Fun Despite Its Flaws: Reviewing ‘Dazzler’ #1

The best thing Dazzler #1 has going for it is the sheer love writer Jason Loo has for the character. Even without reading the issue-closing editorial he pens, it’s clear that this is a character and a story that he’s excited to be writing. That counts for a lot in an issue that sets up a fun premise with some flawed execution. 

Loo and artist Rafael Loureiro use the beginning of Dazzler’s world tour as the backdrop to introduce an eclectic cast of characters: Dazzler, finally on the cusp of musical super stardom after working on a new album on Krakoa, muscle man Strong Guy, PR manager Wind Dancer, head of security Domino, and Jamie Madrox filling in the rest of the roles from stagehands to backup dancers.

Some of the details here are a little fuzzy. This is another series suffering from the vague circumstances surrounding the “From the Ashes” status quo: the issue references how mutants are hated and feared around the world. Yet at the same time, Dazzler has somehow emerged from the fall of Krakoa a pop star on the level of Taylor Swift, being forced to sneak into her own concert venue to avoid getting spotted by the raving fans outside. 

The negative attitudes towards mutants are enough for Wind Dancer to urge Dazzler not to use her powers in any way during the concert, while also giving drummer Shark-Girl an image inducer to hide her obvious mutation. All of this feels way too assimilationist and out-of-character for Wind Dancer (who, granted, isn’t a character with an impressively-deep backlog of stories to her name). It reads like Loo needed a character to create this kind of tension and chose Wind Dancer, rather than finding someone who would better fit the narrative (or create a new character).

The issue is also lacking in interiority for its title character. Despite some first-person narrative captions that establish a sort of base-level “I can’t believe this is happening!” mentality, there’s not much established about how Dazzler feels about Wind Dancer’s efforts to “normalize” her. When the villain Scorpia attacks the concert, the captions shift into standard “describe what the hero is doing” mode, further limiting any insight into Dazzler’s take on things. 

Yet for all that, Dazzler #1 is still a ton of fun. Dazzler fighting a super-villain wearing an updated version of her disco attire while trying to put on a concert is just good old-fashioned comic booking. There’s some interesting ideas setup about using celebrity to further a cause and normalize an “out” group. And running through it all is the clear affection Loo has for the title character, perhaps in no way more than the fact that all the lyrics of the songs Dazzler sings in the issue were written by him. There’s definitely room to improve, but right out of the gate, this is perhaps the most fun “From the Ashes” debut yet.