Adam Hughes

Adam Hughes was born on May 5, 1967{{cite web|last=Miller |first=John Jackson |url=http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |title=Comics Industry Birthdays |work=Comics Buyer's Guide |date=June 10, 2005 |location=Iola, Wisconsin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |archive-date=February 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url= http://www.comicvine.com/articles/adam-hughes-on-batgirl-1-its-a-real-joy-but-its-sa/1100-143244/|title= Adam Hughes on Batgirl #1: 'It's a real joy, but it's sad to see Oracle go'|first= Sara|last= Lima|date= June 21, 2011|publisher= Comic Vine|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140121043341/http://www.comicvine.com/articles/adam-hughes-on-batgirl-1-its-a-real-joy-but-its-sa/1100-143244/|archive-date=January 21, 2014 |url-status= live|df=mdy-all}} in Riverside Township, New Jersey{{cite web |url= http://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/hughes_adam.htm|title= Adam Hughes|date= December 28, 2007|publisher= Lambiek Comiclopedia|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120506163409/http://lambiek.net/artists/h/hughes_adam.htm|archive-date= May 6, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web |url= http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/10/chatting_with_dc_comics_cover.html|title= Chatting with DC Comics cover artist Adam Hughes|first= Drew|last= Sheneman|date= October 7, 2010|location= Newark, New Jersey|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|archive-url= https://archive.today/20131203102221/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/10/chatting_with_dc_comics_cover.html|archive-date= December 3, 2013|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}} and grew up in Florence, where he attended a private elementary school.Hughes, Adam (June 29, 2010). Cover Run: The DC Art of Adam Hughes. DC Comics. p. 76. He stayed in Florence until he was 24.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfHd8LPgllE "Adam Hughes Sketching 13"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.

Hughes, who had no formal training in art, began his career in 1987.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ByScmtlicI "Adam Hughes Sketching 3"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010 His first comic book work was a pinup in Eagle #6. He penciled, inked, and lettered, two short stories and the first issue of Death Hawk, created by Mark Ellis. In 1988 Hughes became the penciller on writer Mike W. Barr's detective series Maze Agency, as his portfolio bore samples of both that series and Mike Gustovich's Justice Machine. Maze Agency, published by Comico, and edited by Michael Eury, became Hughes' first regular series and his first color work. Despite wanting to draw action-oriented superhero stories at the time, he credits his work on Maze Agency, whose scripts Barr composed in the full script format, with improving his skill and confidence at storytelling. In a 2004 interview, he stated that this work also developed his preference for character-oriented stories over action-oriented ones, both as an artist and a writer. Hughes' interior pencils were inked by Eury's longtime friend Rick Magyar, and because Hughes aspired to ink his own work one day, he took Barr's suggestion that he produce pinups on each issue's back cover as an advertisement for the next issue to practice inking his own pencils. It was around this time that Hughes switched to inking with a brush on the advice of Dave Stevens when Stevens looked at Hughes' samples.{{cite journal|author =Eury, Michael|title = Pro2Pro: Barr and Hughes revisit: The Maze Agency|journal = Back Issue!|issue = 2|pages = 7–27|publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|date=February 2004|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}} Hughes stayed on the series for a year,{{gcdb|type=credit|search=Adam+Hughes|title=Adam Hughes}} though he took a month off during this run to provide the pencils on Comico's issue 12 of Bill Willingham's series Elementals #12.

After two years of providing background art or interior pencils on independent books, writer/artist Willingham introduced Hughes to Andy Helfer, the editor on the DC Comics series Justice League America. Helfer was impressed by Hughes' portfolio and asked Hughes to contact him when his contract expired. A few months later, after Comico went out of business, Helfer contacted Hughes, hiring him initially to draw inventory covers for issues like Mister Miracle #19, one of Hughes' favorite creations by Jack Kirby. Hughes was then made the regular artist on Justice League America, with issue #31 being his first published DC Comics work.Hughes (2010). p. 8. At the time he began on that book, he was still working at a comics shop two days a week.Hughes (2010). Back cover. He continued doing covers and interior art on the title for two years, before switching to providing covers only.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/wc11-the-art-of-the-cover/ |title=WC11: The Art of the Cover|last=Sikula |first=Dave|website=Comic Book Resources|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=April 23, 2011|access-date=February 22, 2022|archivedate=March 24, 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324203427/https://www.cbr.com/wc11-the-art-of-the-cover/}}

In February 1992,{{cite magazine|magazine=Amazing Heroes Interviews|title=Adam Hughes|issue=2|page=28|date=January 1993|publisher=Fantagraphics}} at the age of 24, Hughes moved to Atlanta, Georgia to join Gaijin Studios, believing that working more closely alongside fellow artists would improve his own skills. Hughes stayed with Gaijin Studios for 12 years. That same year, he penciled Comics' Greatest World: Arcadia #3 for Dark Horse Comics, which featured the first appearance of the supernatural character Ghost. He drew that character subsequently in the 1994 one-shot Ghost Special. When that character was given her own series in 1995, Hughes penciled the first three-issue storyline, "Arcadia Nocturne".

