Iron Man #128: Demon in a Bottle is the finale of the nine-part Demon in a Bottle Series (The Invincible Iron Man #120 to #128), which was published between March and November of 1979. This final issue of the series has become one of the most iconic and well-received stories in the Iron Man saga, not in the least due to its iconic and gritty cover art. Pencilled by John Romita and finished by Bob Layton, the cover depicts a slovenly and bedraggled Tony Stark, staring at himself in a mirror with a look of horror and disgust, while presumably in the grips of a bottle of Winston Supreme Canadian Whiskey.
It was the Best of Times… nah… it was Simply THE WORST OF TIMES
The story line follows a series of fairly messed up events, which lead to Tony’s eventual breakdown and subsequent identity crisis. In a nutshell, while at a public event with Mr. Kotznin, the Ambassador from Carnelia (who happens to be a huge fan of Iron Man and has granted Stark Industries a sizeable contract to build a factory in his country), Iron Man’s repulsors malfunction and well… punch a giant hole right through poor Mr. Kotznin.
Initially Iron Man is accused of murder, until Tony explains to the authorities that the suit has been inexplicably malfunctioning for some time and that he’s the only person equipped to find out what’s amiss. So, the suit gets confiscated by the cops, but Tony is generously, if somewhat reluctantly, released to figure out his crap.
It's Hammer Time!
As the story progresses, we are introduced to the enigmatic Justin Hammer, Tony Stark’s (oddly) previously unknown professional rival. It is soon revealed that Hammer and his goons have developed the required technology to essentially hack the Iron Man suit and cause it to create all kinds of mischief and mayhem. There follows the classic superhero versus supervillain battles and as expected, Iron Man triumphs.
Seemingly all’s well that ends well, until, while at yet another public event, Iron Man tries to return a child’s dropped toy. Instead of being excited at the prospect of meeting Iron Man, the child recoils in horror and cries that the superhero is a killer. This event sends Tony Stark into an absolute tailspin and his problem drinking, which until now has only been vaguely alluded to, ramps up in earnest.
Down, Down, Down Into the Whiskey Bottle...
What follows is the most epic Tony Stark bender in the series. Here at last, Tony goes completely off the rails. He not only cheats on his girlfriend (Bethany Cabe) but at one point, he is so exceptionally cruel to Jarvis, that he causes the much beloved, patient, and loyal employee to finally tender his resignation. He begins speaking to his Iron Man suit as though it’s a separate person, all the while admonishing himself again and again and deciding that he is essentially worthless. Seriously considering that perhaps, he should take on his Iron Man persona full-time, Tony experiences a severe identity crisis and hits rock bottom.
Badass Beth to the Rescue
With Tony's self-destructive behaviour reaching a crescendo, he is eventually confronted by Bethany Cabe. In an emotional tête-à-tête, Bethany relates the sad tale of her ex-husband, who’s self-destructive behaviour and extensive substance abuse lead to his untimely death. After Tony’s tearful acceptance of his issues, Bethany kindly offers to stand by him and help him through his detox and recovery. Author David Michelinie actually does a surprisingly good job of describing the detox process, and this part of the story is, in my opinion, by far the most raw and naked portrayal of addiction recovery we’re ever going to get in a comic book.
Things Get Dodgy, Again…
Freshly clean and sober, Tony is faced with an immediate challenge to his sobriety when he goes to apologize to Jarvis and finds out that, being in desperate need of money during his period of unemployment, Jarvis hocked his shares in Stark Industries. Feeling awful about the situation, Tony covers Jarvis’ debts and attempts to retrieve the shares, only to find out that they’ve already been scooped up by S.H.I.E.L.D. This makes the government organization the majority shareholder in Stark Industries, meaning that S.H.I.E.L.D. has effectively stolen Tony’s company out from under him.
Suddenly plunged into yet another horrible crisis, Tony immediately reaches for the bottle once again. But this time Bethany and Jarvis are there to talk him down. With their help, Tony is able to weather this new catastrophe in his stride and not return to his addiction. While this part of the story is, perhaps, a tiny bit Pollyanna, it’s nevertheless a satisfying and uplifting end to an otherwise dark and difficult tale.
Fin.
I’ve previously discussed badly executed substance abuse PSAs that dumb down the subject of addiction in ridiculous and patronizing ways, but Demon in a Bottle is definitely not that. This story is murky and macabre and, for the most part, pretty realistic. While some argue that this story arc is potentially a little too realistic (after all, comics are, for the most part, meant to be escapist fun), I personally feel that it adds a well-rounded human dimensionality to the character of Tony Stark. In my opinion this makes Iron Man, not only a more likeable character, but also a significantly more formidable superhero. I like the idea that superheroes can suffer from human frailty as much as the next guy. And I especially like that despite all his wealth, resources and might, Tony’s biggest foe isn’t a supervillain, but his own inner demons. By taming the villain within, Tony becomes a much more nuanced, fierce, and relatable character. And who after all, doesn’t love that?
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