I guess I tend to ask myself, “What makes me keep reading?” For both 20th Century Boys and Naruto, I read for the story before I read for the characters; my interest in the characters wasn’t immediate but something that developed over time. So for those particular series, I’d probably give story a slight edge over character.

And as far as reader’s advisory, what someone is looking for can vary according to mood. I may have a bias toward the character doorway in general, but sometimes I just want to read something with beautiful art or witty dialogue, and then I’ll pick up something in accordance with that mood.

And I can’t really figure it out. I have difficulty separating things out – story reveals character, and character drives story. It feels like a chicken-and-the-egg situation to try and determine which I like first in a comic. And setting makes it harder, since characters and story shape and are shaped by wherever they are. Language and art are easier to for me to pick out. There are a few comics for which the language or the art were the doorway, neither is clearly my primary doorway.

I saw the 20th Century Boys movies before reading the comics, and I was hooked when the prisoner tells his story and the audience figures out the thing which is eluding him – why he was imprisoned (the movies have a different beginning from the comics). So I suppose that was story. Naruto – the characters? I’m not sure. Those are the only two on your list that I have both read and enjoyed.