Author: William George Ferguson
Created: 1996 April 22 and 26 (posted to racmx in 5 parts)
Updated:
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UX 129-BTS UX 130 UX 131 CX 37/2 CX 38/2 ASM 203 FF 217 DAZZ 1 This is in response to request for synopsi of Dazzlers solo run. Background first. Alison Blaire first appeared in UXM#130, in the mini-arc that formed the penultimate chapter of the Dark Phoenix saga. Professor X and his X-Men were trying to head off a recruitment drive by Sebastion Shaw and Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club, which targeted two hitherto unknown mutants, Katherine Pryde and Alison Blaire. Kitty accepted the X-Men's offer to join, showing up at the X-Mansion while the X-Men were at Jean/Phoenix' funeral service. Ali turned down the offer, preferring to pursue her singing career. Between UXM#130/131 and Dazzler #1, Ali made a grand tour of Marvel titles, appearing in Amazing Spiderman and Fantastic Four. It is important in making sense out of the 1st two issues, to know that virtually the entire greater New York superhero community was on a speaking acquaintance with Marvel's Mutant Songbird before Dazzler #1. Onward: Dazzler #1 So Bright This Star DeFalco writes; Romita fils, Alcala, & G.Wein portray An 'origin' issue explaining Dazzler's past through flashbacks and setting up the running plotline of Judge Blaire's disapproval of his daughter's choice of professions. At the end of the issue, Ali seriously ticks off Amora the Enchantress by beating her out of a singing job at a discotheque. Apropos to comments made on the newsgroup, Ali doesn't sleep with anyone. Dazzler #2 Where Demons Fear To Dwell (cover: Last Stand In Discoland) DeFalco; JR fils, Alcala, & K.Klaczak First half is vamp til ready, with Dazz preparing for her new gig, and various superfolk getting ready to attend. When the show starts, Enchantress shows up and casts a rapid-aging spell on Ali (good thing Amora isn't petty or spiteful), nice scene of P.Parker ducking into the Men's room only to find all the stalls full of folks changing to spandex. Chanty is thwarted and vows vengeance. Joseph Ercoli intros her to sleazeball agent with a heart of gold Harry Osgood, setting up her supporting cast for the next couple of years. Ali doesn't sleep with anyone. Dazzler #3 The Jewels Of Doom (cover: Enter Doom) DeFalco; committee art (JRJr&A.Kupperberg-pencils, Bulanadi&Gil-Inks, and Bob Sharen is the 3rd colorist in 3 issues) R.Richards runs tests & is the first in a long series of folks to tell Ali she's a lot more powerful than she thinks. J.Storm flirts with Ali and she flirts with Ben ("Torchy's a hunk, but he's too macho for me to take seriously"). One page developing the 'dance for my father' subplot. Intro another supporting character, field rep Lancelot Steele, Macho Jerk. She does a U.N. charity gig and gets to meet a genuine head of state (see title). Ali doesn't sleep with anyone. Dazzler #4 Here Nightmares Abide (cover: A Force For Good... A Force For Evil... As Doom Commands) DeFalco; Springer-pencils, Bulandi&Gil-ink, & Slifer is 4th colorist in 4 issues Doom sends Ali into a familiar (at least to this long-time Dr. Strange reader) dimension. Ali battles dreams and nightmares until meeting the real thing. About 2/3rds page development with Judge Blaire. Torchy, who was at the concert, figures Vic made the grab and starts checking know Doom hangouts. Ali thwarts Doc and gets her butt kicked, but Johnny shows up and rescues her. Ali doesn't sleep with anyone. Dazzler #5 Tell Joey I Love Him (And a bunch of cover blurbs) DeFalco; Springer, Villamonte, & Don Warfield (#5 in a series) Ali recaps her 1st 4 ish's on the splash, so far she's faced a major Thor villain, The major FF villain, and a major Dr. Strange villain, its time for a break. She's in ER courtesy of J.Storm, in the capable hands of Dr. "Call me Paul" Jansen. Ali's admitted for overnight observation and gets involved with the elderly lady sharing her room, Mrs. Cartelli. This leads to the intro of The Blue Shield, a potentially interesting character with whom absolute squat has been done for the last 15 years. Fun underworld "Green Hornet" type stuff. Ali doesn' sleep with anyone, not even Dr. Paul Jansen. Dazzler #6 The Hulk May Be Hazardous To Your Health DeFalco & Fingeroth; Springer, Quickdraw Studios (bet you didn't know they were contracting out in 81)&Gil-inks, & Warfield answers the trivia question 'who is the 1st colorist to do 2 consecutive issues of Dazzler?' Intro the 'backup band'. Scene showing Ali's social responsibility. Some Paul smooching. A gig at college. Wandering stranger shows up to get a menial job at science lab, while he secretly tries to find a cure, gets caught, and drops his