The Dreadnoks
are a reprehensible group of
mercenaries,
vandals and thieves who worked for both
Zartan and Cobra over
the
years. Specializing in violence and destruction, the Dreadnoks have no
regard for anyone or anything but themselves and fast money. Their diet
consists of little more than chocolate-covered donuts and grape soda.
The
Dreadnoks began as a violent biker gang that
seemed intent on causing destruction and mayhem wherever they went. It
is believed that several of these men had military backgrounds but for
some reason or another left the service and turned to violence for the
sake of violence. Terrorizing innocent people and destroying property
seemed
to be their only goal, along with the occasional felony. At some point,
the mercenary Zartan began to hire Dreadnoks as brute force and often
used
them as diversions for his more subtle operations. Zartan's siblings, Zarana
and Zandar, joined him on occasion. Zartan worked mostly with
the
same group of Dreadnoks, and almost always worked with three in
particular
-- Buzzer, Ripper and Torch -- due to their
brutality
and the fact that he could easily intimidate them.
|
Zartan
|
When Zartan joined Cobra formally, he
brought
Buzzer,
Ripper and Torch with him to his hideout in the swamps of the Florida
Everglades.
Soon after, Zartan rode up to New Jersey with the Dreadnoks in tow.
After
confirming that the G.I. Joe team had some involvement with McGuire Air
Force Base, he and the Dreadnoks started to watch the base, and moved
into
a nearby abandoned gas station. Zartan and Cobra Commander decided that
McGuire was the secret location of Joe headquarters, and ordered the
Dreadnoks
to cut open the base's perimeter fence under cover of night to prepare
for Cobra's assault. Bored and eager for mayhem, the Dreadnoks snuck
inside
the base and started to tear apart fighter jets. When Buzzer got too
careless,
a fighter exploded, alerting the Joes and the base that Cobra was
coming.
The fearful Dreadnoks sped away from Cobra Commander's wrath with
Buzzer
in the lead.
Buzzer was probably the most
intelligent of the
three
Dreadnoks, though that's not saying much. His belief in his own
superiority
made him obnoxious, and got him and the other Dreadnoks into trouble
often.
While in Springfield, the Dreadnoks were admiring Zartan's new
motorcycle,
which included built-in hologram projectors. Buzzer decided that since
Zartan wasn't around, he wouldn't mind if he borrowed his bike. Ripper
and Torch protested, afraid of angering Zartan, but Buzzer soon talked
them into joining him with their own bikes. They set off on the
highway,
and started terrorizing other motorists as they went. They tore apart a
truck carrying bales of hay, then set the hay ablaze, sending flames
all
over the road. One of the Dreadnoks ripped a gash in the side of an old
classic 1950s Chevy Bel Air, not knowing it belonged to the Joe, Rock
&
Roll, who was on leave along with Breaker and Clutch. Rock & Roll
was
furious and chased after them. Buzzer used Zartan's bike's
holoprojectors
and made the bike look like a giant tractor-trailer covered in skulls
and
crossbones. The Joes swerved to avoid the "truck" and crashed. While
the
injured Joes were being taken to the hospital by ambulance, Rock &
Roll recognized the Dreadnoks escaping from another military base they
were tearing apart. The Joe took control of the ambulance and went
after
the Dreadnoks. He caused Buzzer to crash his bike, though Ripper and
Torch
escaped and were quickly picked up by Zartan, hoping to put a stop to
his
lackeys' reckless behavior. Rock & Roll captured Buzzer, who was
taken
into custody and held at Joe headquarters for questioning.
Ripper and Torch returned to
Springfield and were
left behind by Zartan when he joined Cobra Commander in the operation
that
led to the creation of Cobra Island and Cobra's sovereign nation
status.
They spent most of their time causing minor amounts of trouble in the
Cobra-controlled
town, having little ambition without Zartan or Buzzer to push them
around.
