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Adam Hughes steps back from comics & cons to face cancer with family by his side

Comics legend Adam Hughes confronts colorectal cancer, a disease Peanuts creator Charles Schulz also faced.

News by Chris Arrant, Editor-in-Chief

Published on Fri Apr 24 2026

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Adam Hughes has been wowing us with his comic art and covers for decades, depicting heroes, villains, and everyone in between. Now, he's taking a break from public appearances and most work commitments to deal with a real-life villain: cancer.

"There’s no nice way to say this, so I’m just gonna spit out. Without going into excessive detail, the situation is as follows: Adam has had a large mass removed from his lower GI tract," writes Hughes' wife/manager/tag team partner Allison Sohn on his website. "The biopsy revealed that he has Stage 3C colorectal cancer. Google it."

Sohn says the initial surgery was a success and that Hughes is scheduled to begin chemotherapy in the next few weeks.

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer in the United States, and it's recommended that most people begin scheduling regular screenings beginning at age 45. Fellow cartoonist Charles Schulz also suffered from colorectal cancer and underwent chemotherapy as well. The Peanuts cartoonist didn't die from the disease, and the Hughes-Sohn family has faith in a positive outcome in their situation.

"We’re taking things one day at a time, one doctor appointment at a time. People have recovered from this and worse. Adam is looking forward to being one of those people."

This comes at a time when Hughes' and Sohn's oldest English Sheepdog was recently diagnosed with cancer as well. The house is full, however, as they've welcomed a new dog (their fifth!) that was born earlier this month, alongside their ever-present cats.

We wish Adam well and look forward to seeing him on the mend and doing what he loves.

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here's a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you're looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here's everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.

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Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)