TANZIKA
TANZIKA
Real Name: Tanzika
Identity/Class: Human; citizen of Wakanda
Occupation: conspirator; former handmaiden to T'Challa
Affiliations: former lover of Solomon Prey and Zatama
Enemies: Black Panther (T'Challa), Monica Lynne, Leila Taylor
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Wakanda
First Appearance: Captain America I#170 (1974)
Powers/Abilities: Tanzika is a woman of great passions, both lusty and hateful. She was educated in an unidentified university, and she is shrewd and conniving, readily willing to commit murder to accomplish her goals or punish those who have crossed her.
She did not demonstrate particular fighting skills, and though she has claimed to have healing and empathic powers, these were not confirmed.
History:
(Captain America I#170 (fb) - BTS) - Tanzika studied in an unidentified
university.
(Black Panther: Panther's Prey#4 (fb)) - Serving as a handmaiden in the royal court of Wakanda, Tanzika fell in love with her king, T'Challa, though these feelings were not mutual.
(Captain America I#170) - T'Challa introduced Tanzika to the Falcon and his girlfriend, Leila Taylor, and had Tanzika take Leila for a walk through a local village. Their cultural differences and catty natures quickly caused the two to dislike each other.
(Black Panther: Panther's Prey#4 (fb)) - Tanzika felt insulted when T'Challa instead fell in love with someone she considered inferior, the outworlder Monica Lynne. Seeking love (and power) in another source, she began an affair with Zatama, a member of the Wakandan High Council.. She hoped that one day Zatama would grow in political power and wrest rulership of Wakanda from T'Challa. However, Zatama eventually rejected Tanzika.
(Jungle Action I#7) - Tanzika escorted Monica Lynne to a bath in a nearby river, maintaining a distance from Monica despite her efforts to become friendly.
(Jungle Action I#9) - Tanzika served roast Kraal Venison to T'Challa and Monica, making no effort to disguise her disdain for "Miss Lynne." Later that evening, Tanzika ambushed Zatama is his room, using the skewer with which Monica had eaten. Already unpopular among the Wakandans as an outsider, was quickly condemned for murder when Zatama was discovered and her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.
(Jungle Action I#10) -While serving dinner, Tanzika questioned T'Challa about the terrible deed his lover had done. He hushed her.
(Jungle Action I#11) - Suspecting the true murderer, T'Challa told Monica he had discovered new evidence to reveal the murderer's identity, knowing Tanzika was within earshot of them. He then watched from overhead and found Tanzika unearthing a secret box which contained pictures of her and Zatama. When T'Challa confronted her, she hurled a skewer at him, but he easily dodged and brought her to the Wakandan police.
BTS - Tanzika was imprisoned for a length of time on Panther Island, but she was eventually released (or escaped) and she found a new lover and conspirator in Solomon Prey.
(Black
Panther: Panther's Prey#1-4) - With Prey, Tanzika found a passionate partner in
both love and war. They plotted to undermine the social structure of Wakanda
with drugs, while at the same time stealing and destroying the Vibranium that
was the source of the nation's wealth. Prey had himself mutated, giving himself
wings, talons, and the ability to escape detection, making himself a deadly for
of T'Challa. Tanzika licked Prey's infected wounds after his surgery and would
have him tell her of their plans and T'Challa's injuries, arousing her into a
carnal frenzy.
At the culmination of their plot, Tanzika held the detonator, preparing to blow up the entire Vibranium mound, but the Panther snatched it from her grasp. All of her dreams fell to pieces as Prey was slain in battle with T'Challa, and she was cast off of her pteradon, to the ground. Furious at Prey for failing her, she kicked his corpse repeatedly until Taku pulled her away. Suddenly, she tore herself from Taku's grasp and rushed at Monica Lynne, screaming her plans to kill her.
Monica threw back her elbow, smashing Tanzika in the nose, and dropping her to the ground.
Comments: Created by Mike Friedrich, Steve Englehart, and Sal Buscema.
There were several hints to Tanzika as the murderess of Zatama, and they were all detailed in the back on Jungle Action#11. She had added an extra section to the skewer when she murdered Zatama so that her own fingerprints would neither be discovered nor would they smear Monica's fingerprints from the rest of the weapon.
Good pictures on Tanzika with all of her naughty bits covered are hard to find in the Panther's Prey series. By the way, you really should read that work of art!
CLARIFICATIONS:
Not so much
Last updated: 05/15/03
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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