When Lora Biondi Innes was an art student at Hempfield High School, her note-taking went beyond the typical scribbling. She drew characters who translated the teacher's words into dialogue.
It was a practice that fascinated her teacher, Joe Schildkamp, who harbored big dreams for his star student.
Inspired by art and comic books, Biondi is realizing a dream by seeing her Webcomic published in comic book form.
After graduation, Innes attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio and later worked as a commercial illustrator. All the while she was harboring a dream. As a child she was a big comic book fan. She and her sisters raced through whole series of comics. Later, she read an issue of X-Men, "the one where Illyana dies," she said.
"Even though I had no idea who Illyana was, the art and the story were so powerful that I found myself in tears. I had no idea comic books could make you cry. I was sold."
Fast-forward a few years to 2006 and the debut of "The Dreamer," Innes' Webcomic that follows the perils and passions of a 21st century high school student Beatrice Whaley. After going to sleep each night, "Bea" is transported back to the American Revolution, where she falls in love with Maj. Alan Warren, a dashing 18-year-old Son of Liberty.
The dreams become so real, and Bea's love affair so vivid, that Bea can hardly wait to hit the sack. Teenage angst ensues.
After winning a legion of followers along with some hefty Webcomic awards -- Best Romance, Best Digital Art, Best Adventure Story, courtesy of Drunk Duck, a popular Webcomics site -- "The Dreamer" is coming out in comic book form.
The first of six editions was issued Nov. 12 by IDW Publishing. These will be collected in a "graphic novel" -- the penultimate comic book publication.
Innes explained there's a "stigma" attached to being a Web-only comic. To be published, that's the thing.
"Publication is a really competitive field," said Innes, now 28, married and living in Columbus. "It's a breakthrough."
Innes's success doesn't surprise Schildkamp. As a ninth-grader, "she was already doing very creative things," he said, including "story-boarding."
Equally impressive, Schildkamp said, was Innes' relentless questioning of what makes art. "She was very curious about things. She would want to know why certain pieces were so highly valued."
In order to make "The Dreamer" historically accurate, Biondi has plumbed such nonfiction as "The Life and Times of Joseph Warren," a 19th-century tome about the early Revolutionary War leader.
Deborah Biondi of Jeannette, Innes' mother, said she and her daughter traveled to Colonial Williamsburg last spring and that Innes later returned alone for research.
"She spoke to everyone," Deborah Biondi said. "It's the kind of thing she really does well."
Biondi and Innes's father, Richard, are school teachers. "Lora loves to learn," Biondi said.
"The Dreamer" reflects that. It is complex, spanning more than 230 years, from the days of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to the world of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.
Innes has a hand in both worlds. While she spends hours studying the 18th century, she is a woman of her own time and place.
Her MySpace page contains oodles of neat features, including a Frapper map pinpointing young "Dreamer" fans around the world, from Tarilyn in Salt Lake City ("'The Dreamer' is cool beans") to ellygirl in Belgium ("I love the comics").
Indeed, pop culture is a touchstone for "The Dreamer." Innes said actress/singer Emmy Rossum and Katharine McPhee, the former American Idol contestant, both are models for her drawings of Bea.
Innes has been surprised at young readers' interest in the American Revolution. "I thought most people wouldn't like Nathan Hale," she said of the real-life American patriot who plays a significant role in "The Dreamer." More than one female reader has flipped over the dashing Hale.
Innes expects to stay with Bea and her other characters for some time. Her contract with IDW includes the publication of one graphic novel, but Innes said she is hopeful others will follow. She has completed nearly six issues of the Web version of "The Dreamer" and has story enough for at least 40 more.
"A lot of readers have really hoped for a 'Dreamer' movie or cartoon," Innes said. "I don't know what writer wouldn't love to see their characters up on the big screen, but for right now I'm pretty content with just getting the book published."
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