| Dazzler | |
|---|---|
 Dazzler on the cover ofDazzler #20. Art byJohn Romita Jr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Uncanny X-Men #130 (February 1980) |
| Created by | Tom DeFalco John Romita Jr. |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Alison "Ali" Blaire |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations |
|
| Notable aliases | The Disco Dazzler |
| Abilities |
|
Dazzler (Alison Blaire) is asuperheroine appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, often in association with theX-Men. She first appeared inUncanny X-Men #130 (February 1980).[7]
Amutant with the ability to convert sound vibrations into light and energy beams, Dazzler was developed as a cross-promotional, multi-media creation betweenCasablanca Records andMarvel Comics until the tie-ins were dropped in 1980. The character was created by a committee of Marvel staff, principally writer/editorTom DeFalco and illustratorJohn Romita Jr. She starred in a self-titled series in the early 1980s which lasted forty-two issues, aMarvel Graphic Novel titledDazzler: The Movie, a four-issue limited series co-starringThe Beast titledBeauty and the Beast, and later joined the cast ofUncanny X-Men. She has also featured in other Marvel teams.
The character is considered agay icon due to LGBT readers, particularly gay men, enjoying her disco aesthetic, popstar stage persona, andstrong-willed characterization.[8][9][10][11]
Halston Sage portrays Dazzler inDark Phoenix.
Dazzler was conceived in early 1979[12] as a joint venture between Marvel Comics andCasablanca Records, a subsidiary ofUniversal Music Group[13] that had achieved considerable success with notabledisco acts includingDonna Summer andVillage People.[14] Accounts differ as to which party made the first move; in 1986Louise Simonson would tellAmazing Heroes that Casablanca approached Marvel;[14] however, in a 2011 blog postJim Shooter would credit the idea to Marvel employee Alice Donenfeld and based on the success ofThe Archies, who later pitched it to Casablanca supremoNeil Bogart.[15] Bogart was enthusiastic, not only wanting to produce music 'by' the character (who initially had the working name of 'Disco Queen')[14] but also launch it with a half-hour animated special featuring numerous Marvel characters.[15] Marvel began shaping the character; Shooter assigned the development toTom DeFalco (who, like Shooter, had experience working atArchie Comics),Roger Stern, Roberta 'Dickie' Mackenzie andJohn Romita Jr. while continuing to oversee the project himself. Shooter recalled that DeFalco pitched the name 'Evelyn Free' (a pun on "evil and free") for the character's civilian identity before the group decided on Alison Blaire.[15] At this stage much about the character was in flux; Romita Jr. initially designed her asAfrican American, heavily based on singer/actressGrace Jones[16] with a costume inspired by the skin-tight and revealing eveningwear he had seen on women at New York nightclubs;[12] her name was changed, first to Disco Dazzler and then to simply Dazzler at the suggestion of Stern;[14] and initially her powers were to be an ability to make people tell the truth. DeFalco objected to the latter, feeling it was "not very interesting for a comic book". Instead he successfully suggested that as her name was Dazzler light-based powers made more sense.[12] Casablanca held final approval over the character at this stage, and vetoed some of Marvel's ideas. DeFalco would recall that the numerous delays led the creative team to believe disco "would be dead" before Dazzler's debut as the various parties hammered out the initial story, which DeFalco and Romita turned into an origin story[14]
Meanwhile, the multimedia side of the project changed several times. Shooter had produced a pitch for the TV special that had impressed Bogart so much he wanted to turn it into a live-action special with many stars he had under contract (includingCher,Donna Summer,Kiss,Lenny and Squiggy,Robin Williams and theVillage People) to appear as Marvel characters.[15] However, soon afterwards Casablanca struck financial trouble, and Bogart was forced out of the company. Instead filmmakerJohn Derek showed interest in Dazzler as a potential film vehicle for his wifeBo, who were looking to build on the success of10 with studio Filmworks. As such the comic character was redesigned to more closely resemble Derek herself, becoming a white blonde,[14] requiring Romita Jr. to redraw the work already done on the comic. The artist was unimpressed with the changes to the lead character.[17] According to DeFalco, the Dereks' involvement in the project ended after the poor reception of their vehicleTarzan, the Ape Man[12]
Marvel had planned to release the 34-page Dazzler comic as part of theMarvel Comics Super Special series, which generally dealt with media adaptations,[12] while some thought was also given to releasing it as a black-and-white magazine.[14] After Casablanca and Filmworks both withdrew, Marvel shipped the concept around other record labels and film studios without success. While this was happening, Dazzler had appeared in other titles to build anticipation. The character had debuted inUncanny X-Men #130 (dated February 1980) as an ally of theX-Men, and subsequently guested in issues ofAmazing Spider-Man (#203, April 1980) andFantastic Four (#217, April 1980). Due to the character still being in flux while these issues were produced they featured some inconsistencies - Richard Gagnon ofAmazing Heroes noted the character was considerably more streetwise in herX-Men appearance than she would be for most of her subsequent appearances, while in theSpider-Man guest spot Dazzler fired beams from her eyes due to DeFalco having to tellMarv Wolfman to simply take pot luck over which of the three potential variations in powers Casablanca were mulling over at the time would be finalised.[14]
