Iron Man: Demon In A Bottle

Reprints Iron Man #120-128.
Written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton
Penciled by John Romita Jr. and Carmine Infantino
Inked/Finished Art by Layton
Note:
This storyline has been published several times. My copy is the 1984 edition published under the title The Power Of Iron Man.

Summary:
Tony Stark and his alter ego Iron Man are going through a rough patch.

S.H.I.E.LD. is trying to buy up his company, Stark International.

When Stark takes girlfriend Bethany Cabe to dinner in Atlantic City, he's attacked by three of his old villains: Whiplash, Blizzard, and the Melter. Stark learns that they're working for a man named Hammer, who turns out to be a rival business man.

 Alternate Cover

His Iron Man armor has recently malfunctioned several times and he suspects someone is tapping into his armor and causing this to occur.  

All this trouble has caused Stark to drink more than usual. Three Martinis turn into four. He begins drinking as early as 9:30 one morning. At one point, his drinking affects his ability to fight back in a battle. 

Finally, Iron Man loses control of his armor and causes a tragic international incident. New York Mayor Ed Koch demands Iron Man place his armor in the custody of the city. Stark is forced to fight without the armor. But thankfully, his friend & pilot James "Rhodey" Rhodes is around to help him out. It also helps that his girlfriend Bethany Cabe is a professional bodyguard.

 Cover for 1984 edition

But the real villain in this story isn't Hammer or Whiplash. It's Stark himself, who could lose everything if he doesn't wake up and realize he's an alcoholic.  

Review:
One of the defining storylines for Iron Man that has impacted the character for 33 years and was even referenced in Iron Man 2.

Story:
I better get this out of the way: I'm not a big fan of Iron Man or his series. I always thought he was a character who worked best as an Avengers rather than a featured solo character.  

The final chapter of this tpb (the only portion actually titled 'Demon In A Bottle') is excellent. It's a classic of the Bronze Age. Comic book characters had suffered from drug abuse and addiction before this story, but it was always sidekicks or support characters (like Speedy and Harry Osbourn). Writing Stark/Iron Man as an alcoholic was truly groundbreaking and Michelinie and Layton should be commended for it (Editor Roger Stern and Editor In Chief Jim Shooter also deserve kudos for approving it for publication).  

But what comes before that isn't so great. One problem with Iron Man is that I've always felt he's too damn powerful for most villains he faces and that most of his top foes are just other guys in armor. 

Iron Man dispatches about a dozen villains in this story in less than half an issue. True, most of them are B-grade baddies, but Constrictor held his own against the Hulk shortly before this and Whiplash has previously given Shellhead an issue's worth of trouble. Yes, alcoholism is the "real" villain here, but a superhero should be given villains who can last for more than a few pages.

One of my favorite scenes in the book features Iron Man saving a woman driving a car full of little leaguers from one of the worst menaces in the universe: a dead car battery!

Iron Man charges a car battery!

Michelinie also does a great job of strengthening Iron Man's supporting cast. Rhodey is cemented here as Stark's best employee/best friend and closest confidant. And Bethany Cabe isn't just a great romantic match for Stark, she chips in and saves Iron Man at one point. 

Art:
In a word:gorgeous.

John Romita Jr. is listed as "penciler" for these stories, but Bob Layton has just as much to do with the artwork as JR JR. In fact, Layton should really be credited as co-penciler instead of "inker" or "finishing" artist. And that's not a slam on Romita. I loved his later work on Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil, but the art here looks nothing like that.

Demon In A Bottle also contains a retelling of Shellhead's origin, drawn By Carmine Infantino.  

How does it look?:
The version I own looks great, nothing weird or off about the colors. This splash page (along with the "car battery" paged scanned above) is a good example of how the book looks:

Iron Man is attacked by Blizzard,Whiplash & Melter

I don't own any of the more recent editions of the book, but I have checked them out in comic shops.  They look just as good if not better than the scans you see here (you'll just have to take my word on that!).  

Extras:
The 1984 edition features an introduction by Stan Lee. He praises Michelinie, Layton and Romita as only Stan "The Man" can. In the 2008 reissue, Michelinie writes the intro, he details why he and Layton decided to make Stark hit rock bottom.  

Despite my criticisms of the story, Iron Man: Demon In A Bottle is still a worthwhile tpb. The last chapter alone makes it worth reading and the artwork is great. Any Bronze Age fan should check it out.  

My rating:

3 Sals.

P.S.
Last year, at my blog dedicated to Assistant Editors' Month, I wrote a post about Tony Stark's alcohol relapse, read that post here if you're interested:
http://assistanteditorsmonth.blogspot.com/2011/07/iron-man-178-part-2.html