Reading Dazzler #1 by Jason Loo and Rafael Loureiro further confirms that the secret sauce that makes the X-Men franchise work is variety. It’s never just straight superheroics; whether it was the age of Krakoa or during Chris Claremont’s legendary tenure, the best X-Men stories have stretched into genres like sci-fi, horror, or fantasy. Dazzler #1 continues this trend by focusing on the music industry, along with the ups and downs of said industry – which magnifies if you have mutant powers.
After the end of Krakoa, Alison Blaire, aka Dazzler, has hit the road – intending to use her music to inspire mutants. She’s assembled a wide group of mutants to serve as her crew/band/other assorted roles, and she’s ready to promote her new album. She wasn’t ready for supervillains to attack her during her first stop in Los Angeles, but that’s life as a mutant superstar.
Loo’s become a rising star at Marvel thanks to his work on the Sentry miniseries and the recent Blood Hunt: Werewolf by Night one-shot. With Dazzler, he proves that he not only can handle the wide range of the Marvel Universe but that he can make any story entertaining, especially a music tour.
It helps that the supporting cast of the book has roles that fit them perfectly: Strong Guy puts together the stage, Shark Girl and Multiple Man serve as the instrumental, Domino handles security, and Wind Dancer is publicity. Their rapport with Allison is a highlight of the book, and I hope to see more of it in future issues.
Credit: Marvel
Something else I want to see more of? Loureiro’s artwork. It’s crisp, clean, eye-catching, and perfectly suited for action sequences. Case in point: the back half of the book features a fight between Dazzler and Scorpia, and Dazzler expertly weaves around her opponent’s razor-sharp tail while using her mutant powers to create a light show that knocks Scorpia out. Did I mention she did all of this while singing? Loureiro also gives Dazzler outfits befitting her rockstar style, including a glittering take on her classic disco costume that would make Taylor Swift jealous.
The real highlight of the book is the color work from Java Tartaglia and the letters from Ariana Maher. Dazzler’s powers work by converting sound into light in a way that translates well to the colors/letters; whenever Dazzler sings, her word balloons turn a wavy blue or shift to pink when she does a love ballad. Likewise, the sound effects are dazzling displays of colors that immediately catch readers’ eyes. Loo even wrote lyrics to a song that made it into the final pages. Yes, folks, this is a comic that has its own music.
Dazzler #1 provides a nice bit of variety to the “From the Ashes” era by treating Alison Blaire as the superstar she’s become. The only question is: what’s the name of Dazzler’s album? And when can I buy it?
Dazzler #1 is available wherever comics are sold.
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