Adam Hughes interview
When you look back at your work in Cover Run, how do you feel you’ve changed as an artist over the years?
Concept-wise, I think I’ve matured a little, maybe with a hint of cynicism. I think my sense of humor has evolved. My sense of color has definitely improved.
When you started in the comics industry, was it always your intention to be a cover artist?
No, not at all. I just wanted to draw comics. I’m not sure how I ended up doing covers almost exclusively.
How much creative freedom do you get when drawing covers?
These days? Quite a lot. People seem to have sussed the fact that I do my best work when they trust my judgment.
What’s your starting point when working on a new cover? Do you have a specific research process?
There’s nothing specific, it’s all dangerously organic. I go with the flow and just let the assignment evolve on its own. Every piece is something new.
When designing a cover, how influenced are you by the interior artwork? For instance when David Lopez was working on Catwoman, did you use his style as a template?
I’m not influenced much by the interiors, mainly because the interiors can change over the course of a run. On WONDER WOMAN, I lost track of how many different interior artists came and went.
You worked on some concept art for the Watchmen movie. How did you approach this task?
I worked on WATCHMEN for about 8 minutes. I only did a handful of sketches. I approached the task with respect: I had to give the director what he wanted, but my secret agenda was to always be as faithful as I could to Alan Moore’s and especially Dave Gibbons’ work.
