I remember when I first saw the episode in which Wesley Crusher flunked the Starfleet Academy entrance exam. I thought, "How the heck did Riker get in?"
Well, the character improved later in the series, even though my first impression was that he wasn't the sharpest phaser torch in the shed. Here's Melanie Schultz's depiction of Will Riker for Spitballin' Comics.
Link -via Ian Brooks