Steve Rude (born December 31, 1956) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

. He is best known as the co-creator of ''

Nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and Border control#Expedited border controls, expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members ...

''.

Early life

Steve Rude was born on December 31, 1956, in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended the Milwaukee School of Art and Design, the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, and the

Madison Area Technical College Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) is a public technical and community college based in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves students in parts of 12 counties in south-central Wisconsin: Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, J ...

Career

In 1981, Rude and writer

Mike Baron Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer. He is the creator of ''Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus'' with Steve Rude. Biography Mike Baron entered the comics industry with an illustrated text piece in ''Weird Trips Ma ...

created ''

'', an independent science fiction comic book with a large supporting cast. For the series, Rude designed numerous distinctive alien races, including the Thunes, the Amphibs, the Quattros, the Giz, the Demons, and others. The series ran for eighty issues although Rude did not pencil them all, and seven short, almost-yearly mini-series after the initial series ended.

His first work for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

appeared in ''

Tales of the Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' #48 (Nov. 1984). Rude collaborated with writer

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

on the '' World's Finest'' miniseries for DC in 1990. DC Comics writer and executive

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

has noted that Rude's artwork "plays on

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

, while his sleek sequential storytelling owes a debt to the work of

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...

." Rude drew two

intercompany crossover In comic books, an intercompany crossover (also called cross-company or company crossover) is a comic or series of comics in which characters, that at the time of publication are the property or licensed property of one publisher, meet character ...

s in the 1990s: the ''

Magnus, Robot Fighter Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional superhero, appearing in comic books created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963.Steve Holland, ''Sci-Fi Art : a graphic history''. Lewes : ILEX, 2009. (pp. 102-3) Magnus first appeared in ''Magnus Robot Fight ...

/ Nexus'' two-issue limited series for

Valiant Comics Valiant Comics is an American comic book publisher. The company was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was sold to Acclaim Entertainment ...

and

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

and ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

vs. Superman'' one-shot for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

and DC. Rude's work for Marvel includes '' X-Men: Children of the Atom'', ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

: Lifeline'', '' Thor: Godstorm'', and ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

: What Price Glory''. In 2004 Rude co-created and penciled ''

The Moth The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featuring ...

'' with writer/inker Gary Martin. Rude's own "Rude Dude Productions" was announced on November 15, 2006. It has published new issues of ''Nexus'' and ''The Moth'' as well as an anthology series. The new ''Nexus'' series was Rude's first work with Baron since the last issue published by Dark Horse Comics. The first ''Nexus'' issue from Rude Dude was released as issue #99 (part 1 of the "Space Opera" story), and was set immediately following the last Dark Horse issue. After a few delays, issue #100 was published, followed by the final two issues of "Space Opera" printed together as one double-sized issue. Rude returned to DC Comics in 2013 and drew the ''

Before Watchmen ''Before Watchmen'' is a series of comic books published by DC Comics in 2012. Acting as a prequel to the 1986 12-issue ''Watchmen'' limited series by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, the project consists of eight limited series and one ...

: Dollar Bill'' one-shot. The following year, Rude and writer

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite Earths' ...

produced a Superman story for DC's ''Adventures of Superman'' digital series. Rude drew the 1930s variant cover for ''Action Comics'' #1000 (June 2018). Steve Rude was the subject of the documentary film ''Rude Dude: The Steve Rude Story''. Filmed over the course of three years, Rude spoke of his efforts to enter the fine art world and his struggles with bipolar disorder.

Awards

Rude received the Russ Manning Outstanding Newcomer Award in 1984. He has won several "Best Artist" awards including the

Kirby Award The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in comic books, presented from 1985-1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the Shazam Awards ceased in 1975. Sponsored ...

in 1986, the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

in 1988, and the

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

in 1991. He received an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual c ...

in 1988.

Bibliography

Capital Comics

* ''

'' #1–3 (1981–1982) * ''Nexus'' vol. 2 #1–6 (1983–1984)

Comico

* '' Comico Christmas Special'' #1 (four pages) (1988) * ''

Jonny Quest ''Jonny Quest'' is a science fiction-adventure media franchise that revolves around the titular boy named Jonny Quest, who accompanies his scientist father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964–1965 television serie ...

