Pricing is a result of the problems, not the heart of the problem. Niche products cost proportionately more than the same product in the mass market. It's economy of scale in action. When a product becomes a niche product after once being a mass market product, it's cost/price increases at a rate that is not tied to inflation (the inflation comparison is only valid if it is the same product sold in the same market. Shifting from a mass market product to a niche market product means any comparisons of the product pricing to inflation rates is an invalid comparison. Comparing prices of comics in the 70s and 80s when it was a mas market product to prices of comics in the 2020s when it is a niche market product is comparing apples to oranges. Especially in printing/publishing where the more units that are produced the less the per unit cost is. Changing pricing won't fix the issue. In fact it will reduce profitability and hasten the entropy of print comics as a viable product because margins will become too low, and the only way to sustain it will be to cut production costs, which means paying even less to create comics, which would drive current talent form the market. The only way to "fix" pricing is to find a way to make comics a mass market product again first. If it reaches a wider audience, sales increase, units produced increases, cost per unit reduces and prices can come down without affecting the profitability and viability of the product. Reducing prices will not increase sales unless the product also reaches a wider potential audience. Al it will due is reduce the revenue generated by selling the same number of units. The mass market is not "not buying comics because they are too expensive"-they are not buying comics because it is an unattractive product not available for sale in the mass market, and because it is not sold and not selling in the mass market, it's prices are higher.
Fix the real problems and the pricing issue will fix itself. Try to fix the price without addressing the issues causing the pricing disparity, and you will only further the problems facing the issue.
-M