Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle

The Invincible Iron Man (1968) #120-128

by David Michelinie, Ramón F. Bachs (Illustrator)

Collects Iron Man (1968) #120-128. Iron Man faces his most untouchable foe in criminal industrialist Justin Hammer and his army of super-villains! But can the Armored Avenger overcome an even more implacable personal demon, invulnerable to technology or wealth?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Fiction, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2010

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a classic for a reason, folks.

The 'stache.

(I'm kidding--this is worth a read for way more than just the period-appropriate facial hair.)

[A.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's important to remember the original audience of old comic books. When the "Demon in a Bottle" storyline originally ran in 1978 the average comic book reader was closer to 10-12 years old; much younger than the 25-30 year olds who make up the bulk of comic book readers now.

With that in mind this collection is quite an achievement, and even more important to think about critically.

It is in this storyline that the Tony Stark character was given the deep human elements that will make him timeless. He was shown at his most humble and at his noblest. The opening lines to the final issue of this story arc say it all:

"By definition, a hero is a man who battles against overwhelming odds for a cause, an ideal, or for the lives of innocents. The cause and ideal may vary with the morning headlines -- while the innocents in today's world of muddy morality, may ultimately prove to be guilty.

Which leaves but one constant in the definition: that a hero is, above all, a man...

...A man subject to pressures and responsibilities far beyond those of his peers. Such is a burden that must take its toll, eventually, from even the most valiant warrior.

And it is then that the test of a true hero begins."

It's worth noting that the "test of a true hero" was not the villain "Whiplash," "Melter," or any of the other generic costumed creeps that fill these pages (the only negative thing I'll say about this book), but that it was something anyone can encounter, especially the 25-30 year olds reading comics today:

Alcohol. Addiction. Selfishness. Or as writer David Michelinie says in the foreword "obsession."

(Knowing that Tony Stark battles "obsession" how does that affect your reading of the "Civil War" story arc?)

Another element that makes this collection worth reading is the early art of John Romita, JR. (JRJR) I see JRJR has a highly stylized artist today. Anyone who's familiar with his work can spot it ten miles away. You can just tell when something is drawn by JRJR. This collection offers a look at his beginnings as an artist, before his style was so immediately recognizable, and there's great value in that. A comparison of this collection with his recent work on Spider-Man clearly shows the elements of his style that he's kept, developed, or discarded. Though I'm not a graphic artist, I'm fascinated by the obvious artistic journey JRJR has been on, and I imagine art students and future comic artists would benefit from observing it too.

One last note about this collection: there are golden nuggets of the larger Marvel universe thrown in here and there throughout the story. Whether its the Avengers' butler, Jarvis, talking to himself about his mother's bread pudding recipe, or the usually articulate and ultra-agile Beast juggling poorly on the back of a couch and saying things like "kinda spooky", the little elements of the Marvel universe made me smile every time.

Recommended for Marvel fans, folks new to Iron Man (there would be no movie if there had not first been stories like this one) and anyone who's ever obsessed over something, even comic books.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard quite a lot about this story line. Mostly good, some bad.
I will say that even though it was a slow burn, I felt that watching Tony's life slowly dissolve around him, causing him to run away and hide through the use of alcohol was really well done.

In the earlier issues, the subject was kind of brushed under the rug besides a few serious comments here or there.
It wasn't until we reached the half way point where it was clearly shown Tony abusing alcohol and sinking further into addiction.

That journey from 'oh, I'll just have an extra drink or two' to 'I have a serious problem' was very real and sort of understandable with everything else that was going on in Tony's life.

My favourite issue was the last one however, I don't think that it would have been quite as good if we hadn't seen Tony's struggle.
The final pages where we see Tony resist the temptation to drink again was powerful and a wonderful pay off to the journey we've just been through.

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.4/10

A successful business man and a superhero, Tony Stark is used to win his battles in both fields. This time he has to face his worst enemy yet, cause it's an enemy that money and the iron suit cannot help him defeat. Tony Stark must find the mental strength to defeat the demon in the bottle.

A great premise, unfortunately we get only glimpses of Tony's alcohol problem in most of the time and only the last issue dives deep into it. On the other hand, the rest of the story is interesting too, we see how Tony tries to not to lose his company and of course fights villains as Iron Man.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just not much as good as I used to remember, but this minisaga is still an Iron Man milestone, introducing themes like alcoholism, addiction and obsession to a comic book character son of both Cold War (just look at the Michelinie/Infantino origin story "remake"/fill-in inside this volume with the big bad evil commies... Oh good grief) and Spy fiction, and making him for the first time far more interesting.



