There has been some speculation about the impact on comic book prices based on U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
Most North American comic book publishers have their comics for NA printed in Canada at one or both of the two largest printers for the industry at Quebecor and Transcontinental.
While the Trump Administration has talked about renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico, the President’s key financial advisor and emissary has told Canadian government officials that the the U.S. government feels that have a trade balance with Canada, but a trade imbalance with Mexico.
For that reason, the Trump administration has focused on Mexico on many fronts including economically and most recently a 20% import tax on Mexican goods that would in part fund President Trump’s Great Wall of Mexico and address the perceived trade imbalance.
As such, currently, it seems that Canada is safe from Trump taxes so comic books printed at Quebecor and Transcontinental should not cost more due to Trump trade policies.
Stay tuned as the President’s policies could evolve, but for now it looks like comics printed in Canada at least will not be impacted by President Trump’s trade policies and NAFTA renegotiation.