Independent comic book publishers like Image Comics are struggling as a result of inflation. Truth be told, everyone is having a tough time financially right now. There isn't a single industry in the United States that is not affected by the current trend of inflation facing the American economy – and that includes the comic book industry, as book prices continue to spike.

the creator of Spawn – about the state of the comic industry as book prices rise from $3.99 to $4.99, the highest comic book prices have risen in twelve years.

This industry-wide investigation sought to get to the bottom of whether the comic book industry can survive following a 25% price increase for standard 32-page comics, especially when it comes to independent publishers, such as Image, Skybound, DSTLRY, and more.

Creators From Image Comics, Vault, and DSTLRY React To The Current State Of The Comic Book Industry

How Rising Prices Impact Comics

The AV Club's article talks to creators about their perspective on the state of the comic book industry, as well as offering information as to why it is in the state that it is in today. Damian Wassel, the CEO of Vault Comics – housing series like Deathstalker from Slash of Guns 'n' Roses fame – explained that the U.S. was already dealing with the consolidation and shutdowns of several paper plants before COVID hit. Once it did, manufacturing prices for comics spiked, and then spiked again, to compensate for the difficulty of getting printing paper.

Dark Horse Comics is one of the rare publishers still drawing the line at $3.99, largely...because they take into consideration what readers can realistically afford.

Dark Horse Comics is one of the rare publishers still drawing the line at $3.99, largely – as marketing VP Cara O'Neil explains – because they take into consideration what readers can realistically afford.

What The Short And Long Term Impact Of Inflation Could Mean For Comics

AV Club Questions The Industry's Survival

Image Comics and Todd McFarlane, calling himself "the cheapest guy on the block," is another exception to the $4.99 precedent the current comic industry experiences. Truthfully, McFarlane calls himself cheap, but it's a move out of necessity; there was once a time when $25 could get a pack of comics from the local store, but as McFarlane adds, "you can count them on your fingers." Meanwhile, publishers like DSTLRY continue to revolutionize comics with new alternatives, charging $9 for 44-52 pages each issue. Co-founder and CEO David Steinberger justified the bold move:

By doing more pages, at actually a cheaper price than two $5 comics for the page count, we can do bigger pages, better paper, spot gloss, and still have a great profit for the retailers.

Not every independent publisher will have the luxury of making such bold moves, as many are already struggling to boost their sales to match the competition. While bigger publishers like Marvel and DC can afford to take a loss from a percentage of fans who can't afford to regularly buy comics at that price, independent publishers can't. The comic industry is experiencing a nightmare scenario where either audiences' pockets or companies have to take a hit, and if their audiences take a hit, they stop buying comics, making publishers like Image Comics suffer regardless, putting the industry in flux.

Source: The AV Club