Dazzler's Disco - Page 1

Dazzler







     Allison Blaire aka The Dazzler made her debut in X-Men 130
back in 1980.  Disco wasn't quite dead yet so this disco designed heroine
wasn't quite as lame as she later became.  Anyway her powers were based
on converting sound (usually music) into light and her primary ability
was "dazzling" opponents by hitting them with light pulses that stunned
them.  I suppose she could also trigger epileptic fits if she was in a
bad mood.  Later on she figured out how to focus those pulses into laser
bolts but when she helped the X-men infiltrate the Hellfire Club's Chicago
base she was rather out of her league.



     In case you're wondering that scene was an illusion cast by Phoenix.
Also even if it is only an illusion it's the only picture around of the
original, cosmic power level Phoenix gagged.
     Anyway after that Dazzler vanished back into comic limbo until
she reappeared in Amazing Spider Man.  Lightmaster, a former costumed
villain turned energy being thanks to one of those unlikely comic book
accidents, having dwindled to a spark last time he took on Spider Man needed
her to recreate his body.  He possessed her long enough to solidify himself
then dragged her back to his lair for some supervillain type games.







     Possessed by Lightmaster she became a very dangerous lady keeping
Spider Man on the defensive.  Eventually he managed to web her and
forcibly reverse the merger which returned her to normal.  
     Not long after that with disco definitely on its last legs Marvel gave
Dazzler her own comic as an aspiring singer who was looking for her
big break.  She managed to gain a manager after a battle with the Asgardian
villaness The Enchantress (who for the first time in her career suddenly
seemed to want to be a singer) in a disco attended by about every hero in the
Marvel universe for reasons that were never exactly clear.  Considering that
most of those heroines attended her audition it was surprising it took her
manager so many issues to figure out that she had paranormal abilities.
     Marvel really laid on the heavy hitters for our novice roller disco
heroine.  First it was the Enchantress, later she took on the Hulk and Galactus
but before she faced them she had to take on Dr. Doom in her third issue and
both Doom and Nightmare in the fourth.  The fact she nearly took out Doom
in both issues just shows how devalued Marvel's one time top supervillain had
become in the early eighties.  Anyway Doom had finally got around to looking
for the Merlin Gem that he had been after in his first appearance back in
Fantastic Four 4.  But it was in another dimension and he needed an
expendable agent to obtain it.






     Not surprisingly Dazzler protested that dimensional travel was
very out of her league.



     Shortly after arrival Dazzler attracted the attention of some hungry
locals and quickly found out the drawbacks of relying on a radio to
provide music she could convert to power.  Namely that the Dark Dimension
was a bit short on Top Forties stations.  So she had no way of holding them
off.




     Luckily the creatures howled loudly enough to give her enough power to
drive them away.  Then after a run-in with an evil negative duplicate the
ruler of the Dark Dimension decided to deal with her personally.



     It was at this point that she discovered Nightmare was scared of
light and despite bring on his home turf pretty wimpy.  Which I guess just
goes to show that Nightmare's usual opponent Doctor Strange could
have saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd just carried a flashlight.
     Anyway Nightmare hands over the gem and Doom brings
Dazzler home.  At which point she nearly punches his ticket before
collapsing from the strain of her recent exertions.
     Dazzler's comic limped along for a lot longer than anyone
expected before it wrapped up with the Dazzler : The Movie graphic
novel.  Which had Allison making a movie after being outed as a mutie but
the film was never released.  A little later she shed the silver pantsuit
and the roller skates for that blue leotard, abandoned her singing career
and joined the X-men.  Everyone figured that was it for her ambitions of
being a star but while it hadn't been released the movie had been made.


This way for Allison's Hollywood Comeback Attempt










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