Dazzler
Encyclopedia
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics
superheroine, associated with the X-Men
. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
#130 (February 1980
).
A mutant
with the ability to convert sound vibrations into light and energy beams, Dazzler was originally developed as a cross-promotional, multi-media creation between Casablanca Records
and Marvel Comics
until the tie-ins were dropped in 1980. The character was created by a committee
of Marvel staff, principally writer/editor Tom DeFalco
and illustrator John Romita, Jr.
Despite the fact that Dazzler was originally commissioned as a disco
singer, the character shifted to other musical genres, including rock
and adult contemporary
. She starred in a self-titled solo series in the early 1980s
which lasted 42 issues, a Marvel Graphic Novel
titled Dazzler: The Movie, a 4 issue limited-series co-starring Hank "The Beast" McCoy titled Beauty and The Beast, and later joined the cast of the X-Men
. She was briefly a member of the spin-off
group Excalibur
but has since re-joined the X-Men.
Dazzler was originally a project commissioned by Casablanca Records
in the mid-late 1970s
, to be a cross-promotion in the mold of KISS
, who had two successful comic book tie-in super-specials by the end of 1977. Marvel Comics would develop a singing superhero, while Casablanca would produce a singer. The two companies would then work with Filmworks and produce a tie-in motion picture; Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter
wrote a treatment for the project.
The character was originally conceptualized as "The Disco Queen" with the power to make people tell the truth. Initially, no one wanted anything to do with the project. Marvel Comics appointed former Archie Comics
writer Tom DeFalco
to the character and he developed some changes to the character, namely suggesting light-based powers. Roger Stern
conceived of the character's name, Dazzler, while John Romita, Jr.
provided pencils.
Artist John Romita, Jr. originally intended for the character to resemble model, actress, and singer Grace Jones
, as seen in early depictions. However, representatives from Filmworks – wanting to promote model and actress Bo Derek
– insisted on design changes to reflect Derek's features.
To promote Dazzler, Casablanca wanted it cross-promoted within several key Marvel Comics titles: The X-Men
, The Fantastic Four
, and Spider-Man
in particular, with Dazzler debuting in The Uncanny X-Men because she was a mutant
character. However, Casablanca continued to request conceptual changes to the character's appearance and personality, leading to several cancellations of the project. Eventually, Casablanca Records backed out of the Dazzler project altogether due to financial concerns. Marvel Comics, left with a much-publicized new character, decided to launch the project as a monthly series.
According to writer Tom DeFalco, Dazzler was canceled "five or six times" prior to its launch in March 1981
. At the time, Marvel Comics was looking for other filmmakers to invest in a Dazzler cross-promotion. However, Jim Shooter and Stan Lee
decided to launch the series without such a partnership because of their "faith in the character."
By this time, Dazzler #1 was edited to reflect changes in the Marvel Comics universe and to fit the new 22-page publication format. X-Men member Cyclops
was edited out of the issue, and Kitty Pryde
inserted, and an additional "origin of the Dazzler" sequence was added to fill new pages. Also, Dazzler distanced its character from the disco
genre, as the creators recognized the disco fad was fading by 1980.
In a revolutionary move, Shooter decided to release Dazzler #1 exclusively to comic specialty shops
, bypassing the wider circulation market. This was the first comic exclusively delivered to comic shops - a relatively new industry for 1981. Over 400,000 copies of issue 1 were pre-sold, more than double the average comic sales amount.
, the Human Torch
, Doctor Doom
, Galactus
, the Hulk
, the X-Men
, and Klaw were just a few of the several guest stars who placed Dazzler squarely into the Marvel Universe
. Dazzler herself also guest starred in Marvel titles, such as The Uncanny X-Men, The Avengers
, and the Marvel crossover, Contest of Champions
.
The series, however, was not free from critique. Several readers disapproved of the "real life" focus of Dazzler, including the focus on "soft plots" — career, family, relationships — rather than action-based and more traditional superhero plot devices. Dazzler's "superhero" outfit was her performance outfit, which also serves as a major disconnect from the superhero staples of the day. Years later, DeFalco reflected on these criticisms as an inherent hypocrisy with the readership: on one hand, readers clamored for something "new", which was how Dazzler was conceived. Yet on the other, they wanted Dazzler to be a superhero in the mold of Phoenix
and conform to other superheroic stereotypes.
John Romita, Jr. left Dazzler in issue #3, and was replaced by Frank Springer
, who penciled most of the Dazzler series. DeFalco stayed on as chief writer through issue #6, and helped successive writer Danny Fingeroth with several of the following issues. Fingeroth and Springer remained the Dazzler stable team through issue #27.
Eventually, Dazzler failed to adequately create its own cast and began to lose commercial appeal. With issue #25, Dazzler became a bi-monthly publication. This schedule, along with extreme character changes and a lackluster spin-off miniseries, further complicated the character and series’ appeal to both existing and new readers. Springer changed Dazzler from a singer in New York to an aspiring actress in Los Angeles
. To promote this new direction, Marvel had artist Bill Sienkiewicz
do painted artwork pieces for several Dazzler covers, from issues #27 through #35. Springer left Dazzler with issue #32, and returned briefly for issue #35 and the Dazzler: The Movie graphic novel.
Marvel attempted to jump-start the series with a tie-in graphic novel
and miniseries
that would highlight the character's career struggles in a prejudiced world. While the graphic novel received acclaim, the miniseries and regular Dazzler series suffered.
In a final attempt, Archie Goodwin
and Paul Chadwick
were assigned to Dazzler with issue #38, ditching the singer-subtext and making Dazzler more of a generic superhero with an official costume. It did not save the series, and Dazzler was eventually canceled in 1985. After that she was briefly considered as a possible X-Factor
founding member, but the decision to resurrect Jean Grey
put that idea aside.
, she returned to monthly publication for the first time as a prominent cast member in over fifteen years.
When Marvel forcibly canceled New Excalibur, Dazzler was brought back to be a supporting character in Uncanny X-Men written by Matt Fraction
. She is currently an active member of the X-Men.
In February 2010 Marvel announced a one-shot Dazzler special by writer Jim McCann
and artist Kalman Andrasofszky would be published in May.
powers first manifested when she was in high school. An aspiring singer, she volunteered to perform at her school dance when her light-generating abilities first appeared. Everyone at the dance assumed it was a technologically-generated special effect
, an assumption commonly made before she reveals herself to be a mutant later in her life.
