First story :
Bruce Banner sits in a bar in Boston. He asks the bartender to switch the TC channel, because he wants to wants VMI’s "Beyond the Music" feature on the Dazzler. The other customers make fun of him, but getting angy he transforms into the Hulk, and he quickly has the bar for himself. The bartender quickly turns on the desired TV programm and fearing for the safety of his pub he offers the Hulk something to drink to calm his mood.
The show just started. Dazzler is introduced through old press photos, and then Alison’s father Judge Carter Blaire is shown. He would have prefered a career in law for his daughter, but against his will she started prancing around in a skimpy outfit, both as singer and superhero. The feature flashes back, to the day when Alison manifested her powers. Alison was singing during a school dance and when she started to glow, anybody thought it was a light show. Both one of Alison’s classmates and a member of a gang called Blazing Lords testify what happened next. The gang crashed the party, but before they could seriously injure anyone, Alison used her light powers to blind them. Unexperienced as she was she used too much power and all the people in the room are still very light sensitive. Frightened by her own power, Alison withdrew into her studies and graduated summa cum laude, but she couldn’t deny her desire to be on stage for long. During one of her first gigs, the X-Men’s Cerebro registered her signature and Cyclops and Phoenix arrived to recruit her, just in time to help her fight an attack.
In Westchester Wolverine and Nightcrawler watch TV, Kurt wonders why he wasn’t mentioned as he was there that night too.
The Beast is quoted next. He was responsible for the Dazzler gaining an audtition in the hottest club in New York, namely Disco Numero Uno, though admittingly he did it to have an excuse to meet her in person. Dazzler got the assignment, but during the show the Enchantress appeared and trashed the club. She had auditioned too but was rejected and now out to get revenge.
At the Avengers mansion Hawkeye and the Beast to watch the special, which is interrupted by a commercial spot for a new diet. It shows the Blob who apparently lost much weight.
The feature continues with Alison’s manager Harry Osgood. He remembers how Dazzler even kicked Dr. Doom’s butt. Doom refuses to comment, which has the Fantastic Four laughing as they watch the show too. Quasar mentions another important media event. Dazzler had been invited to Project Pegasus to have her powers studies, but it was there that she met Klaw. He lied to her about having been taken to these labs against his will and Dazzler helped to free him, but after he showed his true colours she fought him. Being composed of pure sound, Klaw was totally absorbed by Alison, who them saw herself put on trial for murder ! Fortunately her lawyer came up with a brilliant strategy, Klaw, being composed of sound, was not alive and so could not have been killed.
Meanwhile the Hulk returns from the bar‘s bathroom hoping to not have missed much.
Now former rock star Bruce Harris is on the screen. Alison was supposed to be his warm-up act, but Harris fired her, when she apparently was performing better than he himself. Even Odin confirms that Dazzler was the fairest songstress in Asgard and Midgard (= earth). Osgood mentions that despite the many set-back thank to various fights with supervillains, Dazzler too had success. She landed a gig at the Carnegie Hall and on the same night was reunited with her long lost mother.
The Hulk is seen crying.
Being popular, Dazzler was invited to star in the newest video clip Chiller of Teddy Lingard (inspired by Michael Jackson‘s Thriller) She played a zombie and should have raised from a grave, but the mad director arranged an "accident". Her grave was prepared to not open to gain more scandal news. Yet thanks to her laser blasts Alison cut herself free, and moved on to shoot a movie with Roman Nekobah. The famous actor discovered pretty soon that his co-star was a mutant and although they were romantically involved he revealed the secret to the public, thinking this would boost the sales. Yet his PR stunt misfired and another anti-mutant hysteria was started. The feature closes with telling that Dazzler had many more adventures as a superhero, though she has not been seen perforing on stage since then. Yet many have inspired by her. Teenager bands wear similar make-up and there is even the broadway production called “Dazzled“.
This is too much for the Watcher, it does not happen often, but in rare events that are too much to take he is force to take his eyes off earth. The Hulk enjoys some food that the bar tender offers him as the next special on Rick Jones is announced. Far away in the Mojoverse Longshot and Dazzler too followed the show. Her husband is amazed by her crazy life and is sure that dazzler must be happy to have settled down. Alison, busy with changing the X-Babies‘ diapers, responds with “Grrr!“
Second story :
Nightcrawler thinks about his place in society. He is in New York, one of the world’s biggest cities, but sometimes the biggest crowd can be the loneliest place – for a mutant for example, who has to hide his true appearance. He seeks direction by entering a church and confessing. The sins he names to have comitted are violence and deception, but actually his birth is considered thhe biggest sin of all to some people. The priest is not sure what to make of this, but when Kurt continues to state that he questions his purpose, he says that god created humanity as unique beings, each with their own gifts and talents, not knowing that this actually is the core of Nightcrawler’s problem.
