Meet The77 Creators: Anna Everts

By downthetubes Guests on November 9, 2020

With The77 Issue Three now on general release, here’s another in our series of “Meet the Creator” interviews conducted by Morgan Spiceman with the writers and artists involved in British comics anthology. This time out, he chats with writer Anna Everts, writer of the mind-warping tale, “Forgotten Reality”, drawn by Phil Elliott.

Anna is a comic writer from the Netherlands, who has been writing stories since they were a kid. They’ve only recently started writing in the comic medium and their comic in The77 is their debut. Anna already has more comic projects lined up, so this debut certainly won’t be the last comic they put out in the world. When they’re not writing comics, they like to write poems, paint on thrifted objects, and read the work of other comic creators.

When not writing comics, Anna likes to write poems, paint on thrifted objects, and read the work of other comic creators.

What is The77?

Anna Everts: It’s a comic where talent from all over the world comes together. It’s a melting pot of different styles, stories and good old memories.

How did you get involved?

Anna: I actually saw a call for submissions on twitter. I decided right away to give it a shot, and here we are!

A page from "Forgotten Reality" by Anna Everts and Phil Elliott, for The77 #3 — *A page from “Forgotten Reality” by Anna Everts and Phil Elliott, for* The77 #3

What is your story about?

Anna: The story is about a guy with a big case of memory loss trying to find answers about his past. But things pretty quickly turn out to be, well.. not normal.

Who are the characters?

Anna: There is only one character: Kavan Sakar. He’s an Indian man in his thirties on a quest to fill a gap of 27 years worth of memories.

Where did you get the idea for the story?

Anna: I’m not sure, ideas pop up into my head all the time. This one came when I was driving home from my parents’ house.

It’s always when I’m driving or in the shower that my mind becomes a lake of inspiration and ideas. I do always like to toy with reality and some of the bigger questions in life. Maybe that’s what inspired this.

What are your hopes for The77?

Anna: I hope this comic becomes even bigger than it is now. I hope it inspires people with its creativity and that it gives more and more creators an opportunity to get their work out there.

The comic industry can be hard to break into, but I feel like The77 is giving a lot of people great opportunities, even without years of experience.

How long have you been writing?

Anna: Well, I’ve been writing stories ever since I was a kid. But I decided to become a comic writer in the Summer of 2019.

Who are your favourite writers?

Anna: Currently, I’m really enjoying the works of Simon Spurrier, Tze Chun and Ryan North. They have a nice writing style that just keeps me engaged.

What are your favourite comics?

Anna: My absolute favourite comic series is actually written by Simon Spurrier, the X-Men Legacy: Legion run, which is 24 issues long. But that’s probably because Legion is my favourite character of all time.

What are your influences?

Anna: Like I said before, I like writing things that question the meaning of life and the way the world works. My influences mostly come from all things SF. Sometimes I watch or read something in that genre and get super inspired for stories of my own.

I just get really inspired by works that take place in fantasy worlds or an alternate version of the real world.

I love world building and love inventing new things through writing. I think one big influence on that front is Doctor Who; it blends the real world with made up species, things and constructs.

What characters would you love to write?

Anna: Aside from the obvious answer, Legion, I like writing characters that not many people write about. For example, I’m autistic, and growing up I really could have used positive autism representation, be it through a fictional hero or a real one. So I like writing characters that people can look at and go “that’s me!”.

Who would you like to work with?

Anna: It would be an absolute honour if one day Bill Sienkiewicz illustrates something I wrote. Co-writing with one of the writers I mentioned earlier would also be a dream come true!

What advice would you have for upcoming writers?

Anna: Read a lot of other people’s work and let it inspire you. Sometimes you can get so stuck in your own writing that it becomes a little bland. So by reading the works of others, you can get inspired again.

Also, just keep going. This industry can be difficult to break into, so keep going until you make your dream come true. This comic is my debut, and I already have more work lined up. But before that I have gotten a lot of rejections. So if this is really your dream, it’s worth fighting for!

Anna, thank you very much for your time and the very best of luck with all your writing projects!

• Anna Everts is online at www.peculiarplanets.com | annaeverts.nl | Etsy | Facebook | Instagram

• Phil Elliott, artist on “Forgotten Reality”, is online at www.elliott-design.com

• The77 Issue Three is available to order here from GetMyComics

The77 Issue Three features a stunning cover by Ade Hughes featuring Anat from ‘V’ | Available for priced £6.95 for 64 pages in oversized format.All editions and back issues, posters and other merchandise available from Get My Comics here

Contributors include Dave Bedford, Conan, Conor Boyle, Steve Bull, Joe and Jeremy Dunn, Phil Elliott, Sinclair Elliott, Anna Evert, Filippo, Bambos Georgiou, Morgan Gleave, Dave Heeley, Ade Hughes, Kek-W, Hal Laren, Mac, Leonardo Manco, Sarah Millman, Michael Powell, Jon Roydon, Andrew Sawyers, Neil Sims, Lew Stringer, David Thomas, Dan Whitehead, Brendon Wright

Variant 1 cover by Paul Williams; Variant 2 cover by Neil Sims

The77 is also available from these UK comic stores: Atomic Comics, Bath; Calamity Comics, Harrow & Hatfield Castle Bytham; the Community Village Store, Lincolnshire; Gobsmack Comics, Horsham; Heroes, Isle of Wight; Krackers, Taunton; Mega City Comics, Camden, London; Millennium Comics, Northwich; Not Just A Comic Shop, Eastbourne; Ryhall Village Store and Post Office, Rutland; Scorch Comics, Eastbourne; Sheffield Space Centre, Sheffield; and Wow Comix Bury LLP, Sale and Stockport

Stockists and dealers in Australia include: Dark Oz Comics, Salisbury (also the publisher of titles such as Decay and Retro SciFi Tales); Dee’s ComicShop, Belconnen; and ImpAct Comics, Canberra

Stockists and dealers in New Zealand include: artist Brendon Wright, Christchurch; and Whiatianga Comics, Whitianga

Stockists and dealers in the US include: Atomic Basement Comics and Creator’s Lab, Long Beach, California; and Isotope – The Comic Book Lounge, San Francisco, California