"Steve Rude Arrest Update"

Above: Steve Rude’s Nexus. NEXUS TM and © 2011 Mike Baron and Steve Rude.

Some weeks ago, on Halloween, NEXUS co-creator and comic book artist, Steve Rude, threw rocks towards a neighbor’s dogs. Rude was then arrested for assaulting his neighbor.

Tom Spurgeon gave added details at the Comics Reporter website:

* the incident in question from Monday night concerns the aforementioned barking dogs, which were out again where Rude could hear them as he handed out Halloween candy in costume. Rude responded to the barking dogs by throwing rocks at the fence behind which the dogs were barking in an attempt to silence them.

* one of the dog-owning neighbors confronted Rude verbally, followed by the other when the first one retreated inside. Rude says this quickly became verbally abusive, and included an invite for Steve to come over to where the second neighbor a male, was standing. This ends with Rude ripping the neighbor's shirt and shoving him backwards, causing the second neighbor to also go indoors. This would be the basis of the assault charge.

* Rude returned to handing out Halloween candy. The cops -- Rude says in four police cars -- found him at his candy-dispensing station and asked after a concealed weapon. When the cop to whom he was speaking asked him to turn around and put his hands behind his back, Rude at first tried to ascertain if he was being arrested and then complied.

* Rude suffered some physical abuse during the arrest and later at the jail, the latter of which will be looked at by a doctor.



After the arrest, a call was put out to purchase Steve Rude artwork to create funds for any of Rude’s legal costs. Some folks in the comics community rallied behind Rude’s defense. Some did not. Some thought that throwing rocks towards/at