From 1994 to 1995, Hughes drew the satirical storyline "Young Captain Adventure", which appeared in the first several issues of the adult comics anthology magazine Penthouse Comix. Hughes also provided a painted cover for issue #2, and a pinup in issue #26 in 1997. In a 2011 interview, he indicated that while he did not regret that work, he felt shame at the time he produced it, as he feared it might end his future prospects with companies like Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and because he feels that depicting full nudity is less fulfilling than merely suggestive art. Hughes explains:[https://comicvine.gamespot.com/adam-hughes/4040-2582/forums/spotlight-on-adam-hughes-607757/ "Spotlight On: Adam Hughes"]. Comic Vine. May 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2017.

I firmly believe that drawing a fully clothed, beautiful woman is more sensuous than a completely naked, laying on a table getting ready to go in for a CAT scan. I firmly think that it's what you hint and suggest—that is more attractive—and that goes for both men and women. When you go into full nudity, and swing for the fences with the nudity, it can be titillating at first, but after a while you get kind of tired and kind of spent and decide "Hey, you know what, I am just going to go watch the ball game." I think that you need to have the mystery, and that layer to be peeled away so that the interest remains there.

In 1995, Hughes wrote and illustrated the 1996 two-issue miniseries, Gen¹³: Ordinary Heroes from WildStorm, his first writing assignment. Because he did that at the WildStorm offices in La Jolla, California, he spent evenings in the suite where the studio's books were colored, where he learned how to color with Photoshop from colorists Homer Reyes, Ben Dimagmaliw and Laura Martin.Hughes, Adam (2010). p. 184.

In late 1998, Hughes began a four-year run as cover artist on DC's Wonder Woman; he produced 49 covers for the series. He also provided cover art on Tomb Raider from Top Cow Comics. Hughes would eventually gain a reputation as one of the best-known and distinctive comic book cover artists.

When Wizards of the Coast created their 2000 d20-based Star Wars RPG, Hughes created designs for both the original and revised core rulebooks, as well as the Star Wars: Invasion of Theed adventure game mini-RPG. When he reused his portrait of the Jedi guardian, Sia-Lan Wezz (his favorite character), for the cover of the 2005 one-shot Star Wars: Purge as a gag, there was such editorial interest that she was written into the story as one of Darth Vader's early victims.{{cite web |url= http://www.rebelscum.com/story/front/Purge_Cover_Production_Sketches_96509.asp|title= Purge Cover Production Sketches|date= January 10, 2006|publisher= RebelScum.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121025094153/http://www.rebelscum.com/story/front/Purge_Cover_Production_Sketches_96509.asp|archive-date= October 25, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}

In May 2007, Sideshow Collectibles debuted a miniature statuette of Mary Jane Watson, a perennial love interest of Spider-Man's, based on artwork by Hughes. The statue, which depicts Mary Jane wearing a cleavage-revealing T-shirt and low-cut jeans that expose the top of a pink thong while bending over a metal tub holding Spider-Man's costume, generated controversy among some fans who felt that the statue was sexist.{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/item_ouq5qyzeDoWD2XleEFk93M;jsessionid=A44B39DE09E92FE1F48DD31E2C70AF42 |title=Mary Jane is Spidey 'Sensuous' |first=Neil |last=Graves |date=May 16, 2007 |newspaper=New York Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106062003/http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/item_ouq5qyzeDoWD2XleEFk93M%3Bjsessionid%3DA44B39DE09E92FE1F48DD31E2C70AF42 |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url= http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/05/16/online-outrage-over-mj-statue-hits-new-york-post/|title= Online outrage over MJ statue hits New York Post|first= Kevin|last= Melrose|date= May 16, 2007|work= Newsarama|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070519083012/http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/05/16/online-outrage-over-mj-statue-hits-new-york-post/|archive-date= May 19, 2007|url-status= dead|df=mdy-all}} Marvel addressed the matter by stating, "The Mary Jane statuette is the latest release in a limited edition collectibles line. The item is aimed at adults that have been long-time fans of the Marvel Universe. It is intended only for mature collectors and sold in specialty, trend, collectible and comic shops – not mass retail." Sideshow Collectibles stated, "Our product is not produced to make a political or social statement but is fashioned after entertainment properties currently in the market place (sic). We suggest that if you do find the Mary Jane product offensive that you refrain from viewing that web page." Elizabeth McDonald of girl-wonder.org, an organization dedicated to "high-quality character depiction" in the comics industry, was incredulous at the statue's design, though she stated, "Honestly, the difficulty with this statuette is that if you're a woman who likes comics, it's not even noteworthy. Many male comic fans can't understand the outrage it's generated, since this is fairly tame within the industry. This portrayal of Mary Jane could be considered superior to some in the industry, since her clothes don't seem to be actively falling off her". The Toronto Star's Malene Arpe echoed this, pointing to female characters with even more revealing appearances, such as Black Cat and Witchblade.{{cite web |url= https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/214778|title= No plumber's butt for Spidey?|first= Malene|last= Arpe|date= May 17, 2007|newspaper=Toronto Star|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140122015129/http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2007/05/17/no_plumbers_butt_for_spidey.html|archive-date=January 22, 2014 |url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url= http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/05/18/just-past-the-horizon-reveille/|title= Just Past the Horizon: Reveille|first= Lisa|last= Fortuner|date= May 18, 2007|work= Newsarama|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130315061948/http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/05/18/just-past-the-horizon-reveille/|archive-date= March 15, 2013}} Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly lamented that the statuette was not issued some weeks earlier, so that it could have been included in the website 10 Zen Monkeys' list of "Ten Worst Spiderman Tie-Ins".{{cite magazine |url= http://popwatch.ew.com/2007/05/16/spiderman_tiein/|title= Merch that will make your Spider-sense (or something) tingle|first= Gary|last= Susman|date= May 16, 2007|magazine= Entertainment Weekly|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140122020032/http://popwatch.ew.com/2007/05/16/spiderman_tiein/|archive-date=January 22, 2014 |url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web |url= http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/05/03/ten-worst-spiderman-tie-ins/|title= Ten Worst Spiderman Tie-Ins|date= May 3, 2007|publisher= 10 Zen Monkeys|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070504232502/http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/05/03/ten-worst-spiderman-tie-ins/|archive-date= May 4, 2007|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url= http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/05/17/more-on-the-mary-jane-as-washerwoman-statuette/|title= More on 'the Mary Jane as washerwoman statuette'|first= Kevin|last= Melrose|date= May 17, 2007|work= Newsarama|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070519091126/http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/05/17/more-on-the-mary-jane-as-washerwoman-statuette/|archive-date= May 19, 2007|url-status= dead|df=mdy-all}} Sideshow subsequently released several other statues, or "comiquettes", based on Hughes' depiction of other female Marvel characters, including Black Cat, She-Hulk, and various X-Men-related characters.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJJMd8Ld6I "Adam Hughes Marvel Comiquette Collection Inside Look"]. Sideshow Collectibles/YouTube. April 28, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2019.