Michelinie and Layton make a real good job here, they are still the most iconic and classic team on Iron Man, and Romita Jr in his beginnings was a far better artist than he is now.



Just remember that this late 70s comic book was targeted to young readers and still far from the superhero revisionism that exploded like 10 years later with Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, but the brutal assassination scene of Carnelia ambassador was a real shocking one for its time.



And Tony's bromance friendship with Steve Rogers starts here so, if you are a fan of them, this is a must read for you. Face front, true believers!

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a hard one to review... I really need to stop trying to read stuff from the 70s, its a totally different era, with writing styles that are foreign, to me at least. So Demon in a bottle is celebrated as one of the best iron man stories, as it has Tony Stark battling his alcohol addiction; sounds good right? It would have been if the story wasn't a few pages at the end, and that's it! Basically its a week in the life of Tony Stark, as he's battling with villains, dealing with corporate espionage etc... One thing I will give this comic, is that the Alcohol is always present, it starts with Tony having one two many martinis, and then it builds up from there; but in the end, his addiction is only acknowledged, and dealt with in the last issue, this trade collects. It overall makes this book disappointing, because the way people talk about it, and the cover, you kind of expect "Demon in a Bottle", to be the whole thing; and while the build up of the addiction is cool, its not really enough to be satisfied! In the end, this is fine I guess, but don't expect the timeless masterpiece(for that time), to hit you dramatically now in 2017!

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is still a great story.

Granted, like quite a few Marvel trades from this time, the true storyline is much more in the background than one would expect picking it up. The first two issues with Namor have very little to do with Tony's drinking problem. After that, it's mostly a slow growing addiction set in the background of his issues with SHIELD and his relationship with Bethany Cabe. She was a lot more supportive than I remember her being the first time.

One thing I've always loved about Tony Stark: he's a redemption story. This is a man that isn't proud of the awful things he's done in the past. He's spent his entire life trying to atone for his mistakes and trying to keep others from following in his footsteps. This is a man that gives other people second chances and that's the most amazing aspect of this character for me.

This story emphasized that Tony's issues were his issues; not Iron Man's. He was to blame for the way his relationships took a turn for the worst. I can't help but compare the handling of this story about addiction to the less than impressive "Snowbirds Don't Fly" storyline in DC comics. This is a much better representation than DC's handling because this doesn't belittle the sufferer and it's from their POV - not an outsider with a hell of a lot of contempt for the sufferer.

So, this remains a great classic Marvel story and that's well deserved, in my opinion. Again, if you just want the focus on Tony's drinking problem, this trade is a bit wonky.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three greatest story arcs in the history of comics:

1) Green Arrow's perky sidekick Speedy succumbing to the evils of heroin and getting strung out, baby.

2) The Flash reduced to homelessness, sleepin' in the snow. Boo hoo, boo hoo.

3) Iron Man hitting the bottle and becoming a useless alcoholic. Comics are your best entertainment!

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read.

Tony teams up with Namor to save some man and its fun talking about environmentalism and shows that he is a good guy while in another story he is fighting his villains Blizzard, Melter and Whiplash and that was so fun, the way he defeats them and finally the origin of it all and how some people in SHIELD are slowly acquiring his company and all and maybe he is being addicted to drinking and how that impacts his relationship with his friends and Jarvis and that was such a good and solid story and does a great messaging and also one of those stories that defines his character. The art was great and the themes the book plays around with just brilliant. <3

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's kind of amazing that I hadn't read this yet. I've read a good bit of Iron Man canon, and a lot of Iron Man in the 12413531251325 recent books he's been in, but for some reason I'd never gotten around to "Demon in a Bottle." Now that I've finally read it, I'm so glad I did. It's a bit heavy-handed, sure, and full of the flaws that all socially-conscious comic books of the 1970s had, but it's a solid story with surprisingly subtle characterization and a truly kickass female lead (where has Bethany Cabe gone in the comics?). I'd recommend this to anyone, with any level of Iron Man knowledge, particularly movie fans looking for a place to jump into the comics.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iron Man 120-128

As good as its reputation. JRJr's art is some of the best I have seen from him, before he developed his cartoony look (which I love but doesn't work for every title he draws).

