I think it shows in the subject matter too. When they appealed to kids, they avoided controversial subjects because that could turn off the parents. Now, they only have a limited audience of adult collectors. So, they go for more and more controversial stories that might become seen as collectible.
Why else would any adult, probably male, buy an Archie book, unless they thought the “gay wedding” issue would be worth lots of money 30 years from now?
But the problem is that if there are 10,000 copies of the “gay” Archie issue in mint condition 30 years from now, it’ll not be worth all that much.