File:RealPowerDCU AdamHughes.jpg]]

In 2008, Hughes created a poster of major DC Comics female characters as a giveaway for that year's San Diego Comic-Con to promote the publisher's upcoming projects. The poster, called "Real Power of the DC Universe", features 11 female characters standing and/or sitting abreast of one another, similar to a Vanity Fair gatefold layout. Per DC's request, the characters are mostly clad in white outfits rather than their familiar superhero costumes. Hughes, wanting to avoid making the poster look like a bridal magazine layout, gave each outfit a different color temperature. He also gave each character a distinctive style. The garment worn by Wonder Woman resembles a Greek-style tunic, while the one worn by Poison Ivy features a floral trim. Because the Catwoman series was coming to an end, DC instructed Hughes to leave her off the poster. Hughes was fond of the character, so he drew her on the far left, figuring that he would edit her out of the final version. However, having seen his progress, DC's editorial team decided that they liked his version and told Hughes to include Catwoman. She is dressed in a black latex evening gown with a white shawl. Hughes reasoned that Selina would have been irritated by being included in the group at the last minute and thus wore the blackest ensemble she could out of spite. The poster's popularity resulted in requests for Hughes to create similar ones with men, Marvel characters, etc. It is one of the images for which Hughes has gained a reputation as one of comics' foremost cheesecake artists. About this status, Hughes has said:

{{blockquote|I don't know if I embrace the term 'cheesecake artist'. I don't like hugging anything. Maybe I give the term a warm yet firm handshake? It's great to be known for being good for something, and it not being altogether infamous.}}

For an article by Hal Niedzviecki on the impact of blogs, social networks and reality television in the February 2009 Playboy magazine, Hughes illustrated a double-page spread depicting a group of voyeurs observing a topless woman in front of a computer.Niedzviecki, Hal. "Peep Culture". Playboy February 2009. pp. 1, 56–57

File:CatwomanVol3.jpg by Adam Hughes on the cover of Catwoman vol. 3, #59 (November 2006)]]

Although Hughes was announced as the writer and artist on All Star Wonder Woman in 2006,{{cite news |url= http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=78030 |title= SDCC '06: Hughes to Write & Draw All Star Wonder Woman|first= Matt|last= Brady|date= July 23, 2006|work= Newsarama |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090629112526/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=78030|archive-date=June 29, 2009 |url-status=dead|df=mdy-all|access-date= March 17, 2012}}{{cite news |url= http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=81341|title= Adam Hughes on His New Exclusive & All Star Wonder Woman|first= Matt|last= Brady|date= August 21, 2006|work= Newsarama|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060830202046/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=81341|archive-date= August 30, 2006|url-status= dead|df=mdy-all}} he explained at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con that that project was "in the freezer" for the time being, due to the difficulty involved in both writing and illustrating it himself.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhQ7EU6cbn8 "Adam Hughes Sketching 11"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. His website indicated that after the current Catwoman series ended with issue #82, he would cease his DC cover work, and would focus on producing the six-issue All Star Wonder Woman series,{{cite web |url= http://www.justsayah.com/pages/AHpg1.html|title= Updates & Info: Au Revoir, Selina!|date= n.d.|publisher= The Official Adam Hughes Website|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080423042141/http://www.justsayah.com/pages/AHpg1.html|archive-date= April 23, 2008|url-status= dead|df=mdy-all|access-date= October 14, 2010}} though he stated in an October 2010 interview with NJ.com, after the Catwoman assignment had concluded earlier that year, that All Star Wonder Woman was still on hold.

