I'm not really sure how to answer myself. On the one hand, my favorite characters tend to be The Cape (Superman, Captain America, Nightwing) and others tend to be Fun Personified Chivalrous Perverts (Superboy, She-Hulk, Hercules). On the other, other hand, I love cosmic-level heroes with insane power levels (Nova, Kyle Rayner).
Thinking on it, I would say that Nightwing is near-perfect for me. He's a Wide-Eyed Idealist Nice Guy, an Accidental Pornomancer, a Badass Normal, and he has shades of Batman's Memetic Badassery (which, let's face it, makes him pretty much "cosmic"
).
edited 28th Nov '11 6:08:33 AM by KingZeal
I like my heroes heroic. As, in they do the right thing, despite the danger, and oh yes,succeed at it (a hero who doesn't succeed is just a martyr.) And not subjectively "right"- I want to see them help the world around them, even if only by maintaining the social Status Quo (which is better than letting it get worse.) Stopping a criminal *after* he has killed several victims isn't much of a success.
Personality wise, they can be anything from a virtual Saint to a Jerkass with a Heart of Gold- as long as I know he really means well (and again, succeeds) I'll take it.
And note: A superhero story is *not* the same thing as a story with superheroes in it, just like a monster movie where nothing scary happens isn't really a Horror movie. Watchmen was a great story about superheroes. Was it idealistic? No, and that keeps it from being a *true* superhero story, IMHO.
And for the record, I have watched some really *un-heroic* stuff too, so it isn't like I'm obsessed with heroes- but when I am in the mood for something inspiring, I want a *true* superhero story.
I don't like superheroes. They bore me. I like my hero to be a Badass Normal.
'All he needs is for somebody to throw handgrenades at him for the rest of his life...'I like heroes as people with powers. That's it. I found preconceived prejudices and notions in how they should act and behave damage the craft as a whole and believe that the individual creative team's responsibility is to set up a "moral tone" of the book.* Thus I'd expect Waid's LOSH to be this Futurepunk Youth Movement, while Weisman's Spider-Man is this vibrant if grounded work-op. For charters such as Superman Green Lantern and Wonder Woman I let individual creators put there won spin on past events and continuity to create a new vision. Does that answer your question?
edited 29th Nov '11 10:05:30 AM by JusticeMan
Let's make a TCG!I like heroes who grow. They have problems but through their trials and experiences they develop into something much greater. Perfect example is one of my favs Booster Gold. Guy who starts out only looking to make money and soak up the glory of being a superhero to one of the more humble heroes who would rather stick with making sure people are safe at the expense of his peers ridiculing him and believing him to be incompetent.
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."-Groucho Marx![]()
ITA. It's what I loved about Spider-man. He goes from an awkward high school kid to a confident, self-assured hero. A Hero with Bad Publicity, to be sure, but one who soldiers on because it's the right thing to do. Hopefully, we'll see more of that once they reinstate the Peter/Mary Jane marriage. (Just you wait—the minute Quesada's gone, One More Day's going to be retconned.)
I also like heroes with a sense of humor, which is another reason I love Spidey. They don't always have to be Fun Personified, but humor can convey a. a coping mechanism or b. a general sense of fun that superhero comics needs more of.
Beyond that, I don't mind it if a hero sometimes acts like a Jerkass. It's important that the hero be handled well so that he or she flawed but not unlikable.
edited 5th Dec '11 1:40:45 PM by PennyDreadful

I've been thinking lately that I even tough I love super hero comic books I may hate super heroes.
I don't know if it's the correct definition but I like it when they AREN'T depicted as either too strong or the "best" at something, I prefer more "natural" depictions of heroes, but that may mean they aren't "super".
For example, Captain America is often shown to be the greatest human being ever and so pure and good that almost no one can match him. On some comics tough he is merely a very experienced soldier and hero who just happens to be a very nice guy and patriotic, he actually feels like a person, wich is probably why I like him so much.
I don't like him just because he isn't overpowered tough, Ms Marvel is another example of ideal hero to mee. She is pretty damn powerful, however she also feels pretty "natural" and human in her comics, and almost all her appearances in team groups.
Of course all heroes can be written well or badly(?) and too powerful, but when I feel a hero can't fight threats that aren't earth-shattering because that would be out of character(thanks to the fact that said hero is so much powerful to be dealing with smaller enemies with any danger), it ends up being a little boring to me.
But that's just me, how about you guys?
:)