Cover: Bob Larkin

Dazzler #1

Mar 1981 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

📊 ~16,320 copies sold its debut month

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“So Bright This Star”

★ 1st appearance — Carter Blaire

In "So Bright This Star," Dazzler takes a bold step toward her dream of becoming a professional singer, auditioning at a local disco where her dazzling talents face off against a far more dangerous rival—none other than the Enchantress. With her light-powered voice drawing crowds and her confidence on the rise, the stakes spike when the club owner chooses her over Amora, igniting a fury that could turn the spotlight into a storm. Written by Tom DeFalco and illustrated by John Romita Jr., John Buscema, and John Romita, with inks by Alfredo Alcala and Bob McLeod, colors by Glynis Wein, and letters by Joe Rosen, the issue's cover by Bob Larkin captures the electric tension of a star on the verge of breaking through.

writer Tom DeFalco · artist John Romita Jr. · artist John Buscema · artist John Romita · inker Alfredo Alcala · inker Bob McLeod · colorist Glynis Wein · letterer Joe Rosen · cover Bob Larkin

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $6

CGC 9.8 · 882 in census $124

CGC 9.6 · 1050 in census $51

CGC 9.4 · 702 in census $40

CGC 9.2 · 365 in census $40

CGC 9.0 · 211 in census $36

CGC 8.5 · 176 in census $29

Show all 16 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 122 in census $29

CGC 7.5 · 74 in census $29*

CGC 7.0 · 51 in census $24

CGC 6.5 · 18 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 10 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 6 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 8 in census $20

CGC 4.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

FN $7.99 VF/NM $8.99 NM- $9.74 NM $10 MINT $10.99 VF/NM $14.99 Variant $15.8 VF/NM $35.95

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 31 total · seen 27 days ago

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Trivia · 8 facts

Cover-dated March 1981 (released December 1980); written by Tom DeFalco, penciled by John Romita Jr., inked by Alfredo Alcala, with a painted cover by Bob Larkin. Edited by Louise Simonson (credited as Louise Jones), with Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief.
First Marvel ongoing series sold exclusively through the direct market — not available on newsstands — making it a landmark in the shift of the comics industry away from newsstand distribution toward specialty comic shops.
The issue's story, titled 'So Bright This Star,' presents Alison Blaire's solo origin: a mutant who can convert sound vibrations into light and energy, who is determined to pursue a singing career rather than join the X-Men.
Massive guest-star roster in issue #1 includes Spider-Man, the X-Men (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde/Sprite), the Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, the Beast, and the Wasp), and the Enchantress as the issue's primary antagonist.
The character was conceived by a committee — credits read 'Conceived by Alice Donenfeld, John Romita Jr. and Jim Shooter with some help from Stan Lee, Al Milgrom, Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco' — a rare acknowledgment of collaborative creation printed directly in the issue.
A printing error variant exists in which the advertisement pages 24 and 25 were printed in black and white rather than color; these copies were recalled, making the error version a distinct collectible variant.
Dazzler had already guest-starred in Uncanny X-Men #130 (February 1980), Amazing Spider-Man #203, and Fantastic Four #217 before her solo series launched, establishing her in the Marvel Universe ahead of her own title.
The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in Women of Marvel (2006), Essential Dazzler Vol. 1 (2007), Marvel Firsts: The 1980s (2013), a Facsimile Edition (April 2019), Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 1 (2020), and the Dazzler Omnibus (2024).