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mcguan — Dazzler
Published: 2013-06-20 03:02:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 7285; Favourites: 207; Downloads: 95
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Dazzler has a pretty strange history - being born of a collaboration between a record company and Marvel Comics, both trying to capitalize on the disco craze of the '70s - and has proven to be surprisingly resilient. I'm sure some of her tenacity is an ironic affection considering about 90% of her original costume is made out of disco ball and roller skates, but here we are 3-plus decades later and she's more durable than a double-knit polyester leisure suit, so you know there has to be more to it than that.I've had this piece sitting in the on-deck circle since late March/April, but it was meant to have a companion piece. I have been absolutely swamped ever since, so that companion piece will have to come later (It's in the coloring phase, but just on pause until I get ahead of my work list).
Created with PITT Pens, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CS 5.1. Dazzler seems to have several credited creators, so the nod to Tom DeFalco with the theater name on the concert poster was a random choice.
Never forget: Disco Sucks. [link]
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Comments: 25
I always found the facepaint to be my least liked part of the classic Dazzler. It is a bit like Scarlet Witch's head thingee. It just seems hard to get on in time for action.
But in general as long as you keep her with long blond hair she is hard to screw up.
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The face paint IS odd. But making things like that (and Scarlet Witch's headpiece) work are half the fun. Or at least attempting to make them work - doesn't always happen.
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He, I've just been rereading the first issues of Uncanny X-Men, when she was introduced. At least they did away with the disco ball and roller skates over the years 
What you have added however, is a quite realistic version of Dazz. Kind of like somebody I would really expect to pop out from a teen magazine or website dealing with singer celebs.
Good idea - good work!
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Yeah, if I did a full body pose on this piece, I had no way of incorporating the roller skates in a cool redesign. 
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Really cool work, love her pose and expression! Your use of colours looks really awesome!
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Awesome piece! Love the pose and the overall lighting. It has a nice playful feel to it, which I think works well with Dazzler. Great work!
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Aw, disco doesn't suck. After all, it gave us the lovely and forever missed Donna Summer. That said, this is an amazing piece that most certainly caught my attention when I saw it sitting in my inbox. I count Dazzler as one of my all-time favourite comic book characters. In a genre saturated by amoral anti-heroes, Alison Blaire proves to be a shining beacon of hope with her always constant set of unshakeable morals. Of course, for a girl who has just always wanted to sing those morals tend to really get the better of her so to speak as she's always saving people when she could just as easily have turned a blind eye. But that's part of her charm. Well, that and the fact that she's more or less the Kylie Minogue of the Marvel Universe. Oddly enough, the way you've drawn Dazzler here is eerily like Kylie Minogue (which is awesome). Nevertheless, Dazzler's always flown a little under the radar and she seems to be considered a joke character to most despite the fact that she could probably blow a hole right through the Hulk if she ever had to. Ah well... what can ya do?
I really like the way you've interpreted Alison here since it's very modern and 100% fabulous. Her expression is fantastic and I certainly appreciate the exuberance that is beaming from her. The smile is perfection and the glittered eye paint is really cool. The flow of the hair is spectacular and draws the viewer right to the text at the side of the piece. As an aside, I really love that Lila is referenced here especially given the link between the two characters throughout their history. The pose itself is simple but the curvature is really nice. What I like best above all else (well, aside from all the sparklies) is her outfit. The top is really cute and the "X" pattern on it done in dazzles is a nice touch. You spoke about Dazzler's resilience in your comment and the "X" also looks to me like a butterfly as well so if anything it's an unexpected bonus. The leather pants are awesome too. Nothing like a pair of tight-fitting shiny pants on a pop star to give her confidence. Just ask Madonna. The slight glare and lens glares are great effects too. Overall, this is a great piece and one of the best I've seen done of Dazzler. Bravo!
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Thanks a lot- glad you liked it! And I'm really glad you picked up on things like the X design and the butterfly look. I tried put a lot of thought into the outfit and making some things like the X subtle while still making the whole thing pop star-appropriate.
I suppose I can reveal that the companion piece I referenced is a Lila Cheney poster. I was trying to figure out how these two would play together - I know that when she initially pitched, Dazzler was to be based on Grace Jones (!) and over the years she kind of becomes equated with the current pop star of the time. I think nowadays most people are inclined to align her with Lady Gaga, but I think you're on to something with Kylie Minogue. I can honestly say that wasn't my intent, but now that you're said it, I totally see it. I was approaching my take on Dazzler as a glammed-out Emily Haines from Metric (whereas Lila Cheney is more of a take on Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O, with some Joan Jett in the mix).
No offense to the Disco-enthusiasts intended!
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No problem! You did a fantastic job!
I believe there were a few real-life individuals Dazzler was initially based off of. One was Grace Jones and the other was Bo Derek. Luckily, both fell by the wayside but oddly enough Dazzler was seemingly later based visually off of Madonna as the character moved into the late-'90s. Her hair always seemed to mimic whatever Madonna's was at the time. Yeah, I do wish the alignment to Gaga wasn't something people do with Dazzler these days. The voice may be on-par with what Dazzler is established as singing like... the appearance isn't exactly spot-on. Ali has a softer look. Mind you, it is interesting that she's always been so closely associated with pop acts when Ali actually more frequently sung rock in her solo series (she also did country once).
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Great work with her pants. I really like the way you made them look. You have a nice use of lighting
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Thank you much! I like how the pants turned out.
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Wow! Color holds are perfect. The atmospheric lighting effects are phenomenal. Composition, design and layout. It's all there. Evidence that you do cover-quality work!
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Thanks, pal. This whole thing came about because I wanted to work on these specific type of effects, and Dazzler lent herself well to the whole thing.
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Dazzler was always my favorite I have her statue and her comic series! Truly someone I'm gonna cosplay soon. This is one of my many favorite's you've done
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Can't wait to see what you come up with! And thanks!
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Seriously - this is incredible. Every piece you do is better than the last, which is pretty incredible when you look at all the gorgeous art you have here!
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You're too kind, HS! Thank you much!
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