Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
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Dazzler #42
Issue(s): Dazzler #42
Cover Date: Mar 86
Title: "Curtain!"
Credits:
Archie Goodwin - Writer
Paul Chadwick - Penciler
Romeo Tanghal - Inker
Mike Carlin - Editor
Review/plot:
According to the cover, you demanded that this be the last issue of Dazzler. Why are you such a jerk? Under Goodwin and Chadwick, it was actually getting decent.
This story wraps up the plotline from the past several issues. It has the Beast and O.Z Chase searching for Dazzler...
...after the end of last issue where, after defeating Dust, she went after Silence.
We find out that Silence has trapped Dazzler in the Beyonder's former universe.
Ok, that's really just a representation of the fact that Silence is using her powers to keep Dazzler in complete isolation, unable to absorb any sounds. Until such time as she's ready to use Dazzler's light power, which we learned last issue is what triggers the latent abilities of the subjects of Silence and Dust's previous experiments.
Dazzler is kept compliant thanks to the fact that Silence has Dazzler's mother.
But she eventually rebels, and manages to defeat Silence not with her light powers, but with sound.
She also has help from Arthur Allan Smith, the prisoner that we saw last issue. And at the end of the issue, Beast seemingly invites Dazzler to join X-Factor.
This serves as an ending to the Dust and Silence plotline, but doesn't really feel like a conclusion to the Dazzler series. To be fair, the Dazzler book went through several transformations, so it's hard to say exactly what a proper ending to the series would have been. If she were simply retiring, having her return to her singing career would have been the right move. But the theme of the Goodwin/Chadwick run was Dazzler as a visible super-hero trying to raise the profile of mutants, to make up for the harm she (thinks she) did in her Graphic Novel. Joining X-Factor might have therefore been a logic next step for her, except that the premise of that team actually works against the mutant cause. Having her join the Avengers might actually have been a cool move. In any event, Dazzler will eventually join the X-Men.
In addition to being the end of the Dazzler series, it's largely the last work Paul Chadwick does for Marvel but he will go on to find critical fame for his Concrete series.
Quality Rating: B-
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: Has to take place after X-Factor #1, and as you can see from Michael's comments on Dazzler #41, that puts some time between the end of last issue and this one.
References:
- Dazzler first faced some of Dust and Silence's mutates in Dazzler #40.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
| Previous: New Mutants #40 | Up: Main | Next: Amazing Spider-Man #275-276 |
Comments
After Dazzler joins the X-Men, the dialogue makes it clear that the X-Men still have no clue that the mutant-hunting is just a sham. So if Beast didn't tell Ali that the mutant-hunting was a sham, then what did he tell Ali about the team? To be fair, it's possible that Ali said something like "No,I'm not interested in joining any times and by the way, you should change the name, there's a horrible group of mutant hunters by that name." and Hank was too ashamed to respond.
Chadwick didn't actually put the Beast on the cover--Sienkiewicz traced Chadwick's art and added the Beast himself, which Chadwick wasn't too pleased about.
Originally Bob Layton's idea was for Dazzler to join X-Factor since resurrecting Jean Grey was an idea that others had. I wonder if the end dialogue between Beast and Dazzler was written to originally support the transition of the character to X-Factor, or at least was a nod to the original intention.
