Cover Run: The Dc Comics Art of Adam Hughes

by Adam Hughes

Collecting the best of Eisner Award winner Adam Hughes's spectacular, sexy covers for WONDER WOMAN, CATWOMAN and other DC series. This amazing collection features the best of Hughes' work for DC Comics, along with commentary from the artist, rarely seen preliminary material and much more!

Genres: Art, Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Nonfiction, Comic Book

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 2010

About the author

Adam Hughes is an American comic book artist and illustrator who has worked for companies such as DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros. Pictures, Playboy magazine, Joss Whedon's Mutant Enemy Productions and Sideshow Collectibles.[4]

He is best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as Wonder Woman and Catwoman.

Reviews

[Ashley Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll come back and actually read it this week (I swear) but just on a quick flip-through for the artwork, this is a gorgeous collection. Includes Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Supergirl, Batwoman, Zatanna, and a few others. Great stuff. I love Hughes's use of color and posing. The Catwoman mugshot is still the best cover I've ever seen.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 200-page oversized hardcover is a feast for the eyes, with the best of Adam Hughes' DC covers (up to 2010, the year the book was published). With an introduction by the artist, as well as a running commentary for each of the featured covers, this is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the evolution and thought-process of one of the comic book industry's foremost cover artists.

Thanks, Adam! We need more books like this!

[Frédéric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adams Hugues is arguably in the top three of best cover artists these last years and imho the best there is in good girl art fashion.

As the title says, this book is only dedicated to his DC covers, mainly Wonder Woman and Catwoman for a good 75%, and it is simply awesome.

Covers are full page without logos and whatnots, preceded by a small text by AH! (very funny most of the time-the guy sounds very, very likeable) with concepts, thumbs and roughs.

Not much else to say; either you like AH!'s art and then you're in for a sugar-coated treat wrapped-up in candy or you don't and there's no use wasting time and money on it.

[Pturingan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously if you like Adam Hughes' art or if you like pin-up style, good girl art, or DC superhero women in glamorous style covers, you'll probably like this oversized hardcover volume. Good as a coffee table book or for one's shelf of comic art books.

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading through this book was a delight, to say the least. Eye candy everywhere. Adam Hughes throws cheeky little comments in with his lessons learned and back-stories to different pieces - quite a few of which he underestimated his looming deadlines for. There isn't too much writing, and there's plenty of art. Just the way it should be. Like the cover says, included are mostly covers he's done, but there are also a few pages on busts/statues. This'll look great on display and anyone can appreciate Hughes' lovely art style. The Catwoman dust cover is beautiful, as is the Supergirl hard cover. The paper quality is also really good.

[RND · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naturally you should be a Hughes fan before checking out this book. It has some commentary, some notes on process (including preliminary drawings), some humor, but I do sort of wish there was less white space on the pages and just more big honking art. What is there is lovely, of course.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

730 - 2019

[Nomad nimrod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catwoman section is better.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific art book. Though I wish it collected every single cover Mr. Hughes did for DC Comics.

[Chip'sBookBinge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes is a fantastic coffee table book showcasing the incredibly talented Adam Hughes. The bulk of the book is primarily on his Wonder Woman and Catwoman run of covers that were very well received by fans and artists alike. If you know anything about Mr. Hughes, you will definitely have an idea of just how popular he is within the art community and how popular the covers were, which always had people buzzing with excitement and anticipation of what he could do to top it.

The book is very "light" on prose as the artwork does the majority of the talking. That's not to say that Adam doesn't have anything to say. He does. In fact, most of what he dishes out in information about each piece that's highlited is his thought process behind it and how and why he chose to work a certain why to achieve his covers. He also goes into some background stuff that you will find interesting. I really like the way the book is constructed with his page layout. Every two pages is devoted to one particular cover (the opposite page) with the other page taking up a paragraph of text with smaller covers, along with Sketches of said Cover and other thumbnails.

What's funny about this book is that it's half the size of The Art of Todd McFarlane and yet it took twice as long to get through Cover Run. You really spend a great deal of time soaking up all the amazing stuff that Adam has produced over the years. This isn't something to just casually look at and move on. To get the most out of the book, you really need to look at it all, which are the finer details in each piece. I highly recommend this as a Buy.

10 Stars out of 10.

You can find more of my Book, DVD, TV and Movie reviews at my Forum (Penny Can) at...

http://pennycan.createaforum.com

Feel free to stop by and contribute your 2 cents.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

When he draws me, I feel like a princess!" - Diana P. Themyscera

HIS COVERS ARE SO GOOD, IT'S CRIMINAL!" - Selina Kyle

With praises from Wonder Woman, Catwoman and almost Theodore Roosevelt, how can this book be bad?

This 208-page hardcover is filled with beautiful illustrations, each reprinted full page on low gloss paper. Nice. Additionally, there are also pencil sketches and layout that look and feel as good. And every cover comes with insightful commentary from Adam Hughes, so you can find out which is his favourite cover or who's his disliked superhero. Besides the paintings, there are also pictures of figurines and other merchandise created for these characters. Cool.

The main characters for this art book are Wonder Woman and Catwoman, occasionally other superheroes from DC (and only DC) as well. The paintings are gorgeous and glorious. The colours, stylized rendering, glow, and the looks on the faces are all so alluring.

My favourite, among other favourites, is the mugshot of Catwoman, with tears mixed with eye shadow streaming down her cheeks. I like the fact that each cover reveals a bit of the personality and story subtly.

Cover Run is a wonderful collection of quality covers.

Highly recommended to fans, collectors and artists.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next to Alex Ross, Adam Hughes is one of my all-time favorite comic book cover artists. Sure, Ross many be the more ubiquitous of the two, as it seems that he has nearly half a dozen covers published every month. (And that fact alone earns him more than your average comic book artist does on a single 30-some page monthly title.) But Hughes succeeds in sexiness where Ross excels in the heroic.