Rather than simply have the work done go to waste, Shooter decided to repackage it as an ongoing comic series. DeFalco would write additional exposition and other material to turn the 34-page one-shot into two 22-page single issues. As Romita Jr. had moved on to other projects an uncreditedWalt Simonson provided the art for the new pages. In order to make the debut still something of an event, Shooter decided it would be Marvel's first ongoing series that was exclusive to thedirect market - i.e. sold only to specialist comic stores, rather than also to newsstands - a model used by several smaller independent publishers. This also made the comic non-returnable for retailers. Given a healthy promotional push, the first issue - dated May 1981 - was a resounding commercial success for Marvel, with around 400,000 copies sold to stores - around double the number of most of the company's best-selling titles.[18][19][20]
With the Romita Jr. material running out midway through the third issue (which also featured work fromAlan Kupperberg),Frank Springer became the title's new regular artist.[14] The first issues contained a plethora of Marvel's finest as guest stars as a legacy of the book's origin as a one-off special, and the pattern was kept up for the early issues of the title to support the new character's sales -Dazzler #3-4 featuredDoctor Doom; #6-7 guest-starredHulk; #9 saw an appearance byQuasar; and #10-11 saw Dazzler cross paths withGalactus.[12] Some of these appearances drew criticism due to the unsubtle way many of Marvel's established heroes were in awe of the newcomer.[14] After issue 6 DeFalco left the title, partly due to his growing editorial commitments at Marvel and partly because he was disagreeing over the direction of the series with Springer, who wanted to draw more onromance comics than traditional superhero fare.Dazzler #8 also saw another talent added to the book, withBill Sienkiewicz contributing the first of what would be a number of covers for the series.[12]
DeFalco's replacement was relative newcomerDanny Fingeroth, initially working from his predecessor's outlines. Fingeroth would also write Dazzler's first appearance in alternative universe anthology titleWhat If, contributing a story that was based on the Galactus storyline fromDazzler #10-11. Issue #17 saw the start of a short stint by the X-Men team-memberAngel as a suitor; Fingeroth would admit this was an attempt to draw readers to the series, which had not kept up its early sales.[12] As with other guest appearances, Angel's behaviour in hisDazzler appearances drew mixed responses, with Gagnon describing him as "boorish".[14]Dazzler #20 introduced the villains Doctor Sax and Johnny Guitar, named by Fingeroth after theJack Kerouacbook and theNicholas Rayfilm respectively, while #21 was an extra-sized issue exploring the fates of Alison's parents; Fingeroth felt such human interest was an important part of a superhero series' appeal to readers. It also featured another unusual attempt to make the title stand out - a photo cover of model June McDonald posing as Dazzler.[12] The following issue saw Fingeroth also leave the title; Springer briefly wrote and drew the title, before scripts by Shooter and Ken McDonald. Despite a change of direction that saw Dazzler change from a singer in New York to an aspiring actress inLos Angeles (which also saw the much-derided original costume finally dropped for a series of leotards) the series' fortunes failed to improve, and from #31 the title switched to bi-monthly publication.Dazzler #32 sawMike Carlin take over for an ultimately short stint as writer, and shortly afterwardsGeof Isherwood started art duties on the title.[12]
In an attempt to draw more attention to the series Shooter, Springer andVince Colletta createdDazzler the Movie, the twelfth entry in theMarvel Graphic Novel series; the story publicly outed Alison as a mutant, a development that would drive subsequent issues. It did little to boost sales, and Gagnon would later callDazzler the Movie "the most extravagant waste of thegraphic novel format to date".[14] In the regular series,Dazzler #33 featured a Sienkiewicz cover closely referencingMichael Jackson's hugely popularThriller music video, and cameos by long-dormant Marvel humour charactersMillie the Model andChili Storm.[12]
Another attempt to find an audience came with the spin-off mini-seriesBeauty and the Beast, pairing Dazzler with the popularHank McCoy, at the time a member of theDefenders. The series was written byAnn Nocenti, and along with Louise Simonson'sPower Pack andTrina Robbins' fashion comicMisty was an attempt by Marvel to find the female audience the publisher had lost over the previous decade. To this end Nocenti attempted to writeBeauty and the Beast as a romance comic, though she would later reflect it was a "tough assignment" pairing a "blonde airhead" with a "deep intellectual".[12]
Dazzler #38 saw another new direction, with the popularArchie Goodwin as writer andPaul Chadwick as artist. Goodwin redesigned the character's costume and planned to return the series to superheroics rather than personal and showbiz drama.[12] He would later admit he took theDazzler series on as no-one else wanted it and he needed work at the time.[14] Chadwick had caught Goodwin's eye after pitching hiscreator-owned seriesConcrete when the latter was anEpic Comics editor. Goodwin also introduced bounty hunter O. Z. Chase to the series as a supporting character.[12] The relaunch attracted a mild improvement in critical response,[14] but followingDazzler #40 (which tied into theSecret Wars II crossover) Goodwin and Chadwick were told the series would be ending after two further issues due to poor sales, ending after #42 (dated March 1986). While sanguine about his experiences on the book, Chadwick would later note the modifications to the cover of the final issue - which saw another artist add the Beast to his original work - was a factor in his decision to return to launchingConcrete rather than to continue working with Marvel.[12]
At the time the series was not greatly mourned; reviewing the final issue of the series forAmazing Heroes, R. A. Jones feltDazzler would "not be missed" and criticized its lack of success across several genres - though also expressed that the book might have been more successful if Goodwin and Chadwick had arrived earlier.[21] Shortly afterwards in the same publication, Richard Gagnon described it as "easily one of the worst comics that Marvel Comics Group has ever put out".[14]
