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116-422: Zartan is a master of make-up and disguise. Very little is known of his background, but he is suspected to have received European military academy training at St. Cyr . Zartan can alter his skin color at will to blend in with his environment, and is a practitioner of several mystic martial arts. He is also a ventriloquist, a polyglot (speaking over 20 languages and dialects), and an acrobatic-contortionist. Zartan and

232-416: A broken home with a temperamental father. Sometime after he began working as an assassin and mercenary, using his disguise abilities. Zartan also worked for a government agency under the name Amauri Sanderson. He underwent a top-secret French genetic experiment, which infused him with chameleon DNA, giving him the ability to blend into his background. During an arms deal with Destro , Amauri Sanderson met

348-580: A fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is affiliated with Cobra as a member of the Dreadnoks . He is portrayed by Matt Gerald in the 2013 film G.I. Joe: Retaliation . Zandar is the younger brother of Zartan and fraternal twin of Zarana . Zandar excels at his specialty as a master of camouflage and covert movement as an infiltrator and assassin. Zandar has also used disguise in his repertoire and can disguise himself as anyone. He

464-438: A "real ninja move". Zartan was designed with a spring-action hip; if Zartan's right arm was pushed back, his upper torso turned right. When the arm was let go, the torso sprang back forward, resulting in a punching motion with the right arm. After the line was canceled in 1994, Hasbro made several attempts to resurrect A Real American Hero through repaint series. Zartan was released only once in this four-year period (1997–2001) at

580-496: A 2011 documentary feature film set at the convention, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope . Writer Robert Salkowitz also used the 2011 Comic-Con as a backdrop for his book Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture , an analysis of the comics industry's 21st-century dilemmas and what the future may hold. From 2015 to 2019, Conan O'Brien recorded a week of live shows from Comic-Con at the nearby Spreckels Theatre . In 2015,

696-573: A Cobra plot. In the second season, he expanded the Dreadnoks to include his younger siblings, Zarana and Zandar, as well as Monkeywrench and Thrasher . As part of Doctor Mindbender 's plot to create Serpentor, Zartan stole the DNA of Aztec Emperor Montezuma , but his loyalty to Cobra Commander remained even after Serpentor took control of Cobra. In G.I. Joe: The Movie , Zartan is seen being angry with Cobra Commander, for blaming his lacking courage on

812-513: A badge. In 2018, it was estimated that nearly 200,000 people would be in downtown San Diego due to Comic-Con related exhibits and events. Capacity attendance at Comic-Con in 2006 and 2007 has caused crowding issues. Concerns have been raised that the event is possibly too large for the San Diego Convention Center , Comic-Con's home through at least 2024. In 2006, Comic-Con, for the first time, had to close registration for

928-580: A blue bandana, earrings, red facial markings, a shirtless torso with jagged tattoos, and a pink neck kerchief. For accessories he carried a speargun and had a pack of spears on his back. Zandar and Zarana operated several scams and schemes for Cobra, using their advanced skills as con artists. Later Zarana spent a lot of time with Cobra Commander and Zandar was nowhere to be seen. In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #51 (September 1986) as part of

1044-643: A collection of all five volumes of the series in English in 2016. Other comics set at the convention include Archie No. 538 (September 2003), Archie Giant Series No. 601 (October 1989) and No. 624 (October 1991), G.I. Joe No. 180 (July 2012), Dazzler No. 30 (January 1984), Lobo Convention Special ([September] 1993) and Fanboys Vs Zombies . 1992–1995 the Con partnered with Dark Horse Comics for an annual San Diego Comic Con Comics giveaway to attendees spotlighting characters published by Dark Horse. Comic-Con

1160-447: A copy of Zartan. The body was corrupt, with unstable skin lividity, numerous cancers, renal failure and more. Taggac used bio-magnetic pads to stabilize the body, and began teaching Zartan how to live again. This instruction included both physical elements and basic language and math skills. Zartan's unique biology gave him the ability to change his appearance and skin tone, a skill which Taggac attempted to keep secret from Cobra. Eventually

1276-635: A feature-length documentary about Comic-Con, based on the book and podcast series. Comic-Con Magazine , formerly known as Update , is the official magazine of Comic-Con, WonderCon , and SAM: Storytelling Across Media, published free by San Diego Comic-Con International in the United States. The seed of Comic-Con Magazine was a short one-shot issue of The Spirit , based on Comic-Con and sold exclusively in 1976 at Comic-Con. The Comic-Con Magazine debuted as Update in July 2005 and mainly focused on

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1392-534: A few hours on Saturday to accommodate crowds. In response, for 2007, Comic-Con introduced a new three-day membership that did not include Saturday. Nevertheless, the 2007 show went on to sell out Saturday, as well as Friday and Sunday for the first time. Additionally, both the four-day and three-day memberships sold out for the first time. For 2008, the three-day memberships were abandoned and the convention decided to sell memberships only in advance, with no on-site registration. In 2008, all memberships were sold out before

1508-583: A guest cartoonist responding to improvisational prompts and games (a la Whose Line Is It Anyway? ), and animation expert Jerry Beck 's program featuring TV's "worst cartoons ever", as well as over 350 hours of other programming on all aspects of comic books and pop culture. Like most comic book conventions, Comic-Con features a large floorspace for exhibitors. These include media companies such as movie studios and TV networks, as well as comic-book dealers and collectibles merchants. And like most comics conventions, Comic-Con includes an autograph area, as well as

1624-619: A gun on Taggac, and forces him to contact Cobra Commander. Zartan negotiates his services as an assassin, and when the terms are agreed upon, he kills Taggac. Zartan later reappeared in IDW's reboot of Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand. Here, he identifies as "Emil Zartan" and infiltrates the MASK team to steal their technology so he can sell it. Zartan appeared in the original G.I. Joe animated series. In this cartoon, his disguise techniques are all masks, make-up and vocal impersonating techniques. Zartan

