5 Overrated Hacks

The universe is far from fair. Some people are vastly overrated, while others are under-appreciated. Here are some people who actually are not as brilliant as most people think. Before I start the list, I'll give you an "honorable mention":

Psy
Reason for his fame: Gangnam Style!
We know he is overrated thanks to: Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, do I need to continue?
YES, he is overrated! For me, he is just the Korean version of William Hung: a big joke. But he didn't make it into the list, because he is still INFINITELY better than Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Chris Brown, and so many other who are not only "ugly" but "heaven forbids-erect Satan pubic bush-horrifying UGLY". Seeing Gangnam Style, I just shake my head in disbelieve and thinking "how come so many people love it?" Seeing Bieber et. al ... I smashed my head to the nearest wall while muttering "Why they happened to be the same species with me? Humanity is really doomed, DOOMED!"


So, let's start this list.

5) Thomas Alva Edison

Reasons for his fame: "inventing electricity"

We know he is overrated thanks to: Nikola Tesla

Now, no need for me to explain this since the Oatmeal has done it. Superbly.

4) Jose Mourinho

Reasons for his fame: Won many trophies for Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, & Real Madrid

We know he is overrated thanks to:  Robert Sutton's book "The No Asshole Rule" 

I already put quotes from "No Asshole Rule." Mourinho is a certified asshole and proud of it. He may got talents in formulating the tactics, but seriously, he is an asshole. If you doubt it, just consider this fact: after handled by Mourinho, whenever Real Madrid meets Barcelona, everyone think "Hmm, what kind of fights will occur?"

Oh yeah, in one of the match, he even had the nerve to poke Barcelona's assistant coach FROM BEHIND, then he just walk-off and gave his trademarked smug smile. So, he is not only an asshole, but a coward too.

And he has tons of fans. Of course many like him. Many love assholes, as long as it is THEIR assholes. 

If you really still want to argue that Mourinho is a good coach only on the base that he produces trophies, CONGRATULATIONS, that means you are one of the people who believe that "the end ALWAYS justify the means!" By that logic I can also argue that Joseph Stalin was also a good statesman since he made Soviet Union superpower. What? Stalin butchered millions? Naaah, most important he gave superpower status to the USSR! The prestige baby, the PRESTIGE!

3) Steve Jobs

Reasons for his fame: Apple, Pixar, Apple again

In contrast with: Michael Dell, Bill Gates, and other tech-company founders

What's the main different between  Steve Jobs and other tech- founders? 

Answer: Gates, Dell, etc. started a tech-company while Steve Jobs founded a cult. Once you got cult organization and its members instead of a company and its customers, you can expect to get tons of cash from each of them, even when you provide them overpriced-lousy product. No need to work hard, the "reality distortion field" do most of the hard work for you!

If you want to appreciate him for being a brilliant cult founder, I have no problem. If you say that he is a genius, that is only half-truth as best.

Oh yeah, Steve Jobs is also an asshole. That means, many criticisms for Mourinho are also valid for him. And Apple maps still sucks. 

2) Mark Zuckerberg

Reason for his fame: Facebook baby!

We know he is overrated thanks to: Sergey Brin

Okay, this one is very² big. Quick quiz: can you figure it out how Facebook can make money? No? Of course it is hard. Everytime Facebook tries to monetize their customers, the users screams. Some of them even sued. Face it, there is no chance Facebook can create money. The best way is actually to make it into a FOUNDATION, like wikipedia, and used donations as its main source of income.  

John T. Reed said that:
Amazon, Facebook, and Groupon are not businesses, they are buzzinesses.

So, if nobody can figure out what Facebook can sell, why the hell did Zuckerberg become so famous? Simple, because everyone uses facebook. Many assume popularity is equal with success. Not really. You can argue the opposite: popularity invite lawsuit and wackos everywhere, making life & success more difficult ... 

And, the most overrated hack in my opinion is ...

1) Douglas MacArthur

Reasons for his fame: "I shall return" promise, New Guinea campaign, Korean War

We know he is overrated thanks to:  Chester W. Nimitz, Ernest King, Dwight Eisenhower, George Marshall

Seriously, anyone who think that MacArthur is a genius doesn't have any clue about the history of the 2nd world war.  

First, are you aware that shortly after the Pearl Harbor disaster, a similar tragedy happened in the Philippines? At that time, US Army and Air Force in that area were already informed about Pearl Harbor. What happened after that? They screwed-up, badly. Many of the US commanders there hated each other, hindering cooperation and effective (re)actions. They were caught with their pants down by the Japanese planes which strafed and bombed their airfields with impunity. Who is the commander of the US forces in that area? The great Douglas MacArthur who thought that his name alone is ENOUGH to intimidate the Japanese from attacking! Our hero ladies and gentlemen!

Quick comparison: the commanders of Pearl Harbor, Stark & Kimmel, were dismissed, reprimanded, and vilified, while MacArthur was basically promoted, and hailed as hero only shortly after the screwed-up.

Second, in case you don't notice it, let me remind you he promise "I SHALL RETURN!" not "We shall return!" It was not about the Army. It was not about military logic. Heck, it was not even about America, it was about DOUGLAS MACARTHUR! He really thought that he deserved a pedestal!

Third, the Philippines debacle is not MacArthur's only fault. You have to know, there is an adage in military: "one bad supreme commander is FAR BETTER than two excellent supreme commanders." The "unity of command" is essential, since parallel chain of command decreased efficiency, increasing redundancy, etc. MacArthur actually INSISTED to be the supreme commander of Pacific war, DESPITE THE FACT that "Pacific" is the name of an ocean, NOT a continent. He felt that he was ABOVE any admiral in the navy, except admiral Leahy, who can't accept the supreme-commander post due to his health. The navy was appalled by this, they gave their finger to the bombastic MacArthur. President Roosevelt solution was: dividing the Pacific "theatre" into 2 regions. MacArthur lead the thrust from New Guinea to Philippines, while admiral Nimitz lead the navy to concquer Gilbert, Marshall, and Mariana Islands. Until the end of war, MacArthur and Nimitz was in constant quarrel about logistics, strategy, timetable, in essence: EVERYTHING! The US still won the war DESPITE this military travesty NOT because of it.

But MacArthur WAS NOT done yet. During the Korean war, he actually wanted to bomb China with nuclear warheads. President Truman refused to start World War 3, and MacArthur start whining, and whining, and whining, and whining to the public. Fed up with this, Truman sacked the egomaniac general, despite knowing the fact that the public LOVE this celebrity general. Truman's popularity plummeted, and he didn't participate in the next election, therefore depriving USA from one of its finest leader.

