Sir William Gull (From Hell)
Although V for Vendetta and Watchmen are doubtlessly more well known, From Hell is what I consider to be Alan Moore's magnum opus. Its a dense, grandiose work about the Whitechapel Murders and the birth of the 20th century. At the core of this dark tale we find Sir William Gull, Queen Victoria's royal physician, who Moore puts into the role of Jack the Ripper. Moore's Sir Willaim is an amazing creation; a larger than life character who dominates the narrative of From Hell, even when he doesn't appear on page. The 30+ page long monologue in which Gull gets to lay out his beliefs and thoughts on history, religion men and women, is truly powerful stuff and establishes the good doctor as Moore's greatest and most terrifying creation. I can't think of any better villain to kick this list off with.
Johan Liebert (Monster)
Naoki Urasawa has a knack for creating memorable villains and his best example in that category has to be Johan, the titular character in his excellent thriller-manga, Monster. If I had to pick the most sinister villain in a manga, this guy would be it. Incredibly handsome and charismatic, Johan's polite, soft-spoken demeanor and angelical good looks only serve to make him scarier than he would be if his appearance and behavior was closer to that of what one would normally expect from a villain. Whether he manipulates an entire orphanage into killing each other, or driving someone to suicide, Johan more than lives up to his moniker.
Lucifer Morningstar (The Sandman)
I've found that a lot of the times, the line between an anti-hero and a villain-protagonist tend to get blurred (most of the time, its all a matter of perspective) and who better to illustrate this point than the devil himself? Lucifer is not pure evil and he helps save creation a few times, but at the same time he also has no qualms screwing people over in order to achieve his goals. Easily my favorite depiction of the devil in modern media. Well done, Neil Gaiman and Mike Carey.
Simeon Nevzorov (Ibicus)
Another anti-hero and although operating on a much smaller scale than the guy above him, just as compelling. I always have a great time following Simeon on his many misadventures throughout a Russia thorn apart by civil war, and later Turkey.
Krapal (District 14)
Among its gallery of interesting characters, District 14 sports quite a few memorable villains, such as Tiger-Man and Bollart the Stag. My favorite member of the comic's rouges-gallery, however, is Krapal the Toad. Not only is he easily the smartest villain (and perhaps character) in the comic, he also goes about his criminal activities with a certain sense of style, which makes it hard for me not to root for him on occasion, especially in the second season. In addition, his henchmen are all fun and likable as well. Whenever season 3 comes out, I look forward to see more of this guy and whatever nefarious scheme he will come up with next.
Askeladd (Vinland Saga)
If Johan is the scariest manga-villain I can think of, than Askeladd is arguably the coolest. Machiavellian, mysterious (he has a great backstory) and with an interesting relationship with the main character, Askeladd remains one of Vinland Saga's most memorable and intriguing characters.
The Phantom Blot (Disney Comics)
The very first moment I encountered The Phantom Blot, I was intrigued. This guy just had an aura of mystery and a sense of genuine menace to him that was lacking in the other Disney comic villains I had known up until that point. Needless to say he made a huge impression on me, which was further helped by him having a very simple, yet striking design. Since then I've read hundreds of comics featuring The Blot and while not all of them do the character justice (then again, the same thing can be said about any re-occurring villain written by many different writers during the course of several decades), he will always remain one of my favorite villains and Mickey's greatest arch-enemy.
Lincoln Red Crow (Scalped)
In an interview I read with him, Jason Aaron said that Chief Red Crow came about from his wish to create his own Al Swearengen and there are definitely similarities between the two men: Both of them starting out as fairly typical (albeit very well-written and, in one case, well-acted) villains; powerful men who run their little kingdoms with corruption and violence and eventually becoming the most nuanced characters in their respective works, far outshining the ostensible main character. I have not yet finished Scalped, but I've seen enough of Red Crow to know that he's a fantastic character and am interested to see how his story ends.
Pompeii (Duncan the Wonder-Dog)
Duncan the Wonder-Dog by Adam Hines is a comic that takes place in a world that's pretty much our own, with the exception that animals can speak human languages. One of its central characters is Pompeii, a female macaque who also happens to be the current leader of the terrorist group ORAPOST. As a character, Pompeii does not bring to mind any other female villain I can think of, as much as Tommy DeVito. Much like Joe Pesci's character in Goodfellas, Pompeii is prone to sudden outbursts of savage and explosive violence, making her an intense and frightening villain. In addition, her rants and monologues are among the best I've read in a comic.
As the years go by, it seems more and more unlikely that we'll ever get another volume of Duncan. Hopefully, Hines will prove me wrong, because I really want to see more of his characters and especially of Pompeii.
Rasputin (Corto Maltese)
Some of my favorite type of villains are those that serves as a dark reflection of the hero and Rasputin is one of my favorite examples of this trope: Like his best friend/archenemy, Corto Maltese, Rasputin is a globe-trotter and adventurer, but that's where the similarities end. Whereas Corto is, at his core, a romantic, Rasputin is a cynic who cares only about filling his belly and lining his pockets. He also has no qualms about murder; killing with worrying ease (again unlike Corto, who only kills in self-defense). The relationship between these two are among the most interesting aspects of the comic. In addition, Rasputin is also the funniest villain on this list, with many of Corto Maltese's more comedic moments involving him in some capacity.
Zelie (Beautiful Darkness)
If there's any character on this lists that truly embodies the phrase "love to hate", its Zelie. She made me hate her in the best possible way and her comeuppance at the end was both richly deserved and oh-so satisfying.
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