Steve Rude Can't Get A Job?

[Spooky]

This is why I should run the comics industry.  That and there would be a whole lot more Batman.

You can never go wrong with more Batman.

Wow, a modern Ikarus. Dougarus.

Anyway, maybe the EOC guys should have Mr. Rude on for the next episode and talk about his trials and tribulations.

[Marvin Moore]

He came off like an egomaniac and a dick that time he was on AC.  I've always been a big fan and remember being really disappointed to hear it.  Can't remember exact quotes but the way he talked about Mike Baron being off his game was not cool.  He may have been right, but still, not cool.

That said, his work is beautiful and it does seem crazy that DC wouldn't be ecstatic to turn him loose on something.  I'd certainly buy the first couple of issues, at least, to check it out.

[Dave Faust]

He came off like an egomaniac and a dick that time he was on AC.  I've always been a big fan and remember being really disappointed to hear it.  Can't remember exact quotes but the way he talked about Mike Baron being off his game was not cool.  He may have been right, but still, not cool.

Sounds like he was...very rude.

[Robert]

Sounds like he was...very rude.

So obvious, and yet. . .

Karma!!!

[evaD]

So, he was on AC? Chris met him and he hasn't commented in this thread...
 
Unusual.

[Doug!]

He came off like an egomaniac and a dick that time he was on AC.  I've always been a big fan and remember being really disappointed to hear it.  Can't remember exact quotes but the way he talked about Mike Baron being off his game was not cool.  He may have been right, but still, not cool.

That said, his work is beautiful and it does seem crazy that DC wouldn't be ecstatic to turn him loose on something.  I'd certainly buy the first couple of issues, at least, to check it out.

So, he was on AC? Chris met him and he hasn't commented in this thread...
 
Unusual.

I do believe that it's the "Lost Episode of AC" (number 55).  I could be wrong though.

[Dean S.]

This is piling on at this point....

I generally like his art and own a really nice commission from him (Reed & Sue Richards), but I'd speculate that he might be a little tricky to work with.  I don't know him personally, but taking to your blog to attack a potential employer as slow and non-responsive isn't a good first step.

I work with a LOT of entrepreneurs in my day-to-day life.  Free-lance artists are really just entrepreneurs.  For all the romanticizing our society does about "entrepreneurs" it is amazing how many of them are entrepreneurs because they make horrid employees by being rude, late, etc. 

To be clear, there are people who are so spectacularly talented that you can put up with any type of personality flaws just to get the awesome work, but that's pretty rare.  Usually there are 10 people who are almost as good as you and show up for work on time, are polite, etc. 

[bean6344]

I think I am too naive to the workings of the world.  No where in his post was he hostile towards DC.  He stated,  "So far, one editor has responded--with a polite turn down.  The two others I never heard back from.".

Seems like pretty tame language to me.  He does not trash nor badmouth the editors nor the company and he did not call out the editors by name. 

Oh well, I really thought this thread would be a rallying cry for Rude's cause not 2 pages of posts criticizing his character.  But I do respect your opinions even if I'd don't see eye to ey with you.

I imagine I will get some kicks for this post.  I guess its a good thing I have no idea how much karma I currently have.

Bean

[Spooky]

A question, to assist our good fellow Bean, how much does the personal seep in into the actual work?
If he does a six issue mini-series and they let him do a "All-Star Wonder Woman Adam Hughes" deal on it, how much of it could be really damaging the actual work flow or publishing side of things?
I don't think Mr. Rude here is courting the princess of the castle, just asking for some work in a business, that could use the money and should afford an established name at least something (which is a mini-series in a high amount of titles published each month from the big two).

[Steve Raker]

I guess its a good thing I have no idea how much karma I currently have.

Well, Bean, you have whatever you had.....+1 

[steve bryant]

For everyone referring to Steve's "ego," and calling him "difficult," etc, please consider picking up the book, Steve Rude: Artist in Motion, published by Flesk in 2007. Not only is it a gorgeous art book that demonstrates his amazing commitment to the perfection of his craft, but Steve's lifelong battle with depression is covered in heartbreaking detail.