1740-423: A knife as she reports to General Hawk , taking them by surprise. When the two Cobra agents fight their way out soon after, Zartan takes an alternate route and kills off a nearby Bedouin , donning his clothing to escape detection by Pit members. Later, with the help of nanotechnology provided by The Doctor 's nanomites, Zartan gains his ability to assume exact physical appearances for a special mission (but without

1856-649: A large number of attendees live in San Diego, and that the impact of the convention was more cultural than financial. The estimated economic impact of that year's convention was $ 180 million. In 2014, the estimated impact of that year's convention was $ 177.8 million. In 2016, the estimated impact of that year's convention was down to $ 150 million. By 2018, San Diego Comic-Con saw increasing competition from other comic conventions in places such as New York City, and Washington, D.C., which caused it to compete for attendees and companies time and budget; yet San Diego Comic-Con

1972-610: A large range of pop culture and entertainment elements across virtually all genres. According to Forbes , Comic-Con is the "largest convention of its kind in the world". Since 2010, Comic-Con has filled the San Diego Convention Center to capacity with over 130,000 attendees. Comic-Con is home to the Eisner Awards , which recognizes creative achievement in American comic books, often referred to as

2088-545: A lottery and need-based system. The main exhibit hall, which includes larger well-recognized companies, takes up halls F through A. These companies sell or promote new and upcoming movies, television shows, and video games as well as featuring toys and exclusives with many selling for hundreds or even thousands on the secondary markets outside the convention. Some notable recurring companies include Lego , Hasbro , Funko , Hallmark Cards , Nickelodeon , Cartoon Network , The Walt Disney Company , and Blizzard Entertainment . In

2204-534: A one-day convention known as San Diego's Golden State Comic-Minicon on March 21, 1970, "as a kind of 'dry run' for the larger convention he hoped to stage". Dorf went on to be associated with the convention as president or manager, variously, for years until becoming estranged from the organization. Alf co-chaired the first convention with Krueger and became chairman in 1971. Following the initial gathering, Dorf's first three-day San Diego comic convention, San Diego Golden State Comic-Con , drew 300 people. The venue

2320-562: A panel from Matt Groening (creator of Futurama as well as The Simpsons ) on his new show "Futurella" (a twist on the title of the show and a parody of its cancellation by Fox ). In "It's My Party and I'll Bang If I Want To", an episode of the 2011 season of The Real World: San Diego , the cast attends Comic-Con made up as zombies in order to pass out promotional flyers for the House of Blues , where they worked as part of their season work assignment. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock released

2436-464: A perfect fit for us. It's expensive, whether it be paying for the street signs that tell you what streets are closed, or for any police or the hall or any of the myriad things, it's expensive. But it's a great city. There's been some talk of expansion of the center, which we would certainly welcome. Hopefully if everything lines up, we will be here for many more years. Heidi McDonald reported on her blog The Beat as of October 7, 2009, Preview Night for

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2552-415: A public vote), and partly because the city lost the rights to the only contiguous parcel of land where expansion could occur. Other cities, including Los Angeles, began to seek to have Comic-Con move out of San Diego; In 2015, Comic-Con entered into negotiations with San Diego. As a result of these negotiations, Comic-Con entered into a contract to stay in San Diego through 2018. The commitment to San Diego

2668-842: A recent negative test required for admission, and face masks being mandatory. The full-scale convention returned in July 2022; once again, face masks and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination was required. On July 13, 2023, SAG-AFTRA approved a strike after failing to renew its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), marking the first time that both actors and writers have concurrently been on strike since 1960. As SAG-AFTRA members would be prohibited from participating in promotional work such as panels, multiple major media companies preemptively pulled out of Comic-Con as early as June, including Disney (including subsidiaries Marvel and Lucasfilm ), Netflix, Inc. , Sony Pictures , and Universal Pictures . On

2784-488: A review of the action figure, MTV said that Zartan "one of the few JOE-verse characters that weren't stripped of all their coolness in the recent film", though still praised the action figure for not referencing the film, calling the figure "all-around amazing". Zartan first appeared in issue #24 of the Marvel Comics series. He was fully introduced in : A Real American Hero #25 (July 1984). Zartan can imitate anyone he wishes to an exact physical and vocal likeness. Zartan

2900-403: A shared language between them as twins. Zandar is deeply psychologically and emotionally attached to and dependent upon his twin, refusing to be separated from and loyal to her above all else. The Dreadnoks are frightened of Zandar for an undisclosed reason—one of them was late for patrol and another commented "Get goin mate, Zandar's supervising tonight. If he's on your bad side you better hope

3016-420: A squad of Dreadnoks oversee the new Cobra stronghold of Broca Beach, New Jersey. Zandar helps successfully create a new call center for Cobra marketing schemes; this despite interference from a G.I. Joe squad. Zandar and his siblings grew up in a Catholic orphanage. He was small for his age and was bullied by other children. His older brother accidentally killed a boy for bullying young Zandar. As teenagers,

3132-453: A strike team of GI Joes to Crystal Ball's cult stronghold, where they were ambushed by Crystal Ball and the Dreadnoks. Zandar and Zarana sneak away some time during the battle. During the Dreadnoks' pursuit of the Joes, they were snatched away underground by Crystal Ball's summoned, large "Fatal Fluffies". Zandar and Zarana appear again with the Dreadnoks, ambushing Duke in the underground, with

3248-403: A successful rescue attempt of Zartan. Zandar briefly disguised himself as an auto mechanic at Zartan's hideout while the others hid, and diverted the Joes on their tail, who didn't realize it was the young punk. During the first Cobra civil war (which takes place on Cobra Island ) Zandar and his siblings commanded troops on the side of Cobra Commander. A few issues later, Zandar is seen helping