At the 2010 Chicago Comicon, editor Mark Chiarello offered him the art duties on the four-issue miniseries Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan, one of eight tie-in prequels to the seminal 1986–1987 miniseries Watchmen, which would be written by J. Michael Straczynski, and which would require Hughes to delay finishing All-Star Wonder Woman. Hughes accepted the job of drawing that miniseries, which was announced in February 2012,{{cite comic|writer=Wein, Len|artist=Lee, Jae|story= All Access: Watch This!|title=Before Watchman: Ozymandias|issue=1|date=July 4, 2012|publisher=DC Comics}}{{cite news |url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-02-01/Watchmen-prequel-comic-book-series/52908084/1|title= DC gives Watchmen a graphic past|first= Brian|last= Truitt|date= February 1, 2012|newspaper= USA Today|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121106185848/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-02-01/Watchmen-prequel-comic-book-series/52908084/1|archive-date= November 6, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web |url= http://io9.com/5881187/dc-comics-unveils-full-list-of-watchmen-prequel-comics|title= DC Comics unveils full list of Watchmen prequels|first= Cyriaque|last= Lamar|date= February 1, 2012|publisher= io9|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120204072919/http://io9.com/5881187/dc-comics-unveils-full-list-of-watchmen-prequel-comics|archive-date= February 4, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}} and premiered August 22, 2012.{{cite web |url= http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/08/22/dr-manhattan-rewrites-watchmen-and-chooses-his-own-adventure/|title= Dr. Manhattan Rewrites Watchmen, And Chooses His Own Adventure|first= Rich|last= Johnston|author-link= Rich Johnston|date= August 22, 2012|publisher= Bleeding Cool|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121024095741/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/08/22/dr-manhattan-rewrites-watchmen-and-chooses-his-own-adventure/|archive-date= October 24, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://blastr.com/2012/08/exclusive-preview-of-befo.php |title=Exclusive preview of Before Watchman's eagerly awaited Dr. Manhattan comic |first=Scott |last=Edelman |author-link=Scott Edelman |date=August 20, 2012 |publisher=Blastr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054927/http://www.blastr.com/2012/08/exclusive_preview_of_befo.php |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} Hughes commented: "I love Alan Moore's canon of work, with special affection for Miracleman, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and most definitely Watchmen. I hope to do some sort of justice to Dave Gibbons' brilliant art: he's one of the all time great illustrators ever to work in the field of comics...I'm fairly stoked to be working with the fabulous J. Michael Straczynski{{sic}} I loved his Thor run, especially. The man knows how to craft amazing tales, so I feel like you & I are in good hands."{{cite web |url= http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36752|title= Adam Hughes Weighs In On Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan|first= Steve|last= Sunu|date= February 1, 2012|website= Comic Book Resources|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120204102636/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36752|archive-date= February 4, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}

Between 2009 and 2012, DC Collectibles produced a series of statues of various female DC characters that were based on Hughes' cover art called Cover Girls of the DC Universe. These included statues of Black Canary, Catwoman, Zatanna,{{cite news|url= https://comicsalliance.com/dc-collectibles-wonder-woman-adam-hughes-btas-set/|title= DC Collectibles Revisits Batman and Robin Figures, Adam Hughes' Wonder Woman|first= Luke|last= Brown|date= May 11, 2016|work= ComicsAlliance|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331233227/https://comicsalliance.com/dc-collectibles-wonder-woman-adam-hughes-btas-set/|archive-date= March 31, 2019|url-status= live|df= mdy-all}} Hawkwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Supergirl,{{cite news|magazine=ToyFare|issue=97|page=16|author=Nadel, Nick|title=VA-VA-VOOM! New statue line salutes the indomintable spirit of DC heroines, breasts|date=September 2005|publisher=Wizard Entertainment}} and one of Wonder Woman based on Hughes' cover to Wonder Woman vol. 2 #150.

In 2010, DC Comics published Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes, a collection of Hughes' cover work for that publisher, arranged chronologically, with commentary by Hughes on each selected cover, as well as preliminary sketches.[https://books.google.com/books/about/Cover_Run.html?id=u1t3SwAACAAJ Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes]. 2010. Google Books. Retrieved January 31, 2019.Carr, Alex (June 25, 2010) [https://www.amazonbookreview.com/post/cdf49009-7b2c-4a9f-868b-d96271357ce7/graphic-novel-friday-the-dc-comics-art-of-adam-hughes "Graphic Novel Friday: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes"]. Omnivoracious. The Amazon Book Review. Retrieved January 31, 2019.Johnston, Rich (January 19, 2019). [https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/01/19/dc-comics-april-2019-solicitations-leaked/ "Almost All of DC Comics' April 2019 Solicitations, Leaked"]. Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 31, 2019.