Storywise, there's a lot going on here. Tony's struggling with the possible hostile takeover of Stark Industries by SHIELD, as well as troubles with his armor. And though the story doesn't specifically mention it, I felt like he's also dealing with the strain of lying to some of his best friends (Rhodey and Bethany) about his dual identity. There's a murder and also a near-death at the hands of Namor. Finally, some goofy villains seems to be teaming up, making his life much more hellish than they normally would. So the b-plot is that Tony seems to be drinking a lot more than normal, and it causes trouble. (see some great scenes with Jarvis on this subject)

The alcoholism aspect of Tony Stark's character will play a bigger role in later tales - here the serious breakdown and recovery only takes one issue. I thought about removing a star for that, but it's such a good book across the board that I decided not to do.

[Devin Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic in the Marvel canon, but I'd never read it until a month ago. The most surprising thing to me was that John Romita Jr. did the pencils for almost the whole story until after I'd finished the first issue. After reading him on books like Daredevil and the more recent World War Hulk, I can't see what I've come to identify as JRJR's style in here ANYWHERE. It's amazing to see the change, although I have a feeling that quite a bit of the visual style comes from Bob Layton's inks: if pencils by John Romita Jr. and Carmine Infantino look almost identical, then the inker definitely has a very strong style. This is one of the rare books that I liked the art and story much more than the dialogue or plot: Layton, JRJR, and Infantino are all great artists and I like their take on Iron Man (and his crew). I can see why the story was so important 30 years ago, and I'm glad I read it, but it's not as compelling as it once was.

[Trin · Rating 2 out of 5]

’70s-era Iron Man, in which, you know, it’s hard out there for a man with a pimp haircut and ’stache like Tony’s. He’s got to deal with the Sub-Mariner, who looks like Mr. Spock in a Speedo but has way fewer social skills. And there are a bunch of lameass villains with lameass superpowers he has to dispatch. Plus, he has to address the problem of his alcoholism in a single issue that reads much like an Afterschool Special. Can you feel the excitement from here?

No, that’s just me still cringing about Tony’s hair. Egad!

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swimming Pools by Kendrick Lamar

This is one of the most famous Iron Man stories ever written for many people and the crazy thing is that the thing it is most known for and justly remembered for stays in the background until the superheroics is out of the way. This story is coming at the mid to late point of The Bronze Age of Comic Books where the focus on real-life social issues was very much in-play and this story uses Tony Stark as a commentary on alcohol addiction. Stark's character since his creation was always known as a billionaire playboy with a drink near-by. After almost 15 years of the character's existence, the team working on Iron Man decided to see what the natural outcome of Stark's alcohol dependency would be if logical real-life consequences were allowed to pan-out. This story came out before Tony Stark revealed that he was Iron Man publicly so we see a story in which Stark's company is being bought out from him by S.H.I.E.L.D. while Iron Man is being targeted by the man who would eventually become his biggest foe, Justin Hammer (this story is his first appearance in Marvel Comics). Stark is failing to take on either of these problems well and as he fails his dependency on alcohol becomes stronger which causes him to make even more bad decisions that could have been easily-solved if he was sober.

Bad, Bad, Whiskey by Amos Milburn

While it was surprising to see the main topic of the story only gradually come to the fore, it made since in retrospect. The superhero parts of the book are not that remarkable when first reading until you think about the fact that it all goes on so long because Iron Man was too wasted to realize what was happening until it was nearly all too late. Likewise, being drunk as Tony Stark also makes it hard to stay alert at what is happening all around him and one key drunken blow-up comes back to cost him dearly. This is one of the very rare stories where a status quo was changed—something very rare in superhero comics which loves resetting to the status quo. Tony Stark being a recovering alcoholic is a very big part of the character in the modern day and it is something that I think is one of the most interesting twist on a character like this. It is very much a story of its time in the dialogue, but making the main character struggle like this and have his normal life so taken apart by addiction despite supposedly being so powerful is interesting.

Cod'ine by Buffy Saint-Marie

[kesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was slow asl w a nine-issue story arc (#120-#128) from the invincible iron-man originally published in 1979. i can definitely appreciate the art and tony + iron-man’s classic design - it’s just taken so long to get used to with the change in language, the panel lettering, the colouring. can’t believe kids copped an issue for 35c back in the day

the story is solid and explores iron-man’s addiction w alcohol as he struggles w misunderstandings, relationships, trauma, his business and crumbling reputation — he js an entrepreneur fr 🤞📈 i enjoyed the og origin issue included, featuring tony after being captured making his first suit. i guess it made sense to include the uninmportant villains to show that it was emotionally repetitive regardless of the threat they posed

definitely a classic, tony’s character design kinda fresh tho 😤

3/5.