3364-610: A suspect was arrested on Sunday at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. Police later stated that the teenage girl was injured in a fall, and the arrested individual was released without any charges. In 2024, a three-alarm kitchen fire started in a nearby steakhouse caused the evacuation of around 1200 attendees of an "Iceberg Lounge" promotional event for the HBO series The Penguin . The next day, actress Jennifer Garner got stuck in an elevator and had to call

3480-652: A target opening date of late 2020 or 2022. On April 17, 2020, the 53rd convention was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in California and two stay-at-home orders issued by California governor Gavin Newsom . It was originally scheduled to occur from July 23 to 26, 2020, to coincide with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, which was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. An "SDCC@Home" digital streaming event

3596-411: A test subject for Destro's teleportation device. Destro sends him to assassinate Nico Mandirobilis; however, the teleportation process was not finalized, and Zartan's body quickly disintegrated. With Zartan's complete genetic map stored in the M.A.S.S.' Relay Star Satellites, Cobra geneticist Doctor Taggac was able to brew a plasmid medium, which injected into a blank clone body, reformatted the slug into

Zartan - Misplaced Pages Continue

3712-606: A video channel was created to host Comic-Con related content. In 2015, through a limited liability company , Comic-Con International purchased three buildings in Barrio Logan . In 2018 Comic-Con International purchased a 29,000-square-foot (2,700 m ) office in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood. In 2017, the organization acquired a lease to the Federal Building in Balboa Park , originally built for

3828-623: A volcano. After several months of digging, Billy and Zartan manage to escape, while most of the others die from tainted food. Zartan also faced off against Shipwreck in the UK Action Force series. Devil's Due comics expanded on Zartan's origin and introduced his daughter, Zanya. Zartan and his siblings, Zandar and Zarana, grew up sometime during the early 1970s. As a child, he was diagnosed with an unknown mental health condition requiring medication. They were raised by their French actress mother and movie-mask sculptor father. They grew up in

3944-496: Is a master of silent weapons, including harpoons, crossbows, Bowie knives and silenced handguns, and is capable of remaining motionless for long periods. Zandar is the secondborn of twins; his sister Zarana often the unequivocal leader of the two, and he dresses in blues and pinks, similar to Zarana, and wears a torn scarf which is material from her tattered pink shirt. Like his sister, Zandar has naturally auburn hair. Zandar speaks between himself and his sister privately with

4060-408: Is also initially able to change the color of his skin to perfectly blend in with his background. Zartan's camouflage abilities are negated by the sun, causing his skin to turn blue (much like his action figure), and weakening him significantly. However, both aspects were dropped almost immediately after the first season began. "Jungle Trap" was the last episode to showcase this particular ability. Zartan

4176-548: Is also used, with its main ballroom (Indigo) seating up to 2,600. The other neighboring hotel, the Marriott Marquis & Marina , also hosts a lot of Comic-Con activity. Among other things, the hotel serves as the anime headquarters and is where the nighttime films are shown. Comic-Con has served as the setting for Mark Hamill 's Comic Book: The Movie , and for an episode of the HBO television series Entourage ,

4292-435: Is briefly featured in the fiction novel 6 Sick Hipsters . In the story, the character Paul Achting spent four years collecting G.I. Joe figures to set up a battle scene between the Joes and Cobra. As he imagined the characters in his head, he described the Dreadnoks as "an elite team of maniacal mercenaries allied with Cobra for this battle", with the figures lying in the thick of the shag carpet, and sitting next to Monkeywrench

4408-667: Is mentioned in the long-running CBS geek-targeted sitcom The Big Bang Theory in several episodes, and in NBC 's Chuck in the episode " Chuck Versus the Sandworm ", as an event the characters enjoy attending. On the Futurama episode " Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences ", the main characters attend the 3010 convention (with it being referred to as "Comic-Con Intergalactic" and the iconic eye logo now sporting multiple eyes), where Fry looks for approval for his own comic while Bender attends

4524-580: Is played by Arnold Vosloo in Stephen Sommers 's film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra , with a drastically different appearance than his television counterpart. He is a master of disguise, able to mimic other peoples' mannerisms and characteristics. Sent by McCullen with the Baroness and Storm Shadow , Zartan breaks into the Pit and disguises himself as a G.I. Joe Pit member. He murders Cover Girl with

4640-446: Is taken back to prison while Baroness takes the chameleon mold to Cobra Commander. Due to the device acquiring the DNA of the first wearer, as part of the chameleon mold's "fail safe imprinting feature", Baroness ends up visiting Zartan in jail, where she makes a "get out of jail" offer that Zartan accepts. In "Cutting Edge," Zartan posed as Cobra Commander in order to fool Jinx when she was hired to assassinate Cobra Commander. Zartan

4756-705: Is the impostor. Zartan eventually does escape, with the help of the Dreadnoks. This leads to Cobra Commander's assault, which destroys the Pit. Zartan is famous for delivering the killing blow to Serpentor during the Cobra Civil War, by shooting the Cobra emperor in the eye, with the same longbow that he used to kill the Hard Master years ago. After the war, Zartan leaves Cobra and the Dreadnoks, while his sister continues to work with Cobra. Zartan disguises himself as

Zartan - Misplaced Pages Continue

4872-485: Is told by over 50 of the original contributors. Among the founders there are also interviews with celebrities like Felicia Day , Ho Che Anderson , Jackie Estrada , Scott Aukerman , Trina Robbins , Kevin Smith , Neil Gaiman , and Bruce Campbell . The podcast was hosted by Brinke Stevens of Slumber Party Massacre . The podcast was expanded into the book See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and

