Can I copyright or trademarks my story character(s), and if so how much should expect to pay for each one?

You can protect your art, story and the brand that they will be sold/distributed under. Plan on spending between about $400 - $800 to prepare and file a copyright application and between about $800 - $2500 to prepare and file a trademark application. You can try to do them yourself for much cheaper, but your chances of success are not great.