Iron Man #128 (November 1979)

A hallmark of Marvel's superheroes was that they were meant to be a bit more of a "realistic" take on them. They struggled and dealt with issues that regular folks had to deal with, and putting on a costume wasn't always the answer to the problem. Spider-Man struggled with being bullied. The X-Men struggled with being seen as lesser or evil because of a difference they had no choice in. Ben Grimm struggled with his appearance. 

Like many other superheroes in the Marvel Universe, Tony Stark had to deal with a rather human problem, a problem that putting on a suit of armor couldn't solve. His struggle was addiction, particularly to alcohol. Beginning with Iron Man #120 (March 1979), Co-plotters David Michelinie and Bob Layton (with Layton providing finished art over John Romita Jr.'s breakdowns) told a tale of Stark's troubles with drinking. Bob Layton has remarked that their intention was never to tell a tale of any real relevance. To the creatives at the time, alcohol was just another villain for Stark to face. They figured that in Stark's position as a corporate powerhouse, he needs something to deal with the pressures of it, hence him turning to drinking to deal with it all. 

"Demon in a Bottle" was actually the title for the final issue of the storyline, but it ended up becoming a popular name for the storyline in general. The story would be regarded as one of the quintessential Iron Man stories, a story that has influenced portrayals of the character to this day. So, let's take a look at the climax of it in Iron Man #128!

The cover is a Bob Layton piece. It's a classic cover, Tony Stark looking into a mirror all disheveled with a bottle of whiskey next to him. It gives a great impression that the genius millionaire playboy philanthropist has hit rock bottom. It's become an iconic Iron Man cover, parodied and homaged by other comics in the years since.

"Demon in a Bottle"
Writers: David Michelinie, Bob Layton
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Bob Layton
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Tony Stark sitting in his office, in his armor. He holds his helmet like Hamlet holding the skull of Yorick.

"Alas, poor Iron Man. I knew him, Rhodey..."

He contemplates what Iron Man has become to him. He thinks about how Iron Man used to be a sort of friend to Tony Stark, but now seems to be nothing more than something Tony can blame his problems on. His butler Jarvis quit. Someone hacked his armor and used it to murder an ambassador, framing him for the crime. SHIELD is getting ready to take over his company. He's also been drinking more to deal with how things are going. He's already nearly downed a couple full bottles of whiskey, and with another shot, he gets the idea in his clearly soused brain that he can just be Iron Man all the time, and not Tony Stark.

He decides to go out on a flight.

"AAAGH! There's GLASS in my eyes! WHY GOD WHY?!

Yeah, he forgot to open the window. This will totally end well. As shown when he stumbles across a train accident. The train has a car with a big tank full of chlorine gas, which is very toxic. Which is true. Chlorine can attack the lungs, eyes, and even the skin.

Thankfully, the chlorine tank is undamaged. Stark tries to help, but his alcohol-addled brain forgets to compensate for the tank's size. He drops it and causes a leak, which means the area has to be evacuated for five mile radius. Nice work, ya drunk! Tony flies back to his company's building. He needs another drink to deal with this. He changes back into his civilian clothes and is about to pour himself another shot. However, a certain fiery redhead stops him.

She can see that Tony needs a friend, even if he doesn't think so. Bethany tells him a tale of her former husband Alexander Von Tilberg. Tilberg was a German junior ambassador to the US. At first, things were good. Bethany adored the man. After all, he was witty, smart, and seemingly a pretty good guy. Thing was, though, the man was ambitious. He was obsessed with advancing his career, more in love with his job than Bethany. It wore on the man, and he turned to pills to help him cope. Eventually, he lost control of his car, causing him to fatally plunge from a bridge.

Bethany is seeing history repeat itself, and she refuses to allow Stark to destroy himself like Tilberg did. Stark is seemingly unreceptive, but then he proves himself to be a stronger man than Tilberg was by simply saying three words.

Time passes as Cabe stays with Stark and helps him wean himself of the drink. It's a rough road, but with some time, patience, and lots of talking, Stark is feeling like his old self again. He goes to Avengers Mansion to apologize to Edwin Jarvis for his behavior towards him in Iron Man #127. Jarvis understands, as Tony was dealing with a lot. Jarvis is going to go see his mother. She's not feeling well, and he's going to visit and help her through it, but he'll be happy to start working for him again when she gets better. 

Jarvis also has something to confess to Tony. You see, as a gift for ten years of service, Stark gave him two shares of his company. The medical bills for Jarvis's mom were getting rather steep, so he used the shares as collateral for a loan. Stark goes to get that stock back, saying he'll cover the medical expenses. Jarvis calls to cancel the loan, but a company investigator reported to them that Jarvis was not employed, and the loan's contract required he be regularly employed. Yeah, Jarvis got taken by a loan shark.

Tony is disappointed. One of his problems at the time was SHIELD trying to obtain his company. If they get those two shares, they get controlling interest in his company. A disappointed Stark walks the halls of Avengers Mansion, feeling tempted to have a drink when he passes by his old room, knowing that there's a bottle of booze there. However, he resists it and goes to get a suit of armor he had in another room. He's got a trip planned.

Over in Rockefeller Plaza, the loan shark is at work screwing over someone else, when he gets a visit.

"Your windows are dirty."

Iron Man smashes the glass window, saying he wants to buy back the stock for Jarvis. he's got the cash, but the loan shark states that Jarvis forfeited the option. Stark decides to do a little redecorating while threatening to report the loan shark to the state ethics committee. The loan shark insists he doesn't have them anymore. Because a man from some government agency bought them already. A horrified Stark leaves, because he knows what agency bought the stocks. SHIELD now has major controlling interest in his company. It's essentially their company now. 

Stark heads back to Avengers Mansion and discards his armor. He heads to get a drink, but Bethany Cabe tries to convince him otherwise. She reminds Tony that he's not the only one suffering because of his drinking problem. She and Jarvis are as well. Her words reach Stark, and with some struggle, he puts the cap back on the whiskey bottle. 

Later, Bethany is driving Stark to his Long Island home. Stark is tired, but he also feels like he scored a major victory. He's made himself some new goals. He's going to get back his company, and he feels like he's going to succeed. 

I think this comic was really good. In the Marvel spirit, it's shown that Tony Stark, despite being brilliant, rich, handsome, and having fought threats like supervillains, aliens, and even monsters, he still is only human, and has all too human flaws. Tony Stark's battle with the bottle is not one that can be fought with an advanced suit of armor, it can only be fought by his own will and the support of those he cares about. Some would say that it's a bit rushed, but I think that was a necessary evil. Tony's struggle is still shown as a hard one. I liked that the story ends on an optimistic note. Makes you root for the guy.

The art by John Romita Jr. is quite a surprise to me. It's really crazy how his art style has changed from here in the late 1970s to nowadays. Although I can't help but wonder if Bob Layton's inks had an influence on the final product. I mean, I think the inking is why Tom Tenney's pencils on Force Works #1 looked so lousy. I do think the art is really good. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2006 trade paperback The Invincible Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!