HAY RIVER - After a decade, Dean J. Landrie's dream has become reality.

A few weeks ago, the first three stories of his "Adventures in the Land of Mind Over Matter" - a series of 12 science-fiction tales - were published as a comic book.

A comic book created by Dean J. Landrie of Hay River is now available on the Internet. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Landrie said the work deals with mystics, medicine men and women, psychics and people with special abilities, such as telekinesis.

"All those abilities that most people are scared of," he said.

Landrie has been developing the stories since 1997. "It's taken 10 years to go from scratch to this."

The paperback book contains the featured story "Lila vs. Puff-Ed", along with "The Burial Grounds," and "Lila vs. the Computer."

"I call it a comic book for all ages," Landrie said, adding he has not completed the artwork for the remaining stories.

The stories are set in the future - in the year 2042 after World War 3.

The heroine of the stories - some of which have aboriginal characters and themes - looks like and is named for Landrie's real-life wife, Lila.

"It's a lot easier drawing someone you know," he said.

The Lila of the stories has psychic and telekinesis abilities, and can fly.

Landrie, 38, also appears as Old Man Landrie, a medicine man.

In real life, the artist, who is originally from Saskatchewan and of Cree heritage, describes himself as a medicine man in training, adding that he has been learning since he was a child.

As such, he offers help to people looking for advice on plants that can help with illnesses.

"It's a lifelong process," said Landrie, who has lived in Hay River for 17 years. "A person doesn't learn it in a year."

Authorhouse, a self-publishing firm in the United States, published the comic book.

Landrie paid about $1,000 to get one copy of the book produced, and others will be printed on demand from buyers. Authorhouse has made the book available on its website, and on sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

"It's hit the Internet," Landrie said. "It's gone global."

For each book sold, he gets a royalty. Landrie, who is operations manager with Matco Transportation Systems, has been an artist since he was a child, and has also produced drawings and paintings.

"I enjoy artwork. I guess you can say it's my main hobby," he said. "Eventually I'm hoping this will be my profession."

Landrie said it's hard to say what will happen now that some of the stories have been published. "A person doesn't know until they try."

The artist would love for the stories to be made into movies.