This topic came up the other day when my girlfriend and I were talking about comics and superheroes. I was trying to explain to her about the other heroes in the DC universe. The only heroes she knew are from the old superfriends cartoons (She even admited to having a crush on the Aquaman in the cartoon).
She asked me who my favorite DC characters are. I told her my favorites are Captain Marvel and Zatanna. She then looked at me and asked, "huh? Who are they?" Apparently she never heard of them. I told her I have a tendency to play favorites with underdogs.
After introducing (and showing) the characters to her, I had to explain why these two were my favorites. I liked Zatanna's character as a stage magician turned superhero. I preferred her to Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and the other female heroes. Rather than confront her adversaries with physical violence or brute strength, Zatanna's powers come from her words. She is sexy and alluring in her stage magician outfit (I like her fish net stockings). What made me love her more was when she made a wonderful transition from the mainstream DC universe to Vertigo's Book's of Magic - playing pseudo-mentor to Tim Hunter.
I have always liked Captain Marvel. But after reading Alex Ross and Paul Dini's Shazam, Power of Hope, he became my favorite superhero. Although he is kinda like Superman, I think he is a more interesting character than the man of steel. Captain Marvel's true nature is that of a young boy, whose naivete and innocence is carried over to his superhero persona. He is, in fact, living in two worlds - the world of children/adults as well as the world of superheroes/humans. This unique perception of the world gives Captain Marvel an awareness and insight which other superheroes would never possess.