In 2014, "She Lies at Midnite", an eight-page Batman/Catwoman story written and illustrated by Hughes using greytones, appeared in the sixth and final issue of the anthology miniseries Batman: Black and White.Pepose, David (February 6, 2014). [http://www.newsarama.com/20257-best-shots-rapid-reviews-green-arrow-27-superior-foes-8-and-twenty-two-others.html "Best Shots Rapid Reviews: Green Arrow #27, Superior Foes #8, and Twenty-two Others!"] Newsarama.Cheng, Jennifer (February 10, 2014). [http://www.cbr.com/batman-black-and-white-6/ "Batman: Black and White #6"]. CBR.com.

On July 20, 2016, Archie Comics published the first issue of Betty and Veronica, a three-issue miniseries written and illustrated by Hughes.[https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/archie-comics/betty--veronica-(2016) "Betty & Veronica (2016)"]. Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved April 3, 2019. In the series, best friends and rivals Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge find themselves at odds over the fate of the town's hangout, Pop's Chocklit Shoppe, with the entire town divided on the matter. Hughes' intention was to make the characters timely and relevant; although Hughes has stated that he favors Betty, he has also said that "Veronica Lodge is delicious good fun to write."White, Brett (April 12, 2016). [http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/archie-launches-betty-veronica-from-writer-artist-adam-hughes "Archie Launches Betty & Veronica From Writer/Artist Adam Hughes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413052718/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/archie-launches-betty-veronica-from-writer-artist-adam-hughes |date=April 13, 2016 }}. Comic Book Resources.

On December 20, 2017 Dark Horse Comics published the 36-page Christmas special one-shot Hellboy: Krampusnacht, written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, and illustrated by Hughes.Schedeen, Jesse (December 20, 2017). [http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/12/21/hellboy-krampusnacht-1-review "Hellboy: Krampusnacht #1 Review"]. IGN.Arrant, Chris (December 18, 2017). [https://www.newsarama.com/37833-adam-hughes-stuffs-your-holiday-stocking-with-hellboy-krampusnacht.html "Hughes, Mignola & Hellboy Stuff Your Stocking With Krampusnacht"]. Newsarama. Retrieved January 8, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171222045251/https://www.newsarama.com/37833-adam-hughes-stuffs-your-holiday-stocking-with-hellboy-krampusnacht.html Archived] from the original on January 8, 2018. Although Hughes had previously done a Hellboy pinup in a Dark Horse anniversary comic, Krampusnacht marked Hughes' first time doing the interiors on a Hellboy story, and his first collaboration with Mignola. The book received mostly positive reviews.[https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/dark-horse-comics/hellboy-krampusnacht/1 "Hellboy: Krampusnacht #1"]. Comic Book Round Up. Retrieved January 8, 2018. The following July, the book won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Single Issue/One-Shot.Petski, Denise (July 21, 2018). [https://deadline.com/2018/07/eisner-awards-2018-winners-list-montress-my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-1202430916/ "Eisner Awards 2018: The Complete Winners List — Comic-Con"]. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 14, 2018.

In January 2019, DC Comics' solicitations for April indicated that it would publish a new collection of Hughes' work called Absolute Art of Adam Hughes, which features the full content of Cover Run, plus more than 100 additional covers with new commentary by Hughes, and a reuse of the cover of Cover Run. The book's release date is November 13, 2019.Gerding, Stephen (January 22, 2019). [https://www.cbr.com/dc-comics-solicitations-april-2019/2/ "DC Comics' Complete April 2019 Solicitations"]. CBR.com. Retrieved January 31, 2019.

In April 2019, Marvel Comics announced that Hughes would provide the covers to the five-issue miniseries Invisible Woman, the first series to feature Sue Storm as the main character.Gruenwald, Joe (April 9, 2019). [https://www.comicsbeat.com/invisible-woman-miniseries-waid-de-iulis/ "The Fantastic Four's INVISIBLE WOMAN stars in new miniseries by Waid and De Iulis"]. Comics Beat. Retrieved April 16, 2019.

In May 2022, Hughes and his wife and manager, Allison Sohn stated during an online panel discussion that he was no longer producing comics art full time, as he was now doing character design and concept art for Marvel Studios Animation, for which Hughes was learning to use different graphics software. The non-disclosure agreement that he signed as part of the contract meant that he cannot not publicly share the work he produced when the projects are still in production, and that even though he is able to keep the original art he produces, his contract prohibits him from selling it.{{cite web|author=Cox, Bill|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCc8fgtASAw|title=Comic Art LIVE Spring 2022 Panel - Adam Hughes & Allison Sohn|publisher=Comic Art Live|via=YouTube|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=May 21, 2022|access-date=May 23, 2022|archivedate=May 24, 2022|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20220524002855/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCc8fgtASAw}} Hughes and his wife and manager, Allison Sohn, reveal this during an exchange from the 3:23 to 5:00 mark. Other details regarding this work are mentioned beginning at the 29:33 mark.