After a long stay at Joe headquarters, Buzzer was taken from the Pit by
a military police bus, along with another prisoner named Candy. Candy
had
been Ripcord's girlfriend and was now a suspected Cobra agent due to
her
father's involvement in Cobra. Buzzer took an immediate liking to the
young
woman, but she was disgusted by him. Buzzer managed to get control of
the
bus and nearly killed the guard and driver. He took off, with Candy
still
on board the bus. He headed off toward Springfiled with Candy in tow,
unwillingly.
He was soon involved in the murder of the Hard Master, and the
incidental
death of Candy.
|
Zarana
|
|
Zandar
|
After a firefight on Cobra Island, Zartan switched places with the Joe
Ripcord. Zartan, posing as Ripcord, was "rescued" by the Joe team and
brought
to The Pit. Ripcord, meanwhile, had been badly injured and barely
conscious,
unwillingly posing as Zartan. He was placed in a computer-guided
Firebat
jet which landed in Springfield. Ripper and Torch met the Firebat and
took
the man they believed to be Zartan to the hospital. They noted that
under
his hood Zartan looked different, but the dimwitted Dreadnoks figured
that
the master of disguise always looked different. Buzzer made his
way to the hospital, fearing what Zartan would do to him for stealing
and
destroying motorcycle, but the Zartan he met didn't care about the
incident.
In fact, the still groggy Ripcord just kept babbling about "his Candy".
The Dreadnoks were worried that Zartan had lost his mind, but tried to
keep it quiet, fearing they'd be out of a job if Cobra found out. They
took "Zartan" to a local restaurant, hoping to keep him out of sight.
When
Ripcord finally regained his senses, he snuck away, placed a call to
Joe
headquarters and revealed the exact coordinates of Springfield. His
true
identity was discovered and after a brief chase, he was captured. The
Joes
quickly staged an invasion of Springfield, forcing Cobra to evacuate.
The
Dreadnoks were left on their own and headed to their New Jersey hideout
in a stolen ambulance. When they arrived, they were surprised to find
Zarana,
Zandar and a sadistic young Dreadnok named Thrasher. They used
Buzzer's
knowledge of the location of the Pit to rescue the real Zartan from the
headquarters. In the brief battle with the Joes that followed,
Thrasher's
heavily armed vehicle named the Thunder Machine took the Joes by
surprise,
allowing the Dreadnoks to elude them. Zartan was still angry at Buzzer
for stealing his bike, but let him off with a warning since he helped
free
him. After Zartan was freed, Buzzer's unofficial role of Dreadnok
leader
was taken over by Zarana, Zartan's sister. She was even more cunning
than
Buzzer and much smarter.
|
Thrasher
|
|
Monkeywrench
|
With Zarana in charge, the Dreadnoks (greater in number with the return
of more Dreadnoks: Monkeywrench and the "Dreadnok pirate" Zanzibar)
fought the Joes often. Zarana, Monkeywrench and Thrasher were put in
charge
of Cobra's Terror Drome in the chaotic nation of Sierra Gordo. As
revolution
began to tear the country apart, a small team of Joes arrived to
evacuate
the American embassy. Zarana took advantage of the Joes' presence and
highjacked
their transport plane, along with a group of refugees that served as
her
hostages. Wild Bill, Maverick and Crazy Legs had no choice but to take
off without the rest of the Joes. The plane was swiftly shot down and
the
Joes, the Dreadnoks and the refugees were lost in the middle of Sierra
Gordo's jungle with no way home. Realizing that the revolutionaries
would
make no distinction between them, the Joes and Dreadnoks worked
together
to get out of the country and eventually stole a plane and flew back to
the United States. Zarana, Monkeywrench and Thrasher somehow managed to
escape without being taken into custody. All of the Dreadnoks later
took
part in the Cobra Island civil war on the side of Fred VII.
|
Zanzibar
|
After the death of Serpentor, Cobra
planned to
make
up for the loss of Springfield by finding a new piece of real estate to
serve as a secret base. The Dreadnoks were placed in charge of the
beach
front property on the Jersey shore dubbed Broca Beach. Zarana and
Zandar
ran a real estate scam to attract potential investors by holding
seminars
in motels.
Meanwhile, the Dreadnoks caused trouble up and down the New Jersey
highways.
They were eventually tracked down by the Joe team, and while the Joes
secretly
watched the Dreadnoks in their gas station hideout, Buzzer discovered
Mutt's
dog, Junkyard. He injured the poor dog with his chainsaw, only to be
captured
by Mutt and kicked in the face once or twice for nearly killing his
dog.
Buzzer was arrested along with the other Dreadnoks, all of whom were
freed
on a technicality thanks to Cobra's lawyers. Days later, Mutt and
Battle
Force 2000 were on patrol when they ran across the Zarana and the
Dreadnoks
just leaving a real estate seminar. As the Joes and Dreadnoks clashed
on
the Jersey turnpike, the state police raced to the scene. After a brief
battle (and another kick in the face for Buzzer), most of the Dreadnoks
made their escape while the state troopers stopped the Joes. As the
Joes
tried to explain their actions, one of them shot down Zanzibar's air
skiff,
carrying he and Zarana. The
state police captain arrested them all, though the Joes were released
soon
afterward.
|
Road Pig
|
Zarana would have stayed in jail if
it weren't for a former
Dreadnok with a split personality named Road Pig (with a
second,
more refined personality named Donald), saw her arrest on television.
Road
Pig saw Zarana as his "lost love" and attacked the unsuspecting state
policeman
at their headquarters, freeing Zarana and Zanzibar. A short time later,
Destro took control of Cobra and tried to put an end to all the
bickering
and backstabbing that plagued the group. Zarana and the Dreadnoks
continued
to control Broca Beach and made it successful. Two Joes -- Clutch and
Rock
& Roll -- stumbled upon the town and Zarana and the Dreadnoks
captured
them. Using a version of the Brain-wave Scanner hidden in Broca Beach,
Zarana saw to the brainwashing of Clutch and Rock & Roll, not only
erasing their memories of the town but implanting false memories
post-hypnotic
suggestions to turn the Joes into mindless killers. Zarana and most of
the Dreadnoks were later caught in an explosion caused by the Baroness
hoping to keep knowledge of the brainwashing to herself. Most of the
Dreadnoks
escaped with minor injuries, though Road Pig and Zarana spent nearly a
month unconscious. They were all in custody for a time, but once again
Cobra used the law to free them.
Over the next few years, the
Dreadnoks as a whole
were called on less and less by Cobra. Zartan had broken all ties with
Cobra and had no use for them. Only Zarana continued working in a high
position in Cobra, with Road Pig often close by her side. With Destro,
the Baroness, Zartan and most of Cobra's high command off on their own,
Zarana took an important role in Cobra Commander's plans. The Dreadnoks
were not a part of those plans. After the Commander found a way to
brainwash
Cobra's old leadership into serving him, he quickly abandoned her when
Firefly attempted to hold her as a hostage. She eventually escaped and
returned to New Jersey where she found the Dreadnoks, bored and missing
their involvement with Cobra. She easily took control of them, and
headed
off to parts unknown, wreaking havoc along the way. A short time
afterward,
Cobra forces then centered in Eastern Europe were attacked and
defeated.
Cobra's high command, including Zartan, scattered and disappeared.
|
Zanya
|
In the years following the apparent destruction of Cobra, Zartan
resurfaced
in America where he rounded up all the Dreadnoks. The group started to
grow and become and organized, national biker gang. Zartan built a
small
army of Dreadnoks with chapters spread throughout the country. Many of
these chapters centered around central compounds, the largest of which
is located in the Florida Everglades, where Zartan and the Dreadnoks
had
first set up shop in America. A surprising addition to the group was
Zartan's
until then unknown daughter,
Zanya. As Zanya grew up, Zartan
became
increasingly solitary. He surprised everyone when he named his teenage
daughter heir to the leadership of the Dreadnoks instead of Zarana,
whom
many assumed would take over. Recently, Zartan was contacted by Cobra
Commander
who hoped to recruit Zartan's Dreadnok organization to assist him.
Zartan
has yet to make his final decision
.