Dazzler's Disco Debut and Beyond: A Look at her Iconic Costumes
Dazzler, the X-men’s disco queen, is a hero who’s been a pop star for decades longer than all of your faves. And like so many musicians, Dazzler goes through different styles, and a group of cosplayers has captured her evolution over her different pop eras.
Pat Loika (@patloikaphotoworks) has posted his photos of different Dazzler cosplayers portraying Allison Blaire throughout the decades.
The photoshoot features @gentrypiper in a stunning recreation of Dazzler’s second costume, which first appeared in Dazzler vol 1 #38. Gentry rocks out with an accurate costume created by @leetal_weapon. The next look is from @meshellwaffleo, who brings the character into the 1990s with a recreation of her Jim Lee design from X-men vol 2 #10. Finally, @zombilicious dances the disco diva into the 21st century with a recreation of Kris Anka’s punky, ripped up, costume from Uncanny X-Men vol 3 #24.
Dazzler's Disco Debut
Dazzler aka Allison Blaire first appeared in 1979’s X-Men vol 1 #130 after her power to transform sound into light is detected by Professor X and Cerebro. It’s an auspicious time for Dazzler’s debut, as she finds herself right in the middle of the most famous X-Men story of all time in the Dark Phoenix Saga. However, Dazzler doesn’t join the X-Men during this story, deciding to pursue her musical career instead. This led directly into Dazzler vol 1, which ran from 1981 to 1986 and saw the heroine combat threats ranging from shady record producers to Galactus himself.
For an X-Men character, Dazzler has had a fascinating solo career. The character was originally conceived as a multimedia franchise in and of herself, with a planned movie alongside her solo comic. This obviously never happened, and while Dazzler did get 40-odd issues of her solo title, she didn’t manage to capitalize on the popularity of disco as was hoped, since the genre was already waning by her first appearance in 1979. After her first solo title, she joined the X-Men proper just in time for the Outback Era, when the team faked their deaths and relocated to Australia.
The Different Looks Of Dazzler
In the middle of this aforementioned solo series came the costume cosplayed by @gentrypiper, which trades the disco ball look of Dazzler’s original outfit for the blue and yellow that would come to define almost all her future looks. This costume also has the first use of Dazzler’s iconic starburst motif. Gentry’s version opts for the larger starburst added by superstar artist Marc Silvestri, which Dazzler wore in the event Inferno during the Outback Era. Gentry’s mid-song pose captures all the heroine’s energy in one image and shows exactly why she’s popular as both a pop star and a superhero.
From the end of the Outback Era onward, Dazzler has alternated between being on various X-Men teams and going on adventures with her partner Longshot to free his home, the Mojoverse, from its despotic ruler Mojo. It’s in this context that her ‘90s Jim Lee costume debuted after a period where Dazzler had lost her memory of Longshot, a recurring beat for both of them. The cosplay from @meshellwaffleo nails this look, complete with the ultimate ‘90s comics signifiers of a cool jacket, belt, and headwear. Pat Loika enhances this further by adding visual effects imitating Dazzler’s light-based powers.
What’s interesting about Dazzler is how often she has changed throughout her history. As the majority of her stories have been released after the disco boom and bust, writers and artists have imagined how Dazzler reinvents herself for the different cultural moments afterward. These redesigns offer new genre signifiers for Dazzler, and none have been bolder than the Kris Anka design embodied by @zombilicious’ cosplay. While it retains the starburst logo, this look opts for a darker blue-black color scheme to signify an edgier tone to fit the heroine’s more gothic turn and punky turn.
Dazzler Is Returning To A Classic Look For A New Series
As Pat Loika mentions in his post, Dazzler is once again getting a new solo series, with Dazzler (2024) #1 releasing September 18. The series, written by Jason Loo with art by Rafael Loureiro, promises to chronicle Dazzler’s new world tour, which she’s embarking on alongside other mutants, including her long-time bodyguard Strong Guy. With each issue featuring imagined lyrics from Dazzler songs, it’ll be fun to see how Loo and Loureiro interpret Allie for a time when pop stars are defined by eras and, like comic books, lore-obsessed fans.
It's interesting that Dazzler is going back to her original look for this series, considering that the Marvel sliding timescale means that Dazzler was, at this point, never around for the actual disco era. It’s hard to say, however, whether this costume signals something about the direction that Allison will be taking musically in the series, or whether it’s just been chosen because it’s iconic. The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. However, if Dazzler wants to choose another look during this series, these spectacular cosplays show that the X-Men’s disco diva is more than spoiled for choice.
