Dazzler #9

DAZZLER #9 (1981)
Writer: Danny Fingeroth (“from an idea by Tom DeFalco”)
Pencils: Frank Springer
Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz and John Romita

We return once again to the Dazzler series, because it’s going to be important to Secret Wars in a really, really weird way.

We begin with Dazzler, in her civilian identity of singer Alison Blaire, being kidnapped by a couple of strangers who bring her to an unknown location.
Just to give you an idea of just how effective she is at being a superhero.

Case in point, they took her away on a helicopter and she complains that the reason why she doesn’t shoot them out of it is because she doesn’t know how to pilot a helicopter. Which is fair, but she could’ve done it BEFORE getting into the helicopter!

We find out what’s going on, she’s been brought to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.

It was originally supposed to be Project Please Don’t Think Too Hard About Our Initials, but “Project P.D.T.T.H.A.O.I.” doesn’t roll off the tongue.

Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. is typically Marvel’s version of DC’s Star Labs, meaning they are the ones who get to do super-science when superheroes and supervillains aren’t available.
Which is why it’s so weird to see them act this scummy, but then again they ARE a government agency.

She’s understandingly angry at the Project… until she meets their chief of security, and then the kidnapping is forgiven since he’s a hot superhero.

This is Quasar, who just happens to be one of my favorite Marvel heroes, so let’s hope this issue is not too embarrassing for him.

He gives her a tour of the Project, beginning with the various supervillains who are being kept there because they have energy-based powers and are too troublesome for normal jails.

The important one is Klaw, the supervillain made of solid pink sound.

I have to admit the montage of her testing is well done, and that the basic idea is sound (pun not intended): the Project gets some scientific understanding of how superpowers work, and she gets to stretch her abilities in a safe environment.

The Project discovers that she might be much more powerful than she thinks, since they can’t find a limit to how much sound she can absorb and convert into light.
She’s upset that they want to continue testing, which might have something to do that it’s apparently necessary for her to lounge around in a bikini.

Trying to sneak out of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. is a bad idea, so of course it’s the first thing she tries. Or it would be if it wasn’t for Quasar.

Dazzler’s main power is to emit light, and Quasar’s main ability is to absorb light (and apparently to randomly change color), so our heroine gets to be utterly useless. Again.

I said I like Quasar, and I can see where he’s coming from, but she has a point.

So of course, while Dazzler does have something of a case, she goes overboard and immediately thinks Klaw is just as innocent as she is.

For reference, Klaw is a member of the Masters Of Evil and killed Black Panther’s father, so… yeah, Dazzler is kind of an idiot.

“I think I made a big mistake”. YOU THINK!?

Quasar can create constructs of solid light, so of course Klaw is able to use sound to counteract it.
After all, since both solid light and solid sound are bulls##t science they kind of have to cancel each other, right?

The two will have a re-match early in Quasar’s series, where he will defeat Klaw in like three panels by creating a void inside the light construct. I get the feeling that was in response to this moment.

Also I really like Klaw as a villain, but the whole “solid sound” never made any amount of sense to me. Like right here, his boast is pretty badass, but since we can SEE solid sound how exactly is it immune from light!?

Dazzler seems to be completely unmatched by Klaw, while the exact opposite is true: her power to absorb sound and convert it to light, so anything Klaw throws at her only helps her.

And so she ends up completely absorbing him into her body (except for his klaw, which is artificial).

Dazzler is worried about having killed Klaw, but the scientists reassure her that he’s still inside her.
Yeah, like THAT would reassure anyone!

The fact that the scientists want to run some tests to help her… while she’s explicitly unable to control her powers, mind you… SOMEHOW prove they’re worse than Klaw.

What I’m getting at is that Dazzler is a moron.

Well at least it can’t get any worse for her, right? Right?

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Historical significance: 7/10
Yes believe it or not this is rather important for Secret Wars!!!

 Silver Age-ness: 8/10
Yes, even in the 80s we could this much Silver Age! And it’s only going to get worse.

 Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
The artwork is perfectly fine, with some highlights here and there. The basic idea is also fine… Dazzler goes to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. to have her powers analyzed and shenanigans ensue when a supervillain is received… but it’s kind of ruined by how unnecessarily shady the Project is, plus of course the fact that Dazzler is an absolute moron. I mean, I can kind of see SOME discussion on the human rights violations of some of those experiments, but come on!!!