IEEE Update graphicx handling in template for images in figures from code chunk

OK I think I've dotted all my i's and crossed my t's here but here it goes. I am trying to use the IEEE template. I want to have a figure that has the following characteristics:

• Two columns wide
• 4 sub-figures in 2x2 layout
• Two images, two R-generated plots

What is the proper way to do this? Because there are R-generated graphics, the figure needs to be generated from a code chunk, so I cannot simply hard-code the LaTeX.

One of the basic problems with this, which seems to me to be a bug (or just lack of functionality?) is that I can't seem to use a code chunk to give me two images in a single figure. As instructed I posted this problem on a Stack Overflow post, that gives a minimum reproducible example (MRE) for the basic issue with images in a code chunk. This post has received nothing but "crickets" so I'm bringing it here.

I'm not including session_info at the moment because I'm honestly not sure if this is a bug or if this just doesn't work yet "as designed." If requested I can provide whatever information required but I imagine the phenomena described in the StackOverflow post is easily reproducible.

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Start with the linked Stack Overflow minimum reproducible example and the IEEE template's handling of figures generated from code chunks. Reproduce the two-column, four-subfigure case with two images and two R-generated plots, then determine whether the expected LaTeX output is supported; done means documenting the proper approach or identifying a reproducible fix for the graphicx handling.