Using the stage name
"Dazzler", Alison sets out to make a name for herself in the music industry, using her light powers and dancing ability to enhance her performances. It is at one of her shows that Alison first meets the X-Men
who are attacked by the forces of the Hellfire Club
. Angry at the interruption of her show, Alison lashes out in anger at the Hellfire intruders, unintentionally making one of them catatonic. Alison subsequently aids the X-Men in finding Kitty 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. Thus she turns down their offer to join the team.
Dazzler hides her status as a mutant from all but those closest to her. After acquainting herself with the various Marvel 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 meets Spider-Man
, and teams with him against the Lightmaster
. She later battles the Enchantress
, is overwhelmed by Doctor Doom
, the Absorbing Man
and then fights off Nightmare
. She briefly allies with the Blue Shield
, and aids the X-Men and Spider-Woman
against the misguided Caliban
. On another occasion, she battles the Hulk
and establishes a long standing feud with the then-mentally unstable Rogue
. She also had a romantic affair with Warren Worthington III.
In the course of her inadvertent adventures, she even encounters the planet-devouring Galactus
, who initially thinks she is of little notice and generally ignores her. Nevertheless, he temporarily endows her with cosmic energy so she can retrieve his herald Terrax
for him. In addition to being offered membership into the X-Men, Alison is also asked to audition for a place in the Avengers
. She declines while facing Fabian Stankowicz (who is ultimately easily defeated by the Wasp
), saying that the superhero "trip wasn't for [her]."
After moving to Los Angeles in a vain attempt to help her half-sister Lois London
, who has the mutant ability to kill anyone she touches, but has little to no control over her abilities, Alison attempts careers in fitness
training, dancing
, modeling
, and acting
. Influenced both by her lover, Roman Nekoboh, and her desire to abate the growing anti-mutant sentiment, Alison publicly declares her mutant identity. The revelation backfires, destroying her reputation and career and inflaming anti-mutant sentiment, which sends Alison into a depressive state. Forced again into hiding, she spends some time as a keyboard player in rock singer and fellow mutant Lila Cheney
's band. While on tour, the band's plane crashes, which leads to Dazzler, Lila, and a bandmate being successfully rescued by Cannonball
and his brother, Joshua
. Lila has been knocked out so Dazzler uses the music Joshua plays at the scene to blast a hole through the wreckage. Alison is later possessed by the psychic mutant Malice
. She is saved and taken in by the X-Men
, becoming a member of the team.
During her tenure with the X-Men, Dazzler receives training, attains greater control over her powers, and develops a romance with the extra-dimensional Longshot
. She is also forced to work alongside the now-reformed Rogue. This causes considerable tension between them at first, due to Alison's difficulty in getting over Rogue's attempts to kill her in the past, as well as Rogue's own strong feelings for Longshot. Over time she eventually believes Rogue is genuinely remorseful and forgives her. Dazzler struggles with her career ambitions and personal insecurities, and eventually she and her team-mates in the X-Men enter the mystical Siege Perilous
, which leaves her in an amnesiac state. Discovered washed up on a beach by her former bodyguard Strong Guy
, she is nursed back to health by him and Lila Cheney, though their efforts prove unsuccessful in helping restore her memory. It is eventually restored when she is found by Longshot. Devastated by the loss of her career, Alison ventures to Longshot's native "Mojoworld", and remains there to help fight in the ongoing rebellion against the tyrant Mojo
along with Lila Cheney.
Dazzler eventually returns to Earth without Longshot after an unfortunate series of events, including miscarriage and war. She helps Jean Grey in the fight against a repowered Magneto
, who is backed by an army of Genosha
ns. She and Jean lead a small band of mutants to back up the original X-Men, who are in Genosha already. Dazzler faces down Magneto who turns her powers against her and apparently incinerates her. As he arrogantly boasts about his triumph, Dazzler reveals herself to be alive and well. She and Jean had concocted a plan for Alison to generate a hard-light hologram of herself to distract Magneto, who was then gravely wounded by Wolverine. After the conclusion of this incident, the X-Men offer Alison support for her personal problems, but she declines.
Characters in the Marvel Universe who are counted among her fans are Juggernaut
, teammate Colossus
, the Hulk
, Northstar
, The Rhino
, Molly Hayes
, Shadowcat
, and Pixie.
genre. Alison moved her career abroad to England and joined with X-Men allies such as the Juggernaut
and Captain Britain
. She was reunited with Longshot
in the X-Men: Die by the Sword
miniseries, although Longshot was suffering from amnesia
and did not remember her. However, during the course of the miniseries he regained his feelings for her and some of his memories. Longshot left the Exiles to reestablish his relationship with Dazzler but the couple split ways due in part to Dazzler's frustration with other women's attraction to Longshot (which is a part of his power set), but mainly because of the realization that Longshot was no longer the man she loved because of his amnesia.
, due to the fact that their relationship was just not the same after his loss of memory. Pixie is seen leaving a club with a friend where Alison has recently performed. Dazzler requests Pixie to join her on stage in future shows due to Pixie's mutant abilities, but Pixie declines the offer. Dazzler has established a career as a musician, finally landing a big break. Dazzler has also been shown to take part in the X-Men: Secret Invasion mini-series, which is part of Marvel Comics' 2008 crossover, Secret Invasion
. Returning home with Northstar and Pixie, after taking her out to get drunk, despite her being underage, Dazzler and the team are unprepared for a brutal attack on the mansion by the Sisterhood. In retaliation, Dazzler later accompanies Emma Frost
, Storm, and Karma
for the revenge-attack on the Sisterhood in San Francisco where she engages a mind controlled Psylocke
, who was back in her original body, in battle. While Psylocke gains the upper hand, Dazzler points out that Storm blew out all the windows when they entered. This was so she could absorb all the sound from the city outside, which she turned into a beam of light that burns the right side of Psylocke's face off. After the Sisterhood retreats Dazzler is happily reunited with Psylocke, who regains control of her Japanese body.