Retrospective reviews have been kinder, however. Angelo Delos Trinos ofCBR.com ranked theDazzler comic book series 5th in their "10 Times Comics Changed The World" list, writing, "The '80s were some of comics' most profitable years, and this was thanks in part to the growing speculator market. Publishers were already moving away from young readers to adults who treated comics more as an investment than populist entertainment. They finalized this shift afterDazzler #1, by Tom Defalco, John Romita Senior and Junior, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Bob McCleod, and Glynis Wein became a blockbuster."[18]
Following the cancellation ofDazzler, the character was considered as a possible founding member ofX-Factor, but the decision to resurrectJean Grey put that idea aside.[22] Instead, Dazzler would find a home in the pages ofUncanny X-Men, still under the aegis ofChris Claremont - who had scripted the character's debut appearance. In-universe, Dazzler had twice turned down membership of the X-Men before finally joining the team fromUncanny X-Men #214 (dated February 1987) and would go on to be a member of the team until #248, when she was effectively written out after travelling through theSiege Perilous and losing her memory.[23]
Subsequently, Dazzler made only occasional appearances between 1989 and 2005, before returning to regularly featuring in monthly publication for the first time in 15 years when she joined the cast ofNew Excalibur.[citation needed]New Excalibur also saw Dazzler gain the power of being able to instantly resurrect herself, a development that was effectively forgotten about soon afterwards.[24][25] After the title was canceled, Dazzler was brought back as a supporting character inUncanny X-Men written byMatt Fraction.[citation needed]
In February 2010, Marvel published a one-shotDazzler special by writerJim McCann and artist Kalman Andrasofszky as part of theWomen of Marvel series.[26] According toDiamond Comic Distributors, the special was the 115th best selling comic book of May 2010.[27][28] Doug Zawisza ofCBR.com calledDazzler #1 a ""Greatest Hits" comic album of Dazzler's best material",[29] while Bryan Joel ofIGN, calling the character "a great candidate to show off the themes central to the "Women of Marvel" drive."[30]
The 2012 seriesX-Treme X-Men featured Dazzler as the leader of a dimension-hopping X-Men team, and later that year she appearedUncanny X-Men as an agent of superspy outfitS.H.I.E.L.D.[citation needed] Beginning in May 2015, Dazzler appeared as one of the main characters inA-Force, an all-femaleAvengers launched byG. Willow Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and Jorge Molina during Marvel's "Secret Wars" storyline.[31][32]
2018 saw the character feature in another starring one-shot,Dazzler: X-Song. The issue was the 100th best selling comic book in June 2018.[33][34][35] and received positive reviews, with Mike Fugere ofCBR.com referring to it as "the most important X-story Marvel has published in years", noting "Maybe Dazzler isn’t the beckon [sic] of social progress we were looking for, but it seems she has become the one we have."[36] Joshua Davison ofBleeding Cool stated, "'Dazzler: X-Song #1 is an excellent self-contained story centering around the ever-lovable Allison Blaire of the X-Men. The themes are interesting, the characters that are supposed to be likable succeed in being so, and the art looks great."[37]
Alison Blaire was born in Gardendale, New York to Carter Blaire and Katherine Blaire. Hermutant powers first manifest when she is in junior high school. An aspiring singer, she volunteers to perform at her school dance when her light-generating abilities first appear. Everyone at the dance assumes it is a technologically generatedspecial effect, an assumption commonly made before she reveals herself to be a mutant later in her life.[volume & issue needed]
Using thestage name "Dazzler", Alison sets out to make a name for herself in themusic industry, using her light powers and dancing ability to enhance her performances. It is at one of her shows that Alison first meets theX-Men while they are attacked by the forces of theHellfire Club. Angry at the interruption of her show, Alison lashes out in anger at the Hellfire intruders, unintentionally making one membercatatonic.[38] Alison subsequently aids the X-Men in findingKitty Pryde. She had always assumed that life as a disco queen would be exciting but finds the fight with the X-Men's enemies going a bit too far, and turns down their offer to join the team.[39]
Dazzler hid her status as a mutant from all but those closest to her. After acquainting herself with the variousMarvel Comics superheroes, Alison finds herself continually using her abilities to fight both ordinary criminals and rogue superhumans—often at the expense of her career ambitions. On one occasion, she meetsSpider-Man, teaming up against theLightmaster.[40] She later battled theEnchantress,[41] is overwhelmed byDoctor Doom, theAbsorbing Man and then fights offNightmare.[42] She briefly allied with the heroBlue Shield,[43] and aids the X-Men andSpider-Woman against the misguidedCaliban.[44] On another occasion, she battles and defeats theHulk,[45] and establishes a long-standing feud with the then-mentally unstableRogue.[46] She fights against the cyberneticTechmaster.[47] She also has a romantic affair withWarren Worthington III.[48] In the course of her inadvertent adventures, she even encounters the planet-devouringGalactus, who initially thought she was of little import and generally ignores her. Nevertheless, Galactus temporarily endowed her with cosmic energy so she can retrieve the heraldTerrax.[49] Alison was also asked to audition for a place in theAvengers; she declined, saying that the superhero life was of no interest to her.[50]