Now, just like the previous hacks, MacArthur achieved many things too. His leadership worked in New Guinea, and many times he could give excellent strategic inputs and decisions. But my point is, most people OVERLOOK those screwed-ups. He is far from incompetent, but he is also far from a genius. He is a mediocre strategist, but his b.s. over-hyped him so much that so many people until today thought that he was worthy a pedestal, while the main architect of Japanese defeat, Ernest King and Chester W. Nimitz, were known only to history buff like me. Appalling ...  

You may notice the similarity between those 5 hacks. They are EVERYTHING about "marketing" or should I say ... "Bullshitting the public." Predictable. The masses LOVE b.s., comforting lies is always preferable to harsh truths. So, that is one "success principle" that may work: create a personality cult with YOU as its center! So many suckers will buy it and give you money and power.

Top 10 Skyscrapers

I already poked fun to tons of "Bullshit Buildings," but let's make a more positive list. Here I will list my top 10 favorite skyscrapers. This totally depends on my taste on architecture, and has nothing to do with its utility. Some of them also were canceled or not yet built.

From: EnglishRussia

10) Ostankino Tower

Location: Moscow Russia

Built: 1963 - 1967

Pinnacle Height: 540 m

There are tons of sky-high tower. My personal favorite is Ostankino Tower in Moscow.

I have to admit, I am extremely biased when I choose this tower instead of other more popular towers like CN Towers. Hey, blame my soft-spot for anything Russian, but since this is a subjective list, of course my bias is the whole point. So, why not started it with this one?

Besides, despite its tallness, it is not too fat like Tokyo Skytree, or involving any extreme deviation from the straight-line nearby its top like the Kuala Lumpur Tower or Tianjin TV & Radio Tower. Oh yeah, I also dislike non-solidness, the mast-ness (Is that an existing English word?) of Tokyo Skytree and Canton Tower.

Ostankino Tower represent the best of the best of the towers, started this list at #10.

9) Burj Khalifa

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Built: 2004 - 2010

Pinnacle Heigh: 830 m

Floor Area: 517.240 m²

Blame it to the publicity. Blame it to the media. Whatever. I like this extremely well-known skyscraper. I once criticized the Abraj-al-Bait as ugly, this skyscraper can be said at its anti-thesis.

You can feel the Arabian atmosphere permeated by its shape. Unlike the Abraj-al-Bait that basically shouts "HEY, I am the Arabian ripped-off of Big Ben!" this design screams originality.

If you view it from top, it is even cooler. Unlike most building here when you saw blocky shape from top, this sky scraper has tri-star shape, showing stability, beauty, and elegance at the same time.

Oh yeah, the spectacular Dubai fountain also located right in front of this giant. That adds another point for this building.

Originality, publicity, and the most spectacular music fountain secured the #9 position for Burj Khalifa.

8) Palace of the Soviets:

Location: Moscow, Russia

Built: Cancelled

Pinnacle Height: 495 m

Floor Area: ??

Despite all of the bullshitness of this building, I must admit that the design is awesome.

Yes, I am serious in putting one of the bullshit building in this list.

Why not? I already stated that every single building made to this list 100% by its aesthetic, not its utility. For the palace of the Soviets, it is not only tall, but also wide, large, and the statue on top of it adds grandeur to the already cool design. Even better, there is a large empty space in front of it, further enhancing its awesomeness. 

I can't help but wonder "Wow, if there is some miracle and they managed to erect this building, I will be awed when I stand in front of it and stare it with my own eyes."

For its grandeur, this bullshit building earned itself #8.

From: Bustler

7) Kingdom Tower

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Built: Proposed

Pinnacle Height: 1.000 m

Floor Area: 319.000 m²

Holy hell, they really planned to build a 1 km tall building? I mean ... ONE KILOMETER TALL BUILDING? Shit just got real!

That alone clenched a position in this Top 10 list. But that is not all. Unlike the Abraj-al-Bait, the design of this tower is very sleek and modern.

It is also very simple. Sometimes, simple design just work. Hey, one reason why the Abraj-al-bait is ugly as hell is its nonsensical complexity.

What else could be said about this tall tower? Hmm ... ah, why give a shit, it is a goddamn 1 kilometer building! Height doesn't always translated into beauty but 1 kilometer of height is just too awesome to be ignored. Of course it deserves #7 position! NEXT!

From:
wikipedia

6) Empire State Building

Location: New York, USA

Built: 1930 - 1931

Pinnacle Height: 443 m

Floor Area: 208.879 m²

Unlike many other building here, this one was already known by all of us since our primary school time, I presume.  It is everywhere, it is one of the most iconic representation of the phrase "sky scraper" itself. This building already captivated my eyes when I read the word "sky scraper" for the first time, thus I am quite sentimental about this tower.

But sentimentality is not the only reason why this building was included in this list. The art-deco architecture here combined the blocky shape of the tower, and the sharpness of the antennae gracefully. 

This proportionally perfect skyscraper also impressed me with its intricacies, and symmetries. The fact that it looks like it had several blocks also added to its sophistication.

It is impossible not to put this classic and iconic building on this list, therefore the Empire State Building stand tall at #6.

From arkoudi.de

5) Ulmer Münster

Location: Ulm, Germany

Built: 1377 - 1890

Pinnacle Height: 161,5 m
I am not really into church and cathedral architecture. But I make an exception for this one. With good reasons.

It is tall, it is grand, it is antique, it is the Ulmer Münster, the tallest church in da world. Yes, in da world!

It is the pinnacle of all Gothic design. It is the pinnacle of cathedral architecture. It is the pinnacle of Germany Christendom.

And this is also the only building in this list that was built BEFORE the beginning of 20th century. You have to respect that!

Ulmer Münster contemplatively sitting at #5.

By Path2k6

4) John Hancock Center

Location: Chicago, USA

Built: 1965 - 1969

Pinnacle Height: 457 m

Floor Area: 260.126 m²
Like I said before, sometimes, a simple design is the aesthetically best design. John Hancock Center in Chicago is a fine example of it. It is just a "simple black block with 2 antennae" but this building is still really cool.

The simple "block" design gives the impression of firmness, stability, and solidity.

The simple "black" color gleams the aura of non-compromise, strength, and power.

The dual antennae strangely increase the size of the building, enhancing its aura enormously.

John Hancock Center utilizes simplicity at most, comfortably rests at #4.

