabia and in other countries there has necessitated cutting the dynamic quartet to ... well just two.
Jalila and Aya's buxom bosoms, silky tresses and made-up faces would not set well with censors.
Back home, meanwhile, the comic has become popular enough that a very Western-style spinoff has appeared, with one company in Egypt producing chewing gum with the wrappers bearing pictures of the super heroes.
And an animated cartoon is just about to come out as well.
Honor killing time?
Don't forget the sidekick, Jihad Boy, who can reform himself after blowing up the bad guys with his Magic Suicide Belt.
How dare she show her hair.
I thought the Human Bomb was the first Arab Superhero.
(If you know who the golden age Comic Superhero The Human Bomb, you may be a nerd)
Sounds like this cartoonist had better watch out. She is going to end up being buried up to her neck then have her head bashed in, producing such non-Islamic stuff. Women are to stay in the house, tend the kids, not drive vehicles, let alone fly around in a flimsy outfit showing off their big t's.
You can fly all you want Jalia...just don't try to drive, or go out not covered head to toe...oh and don't talk back to any of the men!
Faster than a speeding RPG...
Doesn't she know that she's supposed to be wearing a burka? I mean, each one of her breasts is about as big as her entire head. She's got to know that she needs to keep those things covered up.
This is against Allah. The creator should be....
Glorifying her for defending the "City of All Faiths" is a heck of a lot better than defending the "City Where Infidels and Unbelievers are Promptly Beheaded," no?
And, how good is she at handling a boxcutter?
..can't wait for the "giant spiders" issue..
Oh boy Oh boy.
Doogle
She said, "Back Villians, we need to keep Islam safe for woman by forcing them to wear sacks and cover all their flesh. I stand as a paragon of Islamic virtue ...... oh nevermind."
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