, Anole
, Northstar, Cannonball
, Pixie
and Trance
travel to Limbo to rescue Magik
. Things go wrong when the ground starts to tremble and an army of monstrous demons attack the team. Dazzler calls upon Gambit for help during the attack, but Gambit sinks into the darkness, claiming "Remy's not home right now" leading the X-Men to be overwhelmed by the demons. Dazzler ends up alone and is rescued by Northstar just as she is about to lose her fight against the demons. Northstar and Dazzler encounter Gambit shortly after, unfortunately he has reverted to his Death persona. He seemingly attacks Northstar who easily evades his cards. As Northstar avoids the attack he realizes the cards were meant for Dazzler and she is transformed into a state much like the Death persona Gambit takes on. Dazzler, infected by Gambit (now completely consumed by the concept of survival of the fittest), joins his ranks goes after the other X-Men in Limbo to infect them as well.
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.
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. The precise means by which this conversion process works is as yet unknown. 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.
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.
Dazzler can produce numerous 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 thousand watt
s of power, which temporarily blinds people with its brilliance. She can create a chaotic cascade of sparkling lights and colors that severely upsets other people's equilibrium, or a pulsating strobe-light effect. Dazzler can generate a coherent beam of light, approximating a laser beam.
Dazzler has polarizing eyes and cannot be blinded or dazzled by light.
With effort, she can create holograms of human beings and other three-dimensional beings and objects.
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.
The most powerful manifestation of her laser abilities are 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. She has since learned how to produce these blasts without draining herself, while still providing them with considerable power.
When Galactus enlisted her to retrieve his wayward herald Terrax
from the heart of a black hole he had her exposed to unimaginable sounds, including the explosion of an entire galaxy, to boost her to sufficient levels.
Since the events of Dazzler: The Movie, Alison's body can store light energy for future discharge on occasional instances of extreme duress. Thanks to Professor 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 destroyed her foe Dust.
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.
Dazzler is a highly skilled athlete, and has become an excellent hand-to-hand combatant thanks to her training with the X-Men, and with the Gladiators. In addition, she is a talented singer, actress, and dancer. She is also a highly accomplished roller skater and can move at high speed; she occasionally wears a pair of roller blades which magnetically adheres to her boots.
and did not accompany the main team of X-Men in the final assault on Apocalypse
.
Dazzler was one of the characters involved in the original Age of Apocalypse to be brought back for the Age of Apocalypse 10th Anniversary miniseries. Like many of the other X-Men, Dazzler's costume in the 10th anniversary reflects an updated take on her original costume: the silver jumpsuit. 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.
, a series about the X-Men's hypothetical future, Dazzler reverted her costume to reflect her classic, silver design, continuing her career as a singer. Dazzler, an occasional "reserve" team member, joined Storm and X-Men members Iceman
, Bishop
, Psylocke
, and Sage
for Xavier's "Plan B" team. Co-piloting the ship to the extraterrestrial Shi'ar
homeworld, Dazzler uses her powers to create a light show, calming the passions of the battling X-Men and Shi'ar
Imperial Guard
. The series' primary villain — Cassandra Nova
— then manifests, slaying the Imperial Guard and leaving the remaining X-Men as her sole adversaries. Dazzler attempts 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 in order 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 the Phoenix.
, used her reality-altering powers to change the world, Dazzler became 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.
The House of M newsprint special featured a tabloid-esque blind 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 and Mister Sinister
was seen watching the Alison show when Deadpool went to rescue an infant Cable
.
Author Brian Michael Bendis
originally scripted for the Dazzler to be this altered reality's answer to Oprah
.
. There, she is almost eaten by an infected Winter Soldier until he gets killed by Ash Williams
. Ash is attracted to Dazzler, but she doesn't reciprocate his feelings. As a thanks for saving her, Dazzler agrees to help Ash find the Necronomicon 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. Ash discovers the Necronomicon, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with this world's infection. On his way back, he meets an imprisoned Enchantress. Because of the nature of her powers, Ash believes the Enchantress is unaffected. In a confrontation with Dazzler, the Enchantress bites off her finger, infecting her with the zombification virus. Before she can react, Doctor Doom appears and destroys both women.
This series is the first since Dazzler's 1980 solo series to feature the character primarily as a Marvel Comics hero, with greater links to superheroes such as the Avengers and Fantastic Four, rather than as an X-Men member.
Another zombified Dazzler is quite visible in the bottom left corner of the large center cell on page 13 of Issue #23 of Ultimate Fantastic Four
– part 3 of the three-part arc that introduced the "Marvel Zombies" Universe [the three part arc consisted of Ultimate Fantastic Four issues 21-23]. As noted, Dazzler was destroyed - disintegrated - by Doctor Doom
in the "Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness" limited series and hence, never lived to become a zombie.
The Ultimate
incarnation of Dazzler (Alison Blaire) is introduced as a punk rock singer in Ultimate X-Men
#42. Alison briefly joins Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow when promised a record deal, but joins the X-Men
after they rescue her from a Sentinel
attack. There she is called "Dazzler", the name of her band.
Alison often shows a lack of enthusiasm for the X-Men or their missions, 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 and Angel is captured, Dazzler takes initiative and leads the team on a rescue mission. This leads to the accidental release of Longshot.
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 the Academy of Tomorrow students from attacking the Triskelion. 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.
Dazzler stays in a coma for several weeks, visited many times by Nightcrawler who has an unrequited crush on her. Unfortunately, many factors have combined to unhinge Nightcrawler and as soon as she is able to be moved, he fools her into thinking they must escape. Initially trusting him, she cooperates until the rest of the X-Men rescue her.
The others, understanding Nightcrawler is mentally ill, plan to rehabilitate him. Dazzler does not accept this and quits the team in protest. She has since been labeled as one of the "most important" mutants to the X-Men's cause by the future Bishop
.
Dazzler later joins Bishop's new team in Ultimate X-Men #82. Bishop dies in Ultimate X-Men #90, and since then Dazzler has returned to the Xavier Institute to be with Angel and on Xavier's X-Men team once again. She is seen to be on Colossus' enhanced team, using the drug Banshee to boost her powers, seemingly with the ability to generate solid light spider legs and constructs and later faces off against Wolverine with hard-light versions of his claws. The drug enhanced team battles Xavier's main X-Men and eventually leave their drug-filled lives and return to the X-Mansion.
The Ultimatum Wave hits the X-Men next and Dazzler is revealed by Jean Grey to have been killed by it along with fellow team mates Beast and Nightcrawler.