4988-515: The G.I. Joe: Resolute series. He first appears in a flashback at the beginning of the series, where he injures Snake Eyes , and assassinates the Hard Master. He later appears near the end of the series, where he is leading a security force guarding a Cobra base. He manages to corner Duke and Scarlett , when Scarlett gives him the option to just leave, as Zartan is only a mercenary and not part of Cobra. Zartan refuses, saying that he enjoys killing people, as he aims to kill Scarlett, Duke shoots him in

5104-588: The Baroness when Cobra made a deal with radical terrorist Tyler Wingfield in Devil's Due's G.I. Joe: Frontline . He and the Baroness kill four agents guarding a safe house. Civil war took over Cobra Island once again. As a masked member of the Coil, Zandar fought Zartan, but the younger brother lost, taking a knife in the gut. Zandar removed his mask, revealing himself to Zartan, who hadn't realized until that moment it

5220-638: The California Pacific International Exposition and previously occupied by the San Diego Hall of Champions , with the intention of opening a Comic-Con Museum . By October 2017, the organization began to hire staff for the museum. Nearly a year after acquiring the lease, the museum was not yet open. During the 2018 Comic-Con, one reason stated for why the museum had not yet opened was the need for additional funds. Organizers are hoping to raise $ 25 million with

5336-650: The Food Network series Cake Masters had an episode where Duff Goldman presented a cake at Comic-Con to the cast of Fantastic Four . In 2020, SiriusXM in association with Stitcher started production on COMIC-CON BEGINS: Origin Stories of the San Diego Comic-Con and the Rise of Modern Fandom . The podcast is a six-part mini-series chronicling the birth and evolution of San Diego Comic-Con, and

5452-588: The San Diego Convention Center in 1991. Richard Alf, chairman in 1971, has noted an early factor in the Con's growth was an effort "to expand the Comic-Con [organizing] committee base by networking with other fandoms such as the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Mythopoeic Society , among others. (We found a lot of talent and strength through diversity)". In a Rolling Stone article about

5568-400: The "Commando" collection in 2006, featuring his Sigma 6 outfit. A repaint of this figure was released in 2007, featuring a new version of Zartan called "Toxic Zartan" featuring a new purple uniform, and green highlights. 2007 was the anniversary of the launch of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the third major reinvention of the brand since 1964. To celebrate, Hasbro created new figures based on

5684-480: The 1987 animated film G.I. Joe: The Movie . Zandar appears in the 2013 film G.I. Joe: Retaliation , portrayed by actor Matt Gerald . In the film, Zandar is a member of Cobra, and the head of the detail for the President of the United States (his brother Zartan in disguise). He was shot and killed by General Joseph Colton , when he was holding the real President of the United States hostage. Zandar's figure

5800-485: The 2010 show had already been sold out. On February 23, 2010, The Orange County Register reported that the larger Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim would be making a bid to become the new home of Comic-Con starting in 2013. On September 30, 2010, Comic Con announced that they had extended their stay up to 2015. The North County Times reported on July 26, 2010, that 4-day passes with access to Preview night for

5916-416: The 2010 show had already sold out. Glazner explained the early sell-out: For 2010 the decision was made to offer an option (of whether they wanted to attend Preview Night) to those who pre-registered for four-day badges. We limited the number of badges for Preview Night to the number of those who attended in 2008. Mark Evanier on his blog News from ME noted as of November 9, 2009, that all 4-day passes for

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6032-452: The 2011 Convention had sold out two hours before the 2010 convention closed. Comic-Con International announced that 4-day passes for the 2014 convention (July 24–27) would no longer be available and only single days would be sold. Due to overcrowding, organizers of the event capped attendance; this cap has been in place since 2007. As of October 2013, a $ 520 million proposed expansion to the San Diego Convention Center received approval from

6148-556: The 2011 convention, at least 80 TV shows were represented, compared to about 35 films. The shows not only promote in the exhibit halls, but also use screenings and panels of various actors, writers, producers, and others from their shows. Premium cable channels HBO and Showtime have used the con to promote programs like Game of Thrones (HBO), Dexter (Showtime), Shameless (Showtime) and True Blood (HBO). Streaming services , including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video , have also had an increased presence at Comic-Con since

6264-626: The 21st century, the convention has drawn toy and collectibles designers who sell "Comic-Con Exclusive" products. Most such exclusives are licensed properties of film, comic book and animation characters. The other type of exhibitors include offsite exhibitors, booths and events which are located outside the convention center. These locations are usually within walking distance of the convention center but have been moving into nearby parks in recent years. Some notable examples include Gaslamp Quarter , Petco Park , and Children's Park . In recent years, these offsite events have no connection to Comic-Con. In

6380-423: The A Real American Hero line, featuring modern sculpting with updated and increased articulation (including the replacement of 's trademark O-Ring construction). Zartan was unveiled at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con , and the figure, based on designs from the Devil's Due comic series, included a removable mask and also changes color like its 1980s counterpart. A second 25th Anniversary-era figure, more closely hewing to

6496-557: The Arashikage Blind Master , in order to mentor a boy named Tyrone. He eventually returns to Cobra Island, along with Billy, Captain Minh, and Tyrone, to expose Fred VII as an impostor pretending to be Cobra Commander. The mission is interrupted by the return of the real Cobra Commander, who traps Billy, Zartan, Fred VII, Tyrone, Captain Minh, Raptor, and several others in a landlocked freighter, which he then buries under

6612-539: The Artists' Alley where comics artists can sign autographs and sell or do free sketches. Despite the name, artists' alleys can include writers and even models. Academics and comic industry professionals annually hold the Comics Arts Conference at Comic-Con, presenting scholarly studies on comics as a medium. In recent years, the number of television shows that are promoted far outnumber films. During

