The coming year seems poised to usher in a turbulent, albeit potentially lucrative, era for many industries, and comics publishing is no different: new publishers are readying their debuts as storm clouds gather over some industry stalwarts. (One safe bet for the year? At least one comics publisher will have a spectacular flameout, with recriminations flowing on whatever social media platform is left.) With 2025 now begun in earnest, here are five storylines in the comics and graphic novel business to keep an eye on.

To tariff, or not to tariff?

One big question mark looming over the comics industry is what effect president-elect Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House will have on business, specifically where tariffs are concerned. Trump has threatened 10% tariffs on China and 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, although what effect the president-elect recent “51st state” rhetoric will have on that remains to be seen. Most American periodical comics are printed in Canada, while the majority of graphic novels are printed in Asia, and particularly China.

The threat may simply be a crude negotiating tactic. But if such tariffs are imposed, comics in all formats would see a price increase. With sales of periodical comics already struggling and a $4.99 price point for certain titles putting off some consumers, further increases might crumple any hope for a comeback for the format—and put more comics shops out of business. Publishers can’t just switch to printing in America either: not only is the infrastructure simply not there, but most paper used for comics and graphic novels in the U.S. also comes from Canada.

If prices do go up, a shift to digital is possible. While the format is still only used by a relatively small segment of readership, it could happen: in Korea, there are few printed comics, and even in Japan, digital comics are becoming more popular by the year.

Who will distribute my comics?

The other dangling question mark: Who will supply comics to comics shops? The three largest comics publishers have transitioned to Penguin Random House (Marvel) and Lunar Distribution (DC and Image), but Diamond Comics is still the main outlet for many smaller publishers—and they just filed a Chapter 11.

Even before the bankruptcy filing, industry professionals were fretting over Diamond’s ongoing stability. As anyone who studies publishing business history knows, when a distributor goes down, it can have a disastrous effect on publishers. Will Lunar and PRH step into the breach? Is anyone else daring enough to get into the comic book distribution business? Stay tuned.

Bringing the Boom!

Speaking of PRH, their purchase of comics publisher Boom! Studios was announced last April and became official in September, with Boom! moving to the Random House Worlds division under new publisher Michael Kelly. Activities at Boom! have seemed much the same since then, but the coming year is likely to bring light to whatever changes might be happening behind the scenes. If Boom becomes a success at a the country’s biggest trade book publishing house, will more traditional houses look to acquire comics publishers of their own?

Marvel buckles down on its backlist

Marvel’s announcement of its Premier Collection last fall announced a shift toward putting out books that are friendly to new readers—and to keeping acclaimed titles in print. While such a move might be old hat for most publishers, including Marvel’s rivals, the company’s backlist was long curtailed by internal policies against holding back stock. (A lack of back stock was reportedly an obsession of former Marvel chairman and CEO Ike Perlmutter.) While Marvel collections sell well in comics shops, sales have been anemic in bookstores; in 2023, Marvel had only one book in Circana BookScan’s top 750 titles. With a huge library of classic tales about the world’s best known superheroes, Marvel could be poised for a big lift at traditional booksellers.

Small press comics shows grow

The pandemic was particularly hard on festivals spotlighting small comics and graphic novel presses, but almost all the major shows have returned, with one lingering fixture, Comic Arts Los Angeles, finally returning last December. The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is moving to a new and larger venue for its June show, and the Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase is expanding to two days. With the indie comics circuit back in full swing and then some, publishers could see not just increased sales but more exposure for the innovative, up-and-coming cartoonists who may just become the stars of tomorrow.