Steve, a full 6-foot-5 Wisconsinite nicknamed "The Dude" considers Jack Kirby one of his biggest influences. To Kirby’s streamlined dynamism, Steve has added his own style of polish and attention to detail which has made his work popular with fans. Nexus, an offbeat science fiction superhero written and co-created with Mike Baron in 1981, remains his most sustained and best-known work to date.

Steve has won much industry recognition, including the Russ Manning Newcomer Award in 1983, along with ten Eisner, Kirby and other coveted awards for artistic excellence. Rude is one of the hardest working artists in the field, constantly striving to improve his work. Much of his practice, model sketches, painting-memory exercises, and experiments with new techniques can be found in his legendary sketchbooks. His work here often surpasses other artists’ finished efforts.