Demon in the Bottle" was one of his best Iron Man stories that pits Iron Man against his drinking problems. 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. era Iron Man, in which, you know, it’s hard out there for a man with a pimp haircut and ’stache like Tony’s. Everyone comes to this because it's the ALCOHOLISM IRON MAN arc, also because it features in every best Iron Man Story list.

Demon in a Bottle" later became the popular name for the storyline, and collected editions were then published under that title.

A lot of the writing was pretty cheesy, and some of the conflict just seemed to be borne out of a need for suspense. 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.

Stark is visiting a casino with Bethany Cabe when Blizzard, the Melter, and Whiplash arrive and attempt to rob the casino's vault. 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. 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. Stark’s personal journey in that film: to retreat into the woods, start a family, make amends with Rogers, and bond with his own father, have all the tenets of a recovering alcoholic trying to make peace with who he is. 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.

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. 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. From a modern lens, Tony’s alcoholism plays a bit like an after-school special in which Tony’s abuse quickly turns to addiction and then sobriety.

This book however, is seven issues of Iron Man dealing with Justin Hammer and some super villains, getting stressed, having a drink once or twice, and then going full alcoholic in one issue. He then meets with Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, and asks him to sneak into the prison where Whiplash is being held to get information on the person named Hammer. 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.

The story opens with Iron Man and Namor teaming up against Roxxon Oil, an evil petroleum conglomerate in the Marvel universe. 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. With the help of Bethany he understands that he's addicted to alcohol and he tries to overcome his addiction. Plus, he has to address the problem of his alcoholism in a single issue that reads much like an Afterschool Special.

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. I've seen a lot of comics address addiction issues through sidekicks and friends of sidekicks, so it's great to see Marvel had the guts to use one of their biggest stars. Pushed to the edge by his army of super villains, Tony Stark must find a way to stop Hammer and combat his own personal demons. It seemed like a sure bet that when it came time for Iron Man to make his film debut, his alcoholism would be a key part of his character, especially with the casting of Robert Downey Jr. 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.I have been a great Iron Man fan since my childhood, for his resourcefulness and intellect, but as an adult the most appealing factor is that Iron Man isn't the stereotyped, spandex-dressed hero, whose faith and moral virtues are unbreakable. Latta of Pulp and Dagger praised Michelinie for "deliver[ing] smart writing and plausible, grown up characters that are a pleasure to read and a rich tapestry of plot threads" and "avoid[ing] the preachy, holier-than-thou route, and instead just tell[ing] a story that happens to concern a costumed super-hero getting a little.