‘Dazzler: X-Song’ Brings A Fave Back To The Stage

Writer: Magdelene Visaggio / Artists: Laura Braga and Elizabeth Torque / Marvel Comics Dazzler’s been around a good long time — her first appearance was in 1980 — and she’s had plenty of appearances. She’s frequently remembered for her post-Disco pop look. I fell in love with Dazzler in A-Force, where she appeared as a radically punk, roller derby queen. In every incarnation, she’s been a reluctant hero who does good when part of her wants to just make music. It is those roots that this issue of Dazzler returns to. Alison here is back to her rock backstory, having recently left the A-Force to get back to doing shows under the stage name Lightbringr. The band name is a throwback to Dazzler Thor who briefly joined the team in issue #5. Her version of Mjolnir was called Lightbringer, which now resides in Dazzler’s trunk.

Lightbringr’s shows are explicitly safe spaces for mutants and Inhumans alike. This kind of solidarity rubs some the wrong way after all the trouble muties and Inhumans have been through in the last few years. The comic tells the story of two Inhuman teen fans of Lightbringr who are being harassed by a gang of thugs calling themselves Mutant Action. Alison can’t help standing up for the Inhumans, leading her back to her hero past and a reconciliation with the X-Men — repped here by Colossus.

Magdalene Visaggio’s writing is direct and approachable, whether you know Dazzler’s backstory or not. It is easy to draw comparisons here between this plot and gay danc…