It’s Mutant Relaunch Time, so Marvel is throwing every mutant they can to your local comics shop to see what sells!
IS DAZZLER NOW TAYLOR SWIFT?
As reported here at MajorSpoilers.com, Dazzler is returning to the concert stage, and this time she’s surrounded by other mutants!
Here’s some into about this mini-series:
“No stranger to headlining, Alison Blaire enjoyed a successful solo career outside the X-Men in the 1980s with the fondly remembered and long-running Dazzler series. Now, she’s back to inspire a whole new generation, spreading a message of love and acceptance one sold-out show at a time. Her tour is for everyone, but backstage, Alison is joined by a crew of fellow mutants—head of security Domino, personal guard Strong Guy, one-man roadie Multiple Man, drummer Shark-Girl, and expert publicist Wind Dancer! Anti-mutant fervor has never felt more personal, but anyone who tries to dim Dazzler’s light will just have to face the music!”
If you were wondering where mutants who didn’t join the X-Men went, apparently some of them went to Dazzler’s merry mutant behind-the-scenes band!
Marvel is certainly doing their very best to revive interest in their mutants, with several mini-series’ coming out. This one caught my attention because of the artist, a favorite of mine! Rafael Loureiro is a creator I’ve actually met in person, and he’s a great guy as well as a terrific artist! His art always has a realistic feel to it that is also very dynamic, perfect for the comic book industry! I’m glad to see the House of Ideas giving him this chance to shine!
I find it interesting that Marvel leaves some of the details about Dazzler (including songs she sings and her age) out so we can fill in the blanks based on our own likes (and maybe even some dislikes).
WHO IS DAZZLER, ANYWAY?
For more about “Marvel’s glittering mutant songstress,” let’s go to the Marvel database:
“Alison Blaire, popularly known as Dazzler, is a mutant with the ability to convert sound and light waves into various forms of light energy, emit concussive blasts, generate shields and constructs. She’s a singer-songwriter who rose to fame as a global pop star, incorporating her mutant abilities into her electrifying performances. Dazzler’s journey into the superheroics began during a concert, she encountered discrimination and was outed as a mutant. Embracing her identity, she transitioned to using her powers to combat crime and safeguard the innocent.”
According to that same article, she uses “her music to champion mutant rights and social equity.” She has a strong bond with Longshot, an extradimensional warrior from Mojoworld, who she has fought side by side with on several occasions. That relationship gave birth to Shatterstar, a son who was taken from her along with her memory of him.
More recently, Dazzler has been important in the development of the cultural landscape of the mutant society in Krakoa. Dazzler discovered that her current boyfriend was a vampire, which put a damper on that relationship for sure! Now that this society has ended, she’s back on the worldwide concert tour.
To learn a lot more about her history, be sure to check out the link above! There’s a pretty exhaustive article on her exploits to date and even her exact powers, much more than I could possibly cover in this column!
Dazzler often uses her powers to “dazzle” her opponents, appropriately enough, as well as to influence the opinions and outlooks of others. Fortunately, she’s known for her optimistic outlook. While current fans might compare her to Taylor Swift, she seems to have been patterned more after Madonna, a big pop star of the 1980s.
WHY DAZZLER NOW?
I can already hear some fans pretty much dismissing this title because there’s a strong female lead, but her main storytellers are both males. I would say that it’s time to give the character a chance! After all, if this mini-series doesn’t sell well, it might put a damper on future attempts to use her! I felt this way about Star Trek incarnations—some people said that they would not support a version they didn’t like in an attempt to get one they wanted. However, if Trek did NOT generate enough interest or ratings, they are much more likely to abandon the entire franchise rather than try another show. I feel the same is true with characters like Dazzler. If you want female creators, support every mini-series she appears in. Marvel will get the idea if you give them time.
Dazzler is a perfect fit for today’s world. Fans are more accepting of strong female leads like Alison Blaire, so she’s more likely to get fans of all outlooks and genders to buy her comics.
I’m a little concerned that they are leaning into the notion that this is a “farewell tour” of sorts, that her career is coming to an end. They call this tour “the culmination and celebration of her entire musical career.” Hey, Marvel should follow the Dolly Parton pattern of things. Dolly got a new manager who decided to book her appearances in larger stadiums, and now she’s more popular than ever, it seems!
Marvel has always portrayed mutants as a group that endures violence and faces bias and hatred. Readers who experience that sort of prejudice in real life can thus relate to the mutant experience. The news release says Dazzler is “out and proud as a mutant,” language that might indicate that she is considered part of the LGBTQIA+ community these days. We’ll see.
So, if you are a mutant fan, someone who enjoys strong female lead characters, or has been intrigued by the X-Men and other Marvel mutants, I’d recommend you give our girl a try in this new mini-series! You just might like what you see!
What do you think? What should Marvel do with the Dazzler character? Should she continue providing music or should she retire at this point? Should she join one of the X-teams or continue on her own? Whatever your opinions, be sure to share them in the space below!
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Wayne Hall creates the Wayne's Comics Podcast. He’s interviewed Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, John Layman, Kyle Higgins, Phil Hester, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, David Petersen, Christos Gage, Mike Grell, and Matt Kindt. On this site each week, he writes his "Comics Portal" column (general comics comments and previews) and reviews comics.