Dazzler moved to Los Angeles in a fruitless attempt to help her half-sister Lois London, who has the mutant power to kill anyone with a touch, but has little to no control over the ability.[51] While in Los Angeles, Alison attempts careers infitness training,dancing,modeling, andacting. Influenced both by her lover Roman Nekoboh and her desire to abate the growing anti-mutant sentiment, Alison publicly declared her mutant identity soon afterwards. The revelation backfired, destroying her reputation and career and inflaming anti-mutant sentiment - also sending Alison into a depressive state.[52] Forced into hiding, she spent some time as a keyboard player and back-up vocalist in fellow mutant singerLila Cheney's band.[53] A covert anti-mutant army unit accidentally transformed one of its own members, a latent mutant named Zalme, into a creature calledDinosaur Man, who attacked Dazzler.[54][55]
While on tour, the band's plane crashed and they were rescued byCannonball andJoshua Guthrie. Lila had been knocked out, so Dazzler used the music Joshua plays at the scene to blast a hole through the wreckage.[56] She was later possessed by the psychic mutantMalice; after an encounter with theX-Men coming to warn her about theMarauders, Dazzler was freed from possession and became a member of the team.[57] During her tenure with the X-Men, Dazzler received training, attains greater control over her powers, and develops a romance with the extra-dimensionalLongshot.[58] She was also forced to work alongside the now-reformed Rogue, which caused tension between them at first. Over time, Alison eventually found Rogue to be genuinely remorseful and forgave her teammate.[59] Eventually she and her teammates in the X-Men enter the mysticalSiege Perilous.[60]
Discovered in an amnesiac state washed up on a beach by her former bodyguardGuido, she was nursed back to health by Guido and Lila, though their efforts prove unsuccessful in helping restore her memory.[61] Her memory was eventually restored when she was found by Longshot some time later.[62] Devastated by the loss of her career in the interim, Alison ventured to Longshot's native dimension Mojoworld, joining her lover and Lila in rebellion against the tyrantMojo.[63]
Alison's life on Mojoworld was fraught; she suffered an apparent miscarriage[64] and the apparent corruption of theX-Babies before returning to Earth without Longshot. Despite this, Dazzler helpedJean Grey fight againstMagneto onGenosha. She and Jean lead a small band of mutants to back upCyclops andWolverine. She was apparently incinerated by Magneto,[65] but was actually alive and well, having used a hard-light hologram of herself to distract Magneto while they recoveredProfessor X After returning to Westchester, the X-Men offered Alison help, but she declined and left the mansion.[66]
Many years later,Shatterstar andRictor encountered a past-version of Dazzler while time-traveling through Mojoworld. At this point in her life, Dazzler and Longshot were still married and active in the revolt against Mojo. Rictor discovered Dazzler just as she was about to give birth to the child that had been believed to result in a miscarriage. The surviving infant was revealed to be Shatterstar, resolving speculation that Shatterstar actually was the biological child of Dazzler and Longshot. Exhausted from her ordeal, Dazzler passed out, and Shatterstar revealed the necessity of wiping both her and Longshot's memories of the event, and taking his infant self a century into Mojoworld's future, to be raised as a warrior away from his birth parents.[67]
Dazzler later re-established her musical career by marketing her original, signature disco image as part of theTechno/Trance genre. Alison moved her career abroad to England and joined with X-Men allies such as the Juggernaut andCaptain Britain.[68]Later she was reunited with Longshot, although he was suffering from amnesia and did not remember her, though he later regained his feelings for her and some of his memories.[69] Longshot left theExiles to re-establish a relationship with Dazzler but they soon parted ways, due in part to Dazzler's frustration with other women's attraction to Longshot and the realization that Longshot is no longer the man she loved.[70]
Alison subsequently re-joined the X-Men inSan Francisco[71] while continuing her revived musical career.[72] Later she took part in the fight against theSkrull invasion of Earth.[73] After a night of drinking with team-matesNorthstar andPixie, Dazzler came under attack by the Sisterhood. In retaliation, she later accompaniedEmma Frost,Storm andKarma in an attack on the Sisterhood in San Francisco, where she engaged a mind controlledPsylocke in battle. While Psylocke gained the upper hand, Dazzler absorbed all the sound from the city outside, which she turned into a beam of light that burnt the right side of Psylocke's face off. After the Sisterhood retreated, Dazzler is happily reunited with Psylocke after she regained control.[74]
Along withGambit,Anole, Northstar,Cannonball, Pixie andTrance, Dazzler traveled to Limbo to rescueMagik. However, they were overwhelmed by the demons.[75] She was rescued by Northstar but they come under attack from a possessed Gambit, who turns her into a state much like Gambit's Death persona. They eventually infected the other X-Men in Limbo[76] They were freed thanks to Magik'sSoulsword.[77]
During theSchism between Cyclops and Wolverine, Dazzler chose to remain in San Francisco with Cyclops's side. Dazzler was then asked to lead a "Street Team" of X-Men, to which she agreed.[78] As a result, she worked alongsideBoom Boom andLifeguard.[79]
Dazzler was later summoned toUtopia to help Cyclops andDanger with a Ghost Box; when opened it showed several alternate realityX-Men fighting an evil version ofProfessor X.[80] She subsequently gets sucked through a portal and is whisked away from Earth-616, narrowly avoiding the conflict betweenthe X-Men and the Avengers. She becomes team leader after Emmeline Frost opts to stay on a world where mutants are gods.[81] Dazzler was later reunited with former teammateSage when she tried to rescue a child version ofNightcrawler.[82] Her leadership skills and abilities impressed both Cyclops[83] and Wolverine, the latter of whom offered her a position at the Jean Grey School, believing she would be an invaluable resource to the students. Reluctant to accept the invitation after having spent a year traversing and saving the multiverse as well as witnessing the death of some of her friends, Dazzler opted instead to make a decision at a later time; Wolverine advises the offer still stands and to contact when she figures things out.[84]