6728-582: The California Coastal Commission. The proposed expansion would increase the available space within the convention center and had a target completion date of early 2016. The expansion would add approximately 225,000 square feet of exhibit space, an additional 35%; and a brand-new 80,000 square foot ballroom, 20% larger than Hall H. The plan would also add a second tower to the Hilton Bayfront hotel, adding 500 rooms adjacent to

6844-484: The Convention Center. Due to the proposed expansion of the convention center, Comic Con extended its contract for San Diego to 2016. In 2014, convention center expansion was halted due to a lawsuit. As of July 2015, convention center expansion is effectively frozen, partly because the city no longer has financing lined up for it (any financing plan would involve taxpayer money and would have to be approved by

6960-461: The Dreadnoks have also been known to use holographic technology and other means to disguise themselves. He has a younger brother and sister, twins named Zandar and Zarana , as well as a daughter named Zanya. The Dreadnoks are a fictional biker gang from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. They are affiliated with Cobra as shock troops, offering their mercenary services as subordinates of Zartan. When Zartan

7076-415: The Dreadnoks recover a piece of Destro's Weather Dominator, offering to sell it to the highest bidder, Cobra or G.I. Joe . Zartan had a prominent role in the first-season episode "Countdown for Zartan", in which he impersonates a French scientist and places a bomb within a defense center, where scientists from all over the world are meeting. He is exposed and imprisoned there by the Joes, who then search for

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7192-400: The G.I. Joes, killing a majority of them. He is later revealed to have been the one who killed the Hard Master and raised Storm Shadow as a ruthless assassin. Zartan is eventually killed by his former student, at which time his guise as the President finally fades. Zartan is one of the featured villains in the 1985 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero computer game. Zandar Zandar is

7308-495: The Joes. He has Flint lend him a GPS, since he had a tracer on the motorcycle that Snake-Eyes stole from him. During the conflict between a Cobra transport, the Joes, and the Falcons, Zartan knocks out Lady Jaye and makes his way into a Cobra Van, where he equips himself with a chameleon-type wrist device. This outfits him in a suit (resembling the one used in the other cartoons), which will enable him to mask his appearance, by taking

7424-522: The Triumph of Geek Culture by creator Mathew Klickstein and published by Fantagraphics on September 6, 2022. The book includes forewords by cartoonists Stan Sakai and Jeff Smith , and an afterword by Wu-Tang Clan 's RZA . The audiobook version was released on the same day by Blackstone Audio . On March 28, 2024, it was announced that Academy Award and Emmy Award nominated executive producer David Permut and producer Oscar Boyson will be creating

7540-595: The Wednesday evening prior to the official opening, professionals, exhibitors, and pre-registered guests for all four days can attend a pre-event, dubbed "Preview Night", to give attendees the opportunity to walk the exhibit hall and see what will be available during the convention. Along with panels, seminars , and workshops with comic book professionals, there are previews of upcoming feature films and portfolio review sessions with top comic book and video game companies. The evenings include events such as awards ceremonies,

7656-566: The annual Masquerade costume contest, and the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, which showcases shorts and feature-length movies that do not have distribution or distribution deals. Traditional events include an eclectic film program, screening rooms devoted to Japanese animation , gaming, programs such as cartoonist Scott Shaw! 's "Oddball Comics" slide show, Quick Draw! hosted by Mark Evanier with Shaw!, Sergio Aragones and

7772-484: The antimatter pod before the Joes. They are taken prisoner alongside Roadblock , Leatherneck and Wet-Suit by an insane Cobra chef named B.A. LaCarre and his B.A.T.s , who force them into labor. The Joes, Dreadnoks and LaCarre eventually put aside their differences and hook the antimatter pod to the helicarrier's rotors, rising them out of the water. Cobra Troopers take the Dreadnoks to a chamber to recover from decompression sickness . Zandar also appeared briefly in

7888-427: The back. Zartan first appears in the G.I. Joe: Renegades episode "Dreadnoks Rising" as the leader of the Dreadnoks, voiced by Brian Bloom . He reappears in "Knockoffs" and "Cutting Edge." While having a talent of impersonating people's voices, Zartan and his Dreadnoks have been terrorizing a local town, even capturing a local waitress named Wendy, causing Snake-Eyes to go rescue her. The other G.I. Joe members teach

8004-409: The balcony of a local high-rise, but nearby stuntmen prevented it. In 2014, multiple pedestrians marching in an off-site ZombieWalk were struck by a car forcing its way through an intersection. A 64-year-old woman sustained serious injuries to her arm; two others had minor injuries. The same year, a teenage cosplayer was initially thought to have been sexually assaulted early Sunday morning, and

8120-468: The bomb. Zartan is pressured into giving its location by watching the time on his watch running out, allowing the Joes to disable the bomb in time. Zartan also had major roles in "The Synthoid Conspiracy", in which he creates the Synthoids , with which he helps Cobra replace Duke and several other G.I. Joe military commanders; and in "Cold Slither", in which he and the Dreadnoks form a heavy metal band in

8236-485: The comic industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards . San Diego Comic Convention, doing business as Comic-Con International, is the corporate name of the public-benefit nonprofit corporation behind Comic-Con. The corporation also organizes WonderCon , an annual convention held in Anaheim, California , and SAM: Storytelling Across Media, a symposium held at Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park . The convention

8352-526: The convention for the first time. This sellout has given rise to the new phenomenon of Comic-Con memberships being scalped for exorbitant prices on websites such as eBay and Craigslist . In April 2008, David Glanzer, Comic-Con's director of marketing and public relations, commented on the organization's desire to remain in San Diego: We've been approached by other cities, [but] I don't think anybody wants to leave San Diego. I certainly don't. It's

8468-571: The convention is the "largest convention of its kind in the world"; Publishers Weekly wrote "Comic-Con International: San Diego is the largest show in North America"; it is also the largest convention held in San Diego. The convention has an estimated annual regional economic impact of more than $ 140 million. Yet, in 2009, the estimated economic impact was criticized for allegedly negatively impacting seasonal businesses outside of Comic-Con, low individual spending estimates of attendees, that

