Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 3, 2024 | 1 comment

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 Kung Fu #1, but a very well conceived and executed painting nonetheless.

One of Neal’s favorites was The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #11: the Billy Jack cover. It’s not as intense or horizontal as the earlier or later covers, but it’s a beautiful perspective-based cover of Billy Jack kicking a thug in the throat.

Then there’s The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #17: another Enter the Dragon homage, with Bruce Lee kicking the claw-armed bad guy in the gut. Another sideways composition, but it’s also aided by the hall of mirrors effect, replicating the film’s classic climax.

The original painting

Departing from martial artists, Neal nevertheless went to the well for 1977’s The Superman Family #185, creating a front based on the interior story by Tom DeFalco and Kurt Schaffenberger. Jimmy Olsen has obtained a powerful pair of gloves and boots and can battle Superman on his own level. So on the cover, Jimmy Olsen is kicking Superman in the face, knocking the Man of Steel back. Again, you can see both faces and their full figures are visible. It’s a cover that sold the book.

Perhaps the greatest example, in my opinion, is the little-known 1991 Tales of the Green Hornet #1 cover, from Now Comics. Neal advanced the composition to include a foreground figure who is actually the star of the series. Neal solved the challenge of having two heroes fighting simultaneously while showing both faces. It’s a very special cover, but there’s no Batman on it so no one remembers it.

You don’t see covers like this that often anymore. Neal used his brain on every single one to sell the comic inside. How many of us can’t say we bought a cover just for Neal’s art? I certainly did… and that was before I knew who Neal Adams was.

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MORE

— Why NEAL ADAMS’ GREEN ARROW Remains the Gold Standard. Click here.

— If Only NEAL ADAMS Had Drawn More SPIDER-MAN. Click here.

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Peter Stone is a writer and son-in-law of the late Neal Adams. Be sure to check out the family’s twice-weekly online Facebook auctions, as well as the NealAdamsStore.com.