The seventies, people!

[blinkytreefrog]

So, the Avengers movie, curiosity, the library, and my local comics store are some of the many reasons that I've been reading quite a bit of Marvel stuff lately, and since Iron Man's Demon in a Bottle story arc was supposed to be one of the classics, I thought I'd give it a look.

It was... Well it wasn't bad, really, but my god, the seventies. So very seventies. The seventies was oozing out of its pores.

I originally had the idea to do a very serious post about it, but the seventies waylaid me! I regret nothing!



The arc started with Tony on a plane guzzling martinis in a trendy brown suit, which is known as foreshadowing! They were totally all about foreshadowing in seventies superhero comics! You know what they were also all about?



Exposition, that's what. They will absolutely not stop until you know fricking everything that has happened recently in this comic!



And it's just so darn subtle and discreet, and not at all excessively melodramatic!

Speaking of melodrama, the seventies was huge on the flowery descriptions! Even when they didn't make sense!



See, it's only a little bit fatal, so it's fine!

Also, there are commies! And manly angst, as Tony flashes back to his origin story!



Then Tony acts like a manly asshole to his girlfriend, and has to apologise by explaining that his business makes him hard!




Here, have some out of context panels! Can you guess what the hell's going on here?



Or how lubricant will save the day?



Or what about... well no, it's more than obvious what's happening here.



Well, it is Namor. And the writer does seem awfully taken with him.



"Sensuously graceful"?

Also...



At least the seventies had a sense of humour :-).


Finally, have some bonus eighties in Iron Man 187, in which the main villain is called Vibro.



Yes, really.



And, it's like, they just keep saying it, and I keep giggling because I am twelve.



Vibro, people! Remember to beat him before he beats you! In a manner of speaking!



:-)

Comments

[lilacsigil]

Man, that is some luxuriant hair on Tony! I'm annoyed (though not shocked) that he would pull the "business is hard, baby" schtick on Bethany Cabe of all people! I hope she's kicking him in the balls under that table.

Still, everyone loves Namor! He's sensuously impressive!

[wizardru]

"Exposition, that's what. They will absolutely not stop until you know fricking everything that has happened recently in this comic!"

Keeping in mind that this was a jumping on point, but it wasn't until the 1990s when they kept rebooting continuity. At this point, Marvel was still trying to make every issue somebody's first. By today's standards, this may seem unnecessary. But you need to consider the following: In 1979, there weren't comic shops. Comics were bought primarily in newsstands or off of 'spinners' found in drug stores, supermarkets, department stores and convenience stores. Those shops carried limited and inconsistent stock and release schedules were a mystery to most consumers. I didn't find out that Friday was new comics day until 1986 (this later changed to Wednesday, the current day). So you might not be able to always buy every issue. I had gaps in my collection because finding those issues could be a problem: these in-issue summaries kept you in the story. We didn't have the Internet and wikis to catch up. We didn't have BBSes, even, at this point. Comic conventions were rare, far away and rarely attended by readers. The only place you had to catch up on comics were your friends, the letters page and the comic itself.

I can remember a lot of comics where I'd wonder, "Hey, when did THAT happen?" and one of the characters would make mention "Yeah, he's been that way since our fight with Equinox*" [*-see Marvel-Two-in-One #76 -editor]. It may seem unneeded now, but for comics building a lengthy arc, it was helpful.

[leoboiko]

I don’t think it’s unneeded or excessive; in fact I miss being able to read any random issue of any random series in any random public library or doctor’s office.

[silverhammerman]

God I miss that mentality, the whole "every comic is someone's first" idea. I wasn't around to be buying comics at the time, but I've found that even just reading stuff like Marvel Essentials, jumping in on volume 6 or so, I always immediately know what's going on.
Now the mentality is just so different, I'm not even sure how to describe it.

[full_metal_ox]

Now the mentality is just so different, I'm not even sure how to describe it.

I am, Jules Feiffer having considerately provided the description in The Great Comic-Book Heroes: "The men in charge of our fantasies had become archetypes of the grownups who made us need to have fantasies in the first place."

(And then this dwindling circle of grumpy middle-aged gatekeepers of grumpy middle-aged superhero comics wonder why the Dadgum Kids on the Lawn prefer to get the superhero fix they do crave from video games, cartoons, anime, and manga.)

[fraxinus_amer]

Sweet Jumping Deity.

'Spinners'

I am whacked in the face by nostalgia. That takes me waaaay back.

[wizardru]

"Hey, Kids! COMICS!" It really does make me nostalgic. Back when comic books were everywhere and really were an impulse buy.

I have super fond memories of being given money for our summer road trip as a kid so that I could buy comics to read on the drive. I remember buying Uncanny X-men #111 and Fantastic Four #194 and reading the HELL out of them.

Good Times. Good Times.

[q99]

"I'm drinking for two because I have a secret identity!"

Hah, Tony, I think you have a problem!

[ar_feiniel]

I love older comics for these very reasons.