In January 2023, it was reported that Hughes would be drawing an eight-page Rocketeer story written by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo. The story would appear as one of the stories in a one-shot anthology, The Rocketeer, to be published by IDW Publishing. Hughes had been approached for the project by filmmakers Kelvin Mao and Robert Windom, who had discovered during production of their documentary, Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, which focused on the creator of that character's creator, Dave Stevens, that Bilson and the late De Meo, who wrote the screenplay to the 1991 feature film adaptation The Rocketeer, had written an unpublished Rocketeer comics story guest-starring real-life aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.{{cite web|url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/adam-hughes-jae-lee-craig-cermak-draw-new-rocketeer-comic/|publisher=Bleeding Cool|author=Johnston, Rich|title=Adam Hughes, Jae Lee & Craig Cermak Draw New Rocketeer Comic|language=en|date=January 18, 2023|access-date=January 23, 2023|url-status=live|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118220044/https://bleedingcool.com/comics/adam-hughes-jae-lee-craig-cermak-draw-new-rocketeer-comic}}

File:Adam Hughes at Super-Con 2009 2.JPG

Hughes' artistic influences include comics artists such as Dave Stevens, Steve Rude, Mike Mignola and Kevin Nowlan, classic American illustrators such as Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, Drew Struzan and Dean Cornwell and notable pin-up artists like Alberto Vargas and George Petty. Hughes also keeps collections of works by Alphonse Mucha near his drawing table.{{cite web |url= http://www.justsayah.com/faq/|title= FAQ|date= n.d.|publisher= The Official Adam Hughes Website|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130703193716/http://www.justsayah.com/faq/|archive-date= July 3, 2013|url-status= live|df=mdy-all|access-date= November 11, 2011}}

According to Hughes, he does not illustrate comics interiors on a regular basis because creating artwork whose quality satisfies him takes too much time for him to produce it on a regular monthly schedule; f while he is capable of working faster, he is typically dissatisfied with the results when he does so.Hughes (2010). p. 196. As an example, he points to the 1996 miniseries he wrote and illustrated, Gen¹³: Ordinary Heroes, which took him ten months to complete.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ByScmtlicI "Adam Hughes Sketching 3"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. He elaborated on this in a 2004 interview, explaining:

{{blockquote|Storytelling is a lot of work, and to be a good storyteller is a lot of work because you have to pay attention to it. I think anybody with enough time under their belt can hack out a story. I think anybody can tell a safe story, or tell a story safely. You know, six panels, one head shot per page, that kind of thing. But to do it with any sort of style or creativity requires you to be on the ball all day long, and it's hard work. Whatever niche I occupy in comics right now, it's the goldfish filling the bowl that it's in. I can't do good storytelling and do it in a timely fashion, which is why nobody offers me stories any more. Any artist who does put out regular comics with interior stuff is a better man than me.}}

Hughes varies his style between projects, sometimes exhibiting a "cartoony" look in his drawings, and at other times employing reference to achieve a photorealistic work in his art, as in his work for Playboy magazine, in order to produce more varied works for his portfolio, should his prospects in the comic book industry ever fade. When given the freedom to illustrate what he wants for a cover, Hughes prefers not to depict action scenes, which he feels are his weak point, but the "pregnant" moments immediately before a climactic moment.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/wc11-the-art-of-the-cover/|publisher=CBR.com|title=WC11: The Art of the Cover|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=April 23, 2011|access-date=April 27, 2022|archivedate=March 24, 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324203427/https://www.cbr.com/wc11-the-art-of-the-cover/}}

The penciling process Hughes employs for his cover work is the same he uses when doing sketches for fans at conventions, with the main difference being that he does cover work in his sketchbook, before transferring the drawing to virgin art board with a lightbox.Coulson, Steve. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAO3sUyg-Bw "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt2 - The Process"]. YouTube. May 15, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2010.{{cite web|author=Hughes, Adam|date=2011|url=http://adamhughes.deviantart.com/art/Imagine-FX-67-How-To-196343843|title=Imagine FX 67 How To|publisher=DeviantArt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209044430/https://adamhughes.deviantart.com/art/Imagine-FX-67-How-To-196343843|archive-date=February 9, 2018}} When penciling his convention drawings, Hughes prefers 11 x 14 Strathmore bristol vellum paper, because he prefers that paper's rougher surface. However, he uses smoother paper for brush inking,Coulson, Steve (May 15, 2006). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrzZffdJD_k "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt3 - The Tools"]. YouTube. Retrieved September 8, 2010. and he illustrated some Catwoman covers on animation paper.Hughes (2010). pp. 152, 158. He does preliminary undersketches with a lead holder,Coulson, Steve (May 15, 2006). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvaG1EZ9shM "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt1 - The Idea"]. YouTube. Retrieved September 8, 2010. because he feels regular pencils get worn down to the nub too quickly. As he explained during a sketch demonstration at a comic book convention, during this process he uses a Sanford Turquoise 4B lead, a soft lead, though when working at home in Atlanta, where the humid weather tends to dampen the paper, he sometimes uses a B lead or 2B lead, which acts like a 4B in that environment. However, his website explains that he uses 6B lead, with some variation. For pieces rendered entirely in pencil, he employs a variety of pencil leads of varying degrees of hardness. After darkening in the construction lines that he wishes to keep, he erases the lighter ones with a kneaded eraser before rendering greater detail. For more detailed erasures, he uses a pencil-shaped white eraser, and to erase large areas, he uses a larger, hand-held white eraser, which he calls a "thermonuclear eraser", because it "takes care of everything".

