periaptteaglowing

First off, this cover for Citadel of Chaos (1983), doofy as it is, is maybe my favorite of the whole Fighting Fantasy line. Can’t quite put my finger on why.

Anyway, this is the second Fighting Fantasy book and a solo outing by Steve Jackson (the Brit). It feels far more consistent in tone than the previous book and is largely non-linear, which is Jackson’s hallmark. Plot-wise, it isn’t all too different from the Firetop Mountain – you’re an adventurer infiltrating the fortress of an evil sorcerer – Balthus Dire – with the express purpose of assassinating him before he can lead his army across the land.

Dire is one of my favorite villains in Fighting Fantasy (I was kind of obsessed with the Trolltooth Wars novel at one point as a kid, and he figures prominently in it). His keep is a strange, almost hallucinogenic place (which makes sense, since he’s a bit of a drug fiend in Trolltooth Wars). The confrontation with him at the end of the book is pretty great, too. Rather than just a regular fight, Jackson’s magic system (his first, which is far more rudimentary than the one in Sorcery) allows for a dramatic back and forth of spells before physical combat and there a couple ways to undo the sorcerer without drawing your sword. It is a satisfying climax.

Literal text (notice the naked man in Tony’s bed):

A male (!) villain insinuating Tony can’t resist him (because of his “playboy” reputation, which is a big “hmm”):

This speaks for itself:

Tony waxes poetic about Steve’s attractiveness:

Actually Tony calls Steve handsome a lot; it’s kind of a thing:

Oh and that time Namor called out Tony for sleeping with Madame Masque (after Tony said she looked like Doctor Doom) and Tony trying to swerve the convo:

That time the media was openly suspecting Tony Stark was HIV positive (this is from a comic in 1992 when AIDs was still thought of as a disease that primarily afflicted gay/bisexual men):

Tony is so obviously bi, T'Challa knew.

Also added by @i-gotta-go-good-day-bitch, implications Tony and Rhodey were/are more than friends:

And I forgot to add this classic. A gutter note during the development of Iron Man vol 3 implied Tiberius and Tony had slept together (given their relationship was very much portrayed like them having been exes, this isn’t a shocker). (Link to @whatjanesays‘s blog who originally posted these images)