From the DC Comics website:

Beginning January 2011, DC Comics will implement a line-wide pricing adjustment, lowering the prices of all standard length 32-page ongoing comic book titles currently priced at $3.99 to $2.99.

“This announcement reaffirms DC Comics’ commitment to both our core fans and to comic book store retailers,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “For the long term health of the industry, we are willing to take a financial risk so that readers who love our medium do not abandon the art form.”

“As Co-Publishers, we listened to our fans and to our partners in the retail community who told us that a $3.99 price point for 32 pages was too expensive. Fans were becoming increasingly reluctant to sample new titles and long term fans were beginning to abandon titles and characters that they’d collected for years,” said Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”

Whether or not this really is a “commitment to… fans… and retailers,” or just a calculated budgetary move to support other money-making venues like DC-inspred films or the newly unveiled DC Universe Online is irrelevant.  This is exciting news.  Can you imagine the film industry accepting a smaller percentage of box office revenues in order to allow theaters to cut down ticket costs?  Or book publishers working to help keep independent bookstores in business?  Now if only DC had more comics worth reading…