Instead, in an attempt to better understand the mutant community and Cyclops's talk of mutant revolution,Maria Hill personally asked Dazzler to become an agent ofS.H.I.E.L.D., a proposition Alison accepts.[85] However, soon after her first mission Dazzler was poisoned and replaced by the shapeshifterMystique.[86] Dazzler was later rescued by Magneto, and joined Cyclops's Uncanny X-Men team.[87]
While participating in aroller derby in Miami, Dazzler was approached bySingularity,She-Hulk,Captain Marvel,Nico Minoru andMedusa to help them defeat Antimatter, since they required a powerful light source to defeat their foe. They attempted to negotiate with Antimatter but Dazzler was critically injured and died on the operating table. She woke up following the failed operation to realize it seemed like she was unable to die, and rejoined the fight against Antimatter in time to take Singularity into a pocket dimension to protect her from dying when Antimatter was destroyed. Singularity sensed something else had broken through into their universe; teleporting to Astoria, Oregon they found the dimension-hoppers wereDazzler Thor - an alternate version of Dazzler fromBattleworld - and her opponent Countess. The Countess vanished following her defeat and A-Force took Dazzler Thor to get "ale" and Nico convinced Dazzler to talk to Dazzler Thor. Dazzler revealed to her alternate self that she had accidentally come into contact withTerrigen Mist and contracted M-Pox, which sterilizes and killsmutants. Dazzler woke up alongside the rest ofA-Force and Dazzler Thor in a jail cell, without any powers. Nico appeared under the mind control and was made to send She-Hulk into a murderous rage, but they used this to escape. A-Force attacked the Countess; Dazzler Thor used a hologram to get close to the Countess, who attacked and injured her. Dazzler picked up Light Bringer to defend her. After the battle, Dazzler Thor died from the M-Pox. Dazzler revealed to the rest of A-Force she also had the disease and left behind Light Bringer in respect for her fallen alternate self.[88]
During thesecond superhero Civil War, Dazzler went with Captain Marvel to fightThanos; She-Hulk was seriously injured in the fight. Shortly afterwards, Ulysses predicted that Nico would murder an innocent woman named Alice. Dazzler disagreed with Captain Marvel, who wanted to pre-emptively arrest her team-mate, and warned Nico when she arrived. Nico escaped, with Dazzler and Singularity opposing Captain Marvel and Medusa's decision to hunt her down. They followed the pair to Arizona, where Nico is hiding withElsa Bloodstone and find it overrun by an infection turning people into a swarm of giant bugs. After a brief confrontation when the rest of A-Force find Nico they split into two teams: one to find Alice and the other to protect the civilians. While searching for Alice in an abandoned mine, Danvers, Nico, and Bloodstone are attacked by a giant bug. The bug incapacitates Danvers and Bloodstone before telepathically communicating to Nico, that she is Alice and has been inadvertently infecting the townspeople after her transformation. Alice tells Nico that killing her is the only way to save the people. When Nico refuses, an infected Bloodstone threatens to kill Danvers. Medusa, Singularity, and an infected Dazzler are overrun by bugs and regroup with the others just as Bloodstone infects Danvers. After Dazzler infects Medusa, Nico casts a spell to transform Alice back into a human but it does not cure the rest of the populace. Alice explains that she must be killed and Nico reluctantly casts a death spell on Alice which transforms the infected back into humans. Alice then remerges in her final form and tells A-Force that she is no longer a threat as she now has greater control of her powers.[89]
During thewar between the X-Men and the Inhumans, Dazzler assisted Emma Frost in the beginning of her plot to defeat the Inhumans, disguising herself as an Inhuman performer shortly before ambushingBlack Bolt in his own Quiet Room.[90]
Dazzler later becomes a citizen ofKrakoa.[91] After Krakoa is attacked byOrchis and leaves Earth for theWhite Hot Room, Dazzler returns to her career as a singer.[92]
Dazzler is amutant with the ability to transduce sonic vibrations which reach her body into various types of light. This ability seems to operate over a great range of frequencies, including the audible spectrum, and a great variation of sound pressure levels regardless of the complexity, dissonance, or randomness of the sound. Sounds as different as a car crash and a symphonic passage both produce convertible incoming acoustic vibrations.[93] Dazzler prefers utilizing the sound of music, particularly that which is rhythmically sustained. Not only is music more pleasant to her ears, but the steady beat of contemporary music provides a more constant source of sound to convert.[94] Dazzler has been shown to create a "null space" of sound in a certain radius of her person, as a result of "pulling" the sound in her area to her person, to either protect a crowd of people or to supercharge her power reserves.[95]
