Is Adam Hughes Leaving Betty & Veronica Already?

Rumors have begun to swirl that writer/artist Adam Hughes will be leaving Betty & Veronica after just the third issue.

When discussing the best-selling titles in comics and which publisher won the month or made the most money, Archie Comics almost never comes into the conversation.

And with good reason. While Archie Comics has some of the longest-running titles in the industry, they do almost all their sales outside the direct market. That means that when you read about Marvel and DC doing battle in market share and so forth, Archie is happily selling lots and lots of comics in bookstores, supermarkets and other unsuspecting places.

That changed a bit last year when the publisher decided to give Archie, Jughead and the rest of the gang from Riverdale an update. Mark Waid was brought in to write the reboot and the book was a huge critical success. A Jughead title soon followed and, exciting fans no end, a Betty & Veronica title written and drawn by Adam Hughes.

Yes, that Adam Hughes.

Of course, everyone wondered just how Hughes was going to manage to do a monthly title. While the man is insanely talented, he is also incredibly slow. Most figured we’d be lucky to see a new issue every other month if we were lucky.

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Turns out that might have been a bit optimistic.

The first issue went on sale last July to much fanfare. However, the second issue didn’t hit stands until October. Issue #3 is tentatively scheduled to arrive in comic shops in April.

Three issues in nine months. Damn.

That could be part of the reason that rumors are starting to hit the internet that Hughes may be leaving Betty & Veronica once the third issue is done. In the recent Archie solicitations for May it was revealed that the first three issues would be collected into a trade paperback titled Betty and Veronica by Adam Hughes Volume 1. This has lead many to believe that Hughes time with Betty and Veronica is over.

Then there was his oddly worded tweet that seemed to seal the deal for many readers.

So is Hughes entirely done with the book, or could this just be a short break to get the title back on some kind of regular shipping schedule?

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If I had to guess, I would say that latter. Both Archie and Jughead have been doing very well and the fact Betty & Veronica was perpetually late could not have made the publisher happy. Getting it back on schedule and then inviting Hughes back to work on the book again would solve a lot of problems and make readers and retailers happy.

If more information becomes available, you can read all about it right here on Bam Smack Pow.