A lot depends on intent, on whether a creator intends to make it a professional project or not. In that case, sure; complaints are perfectly valid that something isn't working out in a way that is an acceptable return for work and time put into it. Artists, and creators in general, shouldn't just "get used to" being undervalued and underexposed. That's not something I'm cool with promoting, and I've seen it presented a few too many times.
If a creator intends to publish a work online professionally and has a level of needs from that work, I don't see anything at all wrong with assessing it and, if it's not doing what the creator needs after a reasonable amount of time and effort, then it can be put on the back burner.
If it's just something that someone wants to do and doesn't really expect any returns from it, and isn't putting in the effort to spread the word, then I agree it's unrealistic to be too disappointed in lack of recognition. It doesn't just happen by itself, most of the time. It's almost impossible to engineer something to "go viral" in much the same way it's almost impossible to make a "so bad it's good" movie; it's usually pretty obvious.
It's dangerously close to an attitude of entitlement, though, to take the approach that creators just shouldn't expect praise, recognition, or perhaps above all monetary compensation for the very hard work they do. It's fine if that's not a priority for you, but you don't get to prescribe that for other people who may not have the same priorities, goals, or perspective as you do. If I could strike one common thing from dialogue about comics that I hear all the time, it would be people complaining about creators actually wanting to make a decent living -- or sometimes even just to survive -- from doing what they are very good at. The "right reasons" always seem to be "the reasons we allow you to have", which to me presents an uncomfortably prescriptive dialogue.
I don't think you had malicious intent though, so why not revise some of it just a bit, to be perhaps more constructive and at the same time a bit more fair?
Making comics is difficult, and you deserve compensation for the work that you do. Before you decide to undertake a serious project, think about what goals you have for that project and how you can meet them. If it's not performing as you need, think about if there's anything you can do to help it reach that point.
It's okay to vent! It's okay to be upset. It's okay to be in a less-than-ideal spot in life. When you're doing a comic, or any other creative work, it's best to have something in mind for what role you want it to play in your life. Don't pay too much attention to people trying to discourage you, if you're sure this is what you want to do and how you want to tell your story. But at the same time, understand that mass, broad appeal is usually something engineered by compromise and even sacrifice of things you'd rather do. Recognise your strengths and own them, and figure out how to best promote them as an appealing aspect of your image.
Even if it feels dire, don't make it a habit to complain all the time. It's okay sometimes! Try to put a positive spin on things and help keep it constructive. It's very easy to get yourself into a very negative mindset if all you ever do is complain about what's wrong with your situation instead of looking at what's right and what you can build from.
Do your best with networking and advertisement. There are plenty of venues out there that are affordable or even free. Touch base with other creators. Maintain at least one mirror so that you're not putting all your eggs in one basket (believe me, hosts go down with alarming regularity and trends do come to an end) -- it's a lot of work and time to transfer your stuff later, when you might have hundreds or thousands of files to account for. Maintain a way for people to support your work, and think about taking on work for hire, like commissions and contract work if you can get it. Naturally, be careful agreeing to any contract and don't be afraid to analyse it extensively or require revisions; if they won't at least discuss it, they're not worth the time.
Last of all, if you intend to be a professional, do your best to produce and learn how to produce regardless of strong inspiration. Find inspiration where you can. Music is the muse of many a visual artist! If you don't intend to be a professional and just want to tell your story, that's fine too! Whether you have the intent to be a professional or just want to tell your story for its own sake, both are completely valid reasons to create. Being bothered by appreciation lower than what your goals are is no indication of any wrongdoing on your part. Do your best and keep assessing it for how well it's working. Improve as you can. If you are able to bring in someone else to help, that's the best scenario; it's hard to do this alone.
It would be nice, probably a perfect world, if we could all get by and do art for art's sake. That's not the world we live in, and it's hard to come to terms with for a lot of people. A constructive, positive approach, tempered by a smidgen of realism -- and not pessimism -- is usually the best approach, I find. Do your best, keep constantly assessing and re-assessing what you do and how you do it, and don't be afraid to change it up if you need to. Don't be afraid to move on to other projects, if one isn't delivering what you need. I suggest you try to develop at all times that you can, learn from the experience, and don't be afraid to sometimes let go.
