Aquaman Illustration by Steve Rude

Wow! It's been QUITE A WHILE since I've last blogged here at the Quarter Bin! Since I last signed in and posted something here, I've gotten two degrees: one, an associate's in architectural drafting; and two, my master's in urban planning. I've moved from NYC to Madison to Milwaukee and now I'm in Pittsburgh for the summer interning in the city's planning department with the public art manager.

Anyway.... I've had the week off (my boss is at a conference in San Diego), and of course, it's been rainy. I've been spending some time in the house I'm renting a room in looking at how very little I have here. Only three or so comics, and nothing at all on the snot-colored walls! Usually, wherever I'm living, I'll have my framed comic posters and original comic art up. One of my favorites is a piece I commissioned from Steve Rude, a comic book artist most known for his crisp, clean artwork in the Nexus series that harkens to the classic age of American illustration.

Steve Rude came across my comic-book reading radar, not from Nexus (which is great stuff, btw), but from a three-issue "prestige" (meaning, more pages, better page and print quality, and card-stock style covers) mini-series for DC starring the World's Finest team of Superman and Batman. In 1990, the DC comics universe was still slightly fresh after a company-wide shake-up of their super-hero worlds. Superman and Batman had been revamped, to the point where they worked using different crime-fighting techniques. Once where they had been best friends, they now seemed to look at each other with suspicion. Anyhow....blah blah blah...the point is Rude illustrated these differences beautifully- Superman in his sunny Golden-Age, Fleischer-esque glory and Batman as a thrilling vigilante of the night. To this day, these are my visions of the two heroes.

Come October 2008. I got a chance to meet Steve Rude at a comic signing at Westfield Comics in Madison. I just went to say hello and to maybe have him sign a copy of one of my World's Finest issues. Surprisingly, not a lot of people were there. But, Steve was gracious nonetheless and shared stories of his career, as well as drawing techniques. We got to talking and the subject of my cultish fascination with Aquaman came up. Mr. Rude, thought for a moment and realized that he had never drawn the King of the Seas before! Using the cover of a "Showcase" collection of Aquaman stories as reference he hunkered down and put together this amazing drawing!