While the atmosphere at this year's Toronto ComiCon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was lively, many independent publishers expressed concern over the new tariffs posed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which could raise production costs and make it harder for smaller creators to compete.
There was also a sense of unease about the increasing number of bans on children's books, which could stomp on creative freedom and limit emerging, diverse voices. While many are concerned, optimism remains, and some larger shipments are exempted from these tariffs. The rising demand for Canadian talent may lead to more local and domestically produced comics being produced in the future.
Valencia Amore and Benjamin Steeves have this report:
