I was around 9 years old when this one came out - not sure why I picked it up either. I didn't pick up IRON MAN or MAN-THING on a regular basis, either way, it made me steer clear of Iron Man for a long time.
Steve Gerber was just too much for a 9 year old. I found the whole thing really bizarre. Especially the Molecule Mans weird lightning lines on peoples faces. When the Molecule Man tries to posses Iron Man it shows up on his armor?! People turned into dolls, bystanders dying. Not a fun read as a kid, but weirdly fascinating now.
Not sure what MARVEL was going for with this one, but it's an interesting book