Outside a car with three gang members passes two youth and one recognizes them as those who stole a columbian shipment (= drugs) from them. They pull their guns and fire, and quickly one of the pair is shot. The other one’s arm is injured too, and so he runs into the church to seek cover. Having heard the gunfire the priest asks the boy to leave as a church is no place for guns, but the boy knocks him down. Finally the priest recognizes him as a former altear boy and wonder how he could have developed so worse. As the doors are shot at from the outside, the boy runs deeper into the church.
Nightcrawler has teleported outside and watches the gangsters, who split up to search their opponent. He quickly deals with one of them. At the same time the leader of the pack runs into the boy and both point their guns at each other. The priest tries to get to them and right as they both fire he jumps in between them, catching the bullets with his body.
Kurt comes in and seeing the situation, he teleports with the leader to the church’s roof. Seeing such a person, makes Kurt actually feel good for once, that he is not a normal human. He tries to knock some sense into the criminal by showing him the beatuy of the city and the diversity of it‘s inhabitants and then lets him drop. Before he hits ground Kurt catches him again as he teleported the distance, and gives him a lecture about mercy, forgiveness and second chances.
Then Nightcrawler goes back inside to check on the priest, who has been making a deal with the boy. If the boy forgives himself, then the priest will do so too. Finally face to face with Kurt, the priest now understands what he was talking about while confessing. He reassures Kurt‘s faith by saying that he is indeed blessed with a special gift and that the lord works in mysterious ways.
Third story :
Corsair is negotiating with a Chancellor Panumdrum from the planet Whurl. He wants to hire the Starjammers for rescuing Princess Tallibone, who is held prisoner by the king of a neighboring planet. The reward is not that high, but Corsair accepts anyway as the mission sounds like fun.
The next day, Corsair already has the princess over his shoulder and the Starjammers are battling some forces. Hepzibah is annoyed by Corsair’s simple plan (run in – grab the princess – run out) and even more as she can’t really understand his references to pirate movies with Erol Flyn. The team easily defeats the robots that fight them, and although the princess constantly demands to be put down, the Starjammers are transported to their ship by the sentient computer Waldo.
Once aboard, Tallibone really is a pain, as she complains about her royal body having been touched against her will and so Hepzibah knocks her out, while Sikorsky is ordered to keep the princess sedated for the flight.
A few days later, tallibone is back on her planet and rules it again. In her official speech she thanks both Panumdrum and the Starjammers and promises the cheering citizens that next they will invade the other planet for having kidnapped her. She wants to finish her father off, once and for all, Hearing this the Team is surprised to hear that the King who held her prisoner is Tallibone’s father and so they approach Cvhancellor Panundrum. He explains that Tallibone is somewhat indulgent, and when she would not want to wait for her father to die and become rightful queen, she was sent to Whurl to rule this planet. Power hungry she since then has built an army, and tried to conquer her father’s empire and so she was kidnapped and locked into her room. Panumdrum really is a failsafe robot, programmed to hire help in just that case and apparently the plan worked.
That not being enough, Tallibone proceeds to announce her wedding with Corsair, while she orders Hepzibah, who struck her person, to be incarcerated and killed. Corsair at first plays along, but then commands Ch’od to free his lover, while Raza is assigned to deal with the robot. Panumdrum is aware that his deeds were immoral, but he can’t against his programming; he is actually happy as Raza pushes an electro-spike into his positronic brain. Corsair and Sikorsky enter the palace and sedate the princess. Angrily hepzibah storms in and is boiling mad as she could have been killed because of Corsair accepting this stupid assignment. As there is no way to reason with the cat-lady, Corsair has Sikorsky sedate her too.
Somewhat later, the Starjammers have made their way back to the other planet and have an audience with the King. He has no idea how to deal with Tallibone, he mentions that she even killed her mother, but at least apologized, though not really meaning it. Yet Corsair says that he will no longer have to worry, during the flight back he had Hepzibah and Tallibone share the same quarters and right on cue, the princess runs in and is frightened. She promises to behave herself and never rise against the King again, as long as she will be protected from Hepzibah. Quickly the Starjammers leave, hoping to forget the whole incident.
