The Last Page to open Wednesday
As of Wednesday, Starkville will be home to a new comic book shop.
After close to five months of preparation, The Last Page Books, Comics and More will open its doors downtown at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The shop will focus on comic books and board games, but will also deal in used books. A grand opening celebration is also scheduled for May 26, possibly in conjunction with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. Artist CM Addams and cosplayer Nelly Nuttons will also be present on the 26th.
Proprietor Sky Thompson said she was inspired to open a shop by her father, who ran two comic shops while she was growing up. She said her father had helped her plan for the shop, and some of the starting inventory will come from his shops. Thompson began working toward The Last Page not long after leaving the United States Air Force in January.
“It feels great,” Thompson said. “It feels like it's been a long time coming.”
Thompson described some of her wares, saying she was excited about Teen Titans and Dungeons and Dragons products, among others.
“I was in the military for four years before I got out and moved back to Mississippi, Thompson said. “I was surprised that Starkville, a college town didn't have a comic book store.”
She described her own relationship with comics, growing up with a comic shop owner father, and discovering Teen Titans, the first series she ever binge-read.
“I just kind of grew up reading comic books rather than normal books,” Thompson said. “They were my bedtime stories, how I learned to read.”
She said she could relate to Teen Titans at a young age, because the characters lived similar lives to her, despite being superheroes.
“They were young, so was I,” Thompson said. “All the other comic book heroes were adults, and at the time I didn't know what having a job was, but I could understand going to school, you know, having to balance all these other things.”
She said she wasn't sure how many people to expect on the shop's opening day, but said many people were excited about the shop going by the engagement on its social media.
The Last Page is located at 101 S. Washington St., next door to Southern Billiards. The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It will be closed Sundays and Mondays.