US to host web chat with Kuwait's comic artist Dr Naif al-Mutawa

Kuwait's Dr. Naif Al-Mutuwa, the creator of the comic series "The 99", will participate, from Kuwait, in a web chat hosted by the US Department of State and Comic-Con International on Wednesday, it was announced here. Dr. Mutawa is the creator of "The 99", a comic that incorporates "superheroes born of Middles East history and Islamic archetypes who possess values shared by the entire world," according to the State Department."The 99" was named one of the top 20 trends sweeping the globe by Forbes Magazine. In 2010, during the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, US President Barack Obama made special mention of Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and "The 99". Other participants in the chat will include US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan and Director of Marketing for Comic-Con International David Glanzer.Comic-Con International is a nonprofit education corporation "dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms." "This is the latest in a series of web chats that promote dialogue on topics of interest to previous participants of exchange programs and their peers," said the State Department.