The Great Marc Evers
The graphic novel
In 2021 Ivo van Woerden send me an e-mail asking if I would be interested in re-working his The Great Marc Evers into a graphic narrative. I immediately loved the story, so I said yes. The first half year I read and re-read the short non-fiction novelle. Looking for a structure that would work for visual storytelling. Rearranging, deleting and adding bits and pieces until it all fell into place. I drew seven mini versions looking for the right mood and rhythm. Then I made a rough half size version, which became my guide in the two years of drawing that followed.
Marloes Dekkers coloured my final black and white version. Completing our wonderful team! The book is published in Dutch by Scratch Books. There is a English translation but that has not yet found a publisher.
The True Story (Backside text)
What if you stopped focussing on what’s impossible
and instead opened yourself up to what ís possible?
Marc Evers is two years old and it’s almost impossible for anyone to make contact with him. His parents are told by a psychiatrist he has an autism spectrum disorder and is mentally handicapped. The psychiatrist recommends institutionalization, because he’ll never talk or be able to go to the toilet on his own. Marc’s parents refuse to listen to him.
Eighteen years later, Marc gets ready to compete in the 100-meter backstroke at the London Paralympics. He walks, talks and rides his bike. He has become a great guy who’s part of a busy family, and, above all, can swim like a torpedo. With five Paralympic medals and many world records, Marc Evers is the Netherlands’ greatest Paralympic swimming champion. How did he manage to beat the odds?
The great Marc Evers is a moving, intimate, inspiring and above all optimistic coming-of-age portrait of Marc and his family. A beautifully drawn story about perseverance, hope and strength, trusting your intuition and daring to believe in yourself and your child.
With an afterword by Sander Begeer, professor of Diversity of Autism.
“As both a writer and the mother of a child with autism, I was brought to tears by this deeply moving and uplifting story. I’ve never really read anything that captures the emotional journey of raising a child with a disability in quite the way this book does. The beautiful illustrations and repetition of certain images lend it a depth that words simply cannot. While this is a story of both hope and acceptance, it is also a love story – that of a parent’s fierce love for their child, and everything that makes that child who they are.”
Reviews
“An impressive book about hope, self-awareness, perseverance and unconditional love. A very beautiful and touching graphic novel, with clear texts and telling drawings. It screams from the rooftops:
‘never give up hope!’”
– Paul Haenen
(Dutch comedian, playwright, tv-host, journalist)
“An inspiring story, told in beautiful drawings that strike a deep chord. Not only do we see how Marc has worked hard to realize his dream, we also follow his loving parents, who have always supported their autistic son, and never given up hope. That in itself is the highest level of sportsmanship.”
“Marc Evers belongs among the absolute best of the world in swimming. His story and perseverance are an inspiration to us.”
– Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Ferry Weertman (Olympic Gold Medal swimming champions)
“Never give up, that’s what we learn from this book. Using the grammar of comic book graphics Gemma Plum succeeds in showing the reader what it means to painstakingly try again and again and only making small progress. The long and arduous journey that Marc Evers and his family take, is understandable on an emotional level and invokes the reader’s deep respect for this special athlete.”
– Eva Hilhorst (Drawing the Times)
“Ik heb meer strips gelezen over autisme, maar deze vond ik bijzonder overtuigend. Een mooi verhaal in een mooie vorm. Lezen!”
– Jos van Waterschoot (Het Stripschap)
About the non-fiction novella
by Ivo van Woerden:
“Highly recommended”
– Humberto Tan (Dutch journalist and tv-host)
“Moving and optimistic story about Holland’s most successful Paralympic swimmer, Marc Evers.”
– Trouw (Dutch newspaper)
“Writer and journalist Ivo van Woerden describes in The Great Marc Evers with much integrity how Marc eventually came to shine at the Paralympic Games in London. A story about hope and strength and daring to trust your own intuition.”
– NRC Handelsblad (Dutch newspaper)
Winner of the Gouden Freelancerprice 2014/2015
From the jury report:
“… A compelling story in the best tradition of narrative journalism. The subject is highly original; moreover, Marc’s struggle has social relevance, because many children receive labels from the mental health system. Evers shows that despite a disability or disorder you can live a life with high peaks.”
The Great Marc Evers in the Dutch press:
Radio 1 (19 augustus)
Radio Hillegom (21 augustus 2024)
Trouw (24 augustus 2024)
RTL news (25 augustus 2024)
Haarlems Dagblad (27 augustus 2024)
Acknowledgments:
The drawing and coloring of this book has been made possible by Steunfonds Pictoright2021 / 2022, Centrum Beeldende Kunst (CBK) Rotterdam, Amartefonds and the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Autisme (NVA).
The printing of the book has been made possible by voordekunst and 206 private sponsors and the Readshop Hillegom, het Cultuurfonds and the Brunel Foundation.
