Dreadnoks are not my favorite theme in the Joe line. And, after the 1985 series, the Dreadnoks took a drop in design. But, for some reason, I really like Zanzibar. I think it's a remnant of him being an important figure in the final year of my childhood. The idea of a pirate is somewhat cliche'd and doesn't make a lot of sense in the context of 1987. That doesn't prevent him from fitting into the 1987 Joe line. And, until about 2018, the Zanzibar profile was among the top 10 profiles that ever appeared on this site. So, he has a bit of popularity.
There's some good content using Zanzibar out there. Check out the links and enjoy the best of Zanzibar from around the web.
1987 Zanzibar by thedustinmccoy
1987 Zanzibar by dreadnokdread
1987 Zanzibar variants by Hit and Run
1987 Zanzibar by recondo martin
1987 Zanzibar by thedustinmccoy
Zanzibar appears to be wearing some sort of bra-top. 1987 Cobra characters are so oddly dressed even for villains.
ReplyDeleteI've thought too much about why Zanzibar doesn't quite work, first he gets lost in the growing number of Dreadnoks. Second he had no animation support besides commercials. Third, his vehicle makes little sense, both realistically and practically. What the heck is an air skiff? Nonsense as far as I can tell. Also, as a pirate needs a vehicle that can either carry "booty" or additional allies or both. Otherwise, he flies onto a boat/ship and hijacks it like a modern pirate? Would Zanzibar most likely eat a bullet from Lowlight if he were a modern hostage taking pirate?
Zanzibar needed like a riverboat version of the Thunder Machine, instead he got a flying throne/chair contraption. As is he's rarely associated with the Cobra navy. It's not like "I made Zanzibar captain of my Cobra sea team." Not that I ever heard from anyone. Instead, he's just another Dreadnok, overshadowed despite a distinct character design. That about as much as I remember using him as.
His modern version is terrrrible.