Hmmmm ....let’s see:
1. Superman - love him or hate him, one of the most seminal characters. For good (there were superheroes before him, but he’s the one that properly started the Superhero genre - which is why even in Image Comics they had him appear in a cameo in a Spawn comic as the one who started it all) or for bad (the only comic book character to be condemned by the real life United Nations, which happened in the 1950s)
2. Batman - who I consider to be the true ‘super man.’ No super soldier serum, not metagene, no powers (hmmmm .....I can name several powers he has ....), but hard grit, dedication, focus (and billions of daddy’s dollars) to become the myth. A man being one of the key leaders of the JLA, which is comprised of gods and monsters. I am especially enamored with some Batman arcs (eg Batman:Murderer, that honestly read like a good movie script ...).
3. Tim Hunter - Books of Magic character, and while not an original DC imprint a character that every real comic book fan should know (The Books of Magic is a really seminal read).
4. Dr Fate - old school DC. Lovely.
5. Calvin Rose (Talon) - I really enjoyed reading his short arc. A former Talon that was an escape artist and became a force for good. Last time I had that much fun reading a comic was some early Dare Devil stuff!!!!!! No real powers (even though he is dead and reanimated, being a Talon). Wonderful read.
Honorable mentions:
- Cassandra Cain, Richard Dragon, Lady Shiva arc - the R.Dragon mini series for example was VERY good, and the Cassie Batgirl arc was also VERY good. To this mix add people like David Cain.