[César Rodríguez Cuenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realmente serian 4,5 estrellas. Me leí esto hace como 4 años, así que en esta segunda lectura he intentado ser más crítico. La historia con el alcohol realmente empieza algunos número antes de lo que recoje este tomo, pero se entiende perfectamente con lo que viene aquí. Hay dos historias, una con Namor de dos números y el primer encuentro de Tony Stark con Justin Hammer despues. La de Namor es un poco relleno, la de Hammer está mejor pero tampoco es nada del otro mundo. Pero el último número, el que le da nombre a la recopilación, se merece 6 estrellas si las hubiera.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

All'epoca la storia fece furore: era decisamente un passo importante nel concetto Marvel di super eroe con super problema. Risolto il problema iniziale del cuore danneggiato di Stark, il nuovo super problema è nientemeno che l'alcolismo. Tony non riesce proprio a restare sobrio, e la sua caduta nell'abisso comune a tutti gli alcolizzati è descritta molto bene, fin troppo realisticamente. Alla fine ne esce? Ovviamente no. L'alcolismo non è una malattia da cui si guarisce, bensì una tentazione sempre presente, che ancora oggi ha un peso nelle sue storie quando gli autori sono degli scrittori capaci, come dimostrato nel recente crossover Fear Itself.

[Gabriel Llagostera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este tomo recopila 9 revistas de la colección del personaje, historias que llevan al mítico "Demonio en una botella". Más allá de esta historia (que está buena pero tampoco la pavada), el resto del tomo nos ofrece muy buenas dosis de aventuras y la presentación de un clásico villano de opereta que maneja los hilos. Historias entretenidas y muy bien dibujadas por un Romita Jr. que prefiero con este estilo, más parecido al padre, que al que desarrolló después.

[AJ Labib · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world "super heroes", this story brings out a very human, very vulnerable Tony Stark, and yet again, he becomes the Iron Man.
Couldn't ask anything else from it.

[Peter Looles · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle"

Iron Man has been constantly fighting, without a break. He can't find a moment of relaxation and the only thing that calms him is alcohol. While he's in an airplane, a tank is thrown at it and he needs to save the day again. He saves everyone, but the plain crashes next to an island that a corporation named Roxxon, disguised as the military, wants, to extract vibranium. Coincidentally, Namor is also there and he has been saved by the only inhabitant of the island, a man who left the big city with his wife, to live in this island by themselves. This man's wife died years ago, so now he's been living there alone. Roxxon wants Iron Man and Namor to fight with each other, but they figure things out and they destroy Roxxon's ships. Eventually the actual military comes and Roxxon's owner blows up the island, because he's selfish and he believes that if he doesn't have the Vibranium, no one should. Iron Man returns to Long Island after a hard journey, since his armor has been malfunctioning, due to some people controlling it, in order to control Iron Man. After many tests he finds no problem and he goes to a luxurious hotel/casino with Bethany. The casino gets attacked by 3 B list or even C list villains and once again, Tony can't rest, because he has to fight them. After he defeats them, he returns to his headquarters. The next day, after a lot of drinking, he tries to work, but he's unable to do so, so he just goes out to help some people, before he has to go protect a foreign ambassador. There, while they are taking photos, his suit malfunctions again, killing the ambassador. I will skip the next issues because I don't want to spoil what happens with the people who wanted to control Iron Man and all that, but I'll present to you some things that happen in the last issue collected in this volume. In that issue, Tony Stark, overweighted from all the work and the pressure, starts drinking more and more, leading into him going out drunk as Iron Man and causing problems, instead of fixing them. With the help of Bethany he understands that he's addicted to alcohol and he tries to overcome his addiction.
This is considered as one of the most important, if not THE most important Iron Man stories ever written and that's for a reason. First of all, this is a great story and I'll come back to that later, but most importantly, this story really made Iron Man a very relatable character and it actually helped many people. I saw a short interview with Bob Layton where he was talking about this story and it was very touching to hear him talk about how even now, so many years after this story was published, people still send him emails and letters, telling him how this story helped them. This story really helped people overcome their own addictions, or understand people close to them that have an addiction themselves. I believe that a comic that helps people in such a way should never be forgotten.
Now, about the comic itself. The comic is very good, but it's definitely flawed. Because it came out as a monthly comic back in the late 70s, in almost every issue they need to give a short recap of the things that happened in the previous issues. That was very important back then, but now it makes it feel a bit repetitive. Also, the first issues collected in this volume were not THAT great. They certainly weren't bad, but they had too much action for my taste. Although, all this action made the comic very enjoyable and a fun and a quick read. The story, other than alcoholism, tackles issues like the overpopulation of cities and the pollution of the environment.
The writing in this comic is great. Iron Man is a very relatable characters, "thanks" to his many problems and his addiction. Iron Man's greatest enemy here isn't the guy who tries to control his suit, nor are the super villains who attack him. His greatest enemy in this story is him, himself. I really liked the humor in this comic. It's certainly not a light story, but it has a lot of humor and some of the jokes actually made me laugh. Another great thing in this comic was the beautifully written narration. Narration is usually the most dull part of a comic, but in this case it certainly wasn't. Finally, I think that the most important thing that the writer(s) of this comic needed to do is write addiction right, since it's a real problem that needs to be treated with respect. I believe that they really nailed that in every way possible. Addiction here feels very realistic. The reasons why Tony Stark gets addicted to alcohol feel very real and understandable.
Overall, I believe that this is a very good comic and an essential read for every fan of Iron Man or superhero comics in general. It's the first Iron Man comic I've ever read and I believe that it's a great place to start with the characters, because it dedicates an entire issue in retelling Iron Man's origin.