By Calvin Teo

3) Parkview Square

Location: Singapore

Built: 1999 - 2002

Pinnacle Height: 144 m

Floor Area: 39.145 m²

Unlike other skycrapers listed here, this one is not even reached 150 m. But this is about aesthetic, not height. Height does not always translated into beauty.

This building really fascinated me because during my stay in Singapore, this building shine in extreme awesomeness in comparison with its surrounding. Its classiness put other bland Singaporean buildings into shame. Effortlessly. Totally. Undoubtedly.

That's why my view on Singapore's downtown always focuses on this specific classic building. The art deco and oriental combination of the design works extremely beautifully here.

Parkview Square is an oasis in the middle of the desert of blandness named "Singapore downtown," without any problem grabbed the #3 position.

From:
Foster&Partners

2) Russia Tower

Location: Moscow, Russia

Built: cancelled

Pinnacle Height: ca. 600 m

Floor Area: 520.800 m²

Why Russians have the habit of canceling very awesome buildings? 

Seriously, when I saw this building's sketch, it was love at first sight. It soars high to the sky, and the beam from the lamp on its roof amplify that impression even more! 

It also reminded me of the ancient pyramid, while at the same time permeates modernity. Russian style modernity? The soaring light also imbued this skyscraper with the majestic aura it deserves.

Oh yeah, finally, bonus point for being located in Russia, and has "Russia" in its name! You can't be more Russian than that!

Russia Tower, towering at #2.

And the best sky scraper is ...

By Mätes II

1) Jin Mao Tower

Location: Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Built: 1994 - 1998

Pinnacle Height: 420 m

Floor Area: 278.707 m²
It is tall, it is majestic, it is classic, it is totally Chinese. It is the Jin Mao Tower. With so many terrific buildings in this world, it is a tough job to get #1, but the Jin Mao Tower did it.

Just see that building. It invokes grandeur permeated by ancient Chinese pagodas. And amplify it with its size. 

What else? Let's see ... it's shape radiates the classical-oriental aura and its material produces modern feeling, enhancing both contradictory feeling. Sounds impossible, but that's why this building is the best-designed building in this world, aesthetically, in my opinion.

Jin Mao Tower somehow woven 2 impossible contradictory aura, got the pinnacle position at this list.

Sources:

Emporis

Skyscraperpage

Top 10 Best Comics

I love comics, all kind of comics. Give me a manga, an american comic, or a franco-belgian comic, I'll love it if it is good. Here is my list of my top 10 favorite comics, SPOILER WARNING:

10) Deathnote
Written by: Oba Tsugumi
Illustrated by: Obata Takeshi
Meet Light Yagami, a bored genius. His life was totally changed when he found a "Deathnote": a book which kills anyone whose name written on it, if that name was written when the writer pictured the correct face of the owner's. He swore that he would get rid of evil from this world, so he write the name of all evil people on that book. He became "Kira," the "God" who kill all "evil" anywhere on earth without any difficulty.

Meet "L" the best detective on the world. He was so good that he could pinpoint "Kira" to Tokyo only with one publicity stunt, without any knowledge about Deathnote, its power and its limitation. He swore that he would capture Kira and send him to the gallows.

"Kira" and "L" were caught in a battle of wits, the first one who discover the other's identity live, the other one died.

With 2 main characters and story like that, WHAT CAN GO WRONG?

And hell yeah, the story is captivating and you definitely will believe that both "Kira" and "L" are genius. Forget all other detective story like Detective Conan, Sherlock Holmes, etc., this is simply THE BEST detective story ever written.

So ... why Deathnote only got #10 position? Because the comic lost its magic after the first half. And another reason is ... because the other 9 comics here are even far more awesome than this one.

9) Ranma 1/2

Written & Illustrated by: Takahashi Rumiko
This comic is the story about Ranma Saotome, a man who will turn into woman if he were splashed with cold water. He turn back into a man if he were splashed with hot water. This happened because he tripped into a magic pond during his kungfu training.

Oh yeah, his father, friends, brides wannabe and rivals also tripped into other ponds and turned into other creatures if they were splashed with cold water. The jokes came not only from the fact that they changed form when they got splashed. For example, there is a story when Ranma mistakenly open the cover of a magic mirror ... bringing a clone of his female version to the world.

This comic is the funniest manga I have ever read! Heck, maybe "the funniest comic" is more appropriate! And unlike Deathnote, it never lose steam! From the beginning until the end, my belly hurts all the time, nonstop!

So, if it is so consistently funny from the 1st issue until the last, why it is only slightly higher than Deathnote? Simple, because it offers nothing more. It tries hard to be suspenseful, it tries hard to be dramatic, it tries hard to be touching ... naaah, I don't care whether Ranma could defeat his opponent or not. I only care about the jokes.

Oh yeah, I was also surprised when I heard from my Japanese friend that this comic is actually popular among GIRLS not boys. Who cares, it is still funny as hell.

8) Agent 327: Dossier Stemkwadrater

Written & Illustrated by : Martin Lodewijk

Meet the James Bond parody made by a Dutch comic maker: Ijzerbroot alias Agent 327. It is a pity I only read 4 issues, because this comic KICK ASS!!

The jokes work, the suspense works, the story is excellent, and there are some surprising twist too. Too bad they only translate 4 issues to Indonesian as far as I know, and I haven't got any English version of these comics.

So let' see ... the first book contains 2 stories: the first is about the fight against modern English druids who tries to sacrifice 327's friend for their black magic, and the second story is about 327 went missing in action after he inspected a foreign aircraft carrier on a Netherland's port. The second book is about the fight against real-life dictator "Papa Doc" from Haiti. In this universe, Papa Doc was helped by a Bond-styled villain who was trapped in a baby's body because of genetic defect, but supported by his brothers. By the way, their family photos looks like a photo op of Batman's rogue gallery. The 3rd book is about the adventure in Bermuda Triangle, that involved the story about the beginning of life on earth.

Wow ... if those stories are not awesome, I don't know what awesome is.

Nevertheless, none of that match my favorite, the 4th issue: dossier Stemkwadrater. Seriously, I don't know what's the English translation. Google translate and other translation doesn't help either. If I translate the Indonesian title of this issue to English, I got "Deadly martial art moves" which doesn't do justice to this comic, but that's not really important.

