NEAL ADAMS CHRONICLES: A master artist solves a roundhouse of a problem… By PETER STONE How do you create a cover composition with one character kicking another — while showing both of their faces? Neal Adams solved that quandary and continued to use the solution for decades. The first time was in late 1967 for Detective Comics #372, back when comics were only 12 cents an issue. The art for “The Fearsome Foot-Fighters!” is by Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella, but the cover’s by Neal. On the front, Batman is being kicked in the head by one “Fighter” whose face we can see clearly, and kicked in the gut by another whose face is almost visible. Finally, a third “Fighter” is kicking Batman’s feet out from under him. The Caped Crusader, in the middle, reacts. It’s a unique composition. Every character’s face is discernible: a well-thought-out design. Was it the best expression of this concept? Maybe not, but it works. Years later, the ’70s martial arts craze hit. Marvel’s black-and-white The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine routinely featured Neal’s painted covers. The very first issue was his homage to Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, a brilliant painting I’ve seen in person. It’s truly amazing. In this case, it’s a horizontal composition: Lee is kicking exactly sideways and his victim is also completely sideways. The victim’s head is snapped backward in violent action, a far superior approach to most of these images. In the background, there are some unconscious bad guys, but the focus is really the two main figures. In my opinion, this is one of his best attempts at the concept. Issue #2 featured Shang-Chi performing a similar kick, but the camera is pulled way back so it isn’t quite as impressive. It’s still a terrific painting, but it doesn’t have the same impact as some of these other images. The magic is the closeness of the characters and the ability to see their faces and expressions clearly. Then there is Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #3. It’s a precursor to one of the best examples of this composition. A character in the background side-kicking his adversary while another hero — Jim Kelly — punches a villain in the foreground. Another exploration of the concept, satisfying the interior story. Not as intense as Deadly Hands of...