Adam Hughes: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{For|other people named Adam Hughes|Adam Hughes (disambiguation)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}}

{{Infobox comics creator

| image = Adam Hughes 1.JPG

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| alias =

| notable works = ''[[Wonder Woman]]'', ''[[Catwoman]]''

| awards = 2018 [[Eisner Award]] for [[Eisner Award for Best Single Issue/One-Shot|Best Single Issue/One-Shot]] (2018)

| website = {{official website|http://www.justsayah.com}}

}}

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==Career==

===Early work===

Hughes, who had no formal training in art,<ref name=NJ.com/> began his career in 1987.<ref name=WonderCon/><ref name=HughesSketching3>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ByScmtlicI "Adam Hughes Sketching 3"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010</ref> His first comic book work was a pinup in ''Eagle'' #6. He penciled two short stories and the first issue of ''[[Death Hawk]]'', created by [[Mark Ellis (American author)|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: The Comic Company|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.<ref name=BackIssue2>{{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]]|issue=2|date=February 2004|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> Hughes stayed on the series for a year,<ref name="GCD">{{gcdb|type=credit|search=Adam+Hughes|title=Adam Hughes}}</ref> 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.<ref name=BackIssue2/>

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.<ref name=ComicVine2.11/><ref>Hughes (2010). p. 8.</ref> At the time he began on that book, he was still working at a comics shop two days a week.<ref>Hughes (2010). Back cover.</ref> He continued doing covers and interior art on the title for two years, before switching to providing covers only.<ref>{{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/}}</ref>

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===2010s===

[[File:CatwomanVol3.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Catwoman]] 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,<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> he explained at the 2010 [[San Diego Comic-Con International]] that that project was "in the freezer" for the time being, due to the difficulty involved in both writing and illustrating it himself.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhQ7EU6cbn8 "Adam Hughes Sketching 11"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref> 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,<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=NJ.com/>

At the 2010 [[Wizard World Chicago|Chicago Comicon]], editor [[Mark Chiarello]] offered him the art duties on the four-issue miniseries ''[[Dr. Manhattan|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,<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Len Wein|Wein, Len]]|artist=[[Jae Lee|Lee, Jae]]|story= All Access: Watch This!|title=[[Ozymandias (Watchmen)|Before Watchman: Ozymandias]]|issue=1|date=July 4, 2012|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> and premiered August 22, 2012.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> Hughes commented: "I love [[Alan Moore]]'s canon of work, with special affection for ''[[Marvelman|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 (Marvel Comics)|Thor]]'' run, especially. The man knows how to craft amazing tales, so I feel like you & I are in good hands."<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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For inking, which is Hughes' least favorite part of the illustration process,<ref>Hughes (2010). p. 82.</ref> he uses a size three Scharff brush and Dr. Ph. Martin's Black Star Hi-Carb ink.<ref name=OfficialFAQ/> Hughes also favors Faber-Castell [[Faber-Castell#Products|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,<ref name=YouTubePart3/> he later used them to illustrate the cover of ''[[ImagineFX]]'' magazine #67 in 2011,<ref name=DeviantArt/> and for an illustration of [[Fire (comics)|Fire]] and [[Ice (comics)|Ice]] for a Justice League card game.<ref>Hughes (2010). p. 18.</ref> He occasionally will use [[Copic]] markers in both warm and cool gray tones to render covers in grayscale.<ref name=OfficialFAQ/> Similar to his penciling, Hughes tends to ink different portions of the sketch at random,<ref>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.</ref> 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.<ref name=DeviantArt/> He uses [[Sharpie (marker)|Sharpie markers]] to fill in larger areas,<ref name=YouTubePart3/> 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.<ref name=YouTubePart2/> He uses [[Photoshop]] to color his cover work.<ref name=NJ.com/><ref name=OfficialFAQ/> 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.<ref>Hughes (2010). p. 92.</ref>

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.<ref name=YouTubePart3/><ref>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.</ref> 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 International]] 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,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLZ386j71TQ "Adam Hughes Sketching 1"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PipsEp4nktM "Adam Hughes Sketching 2"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uhz7pWvYZs "Adam Hughes Sketching 5"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOQ0PT3BpCo "Adam Hughes Sketching 4"]. YouTube. August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.</ref> He has conducted demonstrations of Copic markers at conventions on a number of occasions.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Personal life==

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* ''[[Harley Quinn (comic book)|Harley Quinn]]'' vol. 2 #0 (one page) (2014)

* ''[[Justice League International|Justice League America]]'' #31–35, 37–40, 43–44, 45 (four pages), #51 (1989–1991)

* ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes|Legionnaires]]'' #7, 9 (full art);, #9, #10, 12 (along with [[Chris Sprouse]]) (1993–1994)

* ''[[Teen Titans|New Titans]]'' #93 (1992)

* ''[[Star Trek (DC Comics)|Star Trek: Debt of Honor]]'' (1992)