This is the story when Agent 327 going to have his vacation on a sunny tropical beach. His arch-nemesis, whom we saw during one of the flashback in the 3rd book, Dr. Maybe, coincidentally planned to start his newest world-domination plan not too far from that place. What follows is a big adventure, ranging from 327 DESTROYING an ancient church, an opera singer whose voice is strong enough to break every single milk bottle in vicinity, and finally an epic final battle inside a volcano.

Here is the main different between him and so many other James Bond parodies, Agent 327 is a competent agent! The humor in this comic was NOT based on idiotic acts of him like Johnny English or even the movie version of Get Smart. The humor came from ... the insanity of his competence.

First example: one of Dr. Maybe goons bring a gargantuan sumo-karate-judo-taekwondo-gungho champion portrayed in the cover. His plan: ambush and kill 327 while all 3 of on a same plane. Agent 327 skillfully disarm that goon, but the goon quickly ordered that giant to kill the small 327. Ijzerbroot reaction is ... start reading his "Secret agent guide book"  while that giant destroyed tried to punch, kick, and grab him, rocking the entire plane with every single move. Yes, the cover of this issue really portrayed one of the FUNNIEST fight scene EVER. It is so funny not only because it is original, but also because that fight really influencing the next scene! And you have to read the SOLUTION offered by the book for "fighting against opponent heavier than 100 kilos with superior martial arts skills" by yourself to get the joke.

Second example that shows how resourceful 327 is, the way he escaped from Maybe's grip  using essentially only towels, toothpaste, and the bathroom itself to escape. I won't spoil it to you since I laugh so hard when I saw it for the first time, and once again IT WORKS! Is it believable? As believable as MacGuyver ...

Agent 327, kicking ass, DUTCH STYLE, lands on #8.


7) Full Metal Alchemist
Written & Illustrated by: Arakawa Hiromu
This is the story about alchemy, about "Equivalent exchange." What you give is what you got. What you got is what you give. Of course we got more than that. A genocide, a civil war, human sacrifice, and MANY other nightmare fuels were added into the mix.

The story begun in medias res when we met our protagonists: the Elric Brothers. They   introduced us to alchemy and the steam-punk universe of this comic during their conflict with a faith healer-alchemist in a not so small religious town. Edward Elric, the older one, is a national alchemist, famous for the versatility of his alchemy ... and his short body (OUCH! HEY, THAT'S HURT! Tsk ... he is very sensitive about that!). The younger Elric, Alphonse, is very big and tall ... and it seems he always wears a heavy armor.  Their goal? Finding "the philosopher stone," the ultimate alchemy tool that enable its user to violate "Equivalent exchange" law. Their reason? Well ... it is connected with both brothers body.

That is until they found out the truth about the philosopher stone ... and the truth behind it that involve the homunculus, the army, and even the whole government.

This manga is an all-round manga. It is touching, funny, and thrilling at the right time and the right place. I already said, one of the villain in this manga was included in my top 10 best villain: Zolf J. Kimbley. He is not alone. This manga also full with awesome characters. Every single Homunculus is a badass. All supporting characters are all badass. Damn, this manga is so badass that it doesn't afraid to multiple parallel storylines! Why not, it WORKS without losing focus, coherence or clarity.

Full Metal Alchemist trans-mutate itself the chair for #7.

6) Monster

Written & Illustrated by: Urasawa Naoki

This is the manga that kept me up in the night. I really refused to sleep BEFORE I finished it. Thank Quetzacoatl that I read this manga series AFTER it was finished ...

This is the story about a Japanese brain surgeon named Tenma who worked in Düsseldorf. Tenma sacrificed his career, and his relationship with his fiancée, when he save a boy named Johan Liebert who was shot in a brutal attack which killed his parents and traumatized his sister. Why he need to sacrifice? Because several minutes after the boy arrived at the hospital, the mayor arrived too and in urgent need for brain surgery. The head of the hospital ordered him, the best brain surgeon in the hospital, to save the mayor instead of the boy, but he defied that order. The kid survive, the mayor died after a less skillful brain surgeon operated him. There is one problem though ... that kid is actually a psychopath. A genius psychopath. He later escaped from the hospital ... after killing some doctors. More infos about Johan is in my top 10 Best Villains article.

This manga is the story about how Tenma hunts that young psycho. Oh yeah, at the same time, the best detective in Germany police, detective Lunge, who thinks that Tenma actually killed all "Johan's victim," also hunts Tenma. This character is so fascinating because everytime he is in a crime scene, her hand start typing. When other questioned that, he says "I input all the information here to my brain."

Just like Full Metal Alchemist, the series didn't shy from multiple-parallel storyline, amplifying the tension without sacrificing coherence or focus.

I simply put "Monster" in #6 because of the greatness of the the top 5 comics.

5) Tintin: Red Sea Sharks & Castafiore Emerald

Written & Illustrated by: Herge
Ah, Tintin ... who doesn't know him? Along with Spirou, and the overrated Asterix, he is the most popular Franco-Belgian comic. Unlike Agent 327, I read every single Tintin's book, and BOY this comic really DESERVED to be called a masterpiece. The quality of the comic is steadily increasing since the awful "Tintin in the Land of Soviet" and suddenly increased exponentially between "Cigar of Pharaoh" and "The Blue Lotus."  

Many considered the most emotional & touching "Tintin in Tibet" as the best. Not me. For me, "Red Sea Sharks" and "Castafiore Emerald" are the best, followed by the distant third "Tintin in Tibet." I think "Red Sea Sharks" is slightly better than the "Castafiore Emerald" but I'll speak about BOTH of them here since the reasons why both demonstrated how Herge really deserved his legendary status in totally different ways.

Red Sea Sharks is awesome because it is the most diverse, intense, and spectacular adventure EVER for Tintin & his pals. The story begun after Tintin & Haddock were surprised when when they met an old acquaintance, jendral Alcazar, on the street. Then, they also met Prince Abdullah, who moved to Haddock's mansion after his father was toppled by a rebellion. The supplier of guns to the rebels is another Tintin's old acquaintance too, Dawson, the police chief in Shanghai during the Blue Lotus. He tried to sell the arms to Alcazar too. Haddock can't stand Abdullah's pranks, so he and Tintin Decided to investigate the flow of the guns in Abdullah's home country. As the result of that investigation, we get adventure on the desert, sky, and sea. In the final battle, Tintin and his friends fought a submarine attack in a freighter. Not only suspenseful, this final battle is also FUNNY AS HELL!! Like usual, Haddock rambling and body language is HYSTERICAL, but this time it is even funnier than usual since all of that happened during the tense of the naval battle! So yeah, other than being the most thrilling and spectacular, this issue is arguably also the funniest one. And, I think this is the Tintin book with the BIGGEST reunion of Tintin characters ever.