'' #4 (1986) * ''

Space Ghost Space Ghost (Tad Ghostal) is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in the 1960s for TV network CBS. He was designed by Alex Toth. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his teen sidekicks, Jan and Jace, ...

'' #1 (1987)

Dark Horse Comics

* ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by American company Dark Horse Comics from 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, r ...

'' #138 (The Moth) (1998) * ''Dark Horse Presents'' vol. 3 #12–15, 18, 23–26, 29–34 (2012–2014) * ''

'' #1–4, ''Special'' #1 (2004) * ''Nexus'' #89–98 (1996–1997) * ''Nexus: Alien Justice'' #1–3 (1992–1993) * ''Nexus Meets Madman'' #1 (1996) * ''Nexus: The Origin'' #1 (1992) * ''Nexus: The Wages of Sin'' #1–4 (1995) * '' San Diego Comic Con Comics'' #1 (1992)

DC Comics

* '' Adventures of Superman'' vol. 2 #17 (2014) * ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' #400 (one page) (1986) * ''

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, respe ...

'' Vol. 2 HC (2002) * ''

: Dollar Bill'' #1 (2013) * ''

Fanboy A fan or fanatic, sometimes also termed an aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity, a sport, a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie, a vid ...

'' #6 (1999) * ''

History of the DC Universe ''History of the DC Universe'' is a two-issue comic book limited series created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez which was published by DC Comics following the end of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. Publication history ''History of ...

'' HC (one page) (1988) * ''

vs. Superman'' #1 (1999) * ''Legends of the DC Universe'' #14 (

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

) (1999) * ''

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle (Scott Free) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Mister Miracle'' #1 (April 1971) and was created by Jack Kirby. Publication history Mister Miracle debuted in ...

Special'' #1 (1987) * ''

New Gods The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' ...

Secret Files'' #1 (one page) (1998) * ''

'' #48 (1984) * ''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional cha ...

'' #16 (two pages) (1992) * ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #3, 10, 18, 25 (1985–1987) * ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' vol. 2 #200 (one page) (2004) * '' World's Finest'' #1–3 (1990)

First Comics

* ''

E-Man E-Man is a comic-book character, a superhero created by writer Nicola Cuti and artist Joe Staton for the American company Charlton Comics in 1973. Although the character's original series was short-lived, the lightly humorous hero has become a cu ...

'' vol. 2 #7 (one page) (1983) * ''

Grimjack Grimjack is the main character of a comic book originally published by the American company First Comics. John Ostrander and Timothy Truman are credited as co-creators of the character, although Ostrander had been developing Grimjack with artist L ...

'' #6 (1985) * ''Munden's Bar Annual'' #1 (1988) * ''

'' vol. 2 #7–22, 24–28, 33–36, 39–42, 45–50, 52–55, 58–60, 78 (1985–1991) * ''The Next Nexus'' #1–4 (1989)

Image Comics

* ''Phantom Force'' #2 (1994)

Marvel Comics

* ''

: What Price Glory'' #1–4 (2003) * ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

'' vol. 3 #50 (2002) * ''Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine'' #12 (2002) * ''

Heroes for Hope ''Heroes for Hope: Starring the X-Men'' is a 1985 Marvel comic book designed to raise awareness about hunger in Africa. Proceeds from the comic went to the American Friends Service Committee, to assist in their work on behalf of African famine r ...

Starring the X-Men'' #1 (two pages) (1985) * ''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings ...

'' #45 (one page) (1989) * ''

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic u ...

'' #14 (1984) * ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' vol. 2 #17 (1987) * ''

: Lifeline'' #1–3 (2001) * '' Thor: Godstorm'' #1–3 (2001–2002) * '' X-Men:Children of the Atom'' #1–6 (1999–2000)

Rude Dude Productions

* ''The Moth Special Edition'' #1 (2008) * ''Nexus, FCBD 2007'' #1 (2007) * ''Nexus: Space Opera'' #1–4 (2007–2009)

Valiant Comics

* ''

/ Nexus'' #1–2 (1993–1994)

References

External links

Steve Rude
official website
Steve Rude
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rude, Steve 1956 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists Artists from Madison, Wisconsin DC Comics people Eisner Award winners for Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team Eisner Award winners for Best Writer/Artist Harvey Award winners for Best Artist or Penciller Inkpot Award winners Living people Madison Area Technical College alumni Marvel Comics people University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni