Comic books aren't cheap. Back when I was but an infant they were maybe a dollar and some change. Then the time came they were all two dollars. Before long every comic was three dollars and it stayed that way for a good while. In the 2000's the price crept up to $4 off and on before it seemed to become almost the standard. We sometimes see $5 or even $6 with special variant covers or extra-big issues, but comic fans seem to balk at too high a price without a reason (extra-big issue, ratio variant, or so forth). With Trump returning to office against all odds an discussing tariffs, however, could that impact comic-books and result in comic companies having to take drastic action to stay profitable? The answer is not an optimistic one.
Gina Gagliano over at The Comics Journal has a nice meaty article that digs down into what tariffs could mean for comic-books due to how so many are printed outside of the United States. Price increases, shifting more to e-books, shorter comics, and a focus on black-and-white books, are all possible reactions to how printing a comic could cost multiple times more if tariffs are enacted. Major publishers will be hurt but the indie folks will really feel the sting. As always, the little guy/gal gets hurt the most by policies that a huckster politician advertises as benefiting everyone (even though only a handful of rich folks see any net positive). 2025 could suck for comics, among many other products. Some of you voted for Trump claiming he'd make eggs cheaper. Too bad almost everything else is going to cost five to ten times more and no economists (of good repute) think these tariff proposals are wise. I am not looking forward to Trump 2.0, I'll tell you that much.
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