To the Dude, comics are more than a hobby, a passion, or a job. They provided him with a moral compass, taught him lessons about integrity, and literally saved his life on multiple occasions. Between Artist in Motion and the trailer for the upcoming Rude documentary, you get a depressing glimpse into a genuinely tortured artist.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qyYUDLM29b4&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/qyYUDLM29b4&rel=1</a>

I remember the AC interview with Steve, and thinking, at the time, that his comments sounded harsh. After learning more about his life, and how he views his life's work, I don't see ego in his comments about Baron's scripts that Steve rejected. I see a man who believes that his work speaks to the truths about him as a person, and defines his view on the human condition—especially his creator-owned work. Quite simply, he felt that Baron's scripts were just Mike "mailing it in.*" I can see how someone could interpret publicly calling out his collaborator as a douche move, but Baron wasn't offended. Mike went on to rewrite the scripts, and has since appeared in the documentary...because, after 30 years of working together, he understands his partner's struggles.

Rude is unfiltered. Maybe there's an element of Asperger Syndrome in there with the depression; who knows? We hear all kinds of creators who refer to comics as an artform, but I don't think there's a single comics creator—the almighty Alan Moore included—who views their work and their art as a reflection of themselves and a defining self-expression more than Steve Rude.

Is this a practical approach to adopt in commercial art? Hell no. Is that commitment evident in the work produced? Of course.

I wonder how Rude's relationship with DC has changed since Richard Brunning was eliminated from the company in the consolidation a year or so back. Rich and Steve go back to the Capitol City Comics days, where Rich was the art director. I wonder if he ran interference or smoothed over situations back when Steve was producing work for DC. I'd think that Mark Chiarello could handle Steve's needs (Isn't Steve doing a New Gods strip for the next Wednesday Comics?).

Additionally, I know of one Rude-influenced artist, working quite a bit for Marvel, who was told that he'd never get in deep with DC because Dan DiDio feels his work isn't "Jim Lee-looking" enough. It's certainly well-within Mr. DiDio's purview to define what he thinks make for the best DC Comics; he has a lot riding on the look of their books. But I wonder if that lack of flash affects Rude's chances.

It breaks my heart that someone as talented and as passionate about comics as Steve Rude is struggling to get work.

* Reading the First Comics issues of Nexus that Baron wrote for Hugh Haynes, Greg Guler, and others, while Steve was crafting World's Finest for DC, I can totally see this. Rude is more than the artist on Nexus; he's the book's heart and soul. Without him pushing Baron and questioning the character motivation and story logic, the book went off the rails pretty badly.

[steve bryant]

The saddest part of this is that Rude is so good because of his commitment to his craft and his love and passion for comics. However, that commitment and passion are the things that are preventing him from true commercial success.

It's messed up to think that if he cared less, and too his craft less seriously (as more of a job, rather than as art), he'd be far more successful.

[Wood]

I think we need to be careful about assigning value to speculation.  This thread asked for opinions as why Rude might have trouble getting work, but none of us really know. I think some of the things brought up were very logical presumptions but nothing more. I do however believe that if you want to play at the corporate table you have to be willing and able to work within that system. Whether someone is justified in their views is irrelevant, unfortunately. You either convince those in power that you're part of the solution or you don't.

[steve bryant]

I think we need to be careful about assigning value to speculation.  This thread asked for opinions as why Rude might have trouble getting work, but none of us really know. I think some of the things brought up were very logical presumptions but nothing more. I do however believe that if you want to play at the corporate table you have to be willing and able to work within that system. Whether someone is justified in their views is irrelevant, unfortunately. You either convince those in power that you're part of the solution or you don't.

Agreed. I hope you weren't referring to my lengthy post, because I summed it up with "Is this a practical approach to adopt in commercial art? Hell no."

I just wanted to offer a few places for people to learn more about Steve before dismissing him as an "egotist" or other similar generalities.

Sorry if I speculated too much (or shared too much "Inside Baseball" info). 

[Jay Tomio]

I'd only add that if you are a difficult to work with (not saying Rude is at all, I don't know, nor do I much even care), for whatever reason, justified or not, why would a company care WHY you are difficult to work with?

They take your value (and yes, they set that value in their sandbox) and make a choice. If you're Jim Lee (who I'm rolling out only because he was mentioned above--to my knowledge, I've never head a single bad thing about dude) you probably had more leeway because at the end of day Lee is worth units. Bendis can be more of a dick than, I don't know, Chap Yaep.

Did Chuck Dixon go through something similar recently (I forget what that was about,specifically)? We know Jim Shooter has.

[Wood]

Agreed. I hope you weren't referring to my lengthy post, because I summed it up with "Is this a practical approach to adopt in commercial art? Hell no."

I just wanted to offer a few places for people to learn more about Steve before dismissing him as an "egotist" or other similar generalities.

Sorry if I speculated too much (or shared too much "Inside Baseball" info). 

No, I was following up with you in agreement. A lot of folks seem to be going beyond conjecture with declarations about a mans character, who in suspect they really don't know that well.  I suspect, as you do, that he is having difficulty separating his personal values and views with the way he needs to comport himself to work in corporate comics. If that's true, while I root for the man, I don't empathize with what seems to be a self imposed plight.

[JimN]

Here's another thing to consider: editors and art directors are busy and waiting a month to hear back about a submission or an inquiry regarding work really isn't that long. It can seem torturously long (believe me, I know) but honestly, it's not a long time in the publishing world. For better or worse, a lot of folks take the "I'll get back to that person when I need something from that person" approach. It can be tremendously frustrating when you're the one looking for an assignment but sometimes that's how things work.

I don't know which editors Rude contacted at DC, how old they are, if they had previous connections with him, etc. but a friend of mine who has done numerous comics covers going back to the 70s shared a story with me a year ago about seeking work from a major comics company and finding out that quite a few of the people in position to give him that work had no idea who he was... despite the fact that some of his imagery apparently hangs in their offices!

Most of us want to be believe good work will speak for itself but when it comes to actually getting work connections, politics, utterly commercial concerns, personal taste, etc. often factor into the equation.

I hope Steve Rude gets the regular comics work he's seeking (and work he'll enjoy) but if he really needs the bread, he'd be wise to knock on Marvel's door too.

Jim

[steve bryant]

No, I was following up with you in agreement. A lot of folks seem to be going beyond conjecture with declarations about a mans character, who in suspect they really don't know that well.  I suspect, as you do, that he is having difficulty separating his personal values and views with the way he needs to comport himself to work in corporate comics. If that's true, while I root for the man, I don't empathize with what seems to be a self imposed plight.

Cool. I just wanted to make sure I didn't overstep my boundries.    

Yeah, his situation's heartbreaking. The companies look at the reward versus the time spent on communicating with creators. I'd love to see a prominent writer intercede on Steve's behalf and pitch something to the Powers that Be. Grant Morrison and Steve Rude on a Kamandi miniseries,* for instance, would do wonders in reestablishing Steve with editors and fans alike.

* Failing that, Dave Gibbons, who wrote Kamandi for Wednesday Comics and wrote Steve's World's Finest mini-series, would be a terrific writer for Rude on Kamandi.

[steve bryant]

Here's another thing to consider: editors and art directors are busy and waiting a month to hear back about a submission or an inquiry regarding work really isn't that long. It can seem torturously long (believe me, I know) but honestly, it's not a long time in the publishing world. For better or worse, a lot of folks take the "I'll get back to that person when I need something from that person" approach. It can be tremendously frustrating when you're the one looking for an assignment but sometimes that's how things work.

You're totally right. Or sometimes they don't even have time to really digest your emails. I send a batch of editors monthly updates of my work. In May, I sent out a pin-up I did for JK Woodward for an upcoming Fallen Angel trade. One editor responded by asking for new sequential work. I re-sent him the pieces I'd emailed him the previous month, and he responded, "Wow! These look great. Let me see if I can find something for you..."   

I don't know which editors Rude contacted at DC, how old they are, if they had previous connections with him, etc. but a friend of mine who has done numerous comics covers going back to the 70s shared a story with me a year ago about seeking work from a major comics company and finding out that quite a few of the people in position to give him that work had no idea who he was... despite the fact that some of his imagery apparently hangs in their offices!

Holy crap. I'm 99% sure I know who you're talking about, and that's astonishing.

[evaD]

I don't know, guys. Most of what I've read in this thread falls under the category of "Yeah, he's talented but if I were an employer and he was blogging and tweeting that way about me, I'd think twice about hiring him." I don't see anything wrong with that. Sure there are some overreactions and some people questioning his attitudes and behaviors (I might've been one of them), but ultimately, in an age of "be careful what you put on the Internet", he's putting stuff out there that may make it harder to get work. In my field, people can't get a job if there is a picture on the Internet of them holding a beer. People in my field have been fired for having a child out of wedlock. Those are personal life type things, and on the surface seem to have no connection between employer and employee. In this case, while Rude may not be outright trashing a potential employer, he sure isn't speaking glowingly about them either and they have way more applicants than positions for the job he wants to do. In short, he needs them more than they need him and he isn't acting that way.

He's a great talent and deserves to be able to create. I hope DC gives him a shot, I'd love to see what he can do with those those characters.