Predictable but my answer is "Spider-Man".
I weighed a number of runner-ups and many 10th rate characters who I really like but don't love. I realized that a lot of characters I've really liked in the past have only been good when handled by certain writers or how they reacted to certain story elements: "The Spectre" during the Ostrander/Mandrake series, "Daredevil" under Bendis or Maleev and "Yorick" from "Y the Last Man" are all great characters that held my interest but never quite sparked me the way Spidey does.
If you read yesterday's challenge, you saw that my first comic ever was Amazing Spider-Man #207, so maybe that plays a role in my almost cliche choice of Spider-Man as my favourite character. And if you've heard me rant and rave about the awful mistakes made with Peter revealing his identity, only to have that plot twist washed away after the horrid "One More Day" storyline ending with a worldwide 'memory wipe' in "Moment in Time"(just know that it happened and don't ask me for details or I might smash something).
Despite these horrible tales (Clone Saga, anyone?) Spider-Man remains the classic "everyman" in comics. Where Green Lantern might say something like "I've only got once chance at this!..." and then he succeeds, ol' Spidey will also say "I've only got one chance at this!..." and then his webline snaps and he's fucked. And his webline snapped because he didn't have time to make a stronger batch this time around or was too busy saving an orphan to remember the Vulture has razors on his wings to cut the weblin with.
Spider-Man's sense of responsibility is also something everyone can relate to, be it your job, your family or your own personal goals. His every action is dictated by his first mistake in the costume that cost his Uncle Ben his life and from there on, there is no need to justify why he leaps out the window to help whoever's screaming in the street (even if he's watching the Stanley Cup finals!). No other character seems to have that drive or guilty conscience and Spider-Man doesn't ram his ideals down Wolverine's throat as opposed to simply pushing him out of the way so he can save the day without killing the henchmen.
After the recent "Big Time" storyline, I'm actually damn happy to see Peter Parker get a well-paying job. It only makes sense with him being on par with Tony Stark, Otto Octavius and even Reed Richards when it comes to scientific intelligence! Peter is now a key researcher at Horizon Labs making over $100,000 a year (I'm assuming from his "Look at all those zeroes" comment with his first paycheck). He owns his own condo and has plenty of cash to make all kinds of new web fluids, as well as justifying all those crazy-ass Spider-Man action figures out there with him actually owning multiple Spidey-Suits! Maybe he'll even make a new Spider-Mobile.
Spider-Man will always be relatable to everyone. He's perpetually in his early 20's (as we all see ourselves, don't we?) and blames himself for all his mistakes (don't we all) and never seems to get a break....until recently....
Spider-Man is a member of The Avengers and has replaced the deceased Human Torch on the Fantastic Four (now called the "Future Foundation"). He's fighting side-by-side with heroes and saving the planet every other day so it's hard for anyone to call him a "menace" anymore. I do think he's paid his dues and having him be a down-on-his-luck loser isn't necessary anymore. With The Big Bang Theory burning up the ratings, it's pretty obvious that 'geek is chic' isn't just a trend, it's a kickass new reality and Spider-Man fits in just fine.
- Jeff
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