If you wander down Stoke Road on a bright Gosport morning, past the artists’ studios and the giant dog mural keeping watch, you’ll eventually find a shop that feels a bit like stepping into someone’s imagination. That someone is Mark Bennett: comic lover, Warhammer enthusiast, community champion, and the man behind Vanguard Comics.
Mark has lived in Gosport for 21 years, tucked away in Bury Crescent, though his story begins in South Wales. Before he ever sold a single comic, he’d already lived enough lives for a whole graphic novel series: lorry driver, newspaper classifieds manager, religious education teacher, maths tutor for soldiers at Sir John Moore Barracks, and even a stint in the probation service.
“I’ve done a bit of everything,” he laughs. “But comics? Comics were always the love.”
Just before the shop came into being, Mark was teaching functional skills for TutorCare, until redundancy nudged him in a new direction. With two children to work around, he started selling second-hand sports gear online. Golf clubs, mostly. He’d buy them grubby, clean them up, and sell them on for a tidy profit.
“It was a good gig,” he admits. “Auctions, car boots… I loved the hunt.”
That hustle led to his first shop in LeeontheSolent. Then he met his fiancée, who ran a vintage and retro business. They shared a shop, and Mark wanted something that complemented her style and stock. The answer? Comics.
“Every little boy loves a comic. We all secretly want to be Batman,” he grins. “I’ve always loved artwork, design, storytelling, escapism.” And so Vanguard Comics was born.
How a 50p Star Wars comic sparked a lifetime of imagination
Mark’s comic journey began in 1973 with a single issue of Spider-Man. He was five and instantly hooked. Batman on TV, Fantastic Four obsessions, and then the big one: a Star Wars treasury edition in 1977 – 50p from a shop, and he still has it.
“That was it. I was gone. Star Wars took over my life,” he laughs.
If his younger self could see him now? “He’d be very happy,” Mark says. “I’m in a fortunate position doing what I love. I especially love that my son works with me on a Saturday and some evenings, fulfilling his love of comics too. He runs the comic side and even created our subscription service. I focus on Warhammer and models. It’s brilliant to be able to do that.”
A shop that became a community
Vanguard Comics moved to Stoke Road in 2022, and Mark hasn’t looked back.
“It’s such a nice road. It’s very artistic, like a little Brighton. I have great neighbours who are so creative and fun, it’s a great atmosphere down here.”
Inside, the shop is spacious, accessible, and packed with both old and new comics. Mark proudly stocks a bigger range of Warhammer than the official store in Portsmouth, constantly reinvesting to keep things fresh.
And then there’s the Warhammer and wargaming club, running every Tuesday night for the past three and a half years. “It’s become a proper community hub, “gushes Mark, before telling me that his customers travel from as far as Andover, Dorset and beyond.
“Henry Cavill being a massive Warhammer nerd has helped pur Warhammer on the map,” Mark laughs. “It’s huge now.”
Vanguard offers loyalty cards, special orders, and flexible opening hours. “It’s all about people,” he says simply. “I go out of my way for my customers. I love what I do, and they love what I do. There is a want for my stock.”
In 2022, Mark decided to host a small comic con in Lee-on-the-Solent. It was so popular that within six months he’d organised a bigger one at Thorngate Hall, complete with guests from Doctor Who, The Bill, and Only Fools and Horses.
Since then, it’s grown every year. Last year brought Chris Barrie from Red Dwarf and two Bond girls from the Roger Moore era. This March, the event moves to Bay House School’s Sports and Arts Centres, with guests including Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
“It takes a year to plan these events,” Mark says. I ask what it involves, and Mark says people dress up, you see new characters, you can buy memorabilia, meet celebrities and watch talks. “It’s a really fun, buzzy event.”
“It was the cosplayers who inspired me to start these events. They’re the ones who bring the magic to life. They’re fans who dress up as their favourite characters and completely transform the room. Rob and Kat were the first. They walked into my shop fully dressed up and asked if they could come back like that. Those two sparked the whole idea. People like them are the life and soul of the events, and honestly, of the shop too.”
For Mark, the Comicon events are about more than fandom.
“They really put Gosport on the map. The town is changing, it’s on the rise, and you can feel the regeneration happening all around. There are so many brilliant things here – our beaches, our independent shops, our creative community. Stoke Road and the High Street aren’t the empty spaces people imagine anymore; they’re buzzing with new businesses and fresh ideas. People just need to come and see how much has changed. There’s so much creativity and so many events happening now.”
Treasures, rarities, and everyday joy
As a passion project, Mark is also working on a comic project with Daniel Peacock, actor, writer, and twice BAFTA-nominated screenwriter. They met at an Only Fools and Horses event, hit it off, and now hope to launch their new comic at the Gosport Comic Con.”It’s a fantastic, exciting project to be part of and I am excited to watch where it goes.”
Ask Mark about rare finds, and he’ll tell you about his prized Bobo Fett Number 1 Comic, Signed by Jeremy Bulloch.
Ask him about favourites, and he’ll say the comic he’s working on now, though he’s still a huge Batman fan. The new Absolute Batman series has flown off his shelves so fast he can’t reorder it.
Ask him about the future and he’ll tell you he’s already planning bigger events, more partnerships, and eventually a larger shop.
But ask him what really matters, and he’ll tell you this:
“I never get that Sunday evening feeling of dread going to work. I’m making a living doing what I love. I’m rich in that sense.”
His son, aged 18, bright, politics-bound, who works with him on Saturdays and evenings. Mark jokes he doesn’t know what he’ll do when he goes to university.
But you get the sense he’ll figure it out. After all, he’s reinvented himself more times than most superheroes.