8584-544: The disguise. The action figures for Zartan's brother Zandar and sister Zarana were also constructed of the same UV reactive plastic. Zartan was updated in 1993, as part of the Ninja Force line. A complete departure from his classic uniform, Zartan wore a leather jacket and neon green pants. Instead of a cowl, he wears a short orange mohawk on his otherwise bald head. All the Ninja Force figures were designed with

8700-442: The end of the film, confirming that he has taken the place of the President. Vosloo reprises his role as Zartan in the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation , with a much larger role. According to Vosloo, Zartan is still in disguise as the U.S. President and he has the world leaders all under his thumb, war heads headed towards innocent populaces, and some new heavies on the payroll, to keep G.I. Joe at bay. Zartan orders air strikes on

8816-565: The fire department to get her out. Also in 2024, the "San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force" conducted a multi-agency undercover operation that arrested 14 and rescued 10 victims. According to the California Attorney General's Office , "sex buyers were using the San Diego Comic-Con Convention to seek out potential victims". In 2014, San Diego Comic-Con sent a cease and desist order to

8932-401: The form of anyone it scans. Zartan uses it to take the Cobra van and to get away from Flint. During the conflict, he tried to dispose of Scarlett by disguising himself as Duke. When the real Duke arrives, Snake-Eyes takes down Zartan, as his heartbeat is different from Duke's. Scarlett touches the suit, which results in a surge that leaves black burns around Zartan's eyes as she removes it. Zartan

9048-421: The gators get you first." Zandar is the only other Dreadnok that Road Pig has obeyed besides Zarana. Zandar and his twin sister Zarana were introduced in 1986, along with the second wave of Dreadnok action figures. Zandar and Zarana were made of the same UV reactive plastic as Zartan, and when exposed to direct sunlight, their skin would turn dark blue. The Zandar figure had a punk appearance with orange hair,

9164-542: The intention of taking the Joes' prisoners, the Baroness and Crystal Ball . Zandar appeared in the second season of the Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon voiced by Peter Cullen and understudied by Milton James in "Arise Serpentor, Arise" Pt. 5. In the five-part episode "Arise Serpentor, Arise," Zandar and Zarana join Zartan in finding new recruits for the Dreadnoks. During this five-part episode, Roger C. Carmel voiced Zandar in

9280-499: The late-2010s. In 2013, there were 1075 total panels held during the convention, the plurality of which were anime-focused (29%), followed by comic-focused panels (26%). The 2013 convention had 1036 vendors. There are at least 17 separate rooms in the convention center used for panels and screenings, ranging in size from 280 seats to 6,100 seats. The two biggest are Ballroom 20, which seats approximately 4,900; and Hall H, which seats just over 6,100. The neighboring Hilton Bayfront

9396-515: The latter of which, while set at the event, was not filmed there. Comic-Con also served as an excuse for the fictional characters Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood 's trip to Tijuana, Mexico in episode 7 ("The Escape") of the first season of TV series The O.C. The convention also featured prominently as a setting for the Numb3rs episode " Graphic ". In season 4 of Beauty and the Geek , an episode

9512-427: The leader of a motorcycle gang who was the original Zartan. Amauri joined the Dreadnoks and reunited with Zandar and Zarana . He was later approached by several Dreadnoks for the purpose of overthrowing the leader, who considered all the members expendable. When the insurrection was exposed, the leader planned to have Amauri executed by dismemberment . Zandar and Zarana incited a rival gang to attack, which gave them

9628-402: The magnetic pads were surgically implanted beneath the skin, giving him a normal appearance. He expressed a desire to leave the lab and go to the outside world, and days later he kills a guard and poses as wait staff, to escape before anyone notices he was gone. Cobra agents track him using a subcutaneous transmitter, but he evades them, fakes his own death, and sneaks back into the lab. He pulls

9744-542: The main exhibitor hall. Artist Alley is for up and coming artists who are new to the pop culture world by selling their new books, comics, toys, and or services. They range from local companies and businesses in Southern California to international ones, but are mainly private endeavors. Artist Alley is usually located in Hall G of the convention center. Spaces for these exhibitors are highly sought after and are on

9860-486: The mind control elements, since he quickly broke away from the machine to keep his free will). During the final battle, Zartan is sent to America using the missile crisis as a cover, where he infiltrates the White House as part of Cobra's plans for world domination, and assumes the identity of the President of the United States. Several times in the film, he whistles the tune " For He's a Jolly Good Fellow ", including at

9976-467: The opportunity to free their brother. The traitorous Dreadnoks teamed up with the rival gang, and Amauri fought and overpowered the leader and his rivals. With no one left to back him up, the leader was killed by Buzzer , Torch , and Ripper , and Amauri assumed the identity of Zartan. Zartan is introduced in Origins . He was orphaned as a young boy, and made his way by pickpockets on the street. When he

10092-492: The organizers of Salt Lake Comic Con , asserting that "Comic-Con" and "Comic-Con International" were registered trademarks of the convention, and that use of the term "comic con" in any form was trademark infringement as it implies an unauthorized association with San Diego Comic-Con. A U.S. court ruled in favor of San Diego Comic-Con and awarded $ 20,000 in damages (albeit not considering the infringement to be willful). Phoenix Comiccon changed its name to Phoenix Comic Fest as

10208-544: The original figure from 1984, was released in 2008 that does not change color, but came with a scaled down version of the Chameleon swamp skier and two removable masks. Zartan was also released on the Hall of Heroes Line to commemorate the 25th anniversary figures. He came with three face masks, his trademark pistol and a sniper rifle. Zartan was released in the second wave of figures for the Pursuit of Cobra line in 2010. In

