Dazzler #38
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDazzler #38 marks the deliberate creative relaunch of Alison Blaire's solo series, explicitly signaling a 'new direction' both on its cover and in its letters column — a pivot away from showbiz melodrama and toward action-driven superheroics. It introduces O.Z. Chase, Cerberus, and the villain Dust, all three of whom persist as fixtures through the series' cancellation with issue #42, giving the final chapter of Dazzler's run its own distinct cast and identity. The issue also debuts Dazzler's new Professor X–designed costume, which she wears continuously until her passage through the Siege Perilous in Uncanny X-Men #251, making it the definitive visual identity of her 1980s career. Narratively, it bridges Dazzler's solo existence to the broader X-Men universe, laying the direct groundwork for her eventual full membership — established years later in Uncanny X-Men #214 — by demonstrating in combat that she can hold her own against Wolverine and Colossus.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Editor Mike Carlin shepherded the title under Jim Shooter's tenure as editor-in-chief, but the creative turnaround came when veteran writer-editor Archie Goodwin took over the scripting duties. Goodwin would later acknowledge he accepted the assignment largely because the book had few other takers and he needed the work at the time. He recruited penciler Paul Chadwick — then a former Hollywood storyboard artist making his comics debut — after Chadwick had pitched his creator-owned concept Concrete to Goodwin when Goodwin was an Epic Comics editor; Chadwick's Dazzler issues served effectively as his comics apprenticeship before he launched Concrete in Dark Horse Presents #1 in July 1986. Jackson Guice handled inks and cover art, with Petra Scotese on colors and Jim Novak on letters, and the issue went on sale March 12, 1985, with a July 1985 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of bounty hunter O.Z. Chase and his wolf companion Cerberus, both of whom remain supporting characters through the series' final issue (#42).
- First appearance of the villain Dust, whose client relationship with O.Z. Chase drives the arc of the closing storyline.
- Debut of Dazzler's new superhero costume, designed in-story by Professor X to help her better channel and control her light-transducing powers; she wears this costume continuously until Uncanny X-Men #251.
- Written by Archie Goodwin; penciled by Paul Chadwick; inked by Jackson Guice (who also drew the cover); colored by Petra Scotese; lettered by Jim Novak; edited by Mike Carlin under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
- Paul Chadwick's comics career effectively begins here — these final Dazzler issues were his only Marvel work before he launched the Eisner Award-winning Concrete at Dark Horse Comics in 1986.
- The story title is 'Challenge': Dazzler trains at the X-Mansion, accepts Wolverine's test, then defeats both Wolverine and Colossus in a real-world combat trial; Cyclops — called out of leave of absence — fires the optic blast that ends the fight.
- The New Mutants (Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Magik, and Mirage) appear in flashback cameo during the Xavier's school sequences, alongside flashback appearances by Rogue and Nightcrawler.
- The issue was later reprinted in Essential Dazzler Vol. 2 (2007, Marvel) in black and white, and also appeared in the French anthology Titans (Editions Lug) across issues #84–85 (1986).
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Reprinted in Titans #84 (1986), Titans #85 (1986), Essential Dazzler #2 (2009), Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler #4 (2022), Dazzler Omnibus #[nn] (2024)
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