Dazzler #1 has a memorable chorus

Alison Blaire is headed out on a world tour in Dazzler #1, written by Jason Loo, drawn by Rafael Loureiro, colored by Java Tartaglia and lettered by Ariana Maher, with a cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson

When we last saw Alison Blaire, aka Dazzler, she was dead. Killed during the final Hellfire Gala by Nimrod in one of the most galling and hilarious page turns in recent memory, Dazzler had been elected to the X-Men by her peers only to be completely decimated by Orchis. With the help of Rachel Summers, Dazzler and her fellow Dead X-Men went on the hunt for a timeline-hopping Moira MacTaggert. Along the way, she got reminded by writer Steve Foxe that Chris Claremont had essentially made her immortal, before Alison and her teammates helped convince Professor Xavier not to kill Moira as a child, and made it back to the land of the living via flower power before the ultimate showdown between Phoenix and the Dominion named Enigma. What’s she been up to since?

Verse

So it turns out that Dazzler had a busy time on Krakoa. Since she wasn’t on any of the superhero teams, she used her island free time to record a new solo album. And this just isn’t any album. Dazzler is holding strong (after eight weeks!) to the #1 spot on the Billboard charts. It’s important to note just how monumental this is for the character. Since her original solo series through to the present, Dazzler has always had her fans, but she’s never been an outright blockbuster sensation. At her best she’s been more on the level of a Carly Rae Jepsen than a Taylor Swift (despite what casting ideas the internet might have). Her new status quo suggests she’s having a Sabrina Carpenter-esque moment in the public eye, and she’s using this popularity to launch a world tour with an all-mutant team of musicians, stagehands and security.

Included in this motley crew is Multiple Man, who has seemingly given up on the scientific lab detail days of X-Corp so he can be a roadie/backup dancer. Bringing the muscle is none other than onetime Lila Cheney bodyguard Guido Carosella. On drums we have Shark-Girl. Keeping Dazzler safe from stalkers and would-be assassins is Domino. And heading up PR is the curious choice of Wind Dancer, who we last saw having a truly traumatic time in the Mojoverse in Leah Williams’ X-Factor. It’s Wind Dancer who provides the core conflict in this first issue, as she seems overwhelmingly concerned with mutant aggression in the eyes of humankind to the point where she asked Shark-Girl to disguise her identity with an image inducer collar.

While Wind Dancer’s provocations provide a good part of the issue’s conflict, I have to hope there’s more to this than a mutant trying to hide other mutants from the public eye, because it’s an odd plot point after the mutant unity of Krakoa, especially given how unclear the current line has been on the post-Orchis status quo. Going from mutant (dys/)utopia to “we all just have to get along through assimilation” is going to give some readers whiplash.

Bridge

Let’s talk about the art. Loureiro and Tartaglia do a good job of keeping the book grounded. Given this is a book about a pop singer, we get great views of the star-shaped stage, the equipment and the crowds. And while the artwork feels safe and in the realm of a Mark Bagley-esque house style, it matches the light touch of Loo’s storytelling. If I had a note, it would be that just because How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way recommends dutch angles, you are still allowed to use them judiciously.

The behind-the-scenes stuff also works as Dazzler is attacked by definitely-not-a-fan Elaine Coll, aka Scorpia. Loureiro keeps the vantage point from the stage and the band as they’re attacked, making sure we’re seeing it from their point of view. Dazzler seems very unphased by this, as she’s been doing martial arts training with Domino, as we see in a few well-placed flashbacks. And for her part, Alison does seem to have this all under control until a blast from Scorpia reveals Shark-Girl’s true identity. Gasp!

Chorus

If the issue felt tame to this point, this is where it really does pull together. Loo employs far more lyrics than I would have anticipated for Dazzler’s material (something I suspect we’ll continue to see as she tours), and the climax of the issue contrasts Wind Dancer being deeply concerned that social media is already blasting negative headlines with Dazzler donning a sparkly new one-legged outfit and belting “Out and Proud” with the band. Now, reader, maybe it was because I just got the new COVID-19 booster and a flu vaccine this weekend, but these final pages did give me a little case of the goosebumps. I’m a sucker for the band coming together and nailing the song for the crowd scene. I could hear the guitar wailing, and Shark-Girl crashing those cymbals. The only problem is, the scene is only two pages long! And it ends on a very odd panel of Dazzler and her Madri backup dancers holding their arms up in the shape of an X. Is this a reference to Beyonce’s “Formation”? Were they saluting Wakanda? Sending a pointed political message to Warden Ellis on the imprisonment of Charles Xavier? Maybe any and all, but if an X is still the symbol of the mutant community, someone should tell the characters over in Uncanny who are looking for little hand M’s.

Loo and Loureiro are off to a good start. Their book does seem restricted by the weird non-commitment to a unified theme of the From the Ashes line (as do all the current books), but I still want to follow the disco dreams of this now very mutant-forward group of touring musicians.

X-Traneous Thoughts

It’s a total missed opportunity not to have an extended cast of recognizable mutants as bandmates and dancers. Simply no reason we couldn’t have Thumbelina on bass or Adam X the X-Treme on guitar.
Likewise, the choice to make Wind Dancer the conservative PR person means she can’t, y’know, dance? But perhaps I’m predicting a future story!
The lyrics to “Out and Proud” are featured on a — dare I? — data page that advertises a “Boom Bap” streaming service. While “Boom Bap” is a style of East Coast hip-hop, I can’t help but wonder if Boom-Boom is getting into the streaming media business.
Blimey! Next month the Dazzler tour heads to merry ol’ London. I’m looking forward to finding out how Brexit affects human-mutant relations. See you then!

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