10324-438: The origins of Comic-Con, it noted the work of Krueger, who handled early business matters, and worked to get the event to be organized by a non-profit organization. By the late 1970s, the show had grown to such an extent that Bob Schreck recalled visiting with his then-boss Gary Berman of Creation Conventions and reflecting, "While [Berman] kept repeating (attempting to convince himself) 'This show's not any bigger than ours!' I

10440-997: The pair, saying that apart from killing him, the two can do what they wish; this is Zandar's punishment for betraying Cobra. Zandar and Zarana make an appearance supplying weapons to the Heathens motorcycle gang, who are working under "The One's" program. Concerned only with their money, not the gang's politics or goals, the twins demand their payment, but not before a G.I. Joe strike team attacks and orders them to surrender. The twins flee on their motorbike, but not before realizing neither one of them collected their fee. They also realize "The One" considers them expendable and vow to put an end to "The One." Shipwreck follows them as they speed away, informing them he's got them outgunned. Zandar and Zarana use holography to conceal themselves and their bike. The Dreadnok twins were apprehended shortly thereafter and taken into custody. The Dreadnok Twins, disguised as inner Mongolian locals, Ying and Yong, lead

10556-535: The past, most sites have not required a Comic-Con badge. In 2017, one example was a virtual reality and immersive set based on the movie Blade Runner 2049 . In 2018, these examples included a Taco Bell Demolition Man themed pop-up restaurant in the Gaslamp and a Shake Shack Bob's Burgers themed pop-up restaurant in Mission Valley . However, there are some official offsite events that require

10672-484: The second part and Milton James voiced Zandar in the fifth part when Peter Cullen was unavailable for those two episodes. In "Raise the Flagg!", Cobra attempts to salvage an antimatter pod from a crashed helicarrier of theirs. Cobra soldiers under the command of Zartan, Zandar and Zarana use an oil platform for the operation. The three Dreadnoks flee during a battle with the Joes and are sent by Cobra Commander to recover

10788-529: The tail-end. Because of difficulty obtaining the original mold, Hasbro compromised, and repainted the 1990 SAW-Viper body with a modified Zartan head. Although true to the classic look, both this figure and the Ninja Force release are unpopular reinterpretations of the character. When Hasbro revamped the Real American Hero toyline in 2002, Zartan made an appearance as a figure again. Zartan sports his trademark hood and an open vested shirt. This figure

10904-528: The town how to stand up to Zartan and the Dreadnoks. When the Dreadnoks present the captured Snake-Eyes bound in chains, Zartan fights the Joes. Zartan is taken down a notch when Snake-Eyes easily escapes at the right moment, and uses the chains as a weapon. Zartan is tackled by Sheriff Terry, who manages to defeat Zartan and arrest him. When Flint and Lady Jaye arrive in town to arrest Duke's team, they end up capturing Zartan and his Dreadnoks. In "Knockoffs," Flint and Lady Jaye use Zartan to help them track down

11020-578: The troops. Zartan is given a valuable gem by Pythona of Cobra-La, so that he and his Dreadnoks will aid them in freeing Serpentor. They accomplish their task, but Zartan himself is absent from then on, and is not seen during the final battle at the film's climax. Zartan appeared in the direct-to-video CGI animated movie G.I. Joe: Spy Troops , voiced by Colin Murdock. Zartan appeared in G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 . His disguise techniques are due to hologram generators in his suit. Zartan makes two appearances in

11136-478: The twins grew up on the streets of London rather than be separated to different foster homes. He and his sister searched out their brother and found themselves in the outback of Australia as members of the Dreadnok biker gang. Zandar fights against invading Joe forces when Zartan's expanded Everglades headquarters comes under attack. He and Road Pig capture Scarlett and Snake Eyes . Zandar turned up alongside

11252-552: The winners of the Eisner Awards . The last Update issue appeared in July 2008; then it went on hiatus. When it came back, it was as Comic-Con Magazine , which not only covered San Diego Comic-Con, but also WonderCon and the Alternative Press Expo , more commonly known as APE (which the con owned through 2014). The new Comic-Con Magazine features interviews with Comic-Con attendees and complete coverage of Comic-Con events. The fourth issue of Comic-Con Magazine

11368-501: Was Zandar fighting him. Zartan pulls all his forces, which would have lost the battle for Cobra if Cobra Commander hadn't personally seen to Serpentor himself being taken down. Without a leader, the Coil fell to Cobra's newest troopers, the Neo-Vipers. Zandar's actions come back to affect him when Duke and former Joe commander, Phillip Rey, arrive at a Dreadnoks HQ to confront him for information. Zartan literally throws Zandar at

11484-541: Was Zandar, "the leader of the Dreadnoks and master of disguise though he looked more like a member of Duran Duran circa Arena than a crazed killer". San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con ( SDCC ) is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California . It is held at the San Diego Convention Center . Originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fantasy media, Comic-Con has grown to include

11600-419: Was a hybrid with Comic-Con's Souvenir Book with cover art by Alex Ross , in full color and exclusive to Comic-Con attendees. A large number of exhibitors from art, comics, games, film, TV, and publishing make their appearance at Comic-Con. There are three types of exhibitors at San Diego Comic Con. Inside the convention center, which requires a badge to visit during the convention, includes artists alley and

11716-478: Was confronted by the local police, he gave them the name "Zartan" that he saw on a movie poster behind them, eventually adopting it at the beginning of his named career. Years later, Zartan is a Cobra agent answering directly to the Baroness . He was tasked with infiltrating a presidential airliner, to ensure the continued cooperation of President Rumanapar. His mission is a success, and he contacts Baroness for extraction. Displeased with Zartan, Baroness sends him to be

