Dreadnoks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dreadnoks are a biker gang who act as villains in the G.I. Joe saga, which have been represented in several types of media, including toylines (produced by Hasbro), comic books series (published by Marvel Comics and more recently Devil's Due Publishing), and television cartoons (produced by Sunbow).
All Dreadnoks are uncouth and violent, and usually engage their enemies with unconventional and creative (many times crude) weaponry. Most, if not all, have shown a particular taste for chocolate covered donuts and grape soda. The Dreadnoks also make a habit of torturing captured enemies, usually in bizarre ways such as exposure to pain inducing laughing gas or tossing victims into pools of man eating piranhas. Their headquarters is a compound hidden somewhere in the Florida Everglades. Much of the characters' popularity is due to their file cards, included with the action figures, and their portrayal in the comic book series, both of which were written by Larry Hama.
The leader of the Dreadnoks is a man named Zartan. Believed to have had European military academy training, he was hired as an espionage agent for the evil terrorist group (and main antagonist of the saga's series) called COBRA. He is a master of disguise through masks, make-up, holograms and hypnosis, as well as ventriloquism and linguistics (20 languages and dialects). Another special trait only he is known to have is the ability to change the color of his skin to blend in with his background through genetic manipulation experiments. As a side effect to the gene splicing, he is allergic to sunlight, which throws off his camouflage ability. As well, he is a highly skilled martial artist, and is a master of the bow.
There were originally three Dreadnoks under Zartan's lead, destructive bikers that spent their days terrorizing people and destroying property, they were hired with the promise of easy money. They are known as Buzzer (Richard Blinken-Smythe, a.k.a. Dick Blinken), a former left-wing Cambridge sociologist; Torch (Tom Winken), an inarticulate Borstal reform school kid turned Merchant Marine; and the meanest of them all, Ripper (Harry Nod), a Tasmanian criminal with a record that goes back to his youth.
Later the ranks grew with the addition of Monkeywrench and Thrasher. Monkeywrench (Bill Winkie) had spent his recent years building explosive devices for terrorist groups in Rhy, North Wales, and Thrasher was a spoiled middle class kid with destructive tendencies, who built and piloted the Dreadnoks Thunder Machine. Zartan's sister, Zarana, and brother, Zandar also joined. Like her brother, Zarana is a skilled impersonator while Zandar is a master of stealth and camouflage. Near the end of the first series of G.I. Joe toys and comic books, the pirate Zanzibar (Morgan Teach), the enforcer Road Pig (Donald DeLuca), and a poacher known only as Gnawgahyde were also added. The Dreadnoks were equipped with many unique vehicles, most of which were built from scavenged parts. This included the Thunder Machine, the Swampfire, and the Air Skiff.
The Dreadnoks have resurfaced in the second series of G.I. Joe comic books published by Devil's Due. The gang now operates throughout many states, with many, many more members. During the years after G.I. Joe was disbanded and Cobra defeated, the Dreadnoks began to grow. Zartan and his gang spread to over 50 cities in the United States. The main body, which is under the command of Zartan, is the Florida chapter, nicknamed the Florida Noks.
A few notable new members include Demolisher (Sukko Torngark), Crusher (Roberto K. Rivera), Zanya (who is Zartan's daughter), Burn-Out, Rugrat, Chop Shop, and Heartwrencher (first female Dreadnok as a henchman and not part of Zartan's family).
[edit] The Zartan Family
- Zartan: Master of Disguise and leader of the Dreadnoks.
- Zarana: Zartan's sister, currently head of the Chicago chapter of the Dreadnoks. A disguise artist in her own right, she becomes her character by thinking like them. She was expected to take over the Dreadnoks, but was replaced by Zanya.
- Zandar: Zartan's brother, he is highly skilled at not being seen and stealth.
- Zanya: Zartan's daughter and current heir apparent to Zartan.
[edit] The Dreadnoks
- Burn-Out: Dreadnok mechanic, Burn-Out is also skilled in disguise.
- Buzzer: One of the first three Dreadnoks. Arrogant and intelligent, he is usually the leader by default when none of Zartan's family is around. He uses a chainsaw as a weapon.
- Chop Shop: A midget Dreadnok.
- Crusher: An ex-wrestler with a short temper.
- Demolishor: An aboriginal native with an almost superhuman threshold of pain.
- The Dreadheads (Billy-Bob, Cletus, Joe-Bob, Otis, Roscoe and Vance): Six identical cousins who have a grudge against G.I. Joe member Beachhead.
- Gnawgahyde: The Dreadnok poacher. He is known for bathing in animal fat and trying to think like his prey.
- Heartwrencher: A female Dreadnok who carries a large wrench.
- Machete: A character that replaces Ripper in the G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 series. Only appears in the mentioned series.
- Monkeywrench: A Dreadnok who loves explosions. He uses grenades and bombs, as well as a harpoon gun.
- Ripper: A founding member of the Dreadnoks, he is known for carrying an assault rifle with a large blade serving as a bayonet, Ripper is angry, violent and anti-social.
- Road Pig: Suffering from a split personality, Donald DeLuca is as himself a well spoken and intelligent person. As Road Pig he is violent and very dangerous. Very strong (although he is stronger as Road Pig), he is an enforcer with an attraction to Zarana. His weapon of choice is a cinder block attached to a metal pipe, which he uses as an improvised hammer.
- Thrasher: A spoiled brat whose parents never disciplined him, he joined the Dreadnoks. He built and drives the Thunder Machine. A little unpredictable and hard to control, but he can always be trusted in a fight.
- Torch: A former Merchant Marine, Torch is one of the founders of the Dreadnoks. He is an expert in oxy-acetylene cutting torches and uses a modified one as a weapon.
- Zanzibar: The Dreadnok pirate, he is low even by Dreadnok standards. He is a smuggler, thief, pickpocket and boat pilot. He drives the Dreadnok Air Skiff and uses a spear, gun, and hammer as weapons.
[edit] Trivia
- The original Dreadnoks' (Buzzer, Ripper, & Torch) real names were based on 2 separate puns:
- Tom, Dick, & Harry, an idiomatic phrase commonly used to refer to anybody or everybody.
- Winken, Blinken, & Nod, a nursery rhyme.
- Monkeywrench's name, Bill Winkie may possibly follow this trend (with a hidden reference to Wee Willie Winkie).
- The Dreadheads, created as exclusive figures for a 2004 G.I. Joe convention, share the family names Smith (Joe-Bob, Otis, & Vance) and Wesson (Cletus, Roscoe, & Billy-Bob), playing on the name of the famous gunmaker. In addition, the codenames Roscoe, Cletus, and Vance may be references to characters from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard.
- Zanzibar's real name (Morgan Teach) is a reference to to two real life pirates. [[Henry Morgan}Captain Henry Morgan]] (for whom Captain Morgan's rum is named) and Blackbeard, whose real name was Edward Teach.
- The original concept of the Dreadnoks was furry creatures resembling Ewoks
