Atom & Hawkman #40

Atom & Hawkman #40 (On Sale: October 3, 1968) has a dramatic, but oddly foreshortened cover featuring both heroes by Joe Kubert. this is the last issue with the elongated "A" and "H" logo.

The Atom starts in "The Explosive Exploit of the Split-Atom" by Gardner Fox, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. The Atom works with the FBI work on an undercover operation to trap a group of spies that are kidnapping scientists. An FBI agent disguised as Ray Palmer is kidnapped. Atom rescues him, but to their surprise the kidnappers are not the spies they wanted, just ordinary criminals who wanted revenge against Palmer.

The real spies have followed the crooks and are able to capture Palmer and the Atom. They take them back to their hideout where a Lobotikon extracts their secrets. Major Mynah comes to the rescue and frees the Atom who then defeats the spies.

The Hawkman story is "The Man with an Inbuilt Panic Button" by Gardner Fox, Joe Kubert and Murphy Anderson. When a carnival ride's cable snaps, Andrew Harris mysteriously teleports himself from danger. He appears inside Hawkman's spaceship, interfering with its orbit. As Katar rescues the ship, Harris again teleports away.

Hawkman had noticed Harris's moonstone ring, and uses the Lustrometer to track him to the home of Harvey Ellison, millionaire collector, which is being burgled. As he and the crooks battle, Harris vanishes again, this time taking along the crook holding him. Hawkman tracks them to a waterfall, and rescues both. Harris's teleportation power mysteriously vanishes. this story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Hawkman Vol. 2 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.