COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Once again, we have another classic comic culled from the archives to discuss.  And this week, we pull out a book that is considered one of the classics from the Armored Avenger.  During this time in Tony Stark's life, he was facing his biggest enemy of his life:  the bottle.  During a nine issue run (which turned out  to be artist John Romita, Jr's final issues of his run), called "Demon In a Bottle", Tony fought his greatest foe:  alcoholism.  This was a riveting story that gave us new depths to the character of Tony Stark, and what excess and the job of being Iron Man took as a toll on Tony.  So...let's dive in, and see what happened....

IRON MAN #128

COVER ART: Bob Layton

WRITER: David Micheline & Bob Layton

ARTIST: John Romita, Jr.

INKS: Bob Layton

COLORS: Bob Sharen

LETTERS: John Costanza

EDITOR: Roger Stern 

COVER DATE: November 1979

PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

TAGLINE: Demon in a Bottle

STORY TITLE: "Demon In A Bottle"

Iron Man #128 has one of THE classic covers of all time, but is also a VERY compelling story about a hero in freefall.  The series ran 9 issues through the 1979 year, with this issue being the final issue of the storyline.  Tony Stark...his life as Iron Man, and his status as a billionaire playboy/socialite/weapons manufacturer has quite the life.  But that life is now in turmoil, as his dependency upon alcohol has consumed him.  Everything falls apart for Tony, and he eventually loses his business.  Plus, his recklessness as a hero causes those around him to intervene.  Originally, writer David Micheline only intended to just write the next issue of the series, but when the issue came out where alcohol was the bad guy, it caught on, and he went with it.  What's become is a series that is one of the most pivotal chapters in Tony Stark's career.  It's a great read if you can get it in a collection.

THE STORY:  Tony Stark...having lost his company, lost his way, and can't seem to get away from the bottle...gets help from friend Bethany Cabe, as well as former butler Edwin Jarvis, he he tries to put a cap on his alcoholism before it's too late.  

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One of the things I credit writer David Micheline on is his ability to take an idea and run with it.  This storyline was immensely powerful and amazing all at once.  This is what made Marvel characters more relatable at the time:  depth of character, the humanizing of them...and that heroes CAN fall.  Tony is a prime example of a hero in crisis, battling his own demons, and suffering the consequences of his own actions.  If you find this in trade paperback, DO pick it up.  It's an eye opener, and it shows you just how dangerous the bottle can be.  

NEXT WEEK:  We dive once again into the bins for another classic!