Dazzler #12 – Comics Archeology

Dazzler #12 (1982)
by Danny Fingeroth & Frank Springer
cover by John Tartaglione

That title “The light that failed” is a good tagline for this entire series.

Dazzler has returned to Earth after the completely bonkers Galactus story, and as you might notice this is also the point of the series where the fanservice starts to get noticeable.

In fact it’s almost like the whole Galactus nonsense didn’t even happen, because this is kind of a direct sequel to Dazzler #8 and the whole Techmaster deal.

Considering you’ve already met the Enchantress, Doctor Doom, Nightmare and the Hulk? Dazzler, just tell him everything, it’s not like the rest of your series makes THAT much more sense.
Or you could hypnotize him, if only you didn’t constantly forget you HAVE that power.

So let me get this straight: Techmaster has bugged the manager’s office, meaning he has complete access to him. Why doesn’t he, I don’t know, just blow him up with a bomb or something!?

Instead, Techmaster tricks him with a machine that perfectly disguises his voice. So add Techmaster to the long list of supervillains who could’ve made a fortune with their inventions without resorting to crime.

Meanwhile, Dazzler gets a gig perfectly suitable for her singing talents.

I think Dazzler is beginning to realize what kind of series this is.

That evening, Dr. McDreamy takes her on a double date with a famous surgeon and his snobby wife.

Danny Fingeroth is best known as a long-running editor for Spider-Man. Just bringing that up for no reason, really.

Yeah, uhm, the date didn’t go all that great. By now these two have realized they have basically nothing in common. Who would’ve thought that a relationship based on meeting each other in the emergency room wouldn’t be rock solid?

Still, they basically got together because they think the other one is hot, so…

Instead of Doctor McDreamy keeping her awake, though, it’s her fanservice duties a call from her manager.

So Dazzler has been called for a gig in the middle of the night at a fully automated plant.
Nothing suspicious there!

Wait a second… Dazzler used her power in front of the Enforcers in Dazzler #8, to the point that her manager learned about them… but Techmaster is STILL oblivious!?

WORSE! He actually thinks Dazzler is some kind of technological wizard!!!

After trapping Dazzler in the factory, Techmaster then threatens the manager to… blow up his house? Wait, he has his place bugged, if he wants revenge why didn’t he kill him there?

You might be thinking: well, there are plenty of reasons why he doesn’t want to kill him right away! He may be looking for some kind of poetic justice, or he wants to disfigure him first, or he just wants to bring him back to his own factory and strangle him… wait, what?