A little bit of escapism is good. Life does get hard and it can take a toll on you if you're always trying to keep up, sometimes switching off the brain to do something fun and mindless is a good thing for your mental wellbeing.
That said, I don't think throwing yourself wholly into the fantasy of your choice is healthy, either. Escapism is fun like how a vacation is fun, it's a break when you need to recharge so when you get back out into the real world, you feel a lot better. When you turn it into your entire identity, however, that's where a lot of problem arises.
Personally, I don't see fans harrassing creators as escapism, but a form of self-entitlement. A lot of creators bend over backwards to please or engage with their audience, and that's a lot easier to do now than ever before, but that also opens up a direct firing line to them if a particular group of fans act out against something they did.
But back to your question: I don't think I need a (good) reason to justify why I like making comics. It's something I like to do and fills my time and people like the work I do, why not? I find that just taking things as they go and not overthinking situations much help lighten the load on my day to day.