World's Finest

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Batman. I have numerous comics and memorabilia, and have seen all  5 Batman films (I deny the existence of the wretched Joel Schumacher films. Clooney as Batman and Schwarzenegger as Freeze? Really??). In fact, Batman is what got me into detective stories in the first place. As he is one of DC Comic's two most popular characters, he is frequently paired and compared to the other one: Superman.  

I'm not a fan of Superman in the least. It usually takes his pairing with Batman or some other more interesting character to get me to read a Superman story. He's just a boring hero. When you have a guy who's a nigh invulnerable alien, can fly, has super-speed, super-intellect, x-ray vision, cold breath, and can shoot lasers out of his eyes, what do you have to threaten him with? His main weakness is a super rare green space rock that somehow every one of his villains has (in fact, one of the more amusing Superman/Batman team-ups was about them getting tired of everyone getting a hold of kryptonite so they go on a quest to round it all up and destroy it). And do you know why they always seem to have it? BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY HAVE TO THREATEN HIM WITH! The two main Superman stories are "Oh no,  the villain has kryptonite!", or "Oh no, the villain has powers on par with Superman's!". Compare this with Batman. His "powers" are his willpower, high intellect, and years of training and discipline. Yes, he has money and gadgets, but his ability to think one step ahead is what assures him the victory, not the material items. He defeats his villains with careful planning and skill, and due to the fact that he is an ordinary human, one wrong move could cost him his life. These character traits make for far more interesting and varied stories, where you can actually believe there is a chance he could die. 

Of course there are good Superman stories just as there are bad Batman stories (I'm looking at you, Grant Morrison), but overall I find the normal, mortal man who dedicated his life to his craft a far more interesting hero than a man who can just about do every member of the Justice League's job better than they can.

 In summary, Batman rules.