Gillian Anderson stars in her own comic book to raise money for a good cause

Gillian Anderson's various TV and film characters have appeared in comic books before, but now she's starring in a straight-to-comics story - and it's for a good cause.

55 by writer/artist Gary Yap imagines Anderson as a James Bond-style spy - whereas he's 007, she's agent 55.

"For me, 55 is about the search for sanity and truth amidst absolute madness. 55 is a spy in a chaotic world who has seemingly gone rogue, being hunted by a variety of strange and unique characters from her past, other agencies, and even her own former teammates," Yap tells Newsarama.

Based on a 2016 tweet from a fan recommending Gillian Anderson to be 'the next Bond' on film (which Anderson herself retweeted), Yap sat on the idea for several years until he pitched the idea to the Neurofibromatosis Network as a potential item for their next charity fundraiser.

The Neurofibromatosis Network is the United States' leading organization advocating for research and support for those suffering from the genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis. The condition causes tumors to grow on the nervous system, and currently, there is no known prevention or cure.

Gillian Anderson is the chief spokesperson for Neurofibromatosis Network. She became involved with the organization after her brother Aaron was diagnosed with, and later died because of, Neurofibromatosis. Gillian Anderson, and her mother Rosemary, have endorsed the 55 comic book and consulted with Yap during its creation.

55 #1 debuts on comiXology and Kindle September 30. 55 copies of the book have been printed as well and will be signed and numbered by Anderson and Yap for Neurofibromatosis Network to auction.

Gillian Anderson is the face of 55, but other celebrities have even created comic books.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)