Well I just had to ditto some other comments.
I love the weight of batiks and how they feel when you hand quilt.
There ARE right and wrong sides to some (I found out as I am stitching some---too late).
With calicos and other prints you can sometimes get weird combos: like a 1970s print with a Civil War repros: the colors don't work or the designs are not compatible.
Batiks have something in common and so mixing and matching is more straightforward.
I love the blends of colors that don't fight with each other the way some differing patterns can.
I also love the randomness of batiks.
I was told that you do not have to wash first because the batik process is with hot water and wax (?) and it is already pre-shrunk. I have also been told that the dyes are colorfast because of that same process...
I like lots of fabrics, though, and I don't have one favorite as long as it's all cotton.