I wouldn't say that webcomics are free of the trend. While it's not as severe as the Harry Potter "Harmony" rewrites, there are sections of communities that have a love/hate relationship with webcomics. Typically, however, they aren't as vocal in an overtly hostile manner because webcomic fans generally have much more direct access to the comic creator through the comic's forum or IRC channel. That way, a lot of steam can be blown off by taking questions and complaints directly to the creator rather than by writing an elaborate thirty chapter alternate take on why the toast should have landed butter side up.
The biggest form of hatred that I've seen, at least in terms of the webcomics community, comes from the arguments that errupt between different fan factions. The D&M/D&B war at CRFH was absolutely ridiculous, and this is coming from someone that actively participated in that stupidity. Factions like these will, in extreme circumstances, go to war for their belief in where the comic should go, giving little thought to what the creator actually intends. Should one side supposedly come out on top (such as Dave dating Margaret instead of Blue, or vice versa), then the winning side will inevitably act like a bunch of spoiled brats and beat the "losers" into hiding like a game of whack-a-mole, only for the situation to become reversed at some point in the future. Of course, if the author decides to go in a direction that neither faction predicted or supported, then everyone's collective jaw will simply drop.
Going back to the topic in general, however, I think that the notion of fans complaining about the direction a comic/novel series/TV show/what have you is going in while continuing to follow it religiously can be explained, at least in part, by the following:
1. The fan or fanboy/girl in question has developed an attachment to the story in question and has a clear desire of where he or she wants it to go. As you noted in your post, if the path to that desired objective isn't achieved precisely the way that the fan wants it, bitching will ensue.
2. Should the plot not go in the desired direction, then the fan's desires will travel down one of two possible paths. a. The fan will ultimately lose interest in the storyline, but rather than cut him/herself off from it entirely, he/she will continue to follow it until something else gives them notice, possibly in a different hobby entirely. It's sort of like jumping from the Wheel of Time ship to check out what Harry Potter is about.
b. More likely, the fan will continue to follow the storyline, grumbling all the while in the vain hope that their desired outcome will eventually be achieved, no matter how slim or non-existent the odds. However, before that happens, their attention will likely be grabbed by a different subplot or concept that the author/artist/master of ceremonies has presented. This would be like dropping the D&M flag and picking up a different cause within the comic. Return to step one.
Honestly, a lot of this sort of behavior simply comes along because the fan is too serious about their hobby to actually enjoy it. There's a difference between a Star Trek fan that will dress up as a Klingon at conventions, growling about how such-and-such an episode or season wasn't up to par, and the ludicrous fans that write 300 page essays picking apart an entire story arc simply because a minor continuity error shared with an episode of a previous series from four decades ago prevented its simple resolution. The only people that would have any interest in reading that crap are like-minded fanboys that came to the same conclusion by placing far too much focus on something insignificant enough that it shouldn't hinder the enjoyment of most people. In short, they're finding their hobby to be more work than fun, whereas the Klingon at the convention could make criticisms while still maintaining an overall positive view of the series as a whole.
Whoa. That was a serious case of rambling. I'm stopping here before I start sounding like a deranged fanboy.
no subject
The biggest form of hatred that I've seen, at least in terms of the webcomics community, comes from the arguments that errupt between different fan factions. The D&M/D&B war at CRFH was absolutely ridiculous, and this is coming from someone that actively participated in that stupidity. Factions like these will, in extreme circumstances, go to war for their belief in where the comic should go, giving little thought to what the creator actually intends. Should one side supposedly come out on top (such as Dave dating Margaret instead of Blue, or vice versa), then the winning side will inevitably act like a bunch of spoiled brats and beat the "losers" into hiding like a game of whack-a-mole, only for the situation to become reversed at some point in the future. Of course, if the author decides to go in a direction that neither faction predicted or supported, then everyone's collective jaw will simply drop.
Going back to the topic in general, however, I think that the notion of fans complaining about the direction a comic/novel series/TV show/what have you is going in while continuing to follow it religiously can be explained, at least in part, by the following:
1. The fan or fanboy/girl in question has developed an attachment to the story in question and has a clear desire of where he or she wants it to go. As you noted in your post, if the path to that desired objective isn't achieved precisely the way that the fan wants it, bitching will ensue.
2. Should the plot not go in the desired direction, then the fan's desires will travel down one of two possible paths.
a. The fan will ultimately lose interest in the storyline, but rather than cut him/herself off from it entirely, he/she will continue to follow it until something else gives them notice, possibly in a different hobby entirely. It's sort of like jumping from the Wheel of Time ship to check out what Harry Potter is about.
b. More likely, the fan will continue to follow the storyline, grumbling all the while in the vain hope that their desired outcome will eventually be achieved, no matter how slim or non-existent the odds. However, before that happens, their attention will likely be grabbed by a different subplot or concept that the author/artist/master of ceremonies has presented. This would be like dropping the D&M flag and picking up a different cause within the comic. Return to step one.
Honestly, a lot of this sort of behavior simply comes along because the fan is too serious about their hobby to actually enjoy it. There's a difference between a Star Trek fan that will dress up as a Klingon at conventions, growling about how such-and-such an episode or season wasn't up to par, and the ludicrous fans that write 300 page essays picking apart an entire story arc simply because a minor continuity error shared with an episode of a previous series from four decades ago prevented its simple resolution. The only people that would have any interest in reading that crap are like-minded fanboys that came to the same conclusion by placing far too much focus on something insignificant enough that it shouldn't hinder the enjoyment of most people. In short, they're finding their hobby to be more work than fun, whereas the Klingon at the convention could make criticisms while still maintaining an overall positive view of the series as a whole.
Whoa. That was a serious case of rambling. I'm stopping here before I start sounding like a deranged fanboy.