Dazzler Synopsi: 5 / 5

Author: William George Ferguson
Created: 1996 April 22 and 26 (posted to racmx in 5 parts)
Updated:

What's come before:
#1-#11 vamping till ready: Dazzler accrues the machineries necessary
for a career while fighting pointless superhero battles

#12-#21 getting the show on the road: Ali starts having success and
recognition as a live performer, while getting her personal life
together

#22-#28 Rogue and Lois: Ali cuts a demo for a major label, Gets
involved with the half-sister she's never known and fights several
battles with Rogue

#29-#34 Ali has a hit single, gets involved with Roman Nekobah,
changes her emphasis from singing to movies.

I was only going to synopsize the 42 books in her series, not getting
involved in other appearances, guest roles and so forth, but I have to
talk a little about the 2 major Dazzler projects which take place,
chronologically, between #34 and #35 for the rest of the series to
make sense

1st Dazzler: The Movie graphic novel
I am not going to do a review of this, others have probably done that
better than I can.  As a short synopsis, Dazzler finally is seduced by
Roman Nekobah, who makes a movie with her, to make her a star and
renew his waning career.  While doing a promo appearance for the
movie, at an airport, a nearby jet starting up throws her sound
absorption over her minimum threshold into the Galactus-flunky level.
This causes a major panic, she is identified as a mutant, and
anti-mutant hysteria kills any chance of the movie even being
released.  Nekobah drops her like a hot potato (the fallout is
effectively ruining his career), and she's back to square one.  Except
now she is the most famous and public Mutant in the Marvel universe.

2nd Beauty and the Beast limited series
Picks up right at the end of the GN.  Dazzler is completely
unemployable, as a performer or even in menial jobs.  She starts
working for the Mutant Circus (the same as featured in NM at the start
of the Karma/Shadow King story arc) and stays at a boarding house with
other mutants (the most sadly memorable to me, the young woman who has
the mutant ebility to change flowers from one color to another).
Beast shows up, bails her out of trouble, helps her get her head back
on straight, and becomes romantically involved.

For those keeping score; yes she slept with The Sleazy Slimy Scumball
(Nekobah) in the GN, and yes she slept with Hank in the LS

Not really an arc, #35 through #37 are single stories set in the
aftermath of the revelation that she is a mutant

Dazzler#35 Brawl
Shooter; Springer, Colletta, Carlin
Ali returns to her SD apartment, after the B&B LS.  Her landlords want
her to leave, because it's too dangerous being around such a notorious
mutant.  She does a turn down montage, until she finally is able to
get a waitress job at a dyke bar.  Fun ensues when members of a female
roller derby team starts getting a little agressive in their passes at
a short waitress.  Dazz beats up the lot of them without using her
transducing powers.  There are no guys to sleep with in this issue,
but that short waitress, Barb Spooner, sure is cute.

Dazzler#36 The Human Touch
Linda Grant; Isherwood-pencils; Gustovich (& Rubinstein)-inks;
Scotese-color
Ali is now staying with Janet McEntee, a dancer she met when she was
working as an aerobics instructor (Janet was the one who pointed her
at Millie's Models).  Dazz gets a singing gig at a small club
featuring bid band music, even though the manager recognizes her.
He's desperate as his singers are being run off.  Tatterdemalion is
involved, Ali solves the problem and moves on.  I started to say Ali
doesn't sleep with anyone, but looking at Barb Spooner last ish and
Janet McEntee this ish, I'm starting to re-think her relationship with
Vanessa Tooks back in NY.

Dazzler#37 The Girl In The Machine
DeNatale (who?); Tom Morgan, Bulanadi, Scotese
Dazz gets an invite to see an old high school friend.  Turns out to be
a trap, and has a twist ending.  Although some current continuity
points are tied in, this really reads like an inventory story.

And now for the last arc (#38-#42) O.Z. Chase and his sidekick
Cereberus

Dazzler#38 Challenge
Goodwin(!?); Chadwick, Guice, Scotese
Dazz goes to the X-Mansion for training, Wolvie thinks its a waste
(funny how the 2 folks whose neck hairs she raises on contact, Logan &
Jessie Drew, get along so well together).  This is one of those 'yes,
she is worthy' issues (see the 1st Psylocke/Sabretooth as another
example of this very common storyline).  Also introduces bounty hunter
O.Z. Chase and his 'pet' wolf Cereberus, who is hired to bring in Dazz
for bail jumping (trumped up)

Dazzler#39 Deathgrip (cover: Caught In The Grip Of Death)
Goodwin; Chadwick, Guice, Scotese
Dazzler's on the road and rescues some kids from a mountainside
traffic accident.  One of the witnesses is the father of a girl who
basically went catatonic when Dazz lost control of her powers at that
airport promo in the GN.  He whips up a kirbytech suit and fights her.
We get an ironic ending, and O.Z. shows up to take Dazz into custody

Dazzler#40 Travelers (cover: Road Warriors, and it's an SWII x-over)
Goodwin; Chadwick, Guice, Scotese
O.Z is now taking Dazz to Colorado (she's not really trying to resis,
I think she wants to see what's up).  Some run of the mill scumbags
with a little meta-power show up.  Beyonder also shows up and soups
them up for a better show.  A good time is had by all and life lessons
are learned.  We also meet the true villains of this arc, the ones who
hired O.Z. to pursue the trumped up bail jumping; Silence and Dust.
These are 2 completely original villains to anyone who doesn't happen
to be familiar with Octavia Butler's patternist books.  Ali doesn't
sleep with anyone in this book, but check out SWII #6.

Dazzler#41 Revelations
Goodwin; Chadwick, Guice, Scotese
We start with the origin of Dust and Silence.  Ali runs into her Dad
in Denver, who shows O.Z. that the charges against Ali were faked.
Turns out Dust has eaten Judge Blaire, and after Ali and O.Z, defeat
him, threatens to do the same to Barbara London.

Dazzler#42 Curtain (cover: Because You Demanded It - The Last Issue Of
The Dazzler)
Goodwin; Chadwick, Tanghal, Scotese
Opens with a police lieutenant letting a reporter get the story from
the man who killed The Dazzler.  Flashback to story.  Silence has
Dazzler and Barbara London and is using Barbara as lever.  Hank shows
up and connects with O.Z. The both go Dazz hunting.  A latent mutant
from a nearby prison escapes and also heads for Dazzler.  Big
confrontation with Dust and Silence's followers ending with the demise
of Dust and Silence.  The latent mutant fakes killing Dazzler and
takes the fall with the cops.  Ali's mother is saved, although her
father is lost.  Everone walks off into the sunset.

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