We could probably do a year’s worth of articles on the many, many looks of Marvel Universe rock star Alison Blaire, also known as the sound-to-light beam blasting mutant Dazzler. She debuted in the 80s as a cross promotional tool, a fabulous disco queen on roller skates with all the trim and trappings of her role.
And she’s gone through numerous designs over the years, all varying in design and quality, but all being reminiscent of the era she’s from. There was the late 80s/early 90s Dazzler that showed up in ‘X-Men: The Arcade Game’ and failed pilot ‘Pryde of the X-Men’ and the Ultimate Universe cashed in on it’s younger readership’s punk rock and country music fascination with a Punk Rock Dazzler, a contradiction if ever there was one, but one that made sense in the context of that universe. If you want to keep up with the latest country news music, then check out this blake shelton news.
So then you can understand my confusion with the current state of Dazzler.
See, a few week’s ago, we found out the Allison Blaire who had become Dazzler, Agent of SHIELD early on in the ‘Uncanny X-Men’ run wasn’t actually Blaire, but Mystique. Magneto found the real Blaire sedated and rescued her. Dazzler has since expressed quite a bit of contempt for SHIELD and was last seen running off to join Cyclops’ Uncanny X-Men, where she is getting the absolutely most nineties redesign imaginable.
Torn dress! Boots! Mohawk! Like 30 belts (seriously, there are belts around her ankles)! Scowly face of disapprovement! The design, which will supposedly reflect on the character’s reimagined attitude and place in the Marvel Universe, is just a terribly thought out 90s look. Which is impressive, given she already had the most 90s look imaginable with the leotard and leather jacket look she rocked in the early 90s.
If anything, the looks aesthetics do match the look of her Uncanny X-Men co-stars, a book which kicked off by making the costumes look drastically different from how they’ere typically depicted. All signs point to the new Dazzler debuting in Uncanny X-Men #24. Next month’s #23, a tie-in with Marvel’s ‘Original Sin’ event, will detail the last will and testament of Charles Xavier.