Castafiore Emerald on the other hand demonstrated how Herge could build an interesting story without anything happens. Yup, the whole Castafiore Emerald is full with red-herrings, false flags, and without anything really at stake. After Haddock accepted a gypsy band to stay on his land, over the objection of the police chief, he was shocked by the news of the coming of the Bianca Castafiore, the opera-singer that can't pronounce his name correctly. When he abruptly decided to run away from her, Haddock sprained his ankle. The whole comic then is about all the mischiefs brought by Castafiore to Haddock's mansion. Paparazzi, nasty reporters, jewel thief, you got it all. But as I told you before, NOTHING is really at stake here. Unlike Tintin's other adventure, we are not talking about murder, or smuggling, or kidnapping, or war, or anything big, we only witness trivias. Amazingly, IT WORKS! I appreciated this comic more after I read so many other comics. It is hard dammit to write an interesting story when nothing happens, when the problems are so trivial compare to the problems in other Tintin comics. But, that's what Herge accomplished by this one. 

Tintin: an easy choice for #5.

4) Watchmen

Written by: Alan Moore

Illustrated by: Dave Gibbons

Ladies and Gentleman, this is the only graphic novel who enter "Top 100 best novels of 20th century" by the Time Magazine.

Honestly, the first time I finished this comic, I got a headache. I barely can digest WHAT HAPPENED. Only after I read it for the 2nd time, and the 3rd time, AND the 4th time I can appreciate it.

Basically, this is a deconstruction of Super-Hero genre. This is the story about (from left to right in the cover on the right) Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Rorschach, and the Comedian (crouching on the front).

Unlike the superheroes from other universe, they faced far more severe and realistic problems. "The Batman", of this universe, the Nite Owl, has erectile dysfunction, "The Superman" of this universe, Dr. Manhattan, become more and more detached from the rest of the world due to his near-omniscience, and so on.

So many details put in this book. So many beauties, so many thoughtful critics of superheroes concept were proposed in this book without being preachy or trying to sound smart. For an example of the greatness of this comic, when I read the story of "the Comedian," I instantly thought "Wow, this guy really represent the dark side of America perfectly." Nevertheless, he prove a good point when he scolded Dr. Manhattan after he shot a pregnant Vietnamese woman. Rorschach antique in the prison's canteen is the most badass scene in comic book.

So, why I put it in #4 position instead of #1? Simple, because I thought the movie version is better. Let me explain it why ...

-1- The costume
It's about taste, but the "heroes" look better in the movie.

-2- The Menace
I rolled my eyes whenever I saw "the giant squid." It looks like an ass-pull for the people in the Watchmen universe. Not so in the movie, when they replace the giant squid with ... Dr. Manhattan. His detachment from the world can perfectly provide an eerie "warning" about massive nuclear attack from him. I am sure his almost unlimited power scared millions of people even before his detachment become so clear. That is far better then "Out of nowhere- Giant-telepathic-squid."

-3- Ozymandias
I am PISSED by Ozymandias in both versions. Yes he tried to create a peace through sacrifice, but HE SACRIFICED OTHERS!! Millions of innocent people while HE himself reaped the benefit while he act high and mighty, looks like he think other people are subhuman, not really deserving his leadership! In the movie, AT LEAST he received some punches to the face from Nite Owl. I also totally with Nite Owl when he screamed from the top of his lung "YOU DON'T SAVE HUMANITIES, YOU DEGRADE IT!" since his solution basically said "Without bullshit concocted by me, mankind is too stupid or too evil to survive." And speaking about the ending ...

-4- Rorschach, Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan, & Silk Spectre in the ending
Nite Owl KNOWS Rorschach enough to realize that Rorschach won't compromise his honesty. He also know that compromise is needed to save peace. He also know that Dr. Manhattan can't let Rorschach jeopardize the peace. And finally, he is aware that he can't stop the blue-man God. So it is totally understandable when he chase Rorschach, but only watched in horror when Dr. Manhattan blow him up, enraged by that scene and channels his fury to Ozymandias after that. Finally, he and Silk Spectre left Ozymandias alone in his fortress. In the comic, he become horny and copulate with the Silk Spectre all night long in the fortress ... WHAAAAT?? 

Watchmen, a deep, thoughtful, and excellent comic book. Too bad the movie show us how it could be better, dropping It to #4.


3) Batman: The Killing Joke
Written by: Alan Moore
Illustrated by: Brian Bolland
I already said that The Joker is THE BEST villain ever! Which comic book actually has the best story about the Joker? My pick is "The Killing Joke." Why? Because it perfectly showed how twisted, sick, and tragic the Joker is while showing his complicated relationship with his arch-nemesis: the Batman.

In this comic, we got an origin story of the Joker. He was an engineer, but gave up his job to chase his dream to be a stand-up comedian. But he was frustrated by his lack of success. He felt guilty to his pregnant wife, who he felt deserved a better life. That's why in desperation he accepted an offer from some crooks to masquerading as an infamous criminal: The Red Hood. Unfortunately, his wife died in a freak accident before he took the Red Hood Mask. Distracted, but he still took the mask after those crooks "convinced" him to do so ... only to see the crooks gunned down by cops, and he himself accidentally met the Batman and ... fell down to a pool full with chemicals. When he opened his red hood mask ... he realized everything he had already gone, and he became the psychotic Joker we all know.

Another interesting fact: this comic is one of the biggest influence of Christopher Nolan's masterpiece "The Dark knight." Remember the Joker's argument "All you need to be insane is a little push"? This comic is the inspiration. That origin story of the Joker was interspersed with the story how the Joker shot Barbara's Gordon spine, and very probably raped her, before he kidnapped Commissioner Gordon to watch the photos of his brutalized daughter. The Joker wanted Gordon to snap, but Gordon managed to stay sane and asked Batman to capture Joker "By the Book" to prove that their method works!

But don't take that origin story for granted. In this comic, the Joker also stated that he prefer "multiple choice" as his past, just like Heath Ledger's Joker implied in "The Dark Knight." Hey, what do you expect, we are talking about the Joker here.

The Killing Joke: a deep, and disturbing journey to the Joker's mind and his relationship with the Batman. It is an excellent comic to fill #3 position in this list. 

