One & Done - ZANZIBAR

WHY DO THE DREADNOKS NEED A PIRATE???

"Avast mateys!  The boarding party's here!"  Zanzibar, G.I. Joe issue #60.

DREADNOKS

Dreadnok Pirate - ZANZIBAR

File Name - Morgan Teach

Birthplace - Somewhere in the Cayman Islands

Specialties - Being destructive, annoying, and disgusting.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION...

    Born somewhere in the Cayman Islands, Zanzibar was raised on a garbage scow.  He was trouble from the start as he spent a good portion of his free-time pick-pocketing tourists on crowded piers.  As he got older, he tried to carve a living by getting involved with other shady activities like smuggling, river piracy, and stock fraud.  Unfortunately these "career choices" all seemed too much like "work" for him.  Zanzibar sought something more dangerous and nasty in his life.  He found what he was looking for when he met Zartan and joined up with the Dreadnoks.

    Even though he was enough of a slimeball to get hired in as a Dreadnok, that doesn't mean the others like him!  His file card takes a moment to go into depth about how truly vile this guy is!  From his terrible hygiene habits like brushing his teeth with grape soda and never changing his socks to pick-pocketing his fellow Dreadnoks while they sleep.  Nothing is beneath Zanzibar!

    While the other Dreadnoks prefer to ride on motorcycles or in the Thunder Machine, Zanzibar opts to cruise on his one-man Air Skiff.  Maybe it's because they don't want his stinky self in close proximity, or perhaps he doesn't trust them.  The Air Skiff is well-armed with guns and missiles, yet leaves it's driver exposed with no cover.  Zanzibar is crazy enough not to be bothered by this fact though.

WHY DO THE DREADNOKS NEED A PIRATE...?

        I thought Zanzibar was a cool figure!  Some people considered him a little too zany, and maybe he was, but considering the other enemy releases that year - Zanzibar was actually pretty tame!  A lot of detail was put into this figure with the tattered clothes and multiple paint decos and I feel like it all works well.  The top-knot was excellent and I thought the Air Skiff was an interesting vehicles!

    The real question is:  Why does a biker gang need a "pirate"?  That is strange, but you have to consider that the Dreadnoks moved away from the "biker look" early on.  Zandar, Zarana, and Thrasher don't look much like bikers.  I think it's more about the nasty temperments of the characters and breaking away from the norm.  The vicious personalities of the members and the love of destruction sync up pretty well.  So I feel Zanzibar fits in rather well!

    I will say I feel it was a missed opportunity to not give him a flintlock pistol and a pirate sword!  Regardless, he is a great figure and I'm still going to give this original version a 5 out of 5 Gold Doubloons!!!  Shocking huh?  I don't think Zanzibar is typically one of the more popular Dreadnoks!

    (Information on the character's lore was taken from the Sunbow and DIC cartoon series, including the Movie and the figure's original File Card.)

Arrrrrrgh, more continued thoughts on Zanzibar...

---  Zanzibar made my list of Top 10 Cobra Agents!!!

---  Zanzibar had a rough time in the comics.  I think he was beaten up by Zanana, smacked around by Chuckles, kicked by Road Pig, and thrown in jail more than a few times...

---  Did you think it was an insane design to have Zanzibar's top-knot so close to being pulled into the fan blade?  Yikes!!!  On the upside, he won't have to pay for any haircuts.

---  As of this time right now, Zanzibar is one of the few Dreadnoks that has yet to be announced for coming to the Classified line.