Tariffs hit comic book industry. More details on the Jim Aparo Artist Edition from Act 4 have been revealed. Marvel Rivals comic features Jeff The Land Shark game spray.
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Episode Transcript:
Tariffs hit comic book industry.
Jim Aparo Artist Edition details revealed.
Marvel Rivals comic features game spray.
This is Comic Book Club News for March 5, 2025.
Tariffs Hit Comic Book Industry:
Here I go, here I go, here I go again. Girls, what’s my weakness? Tariffs. After threatening them last month, the United States has officially introduced 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico. Tariffs imposed against China have been increased to 20%. In retaliation, Canada has imposed a 25% tariff on goods from the United States.
Why is this a big deal for comics? Well, many single issues are printed in Canada, while trade collections are often printed in China. This isn’t a rule across the board, and we’ve heard that some of the larger companies have already started moving comic book printing to the United States as a temporary measure. But the long and the short of it is that if these tariffs continue, comics are going to cost a whole lot more money.
The question then becomes whether companies can and will eat the additional cost, or increase prices. At the current time that is very much TBD, though there’s no real way smaller companies in particular can absorb the additional cost of tariffs in the long term.
A second question? Whether this news item will be moot by the time this podcast posts, like the last time we reported on this. Here’s hoping, not for my sake, but for the sake of the comic book industry.
Act 4 And Skybound Reveal Jim Aparo Artist Edition Details:
Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 Publishing has joined forces with Skybound and Image Comics to print Artist’s Editions, the next format from comic book industry legend Dunbier. And first out of the gate? Jim Aparo’s DC Classics Artist’s Edition.
The book will feature over 200 pages of art from Aparo’s classic run featuring Batman on Brave and the Bold and Detective Comics, as well as The Spectre in Adventure Comics. This will take the form of nine complete stories, as well as classic covers and other assorted pages.
So what makes this unique? Though the pages appear to be black and white, the art is scanned in color, meaning the reader can see everything from ink gradients to blue pencil, and are printed the same size as they are drawn. As Skybound explains via press release, it’s “an art book disguised as a comic collection.”
The book will cost $150, and hit comic book shops on September 17.
Marvel Rivals Comic Features Jeff The Land Shark Game Spray:
Marvel Rivals is heading to print comics with a special one-shot written by Paul Allor with art by Luca Claretti. And to celebrate, readers of the comic will be able to redeem a special Jeff the Land Shark “Unlimited Appetite” spray to use in the game.
What is that? What does it mean? Am I old now? The answer to the last question is “yes,” but to answer the first two, in the Marvel Rivals game players use “spray,” basically graffiti that can mark areas on the floor and walls of the game. They can be used to tell your team where to go, or just to look really cool.
Presumably this comic will include a digital code to redeem in the game for the free spray featuring Jeff, though maybe it pulls you into the game Tron-style. We have not reached out to Marvel for comment on that.
The Marvel Rivals comic hits stores on April 2.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And it’s weird but true that most of Salt n’ Pepa’s hit songs were about tariffs. Huh.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
For more comic book news, reviews, and interviews, check out comicbookclublive.com.
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