Left undirected, Dazzler's light will radiate from her body in all directions, producing regular flashes of white light. By conscious control over the light she produces, she can control its direction, frequency (color), amplitude (intensity), and duration. Her mutant ability can produce numerous other effects. She can create simple patterns out of rays of light or combinations of patterns which produce trance-like effects in her targets. She can create a pulse of light on the order of several thousandwatts of power, which temporarily blinds people with its brilliance. She can create a cascade of sparkling lights and colors that severely upsets other people's equilibrium, or a pulsating strobe-light effect. She can also radiate light in gentle, soothing patterns to calm a person's mood. Dazzler can generate a coherent beam of light, approximating a laser beam, or generate a shield from laser energy that can deflect projectiles or energy beams.[volume & issue needed] Dazzler has polarizing eyes and cannot be blinded or dazzled by light.[96]
With effort, she can create holograms of human beings and other three-dimensional beings and objects.[97] With similar effort she can also turn herself temporarily invisible and inaudible.[65] She can also use light energy to generate some form of propulsion for flight or at least rapid ascent.[98]
She generally directs lasers from a single finger when she requires precision. She most often uses her hands for directing her light effects, but she could also use other parts of her body. Since studying with the X-Men, she has become adept at directing her blinding strobe light blast from her eyes.[99] The most powerful manifestation of her laser abilities is a concentrated stream of solid photons she usually fires from her index finger but can emit from her entire body. The beam is extremely powerful and as a consequence uses a great deal of her energy reserves. She has also demonstrated the ability to stretch the electromagnetic spectrum to produce devastating microwave energy.[volume & issue needed] She has since learned how to produce these blasts without draining herself, while still providing them with considerable power.[volume & issue needed]
Since the events ofDazzler: The Movie, Alison's body can store sound energy for future discharge as light. Thanks toProfessor X, Dazzler's costume contains devices that enable her to store sonic energy more efficiently and to gauge and focus the light she generates with greater skill. She has also demonstrated on at least one occasion the ability to expel the stored sound into a devastating wave of sonic energy, that once destroyed her foe Silence.[100] Dazzler is immune to the injurious effects of her light transducing abilities. Her ability to transduce sound also protects her from being deafened by loud sounds; InDazzler vol. 2 #1, it was indicated that her ears are highly developed allowing her to detect sounds on frequencies that others cannot register.[26] InX-Treme X-Men vol. 2 #4, she demonstrates the ability to use sound waves forecholocation before absorbing them for energy.[101] Dazzler has also been shown to be immune to the powers of her half-sisterMortis, which ordinarily kills living subjects instantly.[102] With considerable strain, Dazzler is capable of generating ultraviolet light in omnidirectional waves of such intensity that it will melt large metal structures.[102]
Dazzler is a highly skilled athlete and hand-to-hand combatant thanks to her training with the X-Men and Gladiators,[1] able to defeat over a dozen human combatants at once while purposely avoiding use of her mutant abilities.[2] In addition, she is a talented singer, actress, and dancer. Dazzler is also a highly accomplished roller skater[3][4][5][6] and can move at high speed;[5][2] she is skilled enough to use her roller skates as weapons to strike an opponent'ssolar plexus in aflying kick.[103][5] Dazzler occasionally wears a pair of roller skates which magnetically adhere to her boots.[2]
Characters in the Marvel Universe who are counted among her fans areJuggernaut,[104] teammateColossus,[105]Hulk,[106]Northstar,[107]Rhino,[108]Molly Hayes,[109]Kitty Pryde,[44]Moon Knight,[110]Captain Marvel,[111] andPixie.[112]
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Jerry Stanford ofCBR.com referred to Dazzler as a "compelling hero," writing, "Dazzler has a fan following strong enough to keep a strong demand for her in the X-Men family of titles. Although her creation is mired in a failed cross-media event with a record company, her legacy in comics is achieving greatness despite her crass origins. Although much of her early adventures are trite, she went on to fame as one of the X-Men."[113] Mike Avila ofSyfy described Dazzler as "one of Marvel’s most unique and even notorious characters," writing, "After Dazzler headlined her own comic book series, Claremont further developed her as a member of the X-Men. She’s no longer quite as prevalent as she used to be, but Dazzler still has a devoted fan following 40 years after her debut."[114] Chris Condry ofLooper found Dazzler to be "worthy of more film time and fandom," asserting, "If Alison Blaire, aka Dazzler, were a real person, we daresay that she would be the most iconic woman on Earth. Blaire's day job, or more accurately night job, is as a world-famous pop star... Essentially, Dazzler is what would happen if Lady Gaga spent her free time as John Wick."[115] Bradley Prom ofScreen Rant called Dazzler one of the characters who would be perfect for their own animated series.[116]
Alex Welch ofInverse wrote, "She’s basically what it would look like if a pop star was an actual superhero."[117] George Marston ofNewsarama stated, "The fact is, Dazzler kicks ass. Her ability to turn sound into light has been expanded in creative and crafty ways time and time again, and her look has evolved from disco queen to aerobic video model, to an angst-inspired, darker look, and finally to her current style that combines elements of her previous looks with a modern twist."[118] Marc Buxton| ofDen of Geek asserted, "Alison Blaire may have started out as somewhat of a joke, a way for Marvel to take advantage of the disco craze of the 70s, but she hasn’t remained that way. Instead, Dazzler has become one of the most beloved X-Men characters ever."[119] In November 2005, during an interview withNewsarama, writerBrian K. Vaughan asserted, "Ultimate Dazzler, on the other hand, may very well beBendis' single greatest contribution to the free world, so I use her way too much."[120]
Dazzler has been referenced in various internetListicles.