[Zac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quando estamos em crise, procuramos uma válvula de escape e, sem que a gente perceba, podemos nos afundar nesse escapismo. Bem, essa fragilidade que todos os seres humanos possuem, acontece com o personagem Homem de Ferro. Tony Stark se encontra muito estressado por conta de sua atual vida conturbada, além do fato de que antes ele tinha uma vida sossegada e agora por ser o "segurança" do Stark, sua identidade secreta, ele se tornou mais uma pessoa irritada e cansada do seu trabalho.

É (o que elaborar a partir daqui?), a forma que o Stark usa para lidar com toda a consternação da sua vida dupla é se entregar ao álcool, primeiro uns goles para desparecer, depois uma garrafa completa para esquecer de si mesmo. Ele se vê cercado por inúmeros problemas a sua volta, a SHIELD quer tomar conta da sua indústria, sua armadura está com vários "defeitos" que ele não sabe como resolver e o fato dele nunca ter sido tratado como um "empregado" antes se choca com tudo que ele viveu.

Acho que as coisas atingem outros marcos quando, por um mal funcionamento suspeito da armadura, um político (ou empresário, não lembro) muito importante é assassinado pelo Homem de Ferro em uma conferência fodona lá, bem na frente das câmeras. Por sorte, não prenderam o vingador dourado, mas apreenderam sua armadura e iniciaram uma investigação. Depois de uma sucessão de eventos na história, com um vilão fodão por trás e tal, tudo se resolve e o Homem de Ferro é inocentado, mas ainda assim a consciência de Tony o assombra. O Homem de Ferro tenta entregar um ursinho para uma garotinha e ela foge de medo dele, dizendo que ele é o monstro que matou o homem na televisão. Isso só se torna uma fagulha para Stark adentrar nas bebidas ainda mais (mais que antes), Tony em seu escritório entra em um momento de intrusão contemplação e reflexão (tudo bêbado, óbvio).

Tony finalmente acredita ter achado a causa para todos os seus problemas, Anthony Stark. Desolado, ele diz que nada do que ele enfrentou foi algo para o Homem de Ferro, todas as suas desgraças são coisas dele mesmo. Então, ele bebe, bebe para esquecer, bebe para fugir, bebe para deixar de ser ele. E ele, num momento de epifania, decide se tornar integralmente Homem de Ferro.

Mas, depois de uma tentativa frustrada de tentar salvar o dia bêbado e estragar tudo, Tony volta para sua cobertura percebendo que os problemas ainda vão estar lá não importa o quanto ele tente escapar deles. Só que, novamente, ele e o álcool ficam em uma bela dança. Tony relembra da noite do dia anterior, onde ele, por estar alcoolizado, destratou o seu mordomo de uma forma extremamente agressiva. Stark se arrependeu logo depois, mas seu ego falou mais alto e ele não se desculpou. Isso tudo acarretou no pedido de demissão de Jarvis, o mordomo, a quem Stark estimava muito, pois estava lá a mais de 20 anos.