Dazzler's powers allow her to convert sonic vibrations into various forms of photovoltaic
energy, including blinding flashes and concussive photon pulses; when boosted by the drug Banshee she was able to create hard light holographic
constructs. Her photon pulses have been shown as strong enough to destroy several Sentinels at once.
is based on Dazzler. It is unknown is she is still alive or has been terminated since Alison left the X-Men.
timeline, Dazzler had her heart torn out by Mephisto
though due to the "death" of Death
, she lives on in constant agony.
story (What if Cable had destroyed the X-Men? and What if Magneto took over the U.S.A.?) based on Uncanny X-Men #269, Dazzler is an agent of Magneto. She is ultimately killed by a Sentinel warhead. In What If (1st series) #33 (June 1982), Dazzler decides to stay Galactus’ herald
after she defeats Terrax. After many years of servitude, she is free to return to Earth. When she arrives, Dazzler discovers the Earth had become a barren wasteland. With nowhere else to go, she returns to Galactus.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
superheroine, associated with the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#130 (February 1980
1980 in comics
-Year overall:* Big Rapids Distribution, a major Midwestern comics distributor, goes under, and two former employees , form Capital City Distribution, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin....
).
A mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
with the ability to convert sound vibrations into light and energy beams, Dazzler was originally developed as a cross-promotional, multi-media creation between Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
until the tie-ins were dropped in 1980. The character was created by a committee
Design by committee
Design by committee is a term referring to a style of design and its resultant output when a group of entities comes together to produce something , particularly in the presence of poor leadership...
of Marvel staff, principally writer/editor Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
and illustrator John Romita, Jr.
John Romita, Jr.
John Salvatore Romita, Jr. is an American comic book artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2000s...
Despite the fact that Dazzler was originally commissioned as a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
singer, the character shifted to other musical genres, including rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
. She starred in a self-titled solo series in the early 1980s
1980s in comics
This article lists major events in the field of comics during the 1980s.Publications: 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989-1982:*Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo debuts in Young Magazine.- March :...
which lasted 42 issues, a Marvel Graphic Novel
Marvel Graphic Novel
Marvel Graphic Novel was a series of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums...
titled Dazzler: The Movie, a 4 issue limited-series co-starring Hank "The Beast" McCoy titled Beauty and The Beast, and later joined the cast of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. She was briefly a member of the spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
group Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
but has since re-joined the X-Men.
Origins of Dazzler
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
in the mid-late 1970s
1970s in comics
See also:1960s in comics,other events of the 1970s,1980s in comics and thelist of years in comicsPublications: 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1974 - 1975 - 1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1979-1970:See also: 1970 in comics...
, to be a cross-promotion in the mold of KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, who had two successful comic book tie-in super-specials by the end of 1977. Marvel Comics would develop a singing superhero, while Casablanca would produce a singer. The two companies would then work with Filmworks and produce a tie-in motion picture; Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
wrote a treatment for the project.
The character was originally conceptualized as "The Disco Queen" with the power to make people tell the truth. Initially, no one wanted anything to do with the project. Marvel Comics appointed former Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
writer Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
to the character and he developed some changes to the character, namely suggesting light-based powers. Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
conceived of the character's name, Dazzler, while John Romita, Jr.
John Romita, Jr.
John Salvatore Romita, Jr. is an American comic book artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2000s...
provided pencils.
Artist John Romita, Jr. originally intended for the character to resemble model, actress, and singer Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, as seen in early depictions. However, representatives from Filmworks – wanting to promote model and actress Bo Derek
Bo Derek
Mary Cathleen Collins , better known as Bo Derek, is an American film and television actress, model, and sex symbol, known for her role as Jenny Hanley in the 1979 comedy film 10. However, Derek's film career soon faltered; her later films, including, Bolero and Ghosts Can't Do It , were poorly...
– insisted on design changes to reflect Derek's features.
To promote Dazzler, Casablanca wanted it cross-promoted within several key Marvel Comics titles: The X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, The Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, and Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
in particular, with Dazzler debuting in The Uncanny X-Men because she was a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
character. However, Casablanca continued to request conceptual changes to the character's appearance and personality, leading to several cancellations of the project. Eventually, Casablanca Records backed out of the Dazzler project altogether due to financial concerns. Marvel Comics, left with a much-publicized new character, decided to launch the project as a monthly series.
According to writer Tom DeFalco, Dazzler was canceled "five or six times" prior to its launch in March 1981
1981 in comics
-January:* Capital Comics makes its entree into publishing with the release of Nexus #1.*Frank Miller takes over full writing duties on Daredevil with issue #168, and creates Elektra....
. At the time, Marvel Comics was looking for other filmmakers to invest in a Dazzler cross-promotion. However, Jim Shooter and Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
decided to launch the series without such a partnership because of their "faith in the character."
By this time, Dazzler #1 was edited to reflect changes in the Marvel Comics universe and to fit the new 22-page publication format. X-Men member Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
was edited out of the issue, and Kitty Pryde
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
inserted, and an additional "origin of the Dazzler" sequence was added to fill new pages. Also, Dazzler distanced its character from the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
genre, as the creators recognized the disco fad was fading by 1980.
In a revolutionary move, Shooter decided to release Dazzler #1 exclusively to comic specialty shops
Direct market
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for North American comic books. It consists of one dominant distributor and the majority of comics specialty stores, as well as other retailers of comic books and related merchandise...
, bypassing the wider circulation market. This was the first comic exclusively delivered to comic shops - a relatively new industry for 1981. Over 400,000 copies of issue 1 were pre-sold, more than double the average comic sales amount.
Dazzler: 1981-1985
Dazzler proved a success, largely due to the many Marvel Comics characters in its first few issues; Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
, Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, and Klaw were just a few of the several guest stars who placed Dazzler squarely into the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Dazzler herself also guest starred in Marvel titles, such as The Uncanny X-Men, The Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, and the Marvel crossover, Contest of Champions
Contest of Champions
Contest of Champions is a three-issue comic book limited series published from June to August 1982 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Mark Gruenwald with art by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton.-Publication history:...
.
The series, however, was not free from critique. Several readers disapproved of the "real life" focus of Dazzler, including the focus on "soft plots" — career, family, relationships — rather than action-based and more traditional superhero plot devices. Dazzler's "superhero" outfit was her performance outfit, which also serves as a major disconnect from the superhero staples of the day. Years later, DeFalco reflected on these criticisms as an inherent hypocrisy with the readership: on one hand, readers clamored for something "new", which was how Dazzler was conceived. Yet on the other, they wanted Dazzler to be a superhero in the mold of Phoenix
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
and conform to other superheroic stereotypes.