2) Sammy: Rhum Row
Written by: Raoul Cauvin
Illustrated by: Berck
If you want to talk about creativity in comic creating industries, it is impossible NOT to talk about Raoul Cauvin. Just check the list of his works in his wikipedia page. I only read some of his works. Hmm ... let me see ... this man wrote Cedric, the Franco-Belgian version of Dennis the Menace; Pierre Tombal, the story about a grave digger full with black humor, grave humor, and ghost humor; Agent 212, the favorite of my father, the story about an obese police officer and all funny things that happened around him; Lampil, which parodied the life of an illustrator and a comic writer, WITH HIMSELF and the illustrator of that comic, Willy Lambil, as the main character; and many more!

Wow! I am sure "Top 10 funniest Franco-Belgian comic" features at least 5 of his works!

Among his works, my personal favorite is Sammy. This is the story about a small street-smart boy named Sammy (The short boy with red-yellow shirt on the cover) who worked as a bodyguard under his "boss," Jack Hathaway (The blonde who white-blue shirt on the cover). Like agent 327, it is a pity that I only managed to read 2 of this book.

I pick the 2nd one to be put in this list because the story is even more awesome than the story about "How to run an elderly house of psychopaths" and "The tale of 2 mad scientists and their robots." YES, the story of the 2nd issue is better than that! Maybe I am biased because I have a soft spot for big ships.

The story began when Sammy & Jack stopped a bank robbery from a pair of very notorious bank robber. Their brawl with the robbers delay them long enough until the police arrived and captured the robber, and the police chief recognized their talent. He asked them to become undercover agent for the police and find out about the alcohol smuggling operation. The title itself came from the name of the ships that anchor barely on the international water while becoming the base of those smugglers.

Like Agent 327, and Red Sea Sharks, this comic is funny, and thrilling at the same time. The different: it also has TONS of black humor.

Consider the first scene after Jack & Sammy became informants. Jack was really desperate to get money overhear some rich bankers talking about "high-risk but highly paid game" with a short restaurant owner. Without any thought, he offered himself to participate. Only after he entered a locked room with those rich bastards, the short restaurant owner, the referee, informed him about the nature of this game. Each of the rich bastards had a revolver. The referee would take out the light, count until 10, and ... all each rich bastards would shot in the dark. Jack had to survive by hiding or dodging the bullets in the dark. Anyone who hit Jack is the winner and receive 1000 bucks from the other. If none hits Jack, all the money went to Jack. Jack screamed about the insanity of that game, but he was too late. The referee turned of the light and start counting.

Holy shit ... what a macabre ...

I was 8 years old when I read that scene for the first time, and I laughed VERY hard even during the first page of that game. Once it was finished, I literally had to put down the comic since I was paralyzed by laughter. Something must be wrong inside my head ...

But seriously, HOW AWESOME IS THAT? And that "game of death" is only the beginning. Next they bought an old-rusty ship and started the business of Alcohol smuggling. During their stint, they fought an enraged smuggler, pirates with high speed-armored-motorboat, and even 2 Coast Guard destroyers. Remember the funny climax of the Red Sea Shark? Half of this comic has the same level of suspense and humor.

Despite the awesomeness of this comic, I don't put it in #1 position because I have to admit, although its last 4 pages is contemplative, VERY FUNNY, and very fitting to this awesome comic, the final battle before that ending is just a big deus ex machina. What a downer.

Nevertheless, the rest of the comic is FANTASTICALLY awesome. Sammy: Rhum Row, it is the pinnacle of PG-13 comic books, it easily secure the #2.

Speaking about R-rated comic books ... here comes #1, the best comic book that I have ever read ...

1) Punisher MAX: The Slavers

Written by: Garth Ennis

Illustrated by: Leandro Fernandez (Pencils) Scott Koblish (Inks) Dan Brown (Colors)
The Punisher is not a super-hero. At best, he is an anti-hero with top-notch military skill and severe psychological problem. At worst, he is a monstrous psychopath who is obsessed with killing, who live to kill.

Despite all of his "non-niceness," The Punisher is so enjoyable because he slaughters "those whose humanities is in doubt" according to one of the police. If I have to picked my favorite Punisher comic, it is Punisher MAX: The Slaver. How so? Because this comic is so ... SATISFYING!!

In this story, all begun when an Albanian mobster boss was attacked by a woman, before the Punisher could take him down. The woman is an amateur, so she failed miserably, and almost killed by the mobsters. Her life was saved when The Punisher slaughter every gangsters in vicinity. She begged the Punisher to help her avenge her death baby. She told the Punisher that she come from Eastern Europe, brought by a human-trafficking syndicate that has all 3 elements of a good troika: the muscle, the brain, and the heart.

The muscle is an old man named Tiberiu Bulat, a veteran of Yugoslav civil war, a blood-thirsty war-wacky Rumanian who is obsessed with violence. This old man is so violent, that he is in the opinion that one dead body is not enough to send a message to a rival gang. A dozen is far better. That is consistent with his genocidal activities during the Yugoslav civil war.

The brain is Cristu Bulat, Tiberiu's son. He fought with his father in Yugoslavia, but he recognized that it is far more profitable if they just kill the male, and save the females to be sold and used as prostitutes. He later operated a prostitution ring in New York using women from Eastern European countries.

Finally, the heart is Vera Konstantin, Cristu's lover. She is the one who has the idea to rape every single female fell into their hand "to break their will, to show who is the boss."

Hearing all of this, the Punisher was enraged, far beyond his normal reaction to other criminals. Then he begun his investigation. When he finally got enough information ... he started his bloodbath. Parallel with that, Cristu and Vera used corrupt cops to start a manhunt on the Punisher.

In the end, in a typical Punisher style, all member of the trafficking organization dies in horrible way. "Horrible" even for the Punisher standard. In the next comics, and among the Punisher fans, their ends were still considered "the best."

Of course this comic is not perfect. I put it in the top #1 position because it is THE MOST satisfying comic EVER. It is guilty pleasure in extrimis, with terrific storytelling and badass gun battles along the way.

Top 10 non-Villain Characters

I already listed my 10 favorite villains, and 10 most hated characters. Time to list my top 10 non-villain favorite characters. So, here they come ...

Copyrighted pic, from wikipedia

10) Duke Nukem
Type: über macho-badass-action hero
From: Duke Nukem video game series
Everybody loves a badass. Duke Nukem is an epitome of badassery. He is politically incorrect, loves to blow up aliens, and acts like a boss. He is an over-the-top parody of the 80s and 90s action heroes and spouted tons of cheesy one liner like:

"Aaaahh ... much better!" (After taking a pee.)