tranquilizers before he can keep from getting big and green. Dazz does the Achy Breaky with the Hulkster. Ali doesn't sleep with Dr. Jansen, but not for lack of trying (damn beeper). Dazzler #7 Fort Apache The Hulk (cover: You've Got To Admit...The Lady's Got Guts) DeFalco&Fingeroth; Springer, McGlaughlin&Gil, & Warfield Hulk round 2, and Dazzler wins (well the only way anyone beat the 'Hulk Smash' Hulk). A mysterious figure hires The Enforcers to whack Harry Osgood, who he accuses of being a mass murderer. Another mysterious figure is shadowing Ali. Dazz makes it back to her apartment and folds out her (empty) bed. Ali doesn't sleep with anyone, and she's starting to get grumpy about it. Dazzler #8 Hell...Hell Is For Harry (guess what pop singer was big at this time) Fingeroth ("from an idea by DeFalco"); Springer&Colletta-art,&Warfield The Enforcers go for Harry (it's sort of a Phantom of the Paradise plot) Dazz goes for the Enforcers, lessee The Enforcers a some lame 3rd rate Spiderman villains, and Dazz has been waltzing with the Enchantress, Dr. Doom, Nightmare, and The Hulk. Sorry about that, Ox. Ali gets in a car to see Mr. Meeker, didn't her dad teach her not to do that (not that she listens to dad). Ali doesn't sleep with Paul Jansen, and she's starting to get real cheesed about it. Dazzler #9 The Sound And The Fury Fingeroth (faibDeFalco); Springer&Colletta; hey its Christie Scheele Mr. Meeker takes Dazz to Project Pegasus. She starts to get annoyed by all the clinical treatment, pointless secrecy, and general polite bullying, but then meets Security Chief Wendell Vaughn aka Quasar (Paul who? Did I know someone named Paul?). Eventually, though the machinations of the scientists wear her down (along the way, they document that her ability to absorb and transduce sound is unlimited). When she decides to leave, they tell her they have yellow-dog riders in her 'standard release'. Klaw, Master of Sound, an incarerated villain, convinces her the scientists are the real bad guys (at this point it doesn't take much convincing) and gets her to release him. When he goes on a rampage, rather than just escaping, Dazz goes after him. Klaw's problem is this: He's made out of sound; Dazzler eats sound. Dazzler eats him, boosting her power levels way past previous high points, powerful enough to attract the attention of (see next thrilling issue). By the way, Ali doesn't sleep with anyone (Wendell "makes Captain Americal lool loose moraled" Vaughn? Get real) Dazzler #10 In The Darkness A Light (cover: Enter Galactus) (The Enchantress, Dr. Doom, Nightmare, and The Hulk obviously weren't challenging enough) Fingeroth (but they still blame DeFalco); Springer & Colletta admit that one pencils and one inks; featuring the return of Don Warfield & after 9 straight issues of lettering alone, Joe Rosen gets some help from Janice Chiang. The Big G confirms the Project Pegasus jer, er, scientists' findings that Dazz's ability to absorb and transduce sound to light has no upper limit, and, after reaching a threshold of absorption, she can store sound energy for later use, also without an upper limit. Having completely absorbed Klaw, she has reached a power level sufficient to attract his attention, but she ain't powerful enough yet. After expending her energy in a single titanic blast, just to get his attention (an event that has repercussions in Secret Wars I a year later. Paying attention to continuity and having events in one comic have repercussions in another later, what a concept), Big G explains what he wants. His latest Herald, Terrax, has cut and run, and G wants him back. Terrax is hiding in a black hole, and G needs an agent powerful enough to go in and get him. To get her powered up enough he exposes her to a nice range of sounds, exploding galaxies, The Big Bang, stuff like that. He then gives her a Power Cosmic (tm) coat to let her breathe and protect her from the pressure of the black hole and sends her off. The only one available to sleep with here is Galactus. I don't think so. Dazzler #11 ...Lest Ye Be Judged Fingeroth still blames DeFalco; Springer, Colletta, Warfield Well, since Terrax gets jerked around by Galactus for several more years, and since we know what happens to Ali, you know who wins the fight in the black hole. After the battle, G has Dazz click her heels 3 times and she goes home, ending up wasted on her couch, where she is found by her entire supporting cast (Judge Blaire included), who all immediately assume she's strung out on drugs. 11 issues, and she hasn't even slept with a stuffed toy (Don't even suggest Terrax). Next issue they promise that she'll actually get to sing. And that was the beginning and end of the 1st chapter
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