Gobsmack comics was born in April 2014 as the brainchild of a pair of creatives Drew Dewsall and Kris Hazard. The initial idea was to create a company that would free up their time to be able to concentrate on creating original graphic novels, which they had been working on. News Flash Kids! Running a company does not free up your time.
The pair began touring the country's comic conventions selling comics and collectibles before returning to their hometown of Horsham and setting up a market stall. Quickly realising that this was extremely hard work and also having a severe aversion to the cold they quickly found themselves a more suitable location.
Gobsmack's first bricks & mortar store opened its doors in November 2015. It was an instant success and it soon became apparent that a relocation was required (not least because their current building was scheduled for demolition).
At this point Kris resigned as one of the company directors to concentrate on other projects but stayed on as creative consultant and has been responsible for Gobsmack's branding ever since. As the business grew the company updated its web store and added a Podcast (Talking Smack) and YouTube Channel (Gobsmack TV) to its social media output. They also added special events throughout each year, like the hugely popular Force February. An event which celebrates all things Star Wars with actors doing signings and costumers taking over the entire shopping centre for the day. Gobsmack sees itself as very much a part of its community and all of these events are used to raise money for local children's charities.
Then, in July 2019, the shop went through its most dramatic makeover. A rebranding (more of a refreshing) of the logo and a new sign. Now proudly proclaiming that the updated shop was Gobsmack Issue 2, as well as a clean, smart black and white refit brought Gobsmack up to be one of the best looking Pop-culture stores in the country.
As the company has grown the ranges stocked have also evolved creating Sussex most complete one-stop shop for all your geeky needs.
Whether it be comics, graphic novels, manga, video game hardware and software, action figures, toys, gaming and so much more, then Gobsmack is the only destination you need.
In August 2022 the website got a much-needed makeover with a sleek new look and an increased product range with a host of new features that will ensure that customers from further afield don't miss out on the Gobsmack experience.
And with lots of exciting new things coming soon Gobsmack is going from strength to strength on a mission to be the greatest Pop Culture store in this or any other dimension!