Dazzler #2

Issue Date: 
April 1981
Story Title: 
Where Demons Fear to Dwell!

Tom DeFalco (writer), John Romita Jr. (penciler), Alfredo Alcala (Inker), K. Klaczac (colorist), Tim Novak (letterer), Louise Jones (editor), Jim Shooter (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

Friday night at Club Uno. This is to be Dazzlers premier night. The regular Friday night crowd plus the Avengers, the X-men, and the Fantastic Four will be in attendance. Dazzler opening number goes off without any problems and the crowd loves her. Suddenly, she ages before their eyes and crumples to the floor as she lets out a dazzling burst of light. The Dazzler reveals the Enchantress on the stage and regains her youthful appearance. As the regular crowd clogs the exits the superhero teams change into costumes and go to work. The Enchantress responds by unleashing a demon horde on the superhero teams to keep them busy while she hatches larger scheme. The Enchantress summons forth a messenger demon from a dark dimension to give her power enough to defeat Odin himself. Dazzler gathers all her might and dazzles the demon and sends it back to the dark dimension. The Enchantress swears her vengeance and gathers her remaining creatures and retreat back to Asgard. On the way to her dressing room Alison meets a man who gives her his card to help her get into see Harry Osgood. Osgood is a famous agent to the stars.
On Monday, the Avengers, accompanied by Spiderman and some members of the Fantastic Four, escort Alison to the agents office in the Avengers’ quinjet. The secretary ties to turn Alison away until the Beast enters the office and Alison is able to sneak by the stunned secretary. Harry Osgood turns her down for an audition until he sees all the superheroes waiting outside the window of his office. The Thing breaks the window and they all enter the office. Mr. Osgood changes his mind and auditions Alison on the spot.
Mr. Osgood signs her on as a new singer and she agrees to pay for the window out of her fist paycheck.

Full Summary: 

Dressing room at the Numero Uno:

Alison Blaire sits in front to her dressing table in the Numero Uno where she is now the headline act. She is silently reviewing the adventures that have brought her to this point in her life. She comes out of her life review to notice that her hair is not right and even questions her stage make-up. She comes to the sudden realization that she is suffering from stage fright.
She also reflects upon the phone call to her father that she made earlier this evening. Despite having the X-Men’s and Spiderman’s approval; she still longs for her father’s approval. However, Judge Carter Blaire, only begged her once again to quit show business and continue on with law school.

Fantastic Four Headquarters:

The Human torch is rushing Ben Grimm to get ready for Dazzlers show. Ben gripes about having to miss Clint Eastwood festival for tonight’s event. The last thing Ben does is send shockwaves towards to Human Torch to snuff out his flame. The Human Torch falls to the floor and its Ben’s turn to tell him to quiet stalling.

The Danger Room:

Professor Xavier runs his team through practice sessions to hone their skill. Angel is told to increase his speed to avoid missiles. Storm is advised to call upon the wind to assist her in winding and gliding through a maze designed to hone her agility as well as her weather power. Wolverine is admonished not to destroy the projectiles being sent toward him but to use his adamantium claws to deflect them instead. Colossus is reminded that his coordination and skill are every bit as important as the superior strength of his armored muscles as he handles a great metal weight. As the training session concludes Kitty reminds her friends that if they hurry, they can still make Dazzlers premier concert on time.

Meanwhile at Avengers Mansion:

The Wasp asks Captain America if he has to wear that thing out tonight. The Captain tells her that he feels naked without his shield and he isn’t about to leave it at home. The Wasp explains that she was referring to the World War II suit, which she considers to be outdated attire for a night on the town. The Beast bounds into the room and states he is ready to go and the others will meet them at the disco.

Club Numero Uno:

The dance floor is packed with all types of superhero celebrities intent on having a good time. Yet, somehow, there is also room for the normal Friday night crowd that frequents this establishment. Nightcrawler can hear someone admiring his blue make-up. Someone else remarks that Peter might be the infamous Lou Ferrigno. A woman is telling Ben Grimm how wonderful he would look in magenta because of his skin tone. Suddenly, the house lights blink and dim, conversations die down and Dazzler’s personal theme song is heard blaring through every corner of the club. The frantic applause begins and the young singer skates vibrantly onto the stage amid the swirling, dancing lights that are her trademark.

In Eternal Asgard:

The Enchantress is busy watching Dazzler’s debut and is not pleased by what she sees. She believes she is the rightful winner of the contest and not Dazzler, who got the job despite her best efforts. The jealous Goddess forms a plan to open a gateway to a dark and deadly dimension on that very stage as soon as the cosmic axis shifts. She believes that the huge amounts of power in this dimension will enable her to rule over the very universe. She knows that in order for her plan to work she must be on that stage when the dimension gateway opens. The Enchantress bends space and time by using a simple Rune.

