Fri Oct 31, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

Will Marvel Drop Canadian Pricing?

Conflicting Reports While DC Stays Mum

Columnist Don MacPherson has posted a thoughtful piece on his Eye on Comics blog indicating the falling US dollar may bring about the elimination of separate Canadian pricing.

He cites Strange Adventures’ Calum Johnston, reporting, “Both Marvel and DC are thinking of removing the Canadian cover price to comic-book periodicals.”

Marvel Comics spokesman Arune Singh clarified conflicting statements in an e-mail today to MacPherson saying Canadian pricing won’t be dropped from its books, only from its periodical publications. “For the time being, Canadian prices will remain on Marvel collections,” he said in an e-mail.

Comics Pro president Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics tolds MacPherson, “I believe there are conflicting reports because the issue of whether to continue putting Canadian cover prices on periodical comics is still unsettled. What one publisher may do another may not follow,” he said Thursday. “The dialog happening now will lead to some resolution. And I believe the publishers will do what they feel best suits the majority of their retailers.”

Traditionally, the covers have carried the two prices and the adjustments to match exchange rates occurred with regularity. Many Canadian retailers are said to be ignoring the printed Canadian prices for years, hand calculating that day’s exchange rate.

“Many Canadian comic retailers have been going by the US cover price plus applicable exchange rate. The rate is determined by what Diamond Comics Distributors charges the retailer on their invoice,” Johnston said. “While the rate hovered between one and five per cent, we just went by the U.S. price as being the same as Canadian. A few weeks ago, the rate climbed to eight percent, and we had to go back to adding the exchange. Two weeks ago, it was 12 percent, last week 18 per cent and this week 26!”

Writer Ed Brubaker chimed in, noting his Criminal, published under Marvel's Icon imprint, has just a domestic price, adding "More in Canada".

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