Daily Dazzler 2: X-Men Go X Factor

Title: “Where Demons Fear To Dwell”
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciller: John Romita Jr

We left Enchantress vowing to take revenge on Dazzler for beating her to a singing job at New York’s “premier” disco Numero Uno. We pick up with Daz preparing for her debut performance! The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man and The Avengers are also getting ready for a night down the disco to see their pal do her turn (this is not a joke.)

The Enchantress turns up because a mystic portal is, by amazing coincidence, about to open on stage. This is Very Important Business because;

“Within that dread dimension lie unspeakable sorcerous energies! With such power at my command, the universe wouldst my footstool be!”

She also wants to punish Daz for nicking her singing job – so hits her with a ‘super aging’ spell.

Daz zaps the disco ball with her rather rubbish and inconsistent powers, stunning the Enchantress while her pals swing into action. They all run off to the toilets to get changed into their super-gear! It’s a comedy interlude!

The Enchantress summons “hateful harbingers of horror and holocaust” to fight our heroes.

While fisticuffs fly The Enchantress’s “grisly messenger from yon dark domain bearing the bounty of mystical omnipotence” is about to make an appearance. Dazzler sends him back home with the use of her shiny disco powers. Enchantress leaves in a huff, delaying the gratification of killing Daz, to ‘let anticipation add to thy misery.’ Weak!

Here’s the main event though…two days later her super hero chums take her, in an Avengers Quinjet, to audition for Harry S Osgood “spokesman for the stars.” Have a look at this:

 

The cheese-to-action ratio in this series is all over the place. One minute it’s a big supernatural punch up, the next it’s A Chorus Line with mutants.

The entire cast of Secret Wars ‘persuading’ an agent / promoter / manager (it’s not clear what Osgood is) to turn their pal into a popstar? There’d be a multi-part company-wide crossover’s worth of ethical hand wringing in that these days – but not in 1981.

Unsurprisingly Osgood decides “we have a sensational new singer to sign!” Presumably because The Thing’s already smashed one window and Osgood doesn’t fancy being threatened with any further physical violence.

The End. But will Daz see her popstar dreams come true? (Clue: Probably not)

Stay tuned!