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.