What are the things that you love about the superhero genre even as a fan?

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Mark Waid. Marvel said, "Here's Daredevil. Go nuts." And the book is just awesome. It's lighthearted at times. It's serious at times. But it's never hopeless. That's what I want in superhero comics. Fun at times. Serious at times. But never so bleak that you think the hero would be better off sticking a gun in their mouth and pulling the trigger.

Bingo. Thanks to Waid, Daredevil is my favorite comic right now, in fact, I haven't read anything this good in years.

Oh, yeah, another reason I love superhero books: scantily clad and skin tight spandex clad heroines. Yeah, baby, YEAH!

[Marvel_Is]

As far as the new-school version of the genre goes:

- Coloring
- TPBs

[PwrdOn]

Superhero comics at their best really have a way of captivating your imagination and giving off the impression that there's so much more to the story than could possibly be presented on the page. If we could all remember this instead of being bound by the restrictions of continuity we'd all be much happier.

[Froggy]

The fights man

The fights are great when done right

I can get intellectual but I'm always down for a fight

[Overhazard]

The fun, the sense of adventure, wondering how he or she is going to get out of this one.

[Stony]

The colour Red

[ExcelsiorPrime]

The fact there are always new stories to tell. With so many issues being published it always astonishes me that a new, inventive story can still be read.

[coveredinbees]

They never give up! <3 Unless they do

[CliffHanger2]

The fights man

The fights are great when done right

I can get intellectual but I'm always down for a fight

I just re-read WWHulk and was just about to write that. I would add the art, the old school stuff before all the photoshop and over embellishment.

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

As far as the new-school version of the genre goes:

- Coloring
- TPBs

Steve Epting has my favorite art when it comes to modern coloring
Great art, great coloring working with it

[Lady Warp Spasm]

Fun and epic characters/events and stories.

[Charles RB]

Good people doing cool stuff.

[Wedge Antilles]

It is simply enjoying the stories and imaginary feats of the superheroes. Having fun without trying to be a literary critic or movie critic.

This sums it up for me. I buy books and watch movies to have fun and escape from the real world for a bit.

[Pól Rua]

Kinda what 'dox said.
'Superheroes' is kind of a mongrel genre. Superman came from Siegel and Schuster's love of science fiction. Batman came from the Hero Pulps like The Shadow. Wonder Woman is a combination of Marsdon's social beliefs married to ancient mythology, Green Lantern's a re-working of Aladdin...

And even now, you can have a flying spaceman with laser eyes, his friend the magical clay golem from a mythic lost island civilization, the masked pulp detective, the outerspace policeman with the magic wishing ring and a modern-day Robin Hood and they all hang out on their superscience clubhouse on the moon!
Marry that to a kind of hopeful optimism and positivity that these people who could so easily be creeps or monsters have decided to dress in colourful costumes and do good.

Plus, and I can't state this highly enough. The sheer explosive joy that happens when kids and superheroes mix.

[Marc Lombardi]

Having been reading comics since I was 13 (27 years ago) I think what I appreciate the most about superhero comics is when the creative team isn't afraid to do something different. Books like Hawkeye and Daredevil and Invincible have each, in their own way, done something really different from what comics have done with the superhero genre over the past three decades. I love when someone evolves the genre instead of doing the same old same old. Superhero comics don't have to be fun for me to enjoy them. They have to be GOOD.