Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 1) [Paperback]

Chris Claremont (Author), Marv Wolfman (Author), Tom Defalco (Author), Danny Fingeroth (Author), John Byrne (Illustrator), Keith Pollard (Illustrator), Mike Esposito (Illustrator), John Romita (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 4 and up

Disco may be dead, but Marvel's dynamic diva never says "die!" Beginning as a co-star with the X-Men and Spider-Man, Alison Blaire moved into a world of villains new and old, facing gangsters, gods and Galactus without skipping a beat! Plus: the Inhumans, the Hellfire Club and Project: PEGASUS! World saving, space travel, intrigue and romance in the ultimate disco mix! Guest-starring most of Marvel's heroes, including Spider-Woman and She-Hulk! Collects Dazzler #1-21, Uncanny X-Men #130-131 and Amazing Spider-Man #203

Product Details

• Paperback: 552 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (August 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785126953
• ISBN-13: 978-0785126959
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, August 25, 2007

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 1) (Paperback)

"Essential Dazzler"? Isn't that an oxymoron? In any case, this first Essential collection for the much maligned mutant disco diva is surprisingly good. Essential Dazzler re-prints her first appearances in X-Men and Spider-Man, as well as the first 21 issues of her solo series. However, when you first open this book up, you may be turned off by what you read. First introduced during Chris Claremont and John Byrne's iconic run on Uncanny X-Men in the midst of the landmark Dark Phoenix Saga, Dazzler was introduced with some laughable powers, i.e., she shoots disco lights. After you get past the first few issues collected here, we end up getting some surprisingly compelling adventures as Dazzler tangles with all kinds of classic Marvel characters (from the Hulk to Galactus) and really comes into her own during the last few issues of her solo series here, and there's a bevy of talent behind it all as well, including Marv Wolfman, John Romita Jr., and Walter Simonson. Though Dazzler is one of the few Marvel characters who hasn't stood the test of time too well, don't let that put you off from checking this out. All in all, Essential Dazzler is a surprisingly good installment in Marvel's Essential line, and is definitely worth checking out or picking up.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Collection -- Most Surprising (and Rewarding) Essential Yet! Must Read!, August 14, 2007

By 

Alexei Tatyanov "A" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 1) (Paperback)

"Essential Dazzler Vol. 1" is simply one of the most surprising collections Marvel Comics has added to their Essential line. Dazzler has been something of a comics in-joke for years -- "That silly disco rollerskating heroine!" -- but one glance over this new collection, reprinting 21 issues from the self-titled solo adventures, proves that, hey, Dazzler was actually pretty good!

The collection follows the life of one Alison Blaire -- the Dazzler -- a mutant who turns sound into light. The clincher is she doesn't want to be a superhero, but wants to be a singing sensation, using her abilities to make fancy lightshows for her stage acts. But in the process, Dazzler deals with family drama, emotional rollercoasters (oh, the men!), and action-packed superheroics. The result is a dynamic, engaging mix.

Dazzler's mix of stories, largely relying on guest stars from Marvel's big-names, reads like a fantasy trip through the Marvel Universe. When reading through the issues, you realize that Dazzler is an excellent point-of-view character for readers new and old, acting as our own liason through the best of the 80s -- and most of these guest stars are again the best of the present day!

Dazzler's status as being outside of the spandex allows readers to become familiar with the Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, She-Hulk, Hulk, Spider-Woman, Quasar, Doctor Octopus, the X-Men, the Absorbing Man, Galactus, and Terrax all over again -- or for the first time! It's continuity-heavy, but in an accessable way. Often times there's more plot in one issue of DAZZLER than most modern-day story arcs combined -- and once you hit Issue 6 of her solo series (vs. The Hulk!) Dazzler has you hooked. The backbeat pulses and you start to care about the character most readers barely know. Author Danny Fingeroth (who, despite low billing, penned the majority of this collection) creates strong links from issue to issue, making the series read like a serial rather than as simple superhero vignette. Great work all around.

Art by John Romita Jr., Frank Springer, John Byrne, and Keith Pollard is great in the black and white format. You can especially see the love Springer had for the Dazzler -- he draws one hot Alison Blaire.

The downside includes the wonky origin issues of Dazzler. The character was forced into the X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN series before her own launch, and it shows. Dazzler is hardly a compelling character in these issues. The X-Men stories by Claremont (as often is the case in trades that collect one or two issues by Claremont) particularly do not collect well as stand-alones. The Spider-Man issue is just wonky. And the first two issues of Dazzler may make you roll your eyes to the point you may not get into the good stuff.

By issue 6, and especially 10, you'll be a Dazzler convert.

Easily one of the best TPBs published by Marvel. Take a gander at this book, and feel the fever of Dazzler fandom.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly good, and accessible!, August 18, 2007

By 

Berry Radtz (Mt. Pleasant, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 1) (Paperback)

I found this essential to be quite an enjoyable read. It was like one of 'In the day of...' stories we got in other bigger comics ala X-Men and Teen Titans, but that was the main focus of her overall story. Sure, she was a herald of Galactus for a minute, but she also had trouble getting stable work as a sessions singer, and often had to eat peanut butter and jelly for dinner.

It was also quite enjoyable because, even though she was a mutant who was just trying to make it in the entertainment industry, when she did face a super-villain, it was a more mainstream villain from the Fantastic Four, or the Avengers, rather than being battling Magneto every weekend, or a human who wanted to destroy all the mutants in the world.

The costume(if you can call it a costume) fits in so well to not only back then, during the disco days, but if you look at a lot of pop stars ala Jennifer Lopez, and Kylie Minogue they often wear outfits very similar to her original costume.

BTW, if you're a fan of Oz, you will LOL @ the prison issue! Overall, I would say buy the issue if you're interested in learning about a very interesting, and different hero for the the new 'modern' woman from the 80's, I say pick up the book!
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