I think most complaining dropped the book. Most complaining also want it fixed because they want an excuse to come back.
But you’re correct that there’s a sizable portion of readers that just won’t drop it for any reason, because they’ve invested too much time and money into it to stop now. I asked some readers on Reddit why they still were buying if they hated the run and the majority of answers were a combination of “I always buy ASM”, “I can’t stand a gap in my collection”, “it’s like supporting your team during a bad season”, “I just haven’t bothered removing it from my pull list”, “surely they have a master plan to fix it all up! I’m hopeful!”, and “I really like the artists”.
I agree that I don’t think it’s healthy to keep supporting something you dislike. There’s far too many other great books out there needing a bigger audience.
Reminds me of this classic: