USA travel no-go for Ontario comic creators as tariffs, Trump start to take their toll

It’s been seven months into a tumultuous – some would say disastrous – second round as U.S. president and Canadian comic book creators are making it very clear where they stand on Donald Trump’s tariffs and his 51st State rhetoric.

“The comics business in Canada is wonderful but unless I have to for business I don’t travel to the states much,” said Toronto’s Michael Cho (Avengers, Space Ghost, Shoplitfers), who was actually commissioned by Joe Biden to create comic panels for the 2020 presidential campaign. “I love Canada and I won’t go to any place where they are clearly hostile.”

Michael Cho

Business is still good for most comic artists and writers based in Canada, with Mike Del Mundo (Uncanny X-Men, Elektra) saying the tariffs haven’t had a major negative effect yet.

“It’s more of a waiting game,” said the Scarborough artist, who has been nominated for a prestigious Eisner Award for best cover artist three times and designed the poster for the Wu Tan Clan’s recent concert in Toronto.

Mike Del Mundo

Fred Kennedy (Dead Romans, Savage Sword of Conan) is hopeful there won’t be any long-term fallout from the Trump regime. “There’s so much talent here. It’s always good to see young people coming by the booth and asking about the comics business – that’s my favourite part.”

The Ajax writer is seeing some short-term blowback, mostly in getting kickstarter campaigns off the ground anf the general uncertainty of what comes next. “Everyone’s a little bit anxious with what’s going on,” noted Kennedy, whose full-time gig is the afternoon drive guy at Toronto radio station Q-107. “It’s very frustrating.”

“I’m not going to conventions in the states, that’s for sure.”

Kennedy’s partner on the Dead Romans series, Toronto’s Nick Marinkvich, who has also worked on Assassin’s Creed and the graphic novel, Kenk – A Graphic Portrait, is also loathe to travel south of the border.

“I’m swamped with work,” he said, noting that most of his clients are in the U.S. or the U.K. “I can’t complain myself, but I won’t be going to any U.S. shows.”

In the long-term, that can be bad for business for comic creators who are trying to sell to the big guys like Marvel and DC, which are both located in New York City.

Mike Rooth

“Business has been pretty good and a lot of what I’ve been working on is coming out now,” said Brampton-born, St. Catharines-raised and Oakville resident Mike Rooth (Swamp Thing, Hellboy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), who was full of praise for the comic art community that has sprung up in the GTA. “But I can’t do my tour. It’s too risky.”

The tariffs imposed by Trump have been manageable so far, he added, though new duties being implemented at the end of the month are expected to drive up shipping costs.

Travelling south for fan conventions, however, has become a matter of ethics, he said.

“I have amazing customers (in the USA), but I can’t abide what’s going on down there,” Rooth said. “It’s a strange new world right now.”