What I loved about Dazzler was that she wasn't a super hero. She was a mutant, and she had a power that was nifty (converting sound into light), but she wasn't a super hero like the X-Men, out there "fighting for a world that hates and fears them". Instead, she was a singer, trying to make a living as a performer, and not wanting to get caught up in super hero battles. Despite her best efforts, she took on tons of villians, including the Hulk (not technically a villian, but still...) and, Dr Doom, the Enchantress, and Galactus. And to win her battles, she relied not on raw mutant power, but common sense, instincts, and really cool roller-skating abilites. And as for her powers, she used them as a type of special effects in her stage performances, letting the audience believe it was technology, and not mutant powers that made the fantastic light shows.

I loved the Dazzler series back in the 80's, and was sad to see it end. However, I think it had one of the most awesome series endings ever done. I mean, they've ended Avengers West coast by killing someone, and then having the team disband. They ended Excalibur with the team disbanding after a wedding. But Dazzler-they killed her! Only they didn't. It was the most spectacular ending ever, and it wasn't explained until the last pannel the big hoax that was played upon not only the comics world, but the reader as well! Absolutly brilliant. If they were going to take away her comic, they sure went about it the right way.

(thanks to the Diva's Realm for this pic)
Dazzler from the Age of Apocalypse storyline

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