They are holding hostage most people's ability to advertise on most, though not all, of the popular long form comics currently online. If there is a limited supply of said sites especially with audiences big enough to justify advertising to, and there is, and this site, with it's fairly awful business practices then swallows them up, yes it is preventing me and many others from improving our business. Now nowhere did I suggest they "owe" me something, but I certainly have every right to call them out and complain about it, please don't conflate the two things. I am complaining about their BUSINESS PRACTICES, not whether they are non profit or not, or whether they "owe" me or not. Their previous ad policy was already pretty heinous, but doable. Asking 4x the money for HALF the impressions given, is an insult. Maybe that sits fine and dandy with you.
No I wasn't jabbing about longform comics as a whole or as a medium, i love them, as the comic that I do fits in nicely with the type they promote, (though I have no interest in being a part of it). I was taking a jab at this "collective" or the business, having this very false sense of quality and premium elitism that is unhealthy and is unearned. They simply grouped together a few popular comics, and then said hey guys, if you wanna be associated with US, do XYZ. And now they can play on the concerns of so many artists justified needs to get any attention for their comic, and say hey, either "hope" to join us, or pay unrealistic fees to advertise with us, because we lured in all these comics based on this perception we will really get them paid.
Again, my primary gripe? is what I have said two times now. Quadrupling the cost for a minimum buy in, but not only that, HALVING the impressions given DESPITE that immense increase in cost. It's a completely legitimate grievance, especially when they have swallowed up most of the comics in that medium, IE: long form comics, with any appreciable fan base to sell too. It's like a tiny comic monopoly, and the price increase and impression reduction reeks of extortion to those of us who need to advertise but are forced to use said service due to the fact that so many have joined up with them.