Frank Springer
Frank Springer was an American comic book and comic strip artist best known for Marvel Comics' Dazzler and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D....
, who penciled most of the Dazzler series. DeFalco stayed on as chief writer through issue #6, and helped successive writer Danny Fingeroth with several of the following issues. Fingeroth and Springer remained the Dazzler stable team through issue #27.
Eventually, Dazzler failed to adequately create its own cast and began to lose commercial appeal. With issue #25, Dazzler became a bi-monthly publication. This schedule, along with extreme character changes and a lackluster spin-off miniseries, further complicated the character and series’ appeal to both existing and new readers. Springer changed Dazzler from a singer in New York to an aspiring actress in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. To promote this new direction, Marvel had artist Bill Sienkiewicz
Bill Sienkiewicz
Boleslav Felix Robert "Bill" Sienkiewicz [pronounced sin-KEV-itch] is an Eisner Award-winning American artist and writer best known for his comic book work, primarily for Marvel Comics' The New Mutants and Elektra: Assassin...
do painted artwork pieces for several Dazzler covers, from issues #27 through #35. Springer left Dazzler with issue #32, and returned briefly for issue #35 and the Dazzler: The Movie graphic novel.
Marvel attempted to jump-start the series with a tie-in graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
and miniseries
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
that would highlight the character's career struggles in a prejudiced world. While the graphic novel received acclaim, the miniseries and regular Dazzler series suffered.
In a final attempt, Archie Goodwin
Archie Goodwin (comics)
Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
and Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick is an American comic book creator best known for his series Concrete about a normal man trapped in a rock-hard body....
were assigned to Dazzler with issue #38, ditching the singer-subtext and making Dazzler more of a generic superhero with an official costume. It did not save the series, and Dazzler was eventually canceled in 1985. After that she was briefly considered as a possible X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
founding member, but the decision to resurrect Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
put that idea aside.
X-Men
After this, the character would go on to a notable run as an X-Men member, before disappearing completely for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, barring occasional cameos. With the launch of New ExcaliburExcalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
, she returned to monthly publication for the first time as a prominent cast member in over fifteen years.
When Marvel forcibly canceled New Excalibur, Dazzler was brought back to be a supporting character in Uncanny X-Men written by Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction
Matt Fritchman, better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, The Immortal Iron Fist and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics and Casanova for Image Comics.-Career:Fraction wrote two...
. She is currently an active member of the X-Men.
In February 2010 Marvel announced a one-shot Dazzler special by writer Jim McCann
Jim McCann (writer)
James Andrew "Jim" McCann, II is an American writer of comic books, theater and television programs. Jim has worked on several films and music videos before entering the ABC Daytime Writer Development Program, during which time he wrote for the popular ABC daytime drama One Life to Live...
and artist Kalman Andrasofszky would be published in May.
Fictional character biography
Alison was born in Gardendale, New York to Carter and Katherine Blaire. Her mutantMutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
powers first manifested when she was in high school. An aspiring singer, she volunteered to perform at her school dance when her light-generating abilities first appeared. Everyone at the dance assumed it was a technologically-generated special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
, an assumption commonly made before she reveals herself to be a mutant later in her life.
Using the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
"Dazzler", Alison sets out to make a name for herself in the music industry, using her light powers and dancing ability to enhance her performances. It is at one of her shows that Alison first meets the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
who are attacked by the forces of the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
. Angry at the interruption of her show, Alison lashes out in anger at the Hellfire intruders, unintentionally making one of them catatonic. Alison subsequently aids the X-Men in finding Kitty Pryde
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
. 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. Thus she turns down their offer to join the team.
Dazzler hides her status as a mutant from all but those closest to her. After acquainting herself with the various Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
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 meets Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and teams with him against the Lightmaster
Lightmaster
Lightmaster is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Edward Lansky was born in New York City...
. She later battles the Enchantress
Enchantress (Marvel Comics)
The Enchantress is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe, the first of which is a powerful sorceress named Amora and is one of the most notable antagonists of Thor.-Publication history:...
, is overwhelmed by Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, the Absorbing Man
Absorbing Man
The Absorbing Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #114 The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first...
and then fights off Nightmare
Nightmare (Marvel Comics)
Nightmare is a fictional character, a supernatural being who has appeared in many Marvel Comics stories, most commonly as one of Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider's major enemies.-Publication history:...
. She briefly allies with the Blue Shield
Blue Shield (comics)
The Blue Shield is a fictional superhero published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Blue Shield first appeared in Dazzler #5 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Frank Springer....
, and aids the X-Men and Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...
against the misguided Caliban
Caliban (comics)
Caliban is a mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Caliban's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #148 , written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Dave Cockrum.-Fictional character biography:...
. On another occasion, she battles the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
and establishes a long standing feud with the then-mentally unstable Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
. She also had a romantic affair with Warren Worthington III.
In the course of her inadvertent adventures, she even encounters the planet-devouring Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, who initially thinks she is of little notice and generally ignores her. Nevertheless, he temporarily endows her with cosmic energy so she can retrieve his herald Terrax
Terrax
Terrax the Tamer is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #211 and was created by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
for him. In addition to being offered membership into the X-Men, Alison is also asked to audition for a place in the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
. She declines while facing Fabian Stankowicz (who is ultimately easily defeated by the Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
), saying that the superhero "trip wasn't for [her]."
After moving to Los Angeles in a vain attempt to help her half-sister Lois London
Lois London
Lois London is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the Dazzler. She first appeared in Dazzler #22 , and was created by writer Danny Fingeroth and artist Frank Springer...
, who has the mutant ability to kill anyone she touches, but has little to no control over her abilities, Alison attempts careers in fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
training, dancing
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, modeling
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, and acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
. Influenced both by her lover, Roman Nekoboh, and her desire to abate the growing anti-mutant sentiment, Alison publicly declares her mutant identity. The revelation backfires, destroying her reputation and career and inflaming anti-mutant sentiment, which sends Alison into a depressive state. Forced again into hiding, she spends some time as a keyboard player in rock singer and fellow mutant Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is a mutant with the ability to teleport, but only over vast intergalactic distances.-Publication history:...
's band. While on tour, the band's plane crashes, which leads to Dazzler, Lila, and a bandmate being successfully rescued by Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
and his brother, Joshua
Icarus (comics)
Icarus , is a fictional character, a mutant superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad....