"What am I, a chimpanzee?" (After grabbing a feces.)

"Your face, your ass, what's the difference?" (During a fight with a monster.)

"I got balls of steel!" (Whenever and wherever he like it.)

"America, FUCK YEAH!!" (Before entering the Hoover Dam to kick alien's ass.)

He is an excellent choice to start this list: cheesy, generic in the 90s, but still outstanding, enjoyable, funny, and memorable.

In other words: If you like any action movie character played by Stallone or Schwarzenegger, you will love the Duke!

Cropped Artwork from Boom Comics

9) Darkwing Duck
Type: Egotistical & self-centered superhero
From: Darkwing Duck animated series & Comics
Every superhero has at least one reason to be one. Bruce Wayne saw his parents murdered so he become Batman. Peter Parker felt responsible for the death of his uncle, and fight crime as his personal redemption. Etc.

And we also have Darkwing Duck from Disney. His reason to become a superhero? To fulfill his ego. To get praise. To satisfy his vanity. Yup, his ego is so big that it has its own gravity. His first serious enemy in the series, Taurus Bulba, even ridiculed his ego, mocking his mannerism! Unlike Suzumiya Haruhi though, he satisfied his ego by capturing criminals, and he is really care about everyone, especially those who are close to him.He is the guy whose selfishness benefits everyone around him, so that's make his egoistic rhetorics, decision, and actions so enjoyable!

Another aspect that differentiate him from other superhero, Darkwing is basically an INCOMPETENT hero, because he is both an INCOMPETENT detective, and INCOMPETENT fighter. That's what make the series thrilling. That's why so many villains underestimate him. Boy, that underestimation ALWAYS bite them back in their ass! And every bite is hard and deep. You see, Darkwing actually has potentials. Once you  push him to the edge of a cliff, he would turn into a real badass, signed by his famous one liner "LET'S GET DANGEROUS." After that one liner, he ALWAYS kicked ass!

Oh yeah, one last thing, like IGN pointed out, his sidekick is the parody of Han Solo. Definitely the best cartoon superhero sidekick! Far superior in comparison with the most (in)famous sidekick: Robin or any other sidekick.

Copyrighted pic
from wikipedia

8) Hubert Florentini
Type: Badass cop
From Wasabi Movie
Like I said in #10: everybody loves a badass. Hubert Florentini is an example how the French, the culture that has effeminate aura and language, interpret badassery. Boy, they really showed that they know exactly what is a badass. Check out their badass cop: Hubert Florentini, played by Jean Reno.

Hubert is just like a stereotypical Frenchmen: a hopeless romantic. He always reminiscent of his long lost love: a Japanese woman whom he met when he was young and still in the intelligence service. But in contemporary days, he busts criminal's face so bad that he even send them flying repeatedly. He got into serious trouble after he broke every single bone of the son of a high-ranking police in one of his bust, and when he tried to apologize, he broke even more bones of him. During this time, suddenly he got a phone from a lawyer in Tokyo. His long lost love lawyer. The lawyer wanted him to be present in Tokyo to hear her testament. Once he got there, he discovered he has a 19 years old daughter with her. Shortly after that, yakuzas try to kidnap his daughter. His solution? Kicked their ass, blew their face, and busted their boss. In the end, Hubert wiped out the entire yakuza almost singlehandedly in every corner of Tokyo to the chagrin of Tokyo's Police.

A badass from French kick some ass in Japan? Hubert secured his place in this list easily.

7) Dexter

Type: Serial-killer protagonist

From: Dexter TV series
Meet Dexter Morgan, a blood analyst in Miami Metro Police. On surface he is your Joe average guy. He works hard in the office, occasionally buying donuts for everyone in the force, and most cops like him. Those things are all facades, even to his foul mouthed detective sister. He is actually a psychopath who has to control his urge to kill. His late adoptive father, a police detective named Harry, realize this early, and teach him how to mask that urge, and how to cover his track, teaching him "The Code of Harry."

Don't be mistaken here, he is totally aware that he is a monster. The code of Harry is the only thing that make sure he only kills other monsters. You know, other serial killer, serial rapist, violent gangsters, etc. His facades is not perfect. Some cops suspect he hides something. In season 3, after local oceanographists discovered his mutilated victims at the bottom of the sea, the FBI send their top agents to hunt him. He managed to evade all of that and remains free.

He is also far from "too perfect to exist" character like Sherlock Holmes or Hannibal Lecter.  He made tons of bad decision that cost him dearly, making him more human, making the series far more interesting. We also hear his inner-voices, my personal favorites are whenever he cynically commented to normal situation that baffled him, for example: "It is amazing that I kill no one during high school," making tons of black humor one-liner.

Watch him if you really like a police thriller and black humor.

Copyrighted Works.
From wikipedia

6) Vincent Valentine

Type: demon-vampire-human hybrid

From: Final Fantasy VII Role-Playing-Videogame, Dirge of Cerberus First Person Shooter Video game

This one is very popular. Everyone who play Final Fantasy VII idolizes him. He is the only side character in Final Fantasy VII who get his own game: Dirge of Cerberus. Hey, who don't like this dark-brooding-cool vampire, especially if he has cool red cape!

Other than that, he also another badass abilities like ... transforming into an archdemon who can harvested all souls under the heaven.

But the main reason I put him in this list because I hate Twilight. Vincent Valentine showed us how a dark-brooding-forever young-vampire characters could be SUPER COOL if you handle it right.

What? You think he is not a vampire? Do you forget our first encounter with him? At that ime, he slept IN A COFFIN!! Q.E.D.

In the end, I have to admit all the reasons why I like him are aesthetic reasons. He is so GODDAMN COOL, who cares about his back story, personality traits, etc?

From The-A Team Online

5) Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock
Type:Insane(??) Pilot
From: The A-Team TV Series
Ah The A-Team ... this is a series which neither the bad guys nor the heroes could shoot straight. They sprayed bullets all over the place, none of them hits. BUT I LOVE THIS SERIES! All of the characters are memorable. But my personal favorite is Murdock, the insane pilot. This is the man who sponsor "The League to free golf balls from slavery." This is the man who constantly annoyed B.A Baracus and still alive.

But that crazyness is only one side. He is also a brilliant tactician. When the leader of the group, Hannibal Smith, was captured in one episode, everybody else became desperate. Templeton "Face" Peck, Hannibal's 2nd in command included. It was Murdock who pointed out that the key to everything is the bar where they begun this operation. In the end of the episodes, they stormed the bad guys base, and Hannibal was surprised to hear "What? Murdock is the one who can track me and plan all of these?"

