[Kloke]

Who is your favorite superhero and why do you like he or she?

[Bengoshi-San]

I cannot decide who is my favorite at the moment, but one of the superheroes I respect the most is Batman.

Why?
Because:
*He lives in Gotham (NYC)
*He isn't born with any supernatural powers.
*He is rich, but cares about the poor.
*Is learned in martial arts and other forms of combat.
*Has a menacing quality about him.
*Has a tormenting childhood.
*Will never let a woman break his heart.


And because he isn't afraid to wear black, unlike all the other cliche colorful / star-spangled-banner-underpants heroes (Captain America, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc).

[kged]

Isn't Gotham City "really" Chicago? I though Metropolis "was" New York. Other than that, I fully second that answer. The Batman rocks. Can't wait for The Dark Knight.

I think the reason I like Batman is that he isn't an aspirational figure, like so many of the luridly-coloured musclebound Heroes. I mean, would you want to be him? The poor guy's tortured, driven, fanatical. It makes him much more interesting than his colleagues.

NB: The Batman doesn't wear black - he wears blue and grey, with a little yellow. :D

[Amaunette]

Definitely another thumbs up for Batman. I like the superheroes that kick ass without being aliens/mutants. I also like Batman because he's a conflicted figure -- he's very nearly a criminal in his own right.

My second would be Ironman.

[Bree]

Batman. He's the most realistic superhero, because he has no powers. He relies on his wealth, gadgets, strength in martial arts. He cares for all of Gotham, not just one woman. He's dark, and very nearly could be a villian himself. He has a bad past.
Aye. Batman is the best.

[Stenny]

I like Iron Man! I've only seen the film, but it was brilliant and I just loved the attitude!

[Right Brane]

Isn't Gotham City "really" Chicago? I though Metropolis "was" New York.

Actually, it's the other way 'round. Chicago, the city considered the most modern and futuristic of American cities for years, was the original model for Metropolis, the natural city for a Kansas farmboy to head for (though the Reeve Superman movie clearly made it look like NYC). NYC, the older, more run-down and dark, home of muggers in alleys preying on the rich Long Island visitors, was the model for Gotham City.

Look at the architecture: The 19th century styles, often referred to as "Gothic," are more common to NYC than Chicago, which has a distinct 20th century style.

(Don't you love uber-analyzing superhero stuff?)

[Laylarnie]

I agree Batman is cool because he is just a normal man with no special powers. I like the fact that he is so committed to the greater good and is prepared to make the choices that other people can’t make even if it means loosing what he loves the most. His costume is the best because it is classier, less colourful and not so attention seeking (check out my package in these pants!). His character faces this constant struggle between good and evil, he’s mentally unstable and traumatized by his past. This creates an on going internal battle, if he switched could do serious damage and that is why it is so readable/watchable.
On the other hand I like Superman for the opposite reasons. He has the powers that would enable him to rule the world but he chooses not to use them in that way. What is also interesting is that his guise on earth as 'Clark Kent' represents his vision of humanity, cowardly and weak yet he fights to help regardless. Plus as a child I loved Super Girl… but I think that was just because I wanted to be her.:o

[kged]

Actually, it's the other way 'round. Chicago...was the original model for Metropolis...NYC...was the model for Gotham City.
OK, I can follow you there. Obviously this is my mistake, but for some reason I have an image of Chicago as being the more Gothamy town, which somehow fits the down-and-dirty Batman. I suspect this is because of a combination of (a) watching Due South, often set in crumbling Chicago underclass neighourhoods, and (b) my brief flirtation with watching American Football, during which the Chicago Bears had a sort of rough, blue-collar image. Also the fact that Clark Kent goes to work at a leading newspaper always inclined me to think of the New York Times. I have no valid reason for this.

(Don't you love uber-analyzing superhero stuff?)
I rarely do anything else! I loved American comics as a kid, then drifted away from them until the modern classics started coming out and generating hype over here; Watchmen, Sandman, and of course The Dark Knight Returns, where it all stems from. That one in particular totally rekindled my fascination with The Batman, which has been fed and reinforced by the recent exceptional movies (note my new avatar). And the rise of internet geekdom has fulled it too, with a million theories and questions flying around - I remember being bowled over by the one about Robin's costume, and it spurring me on to new heights (depths?) of nerdiness. My girlfriend thinks it's great that I spend so much time on this stuff.

Oh wait - no, she doesn't.:D

[Seak]

Let me just say that Batman would kick Superman's butt any day.