At 8 years old, Layne Toth has accomplished things people three times her age might admire.

The aspiring Lansing comic book artist has been featured in Time Magazine, enrolled in art classes at Lansing Community College and won contests. Tuesday, she will premiere her first professional comic book, "Meow-Wow!" at Harper's Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave. The Meow Wow Pow Wow Comic Art Fest 2004, which is set to begin at 5 p.m., will feature merchandise from Toth, as well as work from comic book veterans Chris Yambar and Levi Krause - her partners in the "Meow-Wow!" project

The comic relates the adventures of "Itsi Kitsi Happy Adventure Cat," a hyperactive pink kitten whose arch nemesis is a crotchety rat. Toth wrote and contributed artwork for roughly half of the issue.

"When I saw the proofs for the first issue, I screamed for the first few pages," Toth said. "It was just so amazing to me."

Toth's success trails back to an art contest victory at the age of 3. Her father, a former professional boxer named Tornado, picked up on his daughter's interest and encouraged her development.

"It wasn't directly planned," Tornado Toth said. "I could just tell she was geared for it. I always loved comic books so that was the only thing I could share with her in that area."

At a comic book convention in Ohio last year, Layne met Chris Yambar, a seasoned comic book artist who works on, among other things, "Bart Simpson Comics." Unable to ignore the enthusiasm the young girl had for comic book art, Yambar eventually offered to let Layne collaborate on the "Meow-Wow!" project.

"She actually sent me a résumé and art samples," said Yambar, who lives in Youngstown, Ohio. "She's wonderful and she does not let it go to her head."

One of the reasons Yambar said he was open to the idea of allowing Layne Toth to assist him on "Meow-Wow!" is his belief that comic books aimed at children will soon rise in popularity. He admits that some of his friends in the professional world don't see where he is coming from.

"They can't believe that as a professional I'm working with an 8-year-old kid and giving her some creative control," he said. "Sometimes you just know what's the right thing to do. I can't stress enough the importance of actually having a kid be hands-on with the creative process."

Yambar's collaboration with Toth won't end with "Meow-Wow!" The two are currently working on a series called "Faith: Warrior Princess," a concept proposed entirely by Toth.