At first glance, Bayville Pharmacy & Comics looks much like any of the old independent drugstores that have served Long Island communities for decades. But tucked among the shelves is a growing collection of comic books and graphic novels that owner Michael Hancock says has supported the business while bringing new customers through the door.
Hancock, who purchased the pharmacy six years ago, said the idea grew out of both necessity and a lifelong love of comics. Since insurance companies take the majority of the money from prescriptions, according to Hancock, pharmacies rely on their other items to make a profit.
A lifelong comic book fan, Hancock said he got the idea to add comics to the store’s selection, and the response has been better than he had hoped.
Unlike a traditional comic book store, Bayville Pharmacy attracts customers who may not be actively seeking comics but discover them while shopping for other items or picking up prescriptions.
Hancock moved to Bayville about 14 years ago and began working at the pharmacy after a chance introduction. A friend brought him to meet then-owner Bill Trampel. The arrangement eventually led to Hancock purchasing the business from Bill and Georgia Trampel when they decided to sell six years ago.
A pharmacist since graduating college in 1993, Hancock spent much of his career working for Pathmark and other pharmacies before becoming a business owner. While he oversees prescriptions and pharmacy operations, he credited his business partner John Joyce with handling much of the accounting and financial side of the operation.
“I would not have the store without him,” Hancock said.
The comic section reflects Hancock’s personal history with the medium. He said he learned to read through comic books and still owns every comic he purchased as a child.
“They appealed to me,” Hancock said, “and I actually remember as a kid my teacher saying I had a good vocabulary, and I attribute it to comics, definitely.”
His pharmacy’s collection includes current superhero titles, graphic novels and trade paperbacks. He carefully reviews weekly releases, researching writers, artists and reader interest before deciding what to stock.
“You look at absolutely everything;” Hancock said. “You look at the writer, the artist, the type of comic.”
The pharmacy is also beginning to expand into manga, a category customers frequently request, although Hancock added that he needs to do more research into the genre.
Additional shelves now feature comic book supplies, including protective bags, boards and storage boxes. Hancock hopes to continue expanding the selection with more books and novels.
For Brian McKeon, Hancock’s son-in-law and an employee at the pharmacy since 2020, the comic section has changed customer interactions.
Before comics arrived, he said, many customers followed predictable routines centered on picking up medications and leaving. Customers who previously had little reason to linger now stop to browse and share stories about the comics they enjoyed growing up.
“It is interesting the amount of people that… are like, ‘I used to read comic books all the time, I collected them for the longest time,’” McKeon said. “And you’re like, I would not have assumed that of you.”
McKeon, who moved to Bayville in 2019, said comic books first captured his attention through films and franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars. Today, he helps customers navigate the growing selection, although he often defers to Hancock’s expertise.
“He’s a thesaurus when it comes to it,” McKeon said.
For Hancock, he said he sees comics as a way to encourage reading and bring people together. He described a visiting librarian’s to the comics.
“She loved seeing it,” Hancock said. “Anything to make somebody read.”