Bem, acho que depois de recontar boa parte da história (ainda vou contar a conclusão), eu deveria pontificar e elaborar meus pensamentos ao ler a HQ. O vício é algo que nos assola negativamente, sim, somente negativamente, pois o vício é excesso, o vício e extremo e tudo que é extremo ou diminuto repercute negativamente em um humano. Porém, vícios muitas vezes fazem com que a gente consiga não desabar (ou também são a causa que levam ao desabamento), uma forma de sair da realidade por uns instantes, algo que, sem notarmos, nos sustenta. Todos nós temos vícios de diferentes tipos, todos nós sabemos, ou não totalmente, o que estamos passando, mesmo assim não queremos admitir porque é difícil, não queremos lidar porque é difícil. Não queremos contar para alguém por acreditar não existir solução, ou até queremos, mas não conseguimos contar por ter algum segredo muito íntimo nosso envolvido, como o Tony Stark não poder contar suas razões da bebedeira para a sua amiga porque era preciso falar sobre a sua vida dupla como Homem de Ferro.

No fim, todos temos um mal que nos persegue, um receio. Estamos tão estressados com as coisas em nossa volta, tudo coincidentemente aparenta convergir para que fiquemos aflitos e olha só! Funciona perfeitamente. As pessoas estão doentes e ficarão mais doentes e ficarão mais doentes com o passar do tempo, o número de transtornos mentais cresce a cada dia e continuará crescendo até o ponto em que nem saberemos mais se continuaremos a chamar isso de "trastorno" ou só algo padrão (se é que não já chegou a esse ponto). Não há razão para se questionar o porquê de tudo isso se a resposta já é evidente, todos sabem o quanto o sistema em que vivemos nos molda. Porém, por algum motivo, continuamos alienados, talvez por ser cômodo, não tem como mentir, ou talvez sejam outros fatores diversos, mas eu não quero transformar essa resenha em uma crítica rasa ao capitalismo, quero desenrolar a temática do vício até me satisfazer. (Talvez essa minha última consideração caía na hipocrisia do vício, pois como humanos, somos eternamente insatisfeitos. Agora, não acho mais que seja um "talvez").

Tá, mas como seríamos capazes de sair de tudo isso? Eu não sei, se soubesse estaria livre dos meus. Só acho que nem dá pra estar totalmente livre de fato, não depende só de fatores internos, mas também acho que isso não é algo que nos impeça de tentar. A história do quadrinho mostra isso muito bem na sua conclusão, Tony Stark aceita a ajuda de seus amigos e parte numa busca para lidar com seu eu, com várias dificuldades e uma quase recaída no caminho, Stark continua e talvez(talvez²) continuará seguindo e lutando para o resto da vida. Então, sei que é meio clichê, mas a frase de Camus casa como uma luva para esse final: "É preciso imaginar Sísifo feliz".

[Grant Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think you could ask for a better classic comic arc. There’s that period piece element in the setting, the characters, world affairs, the semantics, the humor, that makes it stand the test of time by itself. The classiness and eloquence that comes with the era and Michelinie’s writing holds these things up on an immortalized pedestal, but paired with one of the most debonair and sleek protagonists in comics, in his very fascinating world, there’s hardly anything more you need.

And he did his subtle magic on this fascinating world brilliantly (and my favorite kind of method in collaborative work is, in fact, well-done subtly), adding in plenty of cool new little ideas, like thinking to start the story off with Sub-Mariner of all people as a hook, have Tony ask Cap for combat training (awesome scene), or having S.H.I.E.L.D., his usual ally, use actual cutthroat business acquisition tactics to take control of Stark International with shares. The fact that he didn’t use a single well-known villain, only b-listers who he totally made rock, and that his three new characters are just as simple, understated and shadowed. They’re also awesome, classic Scott Lang and Hammer particularly, even though Cabe has a lot of interesting things to her, she’s still head-over-heels for Tony and lacks a lot of independence.

