Former Pleasant Shade resident living dream occupation in an out of ordinary location

By Eddie West Staff Writer

It’s not fantasy. As an adult, a Smith County High School graduate is living his dream in the comic book world in a most unusual place for someone who grew up in the south.

As a youth, Steven Boyd lived with his family on a farm in the Pleasant Shade community when he decided to become an entrepreneur, opening a comic book store in Carthage called Fifth Dimension Comics in 1989.

An avid comic book reader and collector, Boyd was 15 years old at the time and a sophomore at Smith County High School. 

At age 52, Boyd now lives in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Canada, where in September of 2025, he  released his first self-published comic book, Skybreaker, featuring comic books’ newest super-hero.

Recently, Boyd made stops in the U.S. promoting and autographing copies of his new comic book. 

One of those stops came during this past Thanksgiving holiday at The Rogue and Raven located on Main Street in Carthage where the former Smith Countian reunited with some of his local friends.

“It’s surreal being the guy on all sides of the table…from reader/fan to retailer to creator/publisher.  It’s a full circle that I wish would have happened when I was younger but I’m gonna run with it for as long as I can! After going to comic conventions for the last 30 years, I’ve managed to become friends with many creators who helped guide me on what I needed to do to self-publish,” relates Boyd, who has been a comic book fan since childhood.

While living in Robertson County north of Nashville, Boyd’s family decided to relocate to Pleasant Shade in 1982 where he entered the third grade at Pleasant Shade Elementary School.

The family relocated to Smith County because the couple wanted to raise their family in a smaller community. 

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