For inking, which is Hughes' least favorite part of the illustration process,Hughes (2010). p. 82. he uses a size three Scharff brush and Dr. Ph. Martin's Black Star Hi-Carb ink. Hughes also favors Faber-Castell PITT artist pens, which come in a variety of points, including fine, medium, bold and brush tips, which Hughes uses for brush work on convention sketches. Though he stated in a 2006 interview that he favored PITT pens for convention sketches, but never for cover work, he later used them to illustrate the cover of ImagineFX magazine #67 in 2011, and for an illustration of Fire and Ice for a Justice League card game.Hughes (2010). p. 18. He occasionally will use Copic markers in both warm and cool gray tones to render covers in grayscale. Similar to his penciling, Hughes tends to ink different portions of the sketch at random,Coulson, Steve (May 15, 2006). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iLKv4T8teU "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt4 - Requests"]. YouTube. Retrieved September 8, 2010. though when rendering an attractive female, he begins with the face, so that in the event that he fails to capture her good looks, an entire rendered illustration has not been wasted. He uses Sharpie markers to fill in larger areas, which he feels would be too tedious to render in pencil, such as the costumes of characters like Batman, which he believes should be rendered in black rather than blue. He uses Photoshop to color his cover work. He initially colored his covers after inking them traditionally, but beginning with Wonder Woman (Vol 2) #195, he switched methods to one in which he renders the greyscale stage in pencil, pen and marker like a painting, and then uses Photoshop's Layer tool to colorize each element in the image separately.Hughes (2010). p. 92.

Hughes sometimes uses colored markers to embellish parts of a convention sketch, as when he uses red for female characters' lips, or a silver pen to render scenes set in outer space.Coulson, Steve. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rghzcHgI2jQ "Adam Hughes - Anatomy of a sketch, Pt5 - The Finish"]. YouTube. May 15, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2010. When rendering an entire sketch in grey tones or full color, Hughes, who once used Prismacolor or Design 2 markers, explained at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con that for the past four years, he had been using Copic markers, a set of which a fan gave him as a gift, because Copic markers are refillable, and because he found that they produce longer-lasting colors, and can be used several times longer than other brands,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLZ386j71TQ "Adam Hughes Sketching 1"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PipsEp4nktM "Adam Hughes Sketching 2"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. as he was still using the same package of nibs as of August 2010 that came with the first set of Copics he was given four years previously.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uhz7pWvYZs "Adam Hughes Sketching 5"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. When using Copics, he takes care to erase his pencils, and to not work dark-to-light, because of the mottled effects that result from doing so.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOQ0PT3BpCo "Adam Hughes Sketching 4"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. He has conducted demonstrations of Copic markers at conventions on a number of occasions.{{cite web |url= http://www.justsayah.com/pages/AHpg7.html|title= News & Info |date= September 8, 2008|publisher= The Official Adam Hughes Website|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081014162848/http://www.justsayah.com/pages/AHpg7.html|archive-date= October 14, 2008|url-status= dead|df=mdy-all|access-date= February 27, 2011}}

Hughes and his wife, Allison Sohn,{{cite web |url= http://ifanboy.com/articles/adam-hughes-curtails-convention-sketching-and-why-it-matters/|title= Adam Hughes Curtails Convention Sketching and Why It Matters|first= Jason|last= Wood|date= May 4, 2011|publisher= iFanboy|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110821032514/http://ifanboy.com/articles/adam-hughes-curtails-convention-sketching-and-why-it-matters/|archive-date= August 21, 2011|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}} who designs his published sketchbooks and administrates his website,{{cite web|url=http://www.justsayah.com/blog/5/Holy_Moley!_Its_all_new_and_improved!/ |title=Holy Moley! Its all new and improved! |first=Allison |last=Sohn |date=July 16, 2011 |publisher=The Official Adam Hughes Website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719113237/http://www.justsayah.com/blog/5/Holy_Moley%21_Its_all_new_and_improved%21/ |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} live in Atlanta.

• 2003 Eisner Award "Best Cover Artist"{{cite web|url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner03.php|title= 2003 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards|date= n.d.|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160320095430/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner03.php|archive-date= March 20, 2016|url-status= live|df= mdy-all}}
• 2007 Inkpot Award{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/inkpot.php|title= Inkpot Award Winners |publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120709055558/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/inkpot.php|archive-date= July 9, 2012|url-status= live|df=mdy-all}}
• February 2008 Inkwell Awards Ambassador (Feb. 2008–present){{cite web |url= http://www.inkwellawards.com/?page_id=413|title= Ambassadors|date= n.d.|publisher= Inkwell Awards|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150723184237/http://www.inkwellawards.com/?page_id=413|archive-date= July 23, 2015|url-status= live|df=mdy-all|access-date= May 11, 2015}}

• Comics' Greatest World: Ghost (1993)
• Dark Horse Presents #50: "Hip-Deep in the Consciousness Stream" (script and art, 1991)
• Ghost #1–3 (1995)
• Hellboy: Krampusnacht (2017)
• Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Seven Wives Club (2020)

