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Update April 9, 2025: Image Comics reached out with a statement clarifying that the price increase on Todd McFarlane's Spawn comics is entirely unrelated to any rising costs associated with President Trump's tariff war with the rest of the world. (Also, as has been established since the initial publication of this story, comics appear to currently be exempt from the tariff increases imposed by the administration as of writing.)

"We've been discussing raising the price on Spawn for some time — which has been priced lower than the majority of the rest of our comics — and primarily in response to feedback that the series was underpriced by current market standards," a representative from the company explained. "That the timing worked out for the increase to go live around the tariffs news is coincidental. Ultimately we hope not to have to increase the prices of our books in reaction to the new tariffs — and have been exploring every option internally to avoid that scenario and keep our comics and graphic novels reasonably priced for the average consumer."

Original story from April, 4 2025 follows: 

No, you’re not imagining it — everything is getting more expensive these days (and that’s only likely to get worse in the near future). If you want evidence of that fact, look no further than Image Comics’ latest update of upcoming releases, where it can be seen that, after more than a decade, Todd McFarlane’s entire Spawn comic book line (which spans six ongoing series, including Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, King Spawn, and Spawn: Rat City, in addition to other miniseries) is raising its prices from $2.99 an issue to $3.99.

The change will actually take effect with July's Spawn #366; details of the Spawn line are announced to retailers and fans months in advance of publication.

McFarlane has long been a vocal advocate for holding the $2.99 price point, boasting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that he had “the cheapest book in the marketplace,” adding, “You guys have literally been loyal to me for decades now. I think that loyalty goes both ways, it should be a two-way street. You guys support me. I gotta support you.”

The price increase marks the first time that Spawn has gone up in price since May 2010, when the series moved to the $2.99 price point, after holding the price at $2.95 for the previous five years. That means that McFarlane and Image Comics held Spawn at $2.99 for 15 years, even as the average cost of a comic at Marvel or DC moved to $3.99 years ago, with many issues at Marvel costing $4.99 or more.

McFarlane is officially the President of Image Comics, although the structure of the publisher means that he doesn't control pricing or other decisions for any title released by the company other than his own; Image allows creators and owners of properties to set their own price points for each release, as part of the company's creator-owned ethos. However, if costs are rising to the extent that McFarlane is being pushed to increase the cover price of his titles, don't be too surprised if other Image Comics follow suit. 

Consider the new Spawn cover prices the end of an era — and perhaps the start of a new one, as the Trump Administration’s tariff war with the rest of the world is threatening to throw print and publishing costs into complete chaos, given that so much actual printing for American publishers is done in Canada and China, and even U.S. printing relies on paper imports, much of which comes from Canada. Will Spawn’s new $3.99 price point also manage to last a decade and a half, or will financial realities force a change sooner than that?

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.