Cover: John Romita Jr. & Al Milgrom

Dazzler #2

Apr 1981 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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“Where Demons Fear to Dwell!”

★ 1st appearance — Cassandra Ferlenghetti

About this Issue

Dazzler #2 is part of the opening salvo of what editor-in-chief Jim Shooter deliberately positioned as Marvel's first ongoing series sold exclusively through the direct market — a distribution experiment that, starting with issue #1, helped validate the comic-shop ecosystem as a commercially serious channel for the entire industry. Issue #2 carries the torch of that landmark context by continuing the all-hands-on-deck guest-star strategy meant to anchor a brand-new character, assembling the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man in a single story — a density of Marvel talent rarely seen outside a crossover event. The issue also marks the in-universe launch of Alison Blaire's professional music career, with the first appearances of her long-running manager Harry S. Osgood and music publisher Joseph R. Ercoli, characters who anchor the soap-opera throughline of the entire 42-issue series. Taken together, those creative decisions make the issue a crystallizing example of how early-'80s Marvel tried to sell a pop-culture concept — a mutant disco singer — entirely on the leverage of its existing superhero universe.

In "Where Demons Fear to Dwell!", Dazzler steps into the spotlight—literally—when she performs at a local disco, drawing her superhero allies from the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four to cheer her on. But her moment in the spotlight turns tense when the jealous Enchantress launches a surprise attack, forcing Dazzler to prove her strength beyond her dazzling powers. With dynamic art by John Romita Jr. and Walter Simonson, and bold colors by K. Klaczak, this issue captures the electric energy of a star’s rise—both on stage and in the battle for heroism. Cover by John Romita Jr. and Al Milgrom.

writer Tom DeFalco · artist John Romita Jr. · artist, inker Walter Simonson · inker Alfredo Alcala · colorist K. Klaczak · letterer Jim Novak · cover John Romita Jr., Al Milgrom

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $4

CGC 9.8 · 60 in census $101*

CGC 9.6 · 60 in census $41*

CGC 9.4 · 20 in census $26*

CGC 9.2 · 6 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 8 in census $20

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 2 in census $20

CGC 6.5 none in existence

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 none in existence

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

FINE $2.59 VF+ $2.95 MINT $2.99 FN · Newsstand $2.99 NM- $3.95 FN $3.98 FN · Newsstand $3.98 Variant $3.99

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History

Dazzler #2 (cover-dated April 1981, titled 'Where Demons Fear to Dwell!') was written by Tom DeFalco, penciled primarily by John Romita Jr. — who had designed the character and launched the series — with an uncredited assist from Walt Simonson on several pages; Alfredo Alcala inked, Jim Novak lettered, and Louise Simonson (then credited as Louise Jones) edited under Shooter's editorship. The Simonson pages arose from a production crunch: Romita Jr.'s original material for the oversized one-shot that Shooter had repurposed as an ongoing ran out partway through early issues, requiring Simonson to fill gaps without a formal credit on the indicia. The issue was sold through both the direct market and via newsstand accounts — a shift from issue #1, which had been exclusive to specialty shops — with a cover by John Romita Sr. inked by Al Milgrom. It has since been reprinted in Essential Dazzler Vol. 1 (2007), Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 1 (2020), and the Dazzler Omnibus (2024).

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearances of Harry S. Osgood (Dazzler's talent agent, a recurring supporting character throughout the series) and his secretary Cassandra Ferlenghetti.
First appearance of music publisher Joseph R. Ercoli, whose referral of Dazzler to Osgood sets the series' central showbiz subplot in motion.
Written by Tom DeFalco; penciled by John Romita Jr. (pages 1–2, 4–10, 14–22) with uncredited pencils and inks by Walt Simonson (pages 3, 11–13); inked by Alfredo Alcala on the Romita sections.
Cover penciled by John Romita Sr. and inked by Al Milgrom — a rare father-son creative split between interior and cover artists on the same issue.
Story titled 'Where Demons Fear to Dwell!' (also referenced as 'Last Stand in Discoland!' on some index records); the Enchantress casts an aging spell on Dazzler mid-performance, Dazzler rebounds it off a mirrored disco ball, then defeats a dimensional demon by absorbing all ambient sound and converting it to a massive light blast.
Guest cast spans nearly every major Marvel hero of the era: Spider-Man; all active X-Men (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Sprite/Kitty Pryde, Angel, Professor X); Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Beast); and Fantastic Four members Human Torch and the Thing — a deliberate editorial strategy to prop up the new character with familiar names.
The issue was edited by Louise Simonson (credited as Louise Jones), with Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief — the same editorial pairing that oversaw the entire early run of the series.
The story concludes with Dazzler being signed by Osgood, launching the career arc that drives the solo series; the issue's final page included a pin-up and a mail-order address where readers could still obtain the direct-market-only first issue.