No wonder until today, everyone is still wonder whether he is really crazy or just faking it ...

No wonder until today this character never gets old ...

No wonder he becomes the main inspiration for many comedian, for example Jim Carrey ...

Copyrighted pictures.
From wikipedia

4) Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth:

Type: Senile-amoral-mad scientist

From: Futurama Animated Series
The creator of the Simpson once decided to create a cartoon series, full with geek and nerd jokes. Thus, Futurama was born. Yes, it is funny, and it is even funnier if you have mathematics or physics or engineering background. For example, in one episode in season 6, the writers create A NEW MATHEMATICAL THEOREM and used it as a plot device. Now, where is the idiots who said that Math can't be fun?

From all of the characters in that series, the senile-amoral-mad professor, Hubert J. Farnsworth is my favorite. Since this is a geek series at heart, despite his senility, Farnsworth arguably become the heart of the whole series. Every scene with him just make me laugh so hard until my belly hurt. He is so over the top that you know exactly his amorality is just a joke. 

For example:
When he saw his employees in danger he said "Oh GOD, they need help! But I am already in my pijamas ..." then he fall asleep.

"Good news everyone!" everytime he wants to tell bad news.

"Bad news everyone ..." one time before he told EXTREMELY bad news.

"Oh, I always fear he might runs off like this. Why, why, why, didn't I break his legs?" speaking about his monkey.

Oh yeah, he also sold several Doomsday devices in a garage sale and stated "I suppose I could part with one and still be feared."

With a professor like this, who needs Dr. Evil, Dr. Robotnik, or any other second rate mad scientist?

3) Saito Hajime

Type: Anti-Hero

From: Rurouni Kenshin Anime & Manga

One thing I hate from the Rurouni Kenshin anime: the main character/Kenshin Himura/Hittokiri Battosai's vow not to kill. Great Scott, he never realized that killing some trashes of the world CAN save thousands if not millions! Lucky we have the antidote: his arch nemesis, ex Shinsengumi 3rd division captain, Saito Hajime.

When the series start, Saito was working as a police officer. Unlike Kenshin, Saito kills every evil that he saw. Every single evil. No, their status as a high official couldn't help them. Some of them tried to bribe him. He decapitated them as his response. Now THIS IS the character that we need in this melo-dramatic anime!

Saito is every inch a badass, surviving the turmoil era of 19th century Japan. He fought Hittokiri Battosai repeatedly 10 years before the series began, and earned the nickname "The immortals" because nothing can kill him. Not Battosai, not the Seinan War, not the blind Sword Usui, not Sishio Makoto, not the collapse of Sishio's headquarters, NOTHING could kill him. Looks like he pissed off the god of death so much that they decided to keep him in the mortal world as long as possible.

Oh, lastly, the creator of Rurouni Kenshin himself admitted, that he thought that this character is too scary,  since he made everyone who fought him, except Kenshin and Sishio, looked weak.

Copyrighted pictures.
From wikipedia

2) Frank Castle a.k.a The Punisher

Type: Anti-Hero

From: Punisher:MAX comics & Punisher: War Zone movie
This american character is similar with the previous anime character. They are the antidote for the naive "I swear not to kill a single soul again" hero(es) of their respective world.

There are 3 main fundamental differences between them that makes this American character superior.

First is, although Saito is a lone wolf, he still worked for the government, for the system. The Punisher said "Fuck it" before going totally solo, and kill every evil he met.

Second is, the Punisher is going all-out. He really massacres those evils, and he totally admit that HE HIMSELF is also a monster like his victims, just like Dexter Morgan. Saito still have this "holier-than-thou" mentality emanated from his presence.

Third is, the Punisher managed to show the naive do-gooder how a kill, however terrible is, is sometimes the best choice. When he returned to New York after his long hiatus, he systematically killed the Gnucci's crime family. When Dino Gnucci was released from the prison due to the flimsiness of the prosecutor's case. Castle decided to snipe him down. He was interrupted by the Daredevil who asked him what the hell he thinks when he decide to become judge jury and executioner? Frank paralyzed the blind superhero using ultrasonic loudspeaker, tied him, and give a revolver to his tied hand, aimed to Castle's head while he prepared to snipe. Castle than informed the now conscious Daredevil, either he shot Castle's head, or Castle snipe down Dino's head. The whiny Daredevil screamed like a pussy, the Punisher only answer with "You asked me before what I think when I kill those monsters. I think exactly like what you think now, either I kill that monster, or it kills other people." 

HELL YEAH, finally someone shut those naive superhero up!!

He didn't stop there. In another occasion he blasted Wolverine's balls with a shotgun, and turning Spiderman into a human shield-punching bag, and utilize another anti-hero when Daredevil, Spiderman, and Wolverine decided to gang up on him.

Oh yeah, in case you haven't notice, he doesn't have any super power. He uses his guts, wits, wills, and tons of weaponry to slaughter every criminal he met, to make every naive superhero who try to stop him looks like an outclassed whiny pussy. That my friends ... is badassery in extrimis, securing the #2 spot for this badass anti-hero.

From wikipedia

1) Londo Mollari

Type: Tragic Hero

From: Babylon 5 TV series

Babylon 5 is the BEST TV series EVER produced by humankind on this planet. Period. They have so many memorable lines, so many memorable villains, so many twists and turns, and of course ... so many interesting characters. My personal favorite is Londo Mollari, easily the best non-villain characters ever.

His story is basically a classic story about the dictum "Be very careful with your wish. You may get it," complete with slow realization and epic redemption. By the way, he also has tons of comedic moments too, AND that didn't dilute his tragic tone, or making his character inconsistent. That is one hell of a good example of story telling. 

Let's see ... he started in Season 1 as a diplomat, hungry for glory, frustrated by the weakness and inaction of his own government, and his country was humiliated by another power repeatedly. He was seen by everyone, even his own people, as a buffoon. The fact that his position is considered as a joke among his own people was not helping. Everything change after he finally have enough and blurted his frustration to the wrong guy: the Shadows. First, he finally got everything he want: renaissance of his country, fear from his enemies, and personal power. All beyond his wildest dream in more or less season 3. Unfortunately, at extremely high cost. 

Londo steals all the scene that includes him. That is including all of his scenes with G'Kar, Ivanova, Garibaldi, and many other terrific characters. He is an easy choice for #1.