A Dazzling Christmas

Posted by Jennifer

Disco may be dead, but I don’t care. I can’t resist the funky brass, schmaltzy strings, and driving rhythms that make you wanna dance, dance dance.

I don’t even try to hide this embarrassing infatuation. In high school I drove around in my powder blue Ford Tempo to the tunes of K.C. and the Sunshine Band on a mixed tape I dubbed from one of my mom’s records. In fact, I was the one who requested “Get Down Tonight” at my senior prom. (Well, actually I requested “I’m Your Boogie Man” but the D.J. didn’t have it- go figure!)

Maybe I was born too late- not only did I miss Disco, I missed out on Roller Disco. I love to roller skate and got a beautiful pair of skates from David last Christmas- but it’s just not the same to skate under a glitter ball to hip hop or country music at the local rink.

Piecing my interests together in the insightful way only he can, David suggested one day, “You know, you’d probably like to read Dazzler.” Having read a lot of comic books when he was younger, David knew about this rather obscure character and hit the nail on the head when he said I’d like to read about her adventures. We picked up a few issues from comic book stores and antiques stores and I was instantly hooked by all the 70’s kitsch.

Dazzler, aka Alison Blaire, is a Marvel mutant who can transduce sound into light. Her lifelong dream is to be a singing star and she uses her super power as special effects for her stage act. If that wasn’t enough, she also roller skates across the stage in a silver outfit complete with disco ball necklace and beautiful blue face paint. She doesn’t want to fight super villains but invariably ends up engaged in battle one way or another, even if it's only a night club brawl with a team of mean Roller Derby gals. Of course, this is all much to the chagrin of her father, Judge Carter Blaire, who envisioned his daughter following his footsteps toward a prestigious law career.

Reading Dazzler is one of those silly little joys in my life, but it takes time to collect all the issues from a series which ended long ago. My sweet husband found the Essential Dazzler collection and gave it to me for Christmas. All of the Dazzler issues are reprinted in these two volumes. Needless to say, I was excited!

But the surprise factor there hardly compares to the surprise I got from the next gift. When I first pulled back the wrapping paper I was scared. It looked like the sort of enormous character bust that only obsessed comic fans or extreme collectors would have- and have 100 of. But I bravely forged onward and was pleasantly surprised to find that the sculpture was modestly sized, about like the top half of a Barbie doll, complete with disco ball necklace and swirling light super power in action. So now I am the proud owner of a resin bust of Dazzler even with a certificate of authenticity. Look out, world; we’re two Disco Divas who never say die!