I figured that, which is why I was hesitant to call it a "bug" but I agree that it does indeed work fine, just have to be a bit more creative
Ive had a very similar setup causing a crash as well. One comparator outputting into a second comparator which outputs directly into the side of the first. 2 comparators, 6 redstone and some sort of initial input into the loop (i.e. lever).
@David: they do now, previous to this snapshot that didnt work...