Ira Madison III ofMTV described Dazzler as a "gay icon in the annals of Marvel legends," asserting, "Dazzler remains a hugely popular character, particularly among queer Marvel fans. [...] Even though her stories were never tied to the disco scene at large, her journey of struggling for acceptance from a dismissive father and longing for the love of her missing mother was something that queer readers, who only years earlier could have been arrested for showing signs of affection toward a member of the same sex in public, connected with."[8] Jerry Stanford ofCBR.com asserted, "Almost since the beginning, the story of mutants in the Marvel Universe has been an allegory for the civil rights of marginalized groups... Dazzler strives for unity and her words mirror things said in the LGBTQ community. Different groups sometimes seek to alienate others as not worthy of inclusion, and the fight here makes a stand for a big tent movement."[113] Andrew Wheeler ofComicsAlliance stated, "Ideas of self-ownership occur again and again in Claremont's stories and characters... Dazzler is mutantdom's first drag performer, using stage theatrics to present her true self to the world. On the stage she could embrace her mutant identity in a way that wouldn't feel safe on the street."[10]
Brian Andersen ofThe Advocate said, "Dazzler isn’t queer. But being the premier superhero pop singer in the Marvel Universe means a strong argument can be made that she’s a gay icon."[11] Hayden Manders ofNylon wrote, "All socio-political commentary aside, superhero narratives are filled with strong female characters, which we know makes up a huge percentage of queer icons. Characters like Wonder Woman, Storm, Dazzler, Captain Marvel, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are fierce and independent, capable of kicking just as much (if not more!) ass as their male counterparts. [...] That sort of representation is vital to the queer experience; it helps normalize what the world often sees as abnormal. Their superpowers only add another element of fearlessness to the community, because to be queer is to have superpowers."[9]
In theAge of Apocalypse reality, Dazzler appears as a member of the X-Men. She is a chain smoker, having no use for a singing voice in this timeline. She is also more skilled with her powers, being able to create hard-light constructs, as well as manipulate both light and sound energies. With this new power-set, Dazzler serves as a one-woman training facility, as well as a messenger via holographic transmissions.[134] She was romantically involved withExodus.[135]
Dazzler was one of the characters involved in the original Age of Apocalypse to be brought back for theAge of Apocalypse 10th Anniversary miniseries. Against the battle with Mr. Sinister's Sinister Six, Dazzler was swallowed within Cloak's dark dimension, but is ultimately saved by a lightning bolt from Storm which forces Cloak to spit her back out.[136]
InX-Men: Battle Of The Atom, Dazzler becomes the first mutant President of the United States in the future. However, during her Inauguration speech, she is assassinated by fire from flying demons along with Jamie Madrox, and several audience members.[137]
In theEarth X timeline, Dazzler had her heart torn out byMephisto though due to the "death" ofDeath, she lives on in constant agony.[138]
A woman from Earth-721 was given the powers and appearance of Dazzler by Interlocking Technologies. She came to Earth-616 and impersonated the original Alison. She toured the Western States of the US in Dazzler's original costume. However, she was ultimately discovered, stripped of her powers and returned to Earth-721.[139]
In theHouse of M reality, Dazzler is one of the most famous mutants on Earth. After having a successful singing career as a teenager, Dazzler continued her career as the world's primary media personality via her syndicated talk show.[140] TheHouse of M newsprint special featured a tabloid-esqueblind article, indicating that Alison's signature lightshow was fading due to a rare blood disorder, which was causing her to lose her mutation. Storm used Alison's popular talk show to sound off on her disapproval of Magneto's handling of mutant affairs andMister Sinister was seen watching the Alison show whenDeadpool went to rescue an infantCable.[141]
In theMarvel Zombies universe, Dazzler appears as one of the few uninfected heroes in the limited seriesMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness. There, she is almost eaten by an infectedWinter Soldier until he is killed byAsh Williams.[142] Ash is attracted to Dazzler, but she does not reciprocate his feelings. As a thanks for saving her, Dazzler agrees to help Ash find theNecronomicon book that might put an end to the zombies. The duo pair up with the Scarlet Witch to discover that the Necronomicon is being kept at Doctor Doom's fortress in Latveria.[143] An infected Enchantress bites off her finger, infecting her, but Doom appears and vaporizes the two before Dazzler is turned.[144]
A version of Dazzler appeared during the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline as part of theThor Corps, a paramilitary organization charged with policingBattleworld and enforcing the will ofGod Emperor Doom. Dazzler Thor later appears in the mainstreamEarth-616 universe, after coming through a multi-dimensional portal and joinsA-Force in their fight against the Countess, a dragon who came through the same portal. After Countess is defeated, Dazzler Thor succumbs to the effects that this universe'sTerrigen Mists had on her system and vanishes.[145]
TheUltimate Marvel incarnation of Dazzler is introduced as a punk rock singer inUltimate X-Men #42. She briefly joinsEmma Frost'sAcademy of Tomorrow when promised a record deal, but joins theX-Men after they rescue her from aSentinel attack. There she is called "Dazzler" after the name of her band.