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• 52 (DC Comics, 2006–2007):
• "The Origin of Wonder Woman" (with Mark Waid, co-feature, in #12, 2006)
• "The Origin of Power Girl" (with Mark Waid, co-feature, in #36, 2007)
• Before Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan, miniseries, #1–4 (2012–2013)
• Harley Quinn vol. 2 #0 (one page) (2014)
• Justice League America #31–35, 37–40, 43–44, 45 (four pages), #51 (1989–1991)
• Legionnaires #7 (full art), #9, #10, 12 (along with Chris Sprouse) (1993–1994)
• New Titans #93 (1992)
• Star Trek: Debt of Honor (1992)
• Superman/Batman #75: "World's End...But Life Goes On" (script and art, DC Comics, 2010)
• Superman Gen¹³ #1–3 (script, with Lee Bermejo, Wildstorm, 2000)
• Team Titans #1 Redwing (1992)
• Titans Sell-out Special (three pages) (1992)

{{div col end}}

• Many Worlds of Tesla Strong (five pages) (2003) (America's Best Comics)

• The Dreaming #55 (two pages) (2000)
• Fables #100: "Celebrity Burning Questions" and #113 "In Those Days" (with Bill Willingham, Vertigo, 2011–2012)
• Fairest in All the Land HC (three pages) (2014)

• Wildstorm Thunderbook: "WHAM! A Tale" (script and art, Wildstorm, one–shot, 2000)

• 24Seven vol.2: "The Sweetest Thing" (with Phil Hester, 2007)
• Gen¹³: Ordinary Heroes #1–2 (script and art, 1996)
• Savage Dragon: Sex & Violence #1–2 (1997, layouts only)
• WildC.A.T.s/X-Men: The Modern Age (1997)

• Namor, the Sub-Mariner Annual #3 (four pages) (1993)
• Sensational She-Hulk #50 (two pages) (1993)
• X-Men Annual vol. 2 #1 (among other artists) (1992)

• Betty & Veronica #1–3 (2016) (Archie Comics)
• Blood of Dracula #4–5, 7–11 (1988–1989) (Apple Comics)
• Death Hawk #1 (1988) (Transfuzion Publishing)
• Eagle #9–12 (1987)
• Maze Agency #1–5, 8–9, 12; Annual #1 (1988–1990) (Comico Comics)
• Nexus vol. 2 #57 (1989) (First Comics)
• Pat Savage: the Woman of Bronze - Family Blood Special (1992)
• Penthouse Comix #1–5: "Young Captain Adventure" (with George Caragonne, Tom Thornton and Joel Adams, Penthouse, 1994–1995)
• Solution #5 (1994)
• Star Rangers #2–3 (1987)
• Warriors #1–3 (1987–1988)
• Wizard #94 (1999) (Wizard)

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• Batgirl #1–6, 29 (2011–2014)
• Catwoman vol. 3 #44–82 (2005–2008); #83 (2010, "Blackest Night" tie-in)
• DC Comics Presents (Julius Schwartz tribute):
• Batman (2004)
• Superman (2004)
• Fairest (2012–2014)
• Harley Quinn #1 variant (2013)
• JSA: Classified #1–2 (2005)
• Just Imagine Stan Lee creating:
• Aquaman (2002)
• Batman (2001)
• Catwoman (2002)
• Flash (2002)
• Green Lantern (2001)
• JLA (2002)
• Rose and Thorn miniseries #1–6 (2004)
• Superman #710 (DC Comics, 2011)
• Uncharted #1 (DC Comics, 2012)
• Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #139–146, 150–161, 164–174, 176–178, 184–197 (1998–2003)
• Zatanna #11, 13–16 (2011)

{{div col end}}

• X-Men Classic #71–79 (1992)
• Sensational She-Hulk #52 (1993)

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Big Trouble in Little China #1 SDCC Variant (2014) (BOOM! Studios)
• Gate Crasher TPB (Wizard Entertainment)
• Ghost one-shot (Dark Horse)
• Life with Archie #36 (2014) (Archie Comics)
• Star Wars: Purge (Dark Horse)
• Star Wars: Legacy #1–7 (Dark Horse)
• Star Wars: Rebel Heist #1–4 (Dark Horse)
• Tomb Raider #18, 32–34, 42–50 (Image)
• Vampirella #1–3 (Harris Comics)
• Voodoo #2–4 (Image)
• Wizard #83, 94, 129, 162

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{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|http://www.justsayah.com}}
• {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=426|title=Adam Hughes}}
• [http://adamhughes.deviantart.com/ Adam Hughes], Deviantart
• [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=151 Adam Hughes] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
• [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/namh28.htm#N2095 Adam Hughes] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

{{Eisner Award for Best Cover Artist}}

{{Inkpot Award 2000s}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Adam}}

Category:1967 births

Category:20th-century American artists

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Category:Eisner Award winners for Best Cover Artist

Category:Inkpot Award winners

Category:Living people

Category:Marvel Comics people

Category:People from Florence Township, New Jersey

Category:People from Riverside Township, New Jersey

Category:Pin-up artists

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