Club Numero Uno:

She is instantly transported to the cloaked area immediately behind the stage and surprises a workman in the process. The Enchantress immediately places the workman in a hypnotic trance so he will be unable to reveal her presence. The Enchantress know that she must use her magic sparingly to obtain the results of her plan, as she also plans on keeping the rift open so she can return to Eternal Asgard at her leisure. On the dance floor, Peter Parker feels his Spider sense tingling and glances around the room looking for the threat. On Stage Dazzler drops her mike and begins a slow descent to the floor as the most awful feeling in the world consumes her. Alison feels cold and sees her hands turning yellow right before her eyes. Tony Stark observes her rapid aging from his crowded vantage point on the dance floor.

As she sinks weakly to the stage floor, Alison sees the Enchantress standing behind the curtain of the stage. Suddenly, Alison realizes that this is an attack meant to put her out of commission so the Enchantress can have the spotlight all to herself. Alison thinks quickly and formulates a plan. Alison focuses all her strength, through her mutant power, towards a disco ball, realizing that its mirrored surface with magnify the intensity of her mutant generated light. Dazzler is able to unleash an absolutely blazing beam of light similar to a laser that has a shattering effect upon the conscious state of the Enchantress, who is dazzled. The Enchantress realizes that she is dealing, not with a weak mortal opponent, but with someone who is in possession of special powers all her own.

Dazzler feels her face and examines her hands. She is in shock that she has once again regained her youth. Dazzler states the fight is far from over and the recovering enchantress, who is now exposed for the crowd to see, agrees with her.

Club Uno’s Friday night regulars clog the exits of the club in their haste to escape before this battle really escalates. Meanwhile, the super heroes celebrities in the crowd make ready for battle. Ben Grim finds a place to store his tuxedo. Tony Stark finds a place to change into his Iron Man costume. Peter Parker retires to the men’s room, now crowded with other heroes, to change into his Spiderman costume. He overhears Ben Grimm stating that he ahs heard the Rumor that the Enchantress is a powerful sorceress and immortal as well. Peter Parker takes the opportunity to use his strength and agility to leap up, dislodge a ceiling tile, and change above the busy crowd in private.

On the stage, the Enchantress is readying another spell while Dazzler is busy storing up energy from the sound of the club’s speaker systems. Dazzler realizes that the Enchantress has a lot more raw power and so she must rely on her agility to survive this encounter.

From the back of the club, Spiderman calls to Dazzler that help is on the way. The Wasp tells Spiderman that his speech is as tacky as his costume. Hawkeye reminds Captain America how powerful the Enchantress really is. Captain tells Hawkeye that they can still defeat her. The Enchantress sees the throng of Superheroes headed her way and conjures up a wall of destructive demons to keep them busy. Nightcrawler is busy teleporting to Dazzler’s aid and does not see the opening in the air above the stage. Captain America decides to assist Colossus defeat a large demon that is clearly giving him a matched battle. The Wasp is also busy delivering blasts of bio energy to various demons. The Beast sends his foe flying across the room and calls to the Thing to watch his back. The Thing turns in time to punch a huge battering ram headed straight towards him. Dazzler strikes at a demon near her with the full force of her mutant power and dazzles the creatures’ senses. Angel sends three flying she demons to the ground. Storm uses her wind and lightening powers to knock some archers out of commission, realizing that the true criminal, the Enchantress, goes unmolested. Kitty, distracted by her admiration of the Human Torch, barely phases though a wall in time to avoid being ripped apart by a demon. Wolverine is glad to see her get to safety so he can enjoy this battle without worrying about her. The Enchantress admires her own ability to distract her foes from her true plan of action.

Storm tells Spider-Man that in order to win this battle they must strike at its source. Spider-Man tells her to go ahead with her plan while he and the rest of the heroes hold the demons back. The Human Torch joins forces with Storm, as she is about to do battle with the Enchantress. The Enchantress conjures up a wind, which literally blows then out of the air. Hawkeye shoots an explosive arrow at an ogres bludger, to buy Ironman some time for a counter attack. Iron Man realizes that his power supply is running low and still more demons are coming his way.

