AN ADVENTURE BEGINS STUDENTS CREATE OWN COMIC HERO.

Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer

LANCASTER - The students from Quartz Hill High School's summer school class on the art and techniques of creating comics, taught by Frank Dixon, held a book signing at Bases Cards and Comics store.

``Who knows? Maybe someone will actually go out and do something,'' said customer Frank Sobyra, who purchased the first comic book.

Sobyra has a 17-year-old son interested in art and thought the comic book might encourage him.

Available were 40 copies of the limited-edition comic book created by the 17 students of Dixon's summer school class.

Each student in the class wrote a potential comic book story. The students then voted on the best story, which was turned into their book, ``Lan Dragonheart: The Adventure of His Knighting.''

Dixon divided the story into 25 parts, and each student was responsible for interpreting the story on his or her page of the comic book.

``In the future I'm gonna start work on a comic book,'' said student Chris Canchola, one of the artists. ``I took the class to get ideas on how to do this.''

Dixon has a published book, ``Draw Fantasy,'' which demonstrates how to draw dragons, knights and mythological creatures.

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Instructor Frank Dixon, left, and student Chris Canchola, 15, sign comics for Frank Sobyra and his daughter, Erika, 12, above. Dixon's Quartz Hill High summer school class created ``Lan Dragonheart,'' below.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer