The Brave Or The Bold: Spider-Woman Or Dazzler!

Martinex1: We are exploring some new territory today as we compare and contrast some later Bronze Age creations - the heroines Dazzler and Spider-Woman.   While both Jessica Drew and Alison Blaire have their supporters, they never quite made the top tier list at Marvel in the late 70s and early 80s   Alternatively both had their own series that ran for respectable lengths and both had a fair amount of marketing support.  

Dazzler was originally created as a bridge between comics and the burgeoning disco movement; she was originally conceptualized to star in a movie before being repositioned as an X-Men guest star during the Hellfire Club arc. There are versions of the draft and script details pulled together by Jim Shooter around the ill-fated movie that are fun to read (definitely a time capsule in and of itself).  Dazzler was slightly reinvented and her first appearance was in the February 1980 issue of Uncanny X-Men, under the creation of Chris Claremont and John Byrne at their height. The character was a talented singer who could convert music (and other sound) into blasts of light.  She started out using her mutant power as a stage gimmick, but quickly put the talent to defensive use as a reluctant heroine.   The issue was fairly popular and an ongoing series was greenlighted quickly and debuted with a cover date of March 1981.   The series ran for 42 issues and along the way Dazzler fought villains that were significantly above her power class in foes like Doctor Doom and Galactus.  Late in her series she changed from her silvery disco togs and roller skates to a more standard hero look, but her original costume still gets a lot of cosplay attention.   Despite a big push from Marvel marketing the character did not have a lot of staying power.

Marvel of course had one of the most iconic comic characters ever in Spider-Man, and they hoped to capture some protection to the brand as well as some attention in the market with Spider-Woman.  Spider-Woman first appeared in an issue of Marvel Spotlight, and that characterization and origin did not carry into her later representation.  She was conceptualized as an evolved spider with some creepy attributes and ties to Hydra.   When she got her own title in April 1978, Jessica Drew was more stable and had a career as an investigator   She fought a strange group of villains that tended toward the horror genre.  Some of the character's strange attributes, like the eerie feeling she would trigger in men, dissipated.   Back in the day, she had her own cartoon series and often appeared in Marvel's house ads. Her series ran for 50 issues.   In modern times, she has become much more popular and even joined the Avengers.

There are some similarities to the characters and the approach Marvel took with their female leads.   Spider-Woman and Dazzler actually interacted on occasion and had some conflicts along the way.  So let's take a look at their Bronze Age impact, covers, and details. And then you can decide which you prefer and why.

Both characters made their way into mainstream books and onto the covers of X-Men and Avengers!

Both Dazzler and Spider-Woman had an opportunity for photo covers!

And they teamed up in Dazzler's book!

Dazzler's title started out with the creative team of Tom DeFalco and John Romita Jr., but was quickly turned over to Danny Fingeroth and Frank Springer.   That team stayed together for quite a run, with some contribution along the way by Mark Bright, Vince Colletta, Jim Shooter, and others. Archie Goodwin and Paul Chadwick finished the run. Covers along the way were designed by Springer, Romita Jr., Bill Sienkiewicz, and even John Byrne.

On Spider-Woman, Marv Wolfman and Carmine Infantino started the book with a decent run on the first eight issues..  Mark Gruenwald picked up the writing chores and Infantino continued until issue #19 when artists and writers started to rotate.  Frank Springer penciled some issues as did Trevor von Eeden.   Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha had a nice run toward the end from issues #34 to #46.  Leialoha was the artist from issue #28 and following Infantino was the longest tenured artist on the book.  Covers were supplied by Byrne, Cockrum, Sal Buscema, Frank Miller and many others.

So now it is up to you BitBA fans - who did you prefer in the Bronze Age?   Alison Blaire or Jessica Drew?   The reluctant heroine songstress or the powerful arachnid investigator?  Did the down-to-Earth creepy adventures or the other worldly galactic outings attract your attention?  What about the art's impact on the books?   Do these characters have staying power or are they mired in the past?

Feel free to discuss anything related to the characters, their stories, the titles, the era, and your collecting habits today!  Cheers!