Dazzler is a series published by Marvel Comics in The '80s.
Published from the early to mid 80's, 'Dazzler' was an attempt on Marvel Comics' part to draw a female audience by putting a title on the stands that was half superhero action and part soap opera. Or, at least, that's what the series was like for most of its first two years. Towards the end of its second year it took a turn towards being more soap opera than superhero book. In the series' final 5 issues it made a return to superheroics, with Dazzler's well-known blue costume making it's first appearance in issue 38.
Issue 1 of Dazzler was the first ever "Direct Market Only" comic, giving the book a large hype at the time, since a lot of readers who bought their comics at newsstands did not manage to get a copy. There was also a graphic novel published named Marvel Graphic Novel issue 12: Dazzler the Movie, set between issues 34 and 35 of this series. Years later, a special Dazzler one-shot was published, which was an aftermath of the Necrosha-X crossover as well as a special homage to this original series.
For tropes pertaining to the character Dazzler, please see her character page.
Dazzler provides examples of the following:
- Aborted Arc: The final issue of Dazzler ended with Allison seeking a new status quo, and Beast suggesting that she join X-Factor, the new team he and several of his former X-Men teammates were putting together. Dazzler did not end up appearing in X-Factor, as the plan to have her be the team's fifth member was changed when editorial decided to resurrect Jean Grey and have her be part of the group instead.
- Attack Backfire: In one issue of Dazzler when she is blackmailed into being a research subject at Project: Pegasus, the villain Klaw who is also a prisoner there (as the project studied supervillains with energy-related powers) thinks he'll use Dazzler due to her naivete to escape, not realizing her power is to absorb an infinite amount of sound and store it to convert into light. Being a creature of pure sound energy, all his attack do is push her power into overdrive, resulting in his being completely consumed by her.
- Buried Alive: In an issue of Dazzler, Alison is hired to appear in a music video that was a thinly-veiled copy of Thriller. The preparation for one scene calls for the zombie dancers (including Alison) to be buried alive, so they can crawl out of their graves during the video. However, the director, having arranged a series of accidents to draw publicity to a "jinxed" production, removed the air hose from Alison's plot, hoping to suffocate her. She was not amused, and got a confession from him in front of the news crew he'd invited for the "accident".
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Enchantress wanted Dazzler dead for offending the gods by having a better singing voice than her. (Both of them auditioned for a part, and the manager, though obviously infatuated with Amora, reluctantly admitted that Allison was slightly better.) Her first assault against Allison to tap into a dimensional rift in order to kill her rival in the middle of her performance via Rapid Aging, only to attract the attention of New York's other heroes and was defeated (and as a result, ruining what was her true plan, using the rift to gain ultimate power). She then tried to get the Asgardians to punish Dazzler, kidnapping her and dragging her to Asgard and demanded a mock duel, which she tried to turn into a real one. Fortunately, Dazzler was saved by Odin's untimely arrival; he agreed that Dazzler does have a better singing voice, ordered Enchantress to drop the matter, then sent the girl home with the promise that the Asgardians would not hurt her.
- Film Felons: In the Dazzler comic she is recruited to dance in a music video that is a thinly veiled Thriller reference. The director has been engineering stunts to create the appearance that the production was cursed, all to increase publicity for himself; he went so far as to blow up his own car. He set up a scene for the video where the zombie dancers would emerge from their graves, but removed the air hose from Alison's plot so that she would suffocate before having the chance to emerge. She managed to escape anyway, and got a full confession from the director in front of the news crew he'd brought in to witness the "accident".
- Groin Attack: In a Dazzler comic X-Men's Angel got a kiss from a Stripperiffic girl before said girl landed her knee on his crotch
◊ (*WHUMP!* "You fool!" *Evil Laugh*). It's hard enough not only to make him groan ("Owwwww!") but also make his eyes became bleary as he watched the girl reveal herself to be none other than the shapeshifter Mystique who's already an established fan of this. - Heart Is an Awesome Power: Notably, Dazzler's solo series involved her teaming up with Black Bolt in a battle with the Absorbing Man, a guy who gives The Mighty Thor fits on a regular basis. Black Bolt supercharged Dazzler with so much raw sound that she was able to completely overload the Absorbing Man's powers and knock him out. Keep in mind that the Absorbing Man is a guy who's tanked cosmic energy blasts and cyclones from Odin, Thor's father and a Physical God.
- Instrument of Murder: Dazzler had a foe called Johnny Guitar who wielded an electric guitar that fired sonic blasts. He had a partner in Dr. Sax, and you can probably figure out the rest on your own.
- Lethal Harmless Powers: In her old solo series, she once channeled the ocean's roar into a beam strong enough to stun Galactus.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: The Dazzler series ended with the title character seeking a new beginning, with Beast recommending that she join the new team he was putting together.
- Smoking Is Glamorous: In her first appearance in the Dazzler comic, The Mighty Thor's villainess Amora makes a grand entrance in a toned-down version of her classic costume, high-heel boots, and smoking a cigarette in a medium-length holder. The glamor aspect is played up as she poses and preens and exhales a deliberate stream of smoke, all while a nightclub owner practically drools over her while exclaiming that she is the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen.