What’s initially surprising in the first pages of this DC Comics cover art collection is just how much of a Kevin Maguire wannabe Hughes was when he took over as the cover artist on the Justice League back in the late 80s and early 90s. If you would’ve asked me then, I would not have guessed he would be the phenomenal artist that he has become today.

Shortly after shedding the standard pen-and-ink technique, Hughes took up digital coloring to produce works of stunning beauty. His Wonder Woman covers show how he transforms the Amazonian Princess into a Maxfield Parrish/Mucha-esque diva, while his Catwoman covers have never shown Batman’s feline nemesis more sultry or seductive. These are works of art that pull you straight into the picture and which show just how high comic book art can go. (Fie on art school matrons and morons who poo-poo comic art. They can only wish they produced works like Hughes.)

Hughes sexy seductresses almost tempt me to the other side. And make no mistake, this is no faint praise coming from a gay man.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam Hughes is surprisingly more than just a "breast" artist which was my first impression from the big-knockers he draws of Wonder Woman and Catwoman covers. He's an artist with delicate tastes that reflect his love of Alphonse Mucha and Drew Struzan, which come across when you begin to plod through this cover collection highlighting all his work at DC comics. Which each cover, Hughes gives a little commentary that feels at times a bit dry, as he just whines about things he didn't like drawing, but occasionally he throws in some gems about things that he was inspired by or quips on how Alex Ross' superior abilities to draw certain costumes drives him insane (because he finds them difficult). On the left side for every cover he shows his sketch image, a really detailed sketch for most artists, and then the finished product in oversized format on the right. That said, it's brilliance and made me appreciate Hughes in the way that he is classically trained, pays a lot of attention to layout and spacing more than I think he's given credit for, and like 50% of his covers aren't just beautiful women in compromising poses, though a bunch of them still are. He has a lot more artistic sensibilities than I think he is given credit for and Cover Run really helps bring an appreciation for that.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strangely enough, I'm not a huge DC Comics fan (nothing against them, I just never got into them as much as I did Marvel's titles when I was in those oh-so-important formative years), but the gorgeous pic of Catwoman on the cover caught my eye when I happened to ahve some extra cash on me, so I picked this coffee table book up.

Very, very glad I did. I love collecting collections of art that could inspire me when my own imagination is lagging, and this book has plenty of that. Though the art focuses mostly on Wonder Woman and Catwoman (at least 85%, I'd say), there are a good number of other characters represented as well (though male characters only make a few cameos, at best, if that's what you're looking for). Adam's commentary is enlightening and amusing, and although it won't help you draw like he does, it does help you understand what it takes to be that good and what he was thinking as he drew each piece.

I wish I had more room on my walls to hang posters of Adam's work, and also makes me wish I had posters of Adam's work. But, for now, this book serves its purpose nicely.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded expectations. It is a beautiful collection of art. Hughes commentary is even more valuable: he is a self-taught artist (!) and he shares some very useful thoughts on his approach to his professional development and some concrete information about his technique. I want a volume of his Marvel work...he was doing covers for X-Men Classic when I started collecting so he was one of my first artist crushes.

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this overview of Hughes' artwork on the covers of DC Comics over a 20+ year time period. Some of Hughes' work is exceptional, and I share his admiration for Mucha, Rockwell, and many other of his sources of inspiration. I loved his compositions, color schemes, figure work (even if they do tend to focus a little too much on t-and-a), and overall artistry. I only wish that his covers were complemented by more actual comic storytelling beyond the covers of the books.

[Korynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book with Adam Hughes' renditions of Wonder Woman, Power Girl and Catwoman. Equally welcome are his comments about his craft, his compositions and his ideas about a complete illustration allowing the reader to gather more insight to his character. As with many artists, Mr Hughes, is too hard on himself and has exacting standards.

[Leelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmas present from my wonderful wife! (2010) Adams is always worth savoring. His art is gorgeous and full of humor! Doesn't hurt that he chooses his subjects well --- supernaturally beautiful women all of them.
Lucky for me my wife isn't at all jealous. She knows I love her more than any other woman EVER whether they are fact or fiction.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of cover art that was done for DC Comics. In particular, the Wonder Woman and Catwoman titles. Each cover is presented with sketches and an often humorous anecdote by Hughes himself. Also included is other cover projects and artwork for statuettes and tee shirts. This book shows why Hughes is a master at drawing the female form!

[Sophie Whitely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing read! Adam Hughes has some crazy incredible art, tips and of course DC Comics Cover work! His commentary is hilarious, the book itself is gorgeous and great for comic art lovers. The book came it two days after ordering it online from Chapters and its a great looking book all together. Defiantly recommend.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly as promised: 200 pages of Adam Hughes' cover art (notably Wonder Woman and Catwoman). His ladies are way busty, but his color theory, composition, sense of humor, and command of the human figure are so good, I've decided not to care. Gorgeous work!

His writing is also pithy, self-deprecating, and very, very funny.

Now, I must just look up his magical illustration method...to the Google!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. It took me a long time to actually get it but I'm so glad I did. Full of wonderful artwork and some fun little stories, if you are an Adam Hughes fan than this book is a must have.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects most of the covers Adam Hughes has done for DC Comics throughout his career. Most also include preliminary pencils or inks (it's amazing how just how much better his drawings are without color). Hughes provides interesting commentary for each entry. Great book for fans of his work.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The current master of drawing the comely women of comics. Has much better comments and stories than your average book of art.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man has all but ruined me of ever enjoying another illustrator.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous art book from beginning to end!