. Lila has been knocked out so Dazzler uses the music Joshua plays at the scene to blast a hole through the wreckage. Alison is later possessed by the psychic mutant Malice
Malice (comics)
Malice is the name of four separate fictional comic book supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The original Malice was a minion of Killmonger, an enemy of Black Panther. The second was a short-lived Ghost Rider villain...
. She is saved and taken in by the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, becoming a member of the team.
During her tenure with the X-Men, Dazzler receives training, attains greater control over her powers, and develops a romance with the extra-dimensional Longshot
Longshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...
. She is also forced to work alongside the now-reformed Rogue. This causes considerable tension between them at first, due to Alison's difficulty in getting over Rogue's attempts to kill her in the past, as well as Rogue's own strong feelings for Longshot. Over time she eventually believes Rogue is genuinely remorseful and forgives her. Dazzler struggles with her career ambitions and personal insecurities, and eventually she and her team-mates in the X-Men enter the mystical Siege Perilous
Siege Perilous (comics)
Siege Perilous is the name of two fictional devices appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The first appeared in books starring Captain Britain, and the second in books featuring the X-Men...
, which leaves her in an amnesiac state. Discovered washed up on a beach by her former bodyguard Strong Guy
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz in New Mutants volume 1 #29 , and was reinvented as Strong Guy by Peter David and Larry Stroman in X-Factor #71 .-Early life:Born in Rhinebeck,...
, she is nursed back to health by him and Lila Cheney, though their efforts prove unsuccessful in helping restore her memory. It is eventually restored when she is found by Longshot. Devastated by the loss of her career, Alison ventures to Longshot's native "Mojoworld", and remains there to help fight in the ongoing rebellion against the tyrant Mojo
Mojo (comics)
Mojo is a Marvel Comics supervillain, primarily an enemy of the X-Men and one of its members, Longshot. Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones," an alien race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slaver who rules the Mojoverse, a dimension where all beings are addicted to his...
along with Lila Cheney.
Dazzler eventually returns to Earth without Longshot after an unfortunate series of events, including miscarriage and war. She helps Jean Grey in the fight against a repowered Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
, who is backed by an army of Genosha
Genosha
Genosha is a fictional country that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe. The fictional nation served as an allegory for slavery and later for South...
ns. She and Jean lead a small band of mutants to back up the original X-Men, who are in Genosha already. Dazzler faces down Magneto who turns her powers against her and apparently incinerates her. As he arrogantly boasts about his triumph, Dazzler reveals herself to be alive and well. She and Jean had concocted a plan for Alison to generate a hard-light hologram of herself to distract Magneto, who was then gravely wounded by Wolverine. After the conclusion of this incident, the X-Men offer Alison support for her personal problems, but she declines.
Characters in the Marvel Universe who are counted among her fans are Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
, teammate Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, Northstar
Northstar
Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...
, The Rhino
Rhino (comics)
The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
, Molly Hayes
Molly Hayes
Molly Hayes , is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. She was created by author Brian K. Vaughan & artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways #1 with most of the other main characters...
, Shadowcat
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
, and Pixie.
New Excalibur
The Dazzler later re-establishes her musical career, marketing her trademark disco image as part of the Techno/TranceTrance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
genre. Alison moved her career abroad to England and joined with X-Men allies such as the Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
and Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
. She was reunited with Longshot
Longshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...
in the X-Men: Die by the Sword
X-Men: Die by the Sword
X-Men: Die by the Sword is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 2007. It was written by Chris Claremont, drawn by Juan Santacruz, and inked by Raul Fernandez.The story featured the teams New Excalibur and Exiles...
miniseries, although Longshot was suffering from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and did not remember her. However, during the course of the miniseries he regained his feelings for her and some of his memories. Longshot left the Exiles to reestablish his relationship with Dazzler but the couple split ways due in part to Dazzler's frustration with other women's attraction to Longshot (which is a part of his power set), but mainly because of the realization that Longshot was no longer the man she loved because of his amnesia.
Return to the X-Men
Alison rejoins the X-Men in San Francisco after leaving LongshotLongshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...
, due to the fact that their relationship was just not the same after his loss of memory. Pixie is seen leaving a club with a friend where Alison has recently performed. Dazzler requests Pixie to join her on stage in future shows due to Pixie's mutant abilities, but Pixie declines the offer. Dazzler has established a career as a musician, finally landing a big break. Dazzler has also been shown to take part in the X-Men: Secret Invasion mini-series, which is part of Marvel Comics' 2008 crossover, Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
. Returning home with Northstar and Pixie, after taking her out to get drunk, despite her being underage, Dazzler and the team are unprepared for a brutal attack on the mansion by the Sisterhood. In retaliation, Dazzler later accompanies Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
, Storm, and Karma
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
for the revenge-attack on the Sisterhood in San Francisco where she engages a mind controlled Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
, who was back in her original body, in battle. While Psylocke gains the upper hand, Dazzler points out that Storm blew out all the windows when they entered. This was so she could absorb all the sound from the city outside, which she turned into a beam of light that burns the right side of Psylocke's face off. After the Sisterhood retreats Dazzler is happily reunited with Psylocke, who regains control of her Japanese body.
X-Men: Second Coming
Dazzler, along with GambitGambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
, Anole
Anole (comics)
Anole is a fictional mutant superhero in the Marvel Universe. He was created by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis and first appeared in issue #2 of New Mutants vol. 2 . A student at the Xavier Institute and junior member of the X-Men, Anole is one of the few openly gay characters in the Marvel...
, Northstar, Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
, Pixie
Pixie (comics)
Pixie is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Her mutation grants her pixie-like eyes, colorful wings that allow her to fly, and "pixie dust" which causes hallucinations...
and Trance
Trance (comics)
Trance is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by the Marvel Comics. A mutant, Hope attended the Xavier Institute before its closing. She retained her powers after M-Day and is a member of the X-Men's training squad....
travel to Limbo to rescue Magik
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
. Things go wrong when the ground starts to tremble and an army of monstrous demons attack the team. Dazzler calls upon Gambit for help during the attack, but Gambit sinks into the darkness, claiming "Remy's not home right now" leading the X-Men to be overwhelmed by the demons. Dazzler ends up alone and is rescued by Northstar just as she is about to lose her fight against the demons. Northstar and Dazzler encounter Gambit shortly after, unfortunately he has reverted to his Death persona. He seemingly attacks Northstar who easily evades his cards. As Northstar avoids the attack he realizes the cards were meant for Dazzler and she is transformed into a state much like the Death persona Gambit takes on. Dazzler, infected by Gambit (now completely consumed by the concept of survival of the fittest), joins his ranks goes after the other X-Men in Limbo to infect them as well.