It makes sense that the ex-con who has adopted someone else’s uniform is Michelinie’s, and that the writer’s first invented big bad is a calculating Peter Cushing pulling his powers and resources from the recesses of comic logic we don’t even think to contemplate. He’s the bail to the baddies, and the invisible hand that supplies them with just enough to maintain their gear. And his introduction is a global economics scheme that entails entering an island of vibranium into the world’s grubby mitts (the biggest, “earth-shattering” plan he had). I actually really love Hammer as an antagonist, and can’t wait to see him again in Armor Wars or earlier - I’m definitely keeping on with this run until ‘81 when Michelinie steps down for a few years. And I never thought I’d say it in a million years, but his Ant-Man runs will be read eventually too. His Lang, this original Lang, is tremendously compelling to have such a small, modest role in the whole thing.

And of course there’s the alcoholism - the quiet yet foundational demon in a bottle that Tony begins to bury himself in - a very real threat to very real people, and still far more understated than fighting the Mandarin or Green Goblin. It’s a talent and a craft to not overexert your control on a property - stories don’t need to be earth-shattering, universe-ending to be great. And this is a great one.

4.45/5.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

to call Demon in a Bottle a storyline is maybe a bit generous. really it is a single issue that comes as the conclusion to a mostly unrelated arc. the alcoholism of tony stark is a background element through the eight issues preceding the iconic story, with its effect on the actual narrative building slowly as things accelerate. man, what a payoff though!

i wrote about my thoughts on each issue in my progress updates, but my overall opinion is that they're hit or miss. iron man #122 is an egregious example of a page-filler, being a front-to-back recap of the golden avenger's origin. at the very least, the art is good. otherwise, each issue at least had an interesting idea to latch on to, even if said ideas are not explored the way i personally would. but i don't write comics! so that criticism doesn't really matter i guess. tony's personal struggles with alcohol build as a slow burn, often only drawing attention in a couple of panels per issue. this all comes to a head with the famous iron man #128.

that final issue! i appreciated that they actually went there! i was indifferent on beth going into this story, but i think she brought a great pathos to the book, especially #128. i absolutely loved her refusal to let tony succomb. and that tony had to take the final step himself! good stuff. also great that they managed to pull this off without it coming off as too preachy. i think Michelinie and team laid it on the right amount of thick to match the book's tone. i will finish off by saying i think this is the first time i have read a solo iron man run without finding tony completely insufferable? so good job there!

if this website allowed half stars, this would be an easy 3.5. rounded up to 4 bc I'm nice like that

[Vidu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Marvel classic that has aged surprisingly okay. Tony's under a great deal of stress, and starts using alcohol more and more as a way to get some relief. The dependency is shown so subtly in the beginning that, if I was reading it issue by issue as they were being published, it may have actually thrown me for a loop when it starts becoming apparent what was going on. There are some weird, cheesy moments, but for the most part this was a great, introspective story.

Also, the first appearance of Justin Hammer (boo) and Beth Cabe (yay)! Loooved Beth! Also Namor being randomly a part of this in the beginning was great, he really just lives to yell at people and throw a few punches. Love to see it.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Един от наистина качествените албуми в колекцията. Хареса ми шарената олд скуул визия, подплатена с разточителен текст (обяснителни ретроспекции, пространни монолози и мисли...), в традицията на по-старите комикс времена. Имаше изобилие от супергеройски изпълнения с Железния човек, но бе обърнато достатъчно внимание и на човешката страна на Тони Старк чрез опита му да се пребори със собствените си демони. Направи ми впечатление и друго - тук обществеността още не знаеше, че именно бизнесменът е в костюма на Отмъстителя.

[Martin Doychinov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Класен комикс от едно време. Според описаното в края, е първият в две отношения:
- Историята се развива в девет броя, вместо стандартните кратки и самостоятелни такива.
- Наред със стандартната борба слещу злодеи има и една друга, по-реалистична такава.
Хареса ми характерната за едно време шарения, както и борбата на Тони Старк с алкохола.
Все пак из страниците има доста инфантилизъм, което е съвсем разбираемо.

[Ashley Kjos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony Stark is a drunk! It had fun moments. Whiplash, Jarvis, Rhodes and Ant Man, but the action plot was pretty minimal, the main climax his decision to drink or not to drink.

[Pirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I miss when comics were inherently a lil silly

[Juan José · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me gusta Iron Man. No me gustan los cómics clásicos. Yo tampoco sé porque me lo he leído

[Jaq Greenspon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like this but wish the more modern fictive techniques could have been used to illustrate that Tony’s drinking was responsible for his downfall rather than it be a side effect. But this is certainly a new millennium take in what was revolutionary at the time.