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G.I. Joe: America's Elite
GI JOE DREADNOKS DECLASSIFIED TP FIRST PRINTING 2007
One of the most compelling - and mysterious - stories in G.I. Joe who is Zartan? How did he gain his unusual abilities? And how did his life become inexorably intertwined with a brutal biker gang? The history of the Dreadnoks is finally told! Torch! Ripper, Buzzer, Zarana and many more! The gang's all here!
- GenresGraphic Novels
Paperback
First published October 16, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2021
Nice one shot focusing on this interesting G. I. Joe villain. Recommended
March 30, 2023
One of the most exciting villains in the 1980s GI Joe line was the elusive Zartan. A master of disguise with a strange chameleon-like ability to blend into his surroundings, Zartan was the figure all the kids wanted next to Snake Eyes and Destro.
In the cartoon and Marvel Comics, nobody knew who Zartan really was. The leader of a group of bayou bikers, Zartan was the only character who intimidated Cobra Commander. That's probably because old Snakeface knew that at any moment, Zartan could eliminate Cobra's leader and replace him without anyone being all the wiser.
This 2006 miniseries from Devil's Due Publishing seeks to reveal the mysteries behind the villain without spilling the beans on him. In reality Zartan might be Amauri Sanderson, an American soldier who sold government secrets to France. Or he's a mercenary named Lee who sold France's secrets to a central European nation and then double-crossed that country to funnel weapons to Cobra.
What surprised me the most was that the revelation that the man I grew up believing was Zartan wasn't the original Zartan. But it all made for a really great story that provides more backstory in the origins of the rise of Cobra. I always thought that the flashback stories were the best ones told in the Marvel books and Josh Blaylock's story was on par with the amazing pen of original Joe comics writer, Larry Hama.
Along with the main story, there's a back-up short story which also promises to reveal some deep-dark secrets of Zartan's past. Really, the only reveal is that the leader of the Dreadnoks has had so many different secret identities, Zartan can no longer remember who he really is anymore!
I learned from listings for other DDP Joe titles that there are at least 2 other 'year one' type miniseries. One about Snake-eyes. The other about the first lady of American freedom, Scarlett. I want them both. But if I got to pick the one I want to read first, it would be Scarlett's story as I already know quite a bit of Snake-eyes' origin.
The opening story was fantastic! I liked the backup. But it lacked the promise of big shocking secrets coming to light as assured on the back cover of this collection. Despite that story being a recap of the Dreadnok's miniseries, it was a fun read. Lots of action. But also a glimpse at some early Stanley Lau artwork before he started going by the moniker 'Artgerm'!
In the cartoon and Marvel Comics, nobody knew who Zartan really was. The leader of a group of bayou bikers, Zartan was the only character who intimidated Cobra Commander. That's probably because old Snakeface knew that at any moment, Zartan could eliminate Cobra's leader and replace him without anyone being all the wiser.
This 2006 miniseries from Devil's Due Publishing seeks to reveal the mysteries behind the villain without spilling the beans on him. In reality Zartan might be Amauri Sanderson, an American soldier who sold government secrets to France. Or he's a mercenary named Lee who sold France's secrets to a central European nation and then double-crossed that country to funnel weapons to Cobra.
What surprised me the most was that the revelation that the man I grew up believing was Zartan wasn't the original Zartan. But it all made for a really great story that provides more backstory in the origins of the rise of Cobra. I always thought that the flashback stories were the best ones told in the Marvel books and Josh Blaylock's story was on par with the amazing pen of original Joe comics writer, Larry Hama.
Along with the main story, there's a back-up short story which also promises to reveal some deep-dark secrets of Zartan's past. Really, the only reveal is that the leader of the Dreadnoks has had so many different secret identities, Zartan can no longer remember who he really is anymore!
I learned from listings for other DDP Joe titles that there are at least 2 other 'year one' type miniseries. One about Snake-eyes. The other about the first lady of American freedom, Scarlett. I want them both. But if I got to pick the one I want to read first, it would be Scarlett's story as I already know quite a bit of Snake-eyes' origin.
The opening story was fantastic! I liked the backup. But it lacked the promise of big shocking secrets coming to light as assured on the back cover of this collection. Despite that story being a recap of the Dreadnok's miniseries, it was a fun read. Lots of action. But also a glimpse at some early Stanley Lau artwork before he started going by the moniker 'Artgerm'!
October 25, 2018
While some of the ideas were interesting, I prefer Larry Hama's interpretation of Zartan. True, Hama's Zartan was an opportunistic rat, but a rat who simultaneously regretted his past and felt trapped by it. This one, on the other hand, is a simplistic, irredeemable psychopath drawn in broad strokes. Not my can of grape soda.
January 24, 2024
I really wish the Dreadnoks got their own TV show. They could occasionally do jobs for Cobra, but mostly piss off Australian police forces. This was a fun back story for the biker gang in history. I'm rereading all the original run and the follow-on Devil's Due books (retconning is cheating!), but I decided to start with the declassified origins stories. Snake Eyes and Scarlett are next!
March 26, 2015
Backstory on the biker gang - a little to much focus on Zartan and his kin, not so much on the Dreadnoks themselves.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews