Zartan a "giant"?

seaneley · Post by **seaneley** » 08 Jul 2005 14:26

I just noticed this after re-reading several of my old B.A.F. stories. Zartan always looks huge, and then I read some text where it says he is a "giant" in one of the Recondo stories. I was like, "Huh?" If he is supposed to be a "master of disguise", the bigger he is, the more conspicuous he would be. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Quickfire · Post by **Quickfire** » 08 Jul 2005 14:48

"Master of disguise I am. Secret my size is. Like the mystery of my magic gills...."

Anyway, he always was a hulking blob when in his skimpy outfit, then mysteriously 'normal' sized when in his civvie-disguises. It's a mystery probably known only to Cobra Commander <yawn> Guess we could blame kryptonite, but that would only be to ignore the truth - he's the spawn of the incredible hulk. Hence his greeness (sometimes referred to in the comics, nichts?)

seaneley · Post by **seaneley** » 09 Jul 2005 06:23

This is one of the few times that I like the Marvel rendition of a character better... He is simply too sniveling before Cobra Commander in the B.A.F. series, whereas he is a very dangerous man in the U.S. stories. He has killed the Hard Master - Storm Shadow's uncle - the Blind Master, Serpentor and crippled Hawk for life (disguised as Cobra Commander)... Tough dude! Even the Head Snake has second thoughts about messing with him!

: Yep, I'm pretty evil... Mu-hu-ha-ha-ha!

The Baron · Post by **The Baron** » 09 Jul 2005 18:10

I agree with that, although he is great in his opening story "Operation Snakebite".

Quickfire · Post by **Quickfire** » 12 Jul 2005 09:57

Yup, the Zartan of the Marvel comics is a different beast to the one in BAF. Although Op Snakebite was good, BAF never really let him be too sinister (no matter how much Recondo, Duke and Scarlett muttered to themselves) or developed the character as far as they could. Destro seemed to be the one ruthless toughie most of the time but maybe my mind is cluttered/scarred by memories of Cobber Commander's hissy fits in Indochina.

When the stories originally appeared in Marvel US they must have been nearly simultaneous with those in BAF... any ideas? Perhaps they not only deliberately made him a bit softer and discursive for the UK stories but also to prevent copyright infringement by being too derirative.

Anyway, those introspective Larry Hama Marvel stories - all that I-Ching and Vietnam fall-out for Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow and Scarlett god knows how many others leading to weepy trips on the Staten Island ferry in between missions - that would have all been a bit too much for sensitive Brits reared on can-do/laugh-in-the-face-of-adversity bulldog spirit comics in the vein of Commando, Eagle, Battle, BAF....

Anyway, he indeed slotted the Hard Master rather ruthlessly. I seem to remember the Soft Master getting nailed by him too at a railway junction (or was that the Blind Master) - or was that Scrap Iron??

Zartan - evil and clearly the product of a Soviet-CIA-Alien experimental programme never uncovered by Mulder and Scully in the Nevada desert (or was it near Springfield...)

seaneley · Post by **seaneley** » 20 Jul 2005 14:30

Yep, Soft Master was done in by Scrap-Iron, who is also responsible for maiming Billy and killing Candy Appel, a.k.a. "Bongo the Balloon Bear".

Bad, Scrap-Iron! Bad!

wetworks · Post by **wetworks** » 22 Jul 2005 10:10

To my knowledge Zartan has te following names on his death list.

- Hard Master ( arrow )
- Blind Master ( knife )
- Serpentor ( arrow )

I think he likes the more classic methodes of killing people.

The Soft master is deffinately killed bij Scrap Iron. With the first missle

The second crippled Billy and killed Candy