Crack the champagne because the team supreme is assembled! David Michelinie scripting, coplotting with inker Bob Layton, and John Romita, Jr., turning in the greatest pencil art of his career (except perhaps for his work on Spider-Man).
And what is the first thing they do?
They plant the seeds for the greatest Iron Man story of all time: Demon in a Bottle. Tony is drinking, and he’s in trouble with his landlord so he’s approaching his alcoholic bottom. (Eviction was also a constant bugaboo for the Fantastic Four—why didn’t these characters invest in a little real estate, one wonders?)
What a time to be reading Iron Man!
Tony Stark’s life is beginning to fall apart—he’s being stalked by Spymater, who “kills” Stark’s Life Model Decoy on page one.
But even misery loves a little company, so enter Bethany Cabe, Stark’s love interest for the foreseeable future…
Hmm. Romita drawing a redhead who’s too cool for school. Sounds familiar….
The villain, Spymaster, even gets teased by the editor.
Nice!
In the background, Nick Fury and SHIELD are trying to get the U.S. Government to seize Iron Man’s armor as a weapon.
Nick can be such a dick.
Loved the Iron Man comics as a kid (although I skipped “Demon in a Bottle”, regret that now…). Interesting that the movies skipped Bethany Cabe completely and made Pepper Potts, Tony Starks love interest. Especially since they put “Happy” Hogan in the movies who became Pepper Potts main squeeze in the comics if my memory serves me correctly.