Issue(s): Dazzler #18, Dazzler #19, Dazzler #20, Dazzler #21
Published Date: Aug-Nov 82
Title: "The Absorbing Man wants you!" / "Creel... and Inhuman treatment!" / "Out of the past!" / "Alison Blaire, this is your life!"
Credits:
Danny Fingeroth - Writer
Frank Springer - Penciler
Vincent Colletta - Inker

Review/plot:
Mr. Fantastic gives Dazzler a super walkman that can charge up her powers very quickly. Since she doesn't want to be a super hero, she's not too pleased with the gift. The Invisible Girl reminds her that despite her intentions, she winds up getting into fights with super-powered people all the time.

Indeed, meanwhile, the Absorbing Man checks in to a dive hotel with plans to kidnap Dazzler. While Dazzler goes to a ballgame with her Weird Al Yankovic looking boyfriend, Creel raids her manager's office to get her next performance date and location.

While all this is going on, the Angel shows up at Alison's father's house to try and get info on her mother. Her father is still in a semi-catatonic state.

The Absorbing Man shows up at Dazzler's concert and attacks her while she's performing. Dazzler flees back to the Fantastic Four, but they're no longer home. However, she does manage to make contact with the Inhumans. Lockheed teleports Black Bolt from the Moon to the Earth. Black Bolt powers up Dazzler by screaming at her, and she absorbs enough power to blast the Absorbing Man beyond the point that he can absorb. Angel shows up at the end cause some tension with Weird Al.

Not great, but fun. The idea of Black Bolt's voice powering Dazzler's sound-to-light absorption is geeky cool

Meanwhile, Dazzler's friend Vanessa is at her singing coach's house, and she accidentally discovers a room full of pictures and clippings of Dazzler. Sounds pretty pyscho, but it'll turn out that the coach is actually Dazzler's long lost mom. It also turns out that Dazzler's got a half-sister.

Next, a pair of super-powered musicians show up and harass Dazzler's bandmates. It turns out they had been powered up by the Techmaster some time ago. Dazzler puts a stop to them.

After the fight, Angel shows up to tell Alison that her father's gone catatonic.

Issue #21 is double-sized with a photo on the cover instead of drawn art. It also promises the "shameful secret of Dazzler's past!". It's not really Dazzler's shameful secret at all, it's just that Dazzler's mother used to be a singer but got herself into drugs and had an affair while she was married, leading to divorce. We learn half the story from Alison's mom's conversation with Vanessa, and the rest from Alison's father, who comes out of his catatonia in order to finally talk to Alison about her mom.

Meanwhile, Alison's manager Harry Osgood sets her up with a charity gig at Carnegie Hall. It's organized by a slimy guy similar to the one who corrupted Alison's mom. He wants to exploit Dazzler's super-hero contacts to create a big draw. He also offers Dazzler some drugs when he see's she's having issues due to her personal problems, but she refuses. She's again offered drugs by the vibraphone player (!) for the opening band.

All of Dazzler's friends do show up for the concert: the FF, the Avengers, Wonder Man & the Beast, Spider-Man, Power Man & Iron Fist... but not the X-Men because they're off in space. Alison's father also comes to the show and makes amends. Vanessa also tells her that her mother's in the audience. After the show she meets her mom, and then finds that all the heroes have thrown a surprise party for her at her apartment.

Mostly harmless.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Thing is in his classic rocky skin, placing this after Fantastic Four #245. Takes place after Hawkeye and She-Hulk join the Avengers in Avengers #221, and before Iron Man quits the team due to his alcohol problems. Takes place while the X-Men are off-planet. Issue #20 and issue #21 each have a separate main plot from issues #18-19, but the sub-plot with Vanessa at Dazzler's mom's house continues directly from issue #19 to issue #20, and Angel shows up at the end of issue #20 and flies Dazzler to her father's house at the beginning of #21.

References:

• Mr. Fantastic's super walkman was designed based on data he got from the experiments Project Pegasus performed on Dazzler in Dazzler #9.
  
• The Absorbing Man remembers his last two encounters with super heroes, in Avengers #183-184 and Hulk #261.
  
• The Absorbing Man absorbs Dazzler's lights just like he absorbed Odin's cosmic bolts back in Journey Into Mystery #122-123.
  
• Dazzler reminds Harry Osgood that he owes her for saving his butt in Dazzler #8 and Dazzler #12.
  
• The X-Men can't make Dazzler's show because they're off in space as seen in Uncanny X-Men #162.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A