Powers and abilities
Dazzler is a mutantMutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
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.
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. The precise means by which this conversion process works is as yet unknown. 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.
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.
Dazzler can produce numerous 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 thousand watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power, which temporarily blinds people with its brilliance. She can create a chaotic cascade of sparkling lights and colors that severely upsets other people's equilibrium, or a pulsating strobe-light effect. Dazzler can generate a coherent beam of light, approximating a laser beam.
Dazzler has polarizing eyes and cannot be blinded or dazzled by light.
With effort, she can create holograms of human beings and other three-dimensional beings and objects.
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.
The most powerful manifestation of her laser abilities are 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. She has since learned how to produce these blasts without draining herself, while still providing them with considerable power.
When Galactus enlisted her to retrieve his wayward herald Terrax
Terrax
Terrax the Tamer is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #211 and was created by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
from the heart of a black hole he had her exposed to unimaginable sounds, including the explosion of an entire galaxy, to boost her to sufficient levels.
Since the events of Dazzler: The Movie, Alison's body can store light energy for future discharge on occasional instances of extreme duress. Thanks to Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, 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 destroyed her foe Dust.
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.
Dazzler is a highly skilled athlete, and has become an excellent hand-to-hand combatant thanks to her training with the X-Men, and with the Gladiators. In addition, she is a talented singer, actress, and dancer. She is also a highly accomplished roller skater and can move at high speed; she occasionally wears a pair of roller blades which magnetically adheres to her boots.
Age of Apocalypse
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. She was romantically involved with ExodusExodus (comics)
Exodus is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Quesada, he first appeared in X-Factor #92...
and did not accompany the main team of X-Men in the final assault on Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
.
Dazzler was one of the characters involved in the original Age of Apocalypse to be brought back for the Age of Apocalypse 10th Anniversary miniseries. Like many of the other X-Men, Dazzler's costume in the 10th anniversary reflects an updated take on her original costume: the silver jumpsuit. 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.
The End
In X-Men: The EndX-Men: The End
X-Men: The End is a 2004-2006 trilogy of miniseries detailing the last days of the X-Men and their adventures in a noncanon future, part of their The End series...
, a series about the X-Men's hypothetical future, Dazzler reverted her costume to reflect her classic, silver design, continuing her career as a singer. Dazzler, an occasional "reserve" team member, joined Storm and X-Men members Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
, Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
, Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
, and Sage
Sage (comics)
Sage, also known as Tessa, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She has most often been associated with the X-Men and the Hellfire Club, whom she spied upon for Professor Charles Xavier....
for Xavier's "Plan B" team. Co-piloting the ship to the extraterrestrial Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
homeworld, Dazzler uses her powers to create a light show, calming the passions of the battling X-Men and Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
. The series' primary villain — Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra first appeared in New X-Men #114 . Cassandra is a "mummudrai," a parasitic life form born bodiless on the astral plane...
— then manifests, slaying the Imperial Guard and leaving the remaining X-Men as her sole adversaries. Dazzler attempts 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 in order 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 the Phoenix.
House of M
When Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet WitchScarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, used her reality-altering powers to change the world, Dazzler became 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.
The House of M newsprint special featured a tabloid-esque blind 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
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
's handling of mutant affairs and Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
was seen watching the Alison show when Deadpool went to rescue an infant Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
.
Author Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
originally scripted for the Dazzler to be this altered reality's answer to Oprah
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
.
Marvel Zombies
Dazzler appears as one of the few uninfected heroes in the limited series Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of DarknessMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular Evil Dead film and comic book, finds himself in the Marvel Zombies...
. There, she is almost eaten by an infected Winter Soldier until he gets killed by Ash Williams
Ash Williams
Ashley J. "Ash" Williams is the protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. Throughout the series, Ash has to face off against his loved ones inside an abandoned cabin as they are possessed by "deadites", the evil souls of the dead...
. Ash is attracted to Dazzler, but she doesn't reciprocate his feelings. As a thanks for saving her, Dazzler agrees to help Ash find the Necronomicon 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. Ash discovers the Necronomicon, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with this world's infection. On his way back, he meets an imprisoned Enchantress. Because of the nature of her powers, Ash believes the Enchantress is unaffected. In a confrontation with Dazzler, the Enchantress bites off her finger, infecting her with the zombification virus. Before she can react, Doctor Doom appears and destroys both women.
This series is the first since Dazzler's 1980 solo series to feature the character primarily as a Marvel Comics hero, with greater links to superheroes such as the Avengers and Fantastic Four, rather than as an X-Men member.
Another zombified Dazzler is quite visible in the bottom left corner of the large center cell on page 13 of Issue #23 of Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
– part 3 of the three-part arc that introduced the "Marvel Zombies" Universe [the three part arc consisted of Ultimate Fantastic Four issues 21-23]. As noted, Dazzler was destroyed - disintegrated - by Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
in the "Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness" limited series and hence, never lived to become a zombie.
Ultimate Dazzler
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
incarnation of Dazzler (Alison Blaire) is introduced as a punk rock singer in Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#42. Alison briefly joins Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow when promised a record deal, but joins the X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
after they rescue her from a Sentinel
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
attack. There she is called "Dazzler", the name of her band.
Alison often shows a lack of enthusiasm for the X-Men or their missions, 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 and Angel is captured, Dazzler takes initiative and leads the team on a rescue mission. This leads to the accidental release of Longshot.
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 the Academy of Tomorrow students from attacking the Triskelion. 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.
Dazzler stays in a coma for several weeks, visited many times by Nightcrawler who has an unrequited crush on her. Unfortunately, many factors have combined to unhinge Nightcrawler and as soon as she is able to be moved, he fools her into thinking they must escape. Initially trusting him, she cooperates until the rest of the X-Men rescue her.
The others, understanding Nightcrawler is mentally ill, plan to rehabilitate him. Dazzler does not accept this and quits the team in protest. She has since been labeled as one of the "most important" mutants to the X-Men's cause by the future Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
.
Dazzler later joins Bishop's new team in Ultimate X-Men #82. Bishop dies in Ultimate X-Men #90, and since then Dazzler has returned to the Xavier Institute to be with Angel and on Xavier's X-Men team once again. She is seen to be on Colossus' enhanced team, using the drug Banshee to boost her powers, seemingly with the ability to generate solid light spider legs and constructs and later faces off against Wolverine with hard-light versions of his claws. The drug enhanced team battles Xavier's main X-Men and eventually leave their drug-filled lives and return to the X-Mansion.