Dazzler stands by herself and thinks she has been forgotten in the heat of battle. She knows that this must stop before more people get hurt. She skates across the stage towards the Enchantress intent on challenging her to a duel. The Enchantress tells her that her fate is to live to bear witness of the cosmic rift that has been created. Dazzler watches in awe as the giant blue arm of a demon breaks through the functioning portal. The Enchantress tells Dazzler that the messenger is bringing her enough mystical power to beat Odin, himself. Dazzler realizes that all the other superheroes are busy so it is up to her to give this creature a welcome he will never forget, even if the strain costs kills her. While Dazzler is summoning her power, the giant blue demon breaks through the dimensional barrier intent on killing all it surveys. Dazzlers’ power bursts forth in never before seen strength leaving the room as silent as a tomb. The demon creature cannot stand the bright light and screams as it is pushed back through the dimensional gateway.
The Enchantress attempts to summon another spell, but this strains her magic to the breaking point and the dimensional rift begins to evaporate. The Enchantresses threatens Dazzler with a “grim and terrible vengeance”, summons what creatures still remain to her, and transports them all back to Asgard.
Captain America is shocked at how quickly they published. Spider-Man tells Dazzler that she should be proud of herself for her performance in the battle. Dazzler tells him that she feels beat up, has a headache, and a Goddess wants her dead and “that’s the good news”. Dazzler states that she wanted her debut to be a night to remember, but not like this. Alison believes the battle that made shambles out of the club, has cost her a career before it even started. Spiderman starts to voice his objection but Captain America taps his shoulder and says that Dazzler just needs some time to herself to sort things out.

As Alison is walking toward her dressing room and contemplating how the night’s events will affect her future job prospects, she hears a voice call to her from behind. Alison turns and sees a figure of a middle-aged man in a purple suit crawl out from underneath the remains of the stage curtain. The gentleman tells her his name is Joseph R. Ercoli. He states he thought the appearance of the Enchantress on stage was part of her act until he saw the reaction of the crowd. He tells her that he really enjoyed her singing and that his card should get her into see his friend, Harry Osgood, who represents a lot of diverse talent. She accepts the card with a trembling “Thanks” and goes on to her dressing room.

Monday Morning, Aboard the Avengers Quinjet:

Alison is astonished at the lift but asks her friends if the subway would have been more practical. Iron Man says they wanted to let her know just how much they are encouraging her efforts. Spider-Man asks why she is not wearing her stage make-up? Dazzler tells him that an agent would not find a stage gimmick very impressive and besides, she is thinking of dropping it from the act anyway.

Plush Waiting Room of Harry S. Osgood:

Alison approaches the secretary seated in the plush waiting room. She tells the secretary her name and asks to see the famous agent. The Secretary replies that she must have an appointment and politely asks her to leave. The Beast picks this moment to open the door and lean his head into the office to see if Alison needs some assistance. Cassandra, the secretary, is used to turning down groupies, but not one of the infamous Avengers.
As the Secretary stares at the Beast in disbelief, Alison seizes the opportunity to sneak past her into Harry S. Osgood’s office. Mr. Osgood makes it clear that she is an unwelcome visitor. Alison attempts to explain that she is a singer but he says that his opinion is the only one that counts. Mr. Osgood tells her that he does not have the time to audition every pretty face that waltzes in the door. He is about to rudely dismiss Alison from his presence when he sees a startling sight at the window of his office on the thirty-ninth floor. He sees Spiderman, the X-Men and the rest of the Avengers all looking at him and begging him to give Alison an audition. To Mr. Osgoods’ dismay, the Thing begins to pound on the safety glass in order to make sure his point is understood.
The window breaks and the heroes find themselves in his office. He tells Alison to go ahead and sing if that is the only way he can get some peace and quiet. Iron Man utilizes his costume to pick up radio waves and provide the music. Wasp encourages Iron Man to utilize his spotlight also. Dazzler begins to sing and provide a few lights of her own. Her voice drowns each and every member of her audience in memories and conflicting emotions. When she has finished her last note total silence reigns in the room.
Osgood startles everyone by announcing that the audition is over. He then grabs the phone and tells the secretary to telephone his lawyer, as he has a new singer and the cost to replace the picture window is coming out of her first check.

Characters Involved: 

Dazzler (Alison Blaire)
Judge Carter Blaire (Alison’s Father)
Human Torch, the Thing (both Fantastic Four)


Angel, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Professor Xavier, Sprite, Storm, Wolverine (all X-Men)

Beast, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Wasp (all Avengers)

Joseph R. Ercoli (contacts Dazzler after the battle)

Harry S. Osgood (Agent to the Stars)

Cassandra Ferlenghetti, private executive secretary of Harry S. Osgood.

The Enchantress

Hordes of Demons conjured by the Enchantress

Giant blue inter-dimensional demon summoned by the Enchantress

Story Notes: 

See Dazzler # 1 for the details on the contest with the Enchantress.
Lou Ferigno was the actor playing the Hulk in the Hulk TV series.

Issue Information: 

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