She often shows a lack of enthusiasm for the X-Men and their endeavors, but after learning of a proposed public execution of a mutant, she convinces a group of teammates to go on a rescue mission. When the mission goes astray andAngel is captured, Dazzler takes initiative and leads the team in a recovery operation. This leads to the accidental release ofLongshot.[146]
Later, she and Angel go out on a presumed 'date' (really an effort to get themselves involved with the X-Men's latest mission) preventing theAcademy of Tomorrow students from attacking theTriskelion. During the incident, power is lost and one of the inmates,Deathstrike, impales Dazzler through the chest. Ironically, Deathstrike is defeated by the very killer Dazzler has assisted before.[147]
Dazzler stays in a coma for several weeks, visited many times byNightcrawler having an unrequited crush on her. Unfortunately, many factors have combined to unhinge Nightcrawler and as soon as she is able to be moved, she is fooled into thinking they must escape. Initially trusting Nightcrawler, she cooperates until the rest of the X-Men rescue her.[148] The others, understanding Nightcrawler is mentally ill, plan to rehabilitate. Dazzler does not accept this and quits the team in protest.[148]
She has since been labeled as one of the "most important" mutants to the X-Men's cause by the futureBishop.[149] Dazzler later joins Bishop's new team inUltimate X-Men #82. When Bishop dies inUltimate X-Men #90, Dazzler returned to the Xavier Institute to be with Angel and on Xavier's X-Men team once again. She is seen to be onColossus's enhanced team, using the drugBanshee to boost her powers. The drug-enhanced team battles Xavier's main X-Men and eventually leave their drug-filled lives and return to the X-Mansion.[150] WhenMagneto'sworldwide devastation hits the X-Men,[151] Dazzler is revealed by Jean Grey to have been killed in the tidal wave along with teammatesBeast and Nightcrawler.[152]
The Ultimate iteration of Dazzler does not convert sound into light in this continuity. Her powers are defined as "Matter Detonation"; by detonating small particles in the air, she is able to create brilliant photokinetic effects, controlling the color and intensity of the light created.[153] Under the influence of the drug Banshee, Dazzler's powers are vastly increased, and she is able to create solid light constructs such as a sword, a tiger for her to ride into battle, and even a copy of Wolverine's claws, which she uses to fight Wolverine.[154] Dazzler's true powers are shown when she detonates the matter making up Sentinel robots, completely destroying them with her sheer power.[155][156]
A member of theX-Babies is based on Dazzler.[157]
InX-Men: The End, a series about the X-Men's hypothetical future, Dazzler continued her career as a singer. An occasional "reserve" team member, she joined Storm and X-Men membersIceman,Bishop,Psylocke, andSage for Xavier's "Plan B" team. Co-piloting a ship to the extraterrestrialShi'ar homeworld, Dazzler used her powers to create a light show, calming the passions of the battling X-Men andShi'arImperial Guard.Cassandra Nova then manifests, slaying the Imperial Guard and leaving the remaining X-Men as her sole adversaries. Dazzler attempted to subdue Cassandra along with Storm and Iceman. While she uses her ability to laser a hole through Cassandra's head, Storm strikes her with lightning, giving Iceman a chance to freeze her. Bishop then shatters her to prevent her from returning. However, Cassandra simply reforms and, as a form of retaliation, blasts a hole through Dazzler, strikes Storm with energy, and freezes Iceman. She successfully killed Storm and Dazzler, but Iceman survived the ordeal. Dazzler is believed to be among the slain X-Men that were invited to a plane of higher existence by thePhoenix.[158]
Dazzler was featured in two issues ofWhat If:
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dazzler: The Movie | Marvel Graphic Novel #12 | January 1990 | 978-0871350008 |
| Essential Dazzler Vol. 1 | Dazzler #1-21,X-Men (vol. 1) #130-131,Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #203 | August 2007 | 978-0785126959 |
| Essential Dazzler Vol. 2 | Dazzler #22-42,Marvel Graphic Novel #12,Beauty and The Beast #1-4,Secret Wars II #4 | April 2009 | 978-0785137306 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 1 | Dazzler #1-13,X-Men (vol. 1) #130-131,Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #203 | March 2020 | 978-1302922122 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 2 | Dazzler #14-25, material fromWhat If #33 | April 2021 | 978-1302928674 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 3 | Dazzler #26-34,Marvel Graphic Novel #12 | May 2022 | 978-1302933180 |
| X-Women | Dazzler (vol. 2) #1 andX-Women #1,X-23 (vol. 2) #1,Cloak & Dagger (vol. 4) #1 | February 2013 | 978-0785162797 |
| Dazzler Omnibus | Dazzler (vol. 1) #1-42,X-Men (vol. 1) #130-131,Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #203,Marvel Graphic Novel #12,Beauty and The Beast #1-4,Secret Wars II #4, material fromWhat If #33 | October 2024 | 978-1302959609 |
Dazzler #1, with a roller-skating heroine, sells 400,000 copies, about twice normal for a Marvel comic.
Dazzler #1 became the first comic book sold exclusively to comic book shops, selling over 400,000 copies.
Dazzler's power of music allows her to pull sound in from outside sources, remain less predictable in frequency and much, much more, like how she can create holograms of people -- or fly.
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