But a student prank left him with a seriously damaged right eye and, mindful of advice from art teachers that the medium of comics was dead, he put away his pencils, sold his vast comic collection and did not draw again for eight years.

Then Dave walked past a comic book shop and curiosity got the better of him. He walked in - and was hooked again.

Now Dave is drawing comics again and has just created a new book about a super-powered CIA agent.

'I did all the artwork myself and designed the characters'

It took Dave seven months to create the illustrations for the 64-page comic book The Hunter, which could end up as a feature-length movie.

The story was written by screenwriter Adam Hamdy who works for television shows and films in Hollywood and Dave, from Athersley, hopes The Hunter might end up as a feature film.

He said: "With a bit of luck it may end up on the silver screen, but these things take some time.

"I did all the artwork myself and designed and coloured all the characters, which is rare because there are usually small teams who work on projects like this.

"It's about a super powered CIA agent who has to track down weapons of mass destruction.

"I cannot remember when my love for comics first started but I know I was very young. I just seemed to devour every single issue I could get my hands on, especially the American titles like Marvel and DC. I would drink in every panel and be captivated by these larger than life characters running across

rooftops, battling giant robots and defeating evil masterminds. I loved the action, the adventure and the bright colours. I even loved the smell and feel of the paper.

The same applies for drawing comics."

Dave says he knew from a very young age that he wanted to draw comics.

He said: "It started where I would copy the pictures and panels from issues, then I progressed to drawing my own superhero stories.

"In my teens I started to take my interest seriously. I studied the styles and techniques of my favourite artists and practiced the art form, but after a few years of being told that the medium of

comics was dead and a waste of time by many of my art teachers, I started to lose faith in my ability and in the future of the comic book industry.

"When my eye was damaged it was the final nail in the coffin. I finished my college year and then did not draw again for eight years. I sold all of my issues and gave up reading comics. My art teachers used to say 'comics are for children', and like an idiot I believed them."

All that changed when he walked into a comic book shop - and all his childhood memories and ambitions flooded back.

Dave said: "As I looked at the new titles I could not believe that the same heroes I loved in my youth were still in print and even more popular than they had ever been," he added.

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