Summarize the following:
Don't just limit yourself to superhero comic books. Look at newspaper comics, web comics, or even manga. Pay attention to the characters and how they're developed. Ask yourself what makes the characters compelling and interesting.  Ask yourself: How does the writer create a unique personality and voice for each character? Why are they interesting? How is their storyline developed over the course of the comic? Pay attention to the art style. In serious comics, the art may be detailed and realistic, but in lighthearted comics, it may be cartoonish and unrealistic. Comics are a diverse field. There are some gag-a-day comics, such as comics published in local newspapers, but there are also comics that tend to be more serious. Many web comics have complicated and long running story lines with somewhat more complex characters.  If you're looking for a simple format, consider the talking animal route and emulate comics like Garfield. Usually, these comics only have a few panels and end with a joke. If you want to do something more serious, a web comic, like Questionable Content, may better serve you inspiration-wise. Consider looking graphic novels. While different than comics, there is some overlap. Once you have a general idea of the type of comic you want to create, do some light sketching. Don't worry about creating the perfect design yet; you're just in the preliminary planning stages. Just grab a pencil and paper and begin drawing a few versions of the character.  Light sketching can help you figure out your drawing style and get a sense of how your character may appear. Make the main character visually interesting and appealing, but keep in mind that you'll be drawing them a lot. If you are new to drawing, choose a design that's simple. Strive to Drawing can help you get a sense of a character's personality as well. What kind clothes your character wears, for example, can reflect personality. From here, start brainstorming about your character's personality. Who is this character? What is he or she like? Spend some time brainstorming before you move on to drawing a more final version of your character.  Think about your genre. If you're doing a gag-a-day comic, your character can be simple, like Garfield. He's lazy and sarcastic and does not have too many traits beyond this. If you're working with a more complex genre, you'll need a deeper character. Consider their positive and negative traits, as well as their hopes and dreams. If you're writing a genre-based comic, like fantasy, consider archetypes, which are stock characters that tend appear repeatedly in fiction. For example, an archetypal mentor would be wise, patient, and calm.
Get some inspiration from your favorite comics. Consider the type of comic you're creating. Do some light sketches of what your character may resemble. Jot down a list of loose personality traits.