The Darkest Hour
By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Chic Stone.
Line Up: Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, the Wasp, Captain America
Villains: Baron Zemo, the Enchantress, the Executioner, Loki

So what happens?:
As the Avengers are suspending Iron Man for failing to answer an alarm call, Odin is exiling the Executioner and Enchantress to Earth for attacking Thor.

Confused by the crowds of New York they seek an ally and hear of Zemo. Contacting him magically they offer to send him Cap if he helps them against Thor.

Meanwhile Cap is angsting over Bucky's death when Rick Jones turns up in a Bucky costume. Cap loses his cool and starts ranting about never having another partner.

Hank and Jan go on an insect spotting trip and the Executioner approaches Cap disguised as a Nazi war criminal and lets him know where Zemo is, he rushes off to South America. Thor is left as the only available Avenger. As he flies over the city he spots the Enchantress and investigating is hypnotised.

She sends him to attack his fellow Avengers, he radios Hank and Jan and attacks their helicopter when they return to the city. Hank and Thor tear up the city until Iron Man hears about it on the news and intervenes.

Cap parachutes into Zemo's base and manages to survive both his defences and the Enchantress' magical interference. He smashes up Zemo's base with a captured cannon and forces Zemo to flee. Using his magnetic shield he manages to attach himself to his ship as he leaves.

Iron Man manages to clear Thor's hypnotism with a burst of light leaving him with no memories of his rampage. Zemo arrives on the scene and tries to machine gun the Avengers. Cap breaks through the windscreen to distract him but is knocked out when the two Asgardians teleport into the ship. They leave him and try to flee the scene but Thor uses Mjolnir to send them all to another dimension.

So is it any good?:
There is a lot to like about the art and the plot but it isn't as good as #6. Its not a bad issue but it doesn't really stand out.

It is one of the first issues to rely on information from elsewhere, and it doesn't do a good job of it. In Tales of Suspense 56 Tony refuses to answer a call from the Avengers, telling Pepper Potts to say she cant get hold of him and going off to dinner.

It is a dereliction of duty but unless the Avengers know that Iron Man is Tony Stark then they can't realise that there is anything wrong. To the best of their knowledge the fault was with Tony Stark not Iron Man. It looks like a classic case of the writer thinking the characters know everything the reader knows. The Thor continuity is a bit easier, the two villains attacked Thor and got caught by Odin.

The Executioner and Enchantress are favourites of mine and the scene where Skurge is stripped of his helmet and axe is stunning.

The sections with the villains are generally more enjoyable than those with the Avengers. A straight battle between the team and the Asgardians might have been better than involving Zemo.

Are there any goofy moments?
Cap hanging on to Zemo's aircraft from South America to New York counts for me although I'm sure he has done that sort of thing plenty of times since

Avengers Facts:
This is the first time we see the workings of the Avengers, until now it just seemed like a casual gathering of heroes. The Avengers sitting in judgement on Iron Man was the first sign there were rules. It is also a nice mirror to the scene of Odin passing judgement on Skurge and Kirby draws Thor and Odin in exactly the same pose to show this.

The Avengers relied a lot on Thor villains in the early days, Loki, the Lava Men, the executioner, Enchantress and Radioactive Man all debuted in Thor. The next few issues would try and introduce new foes for the team.

Is it a landmark?:
Not Especially

Where can I read it?:
In the Essentials and Masterworks volumes, to the best of my knowledge it is hasn't been reprinted in any actual comics.