The Ultimatum Wave hits the X-Men next and Dazzler is revealed by Jean Grey to have been killed by it along with fellow team mates Beast and Nightcrawler.
Dazzler's powers allow her to convert sonic vibrations into various forms of photovoltaic
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
energy, including blinding flashes and concussive photon pulses; when boosted by the drug Banshee she was able to create hard light holographic
Holography
Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that when an imaging system is placed in the reconstructed beam, an image of the object will be seen even when the object is no longer present...
constructs. Her photon pulses have been shown as strong enough to destroy several Sentinels at once.
Interlocking Technologies
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 USA in Dazzler's original costume. However, she was ultimately discovered, stripped of her powers and returned to Earth-721.X-Babies
A member of the X-BabiesX-Babies
The X-Babies are a group of Mojo-manufactured child clones of the X-Men. They first appeared in Uncanny X-Men Annual #12 and were created by Chris Claremont and Art Adams.-Appearances:...
is based on Dazzler. It is unknown is she is still alive or has been terminated since Alison left the X-Men.
Earth X
In the Earth XEarth X
Earth X is a 1999 comic book limited series written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon and published by Marvel Comics. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian future version of the Marvel Universe....
timeline, Dazzler had her heart torn out by Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
though due to the "death" of Death
Death (Marvel Comics)
Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional...
, she lives on in constant agony.
What If?
In a two part What If?What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
story (What if Cable had destroyed the X-Men? and What if Magneto took over the U.S.A.?) based on Uncanny X-Men #269, Dazzler is an agent of Magneto. She is ultimately killed by a Sentinel warhead. In What If (1st series) #33 (June 1982), Dazzler decides to stay Galactus’ herald
Herald of Galactus
The Heralds of Galactus are fictional characters appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. The Herald concept was introduced in Fantastic Four #48 - with the character the Silver Surfer - by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
after she defeats Terrax. After many years of servitude, she is free to return to Earth. When she arrives, Dazzler discovers the Earth had become a barren wasteland. With nowhere else to go, she returns to Galactus.
Television
- Dazzler appeared in the X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men animated pilot as part of the X-Men's main roster. Alexandra Stoddart provided Dazzler's voice.
- She also guest starred in the X-Men animated seriesX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
. Dazzler first appeared as a background character in the episode "Mojovision" where she was Longshot's make-up artist. However, Dazzler was central to the plot of the episode "The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 1: Dazzled", in which Donald PierceDonald PierceDonald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
tries to kidnap her in order to force her to join the Inner Circle of the Hellfire ClubHellfire Club (comics)The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
. - Dazzler appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "X-Calibre", where she is seen aboard the ship traveling to Genosha. In the episode "Greetings from Genosha", she is briefly seen performing a concert. In the episode "Badlands", she is shown in Polaris' flashback to be among the mutants killed when Genosha is destroyed by the Phoenix's fire. However, the Phoenix was destroyed before it could reach Genosha, saving her.
Films
- In the film X2: X-Men UnitedX2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, her name appears on a list of names MystiqueMystique (comics)Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
scrolls through on Stryker'sWilliam StrykerCol. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
computer while looking for Magneto's file.
- Dazzler was also rumored to make a cameo appearance in X-Men: The Last StandX-Men: The Last StandX-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
and portrayed by Canadian country singer Beverley MahoodBeverley MahoodBeverley Mahood is a country music singer-songwriter in Canada. Beverley emigrated from Belfast to Canada as a child. She is also formerly part of the all-female trio Lace, produced by the renowned Los Angeles producer, David Foster. She was also a Canadian television host...
. Mahood didn't get a chance to film any scenes as her character was ultimately cut out of the final script.
Video games
- Dazzler was a playable character in the X-Men arcade gameX-Men (arcade game)X-Men is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1992. It is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the characters of the same name under license from Marvel Comics. The animation of the X-Men and the supervillains are based on the 1989 X-Men pilot episode titled X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men...
released by KonamiKonamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
in 1992. - Dazzler was also a playable in two early PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
X-Men games by Paragon Software: X-Men: Madness in MurderworldX-Men: Madness in MurderworldX-Men: Madness In The Murderworld is a computer game for DOS, Commodore 64, and Amiga systems, which was developed and published by Paragon Software in 1989.-Gameplay:...
and X-Men II: The Fall of the MutantsX-Men II: The Fall of the MutantsX-Men 2: Fall of the Mutants is a role-playing DOS game for the PC. It follows the basic story of the X-Men crossover storyline "Fall of the Mutants".-Plot:...
. - Dazzler was briefly mentioned in X-Men LegendsX-Men LegendsX-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in the fall of . Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early...
by Jubilee. - Dazzler appears as a non-playable characterNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
(NPC) in the PC version of X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
. Raven designed an online-exclusive "Dazzler's Nightclub" level for a mission which reenacts Uncanny X-Men #130, where the X-Men must protect Dazzler from the Hellfire ClubHellfire Club (comics)The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
guards. Closer inspection of the game's files reveals a dialogue portrait, HUD head, and unique character select animations for Dazzler—indicating that at some stage of development Raven SoftwareRaven SoftwareRaven Software is an American video game developer. The company was founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. In 1997, Raven made an exclusive publishing deal with Activision and was subsequently acquired by them...
had intended her to be a playable character. - Dazzler has a cameo in FeliciaFelicia (Darkstalkers)is a fictional character in the Darkstalkers series of fighting game by Capcom She first appeared in the 1994 game Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in other Capcom games outside of the Darkstalkers series and related media and merchandise.-Conception and...
's ending in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two WorldsMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worldsis a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
.
Parody
- In issue 5 of the bimonthly Simpsons Comics from BongoBongo ComicsBongo Comics Group is a comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Steve and Cindy Vance, Bill Morrison, and Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening. It publishes comics related to the animated television series The Simpsons and Futurama, along with original material...
entitled "When Bongos Collide", the citizens of SpringfieldSpringfield (The Simpsons)Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
were transformed into costumed super-characters. Lisa SimpsonLisa SimpsonLisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
called herself "The Jazzler" and had powers very similar to Dazzler's. The only difference is that Lisa draws her powers from her saxophone.