11832-473: Was described by Publishers Weekly as "a must-do". The convention is organized by a panel of 13 board members, 16 to 20 full-time and part-time workers, and 80 volunteers who assist via committees. Comic-Con International is a non-profit organization, and proceeds of the event go to funding it, as well as SAM: Storytelling Across Media and WonderCon . The convention logo was designed by Richard Bruning and Josh Beatman in 1995. In 2015, working with Lionsgate ,

11948-463: Was extended to 2021, then to 2024. In 2012, a 53-year-old woman was struck and killed by a motorist Tuesday as she tried to cross the street in front of the San Diego Convention Center, police said. The woman tripped and hit the car while crossing at the intersection of 5th and Harbor. She had been part of the crowd camping out for the Twilight panel. In 2013, a young woman attempted to jump off

12064-491: Was featured in issue #48, where he had been brought into The Pit , the Joe's Headquarters, disguised as an injured Joe, Ripcord . He almost escapes, by impersonating various Joes, such as Doc , Tripwire , General Hawk and Gung-Ho . Zartan is confronted by Sgt. Slaughter while impersonating Gung-Ho, as the real Gung-Ho is standing next to him. Trying to figure out which one is really Zartan, Slaughter punches one, and by luck, it

12180-633: Was featured where the contestants traveled to Comic-Con 07 and were given a challenge to create their own superheroes. In an episode of Punk'd , Hilary Swank gets Punk'd after an "attack from talking robot". In season 5, episode six, of the Showtime show Weeds , attendees from Comic-Con 2009 are seen in Silas and Doug's medicinal marijuana club. Comic-Con featured at some length in the 2011 movie Paul which stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost . Issue No. 72 of The Invincible Iron Man (January 1975)

12296-629: Was founded in 1970 by Shel Dorf , Richard Alf , Ken Krueger , Mike Towry , Ron Graf, Barry Alfonso, Bob Sourk, and Greg Bear . Initial comic book and sci-fi club meetings would be held at Krueger's Alert Books in Ocean Beach , where much of the foundation of the early Cons coalesced. In the mid-1960s, Dorf, a Detroit -born comics fan, had mounted the Detroit Triple-Fan Fair , one of the first commercial comics-fan conventions. When he moved to San Diego in 1970, he organized

12412-416: Was held during the same time period as a replacement for the 2020 event. Although plans were made for the convention to possibly return in 2021 (with 2020 badge holders given the option to receive a full refund or to roll over their badge to 2021), it was announced on March 1, 2021, that the convention would be cancelled once again. Despite availability of COVID-19 vaccines , the organizers assessed that it

12528-472: Was held in the basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel , having been secured by Graf, from August 1–3, 1970. The first few Comic-Cons operated under the name San Diego West Coast Comic Convention until 1973, when it changed to San Diego Comic-Con . Other locations in the convention's early years included El Cortez Hotel , the University of California, San Diego , and Golden Hall , before being moved to

12644-459: Was later named Zartan, an anagram of Tarzan, by writer Larry Hama . The 1984 Zartan action figure featured UV reactive plastic. In its natural state, Zartan appeared white, but when exposed to sunlight, Zartan's skin changed to a dark blue. The action figure also came with thermal sensitive stickers that were applied to Zartan's chest- and thigh-armor. These stickers changed from maroon when cold, to aqua at room temperature, and blue when hot. Zartan

12760-477: Was offered with a variety of paint schemes including with disguises in the Spy Troops line. In 2004, Zartan was redesigned again for Valor vs. Venom . Trading his hood for a ski cap, Zartan is the furthest from his biker roots here, retaining only the recognizable face markings to make him stand out. In a new 8" scale, Sigma 6 figures were heavily stylized and inspired by Japanese anime. Zartan released in

12876-409: Was originally released in the toy line, it stated on his file card that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder . After a complaint from a mental health organization, Hasbro removed this information from the file for later print runs, and was not referenced on file cards for future releases of the character. In early development, he was called Captain Chameleon. He

12992-406: Was quietly walking the floor stunned and in awe of just how much bigger it really was. I was blown away." From 1984 to c.  1994 , a trade fair called the "San Diego Comic Book Expo" was held in association with San Diego Comic-Con; David Scroggy was the organizer. In 1995, the convention's official name was changed to Comic-Con International: San Diego . According to Forbes ,

13108-620: Was set at the July–August 1974 Comic-Con at the El Cortez Hotel and featured cameos by a few of the special guests. The fifth Kelly Green graphic novel The Comic-Con Heist (1987) written by Leonard Starr and drawn by Stan Drake was set at the 1983 con and depicted such regulars as Will Eisner , Milton Caniff , Burne Hogarth and Jack Kirby along with Shel Dorf ; it initially only appeared in French until Classic Comics Press issued

13224-429: Was sold with an accompanying "swamp skier" called the Chameleon, which also contained thermal reactive plastic. The Chameleon could be disassembled into several parts and loaded into a small cart that was included with the action figure; the cart, loaded with the vehicle's parts, would act as part of a disguise, making Zartan appear to be a parts or junk dealer. A small face mask, included in a detachable backpack, completed

13340-496: Was still premature and unsafe to hold an in-person event at Comic-Con's full scale on the originally-scheduled dates, and that Comic-Con International was exploring the possibility of holding a smaller in-person spin-off event later in the year. SDCC@Home would again be held, but in a downsized form. A smaller in-person event, "San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition" was hosted in November 2021, with proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or

13456-420: Was usually loyal to Cobra Commander and had a rivalry with Destro, who considered Zartan a petty criminal. He was also a more cowardly character, often fleeing battle when things turned against him. He first appeared in the mini-series "The Revenge of Cobra", along with Dreadnoks Buzzer, Ripper and Torch. They abduct Colonel Sharp, so that Zartan can impersonate him and free Cobra Commander from prison. Zartan and

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