Kbin, like Reddit, is more about following topics and conversations rather than people. I have a Mastodon account but I never really got into following people and posting whatever on my account - I vastly prefer the forum-like nature of browing by topic, responding to interesting conversations, etc.
I think somewhere in KbinStyles you may be able to find a script which places the comments above the replies, but honestly I kind of like the way the comment box at the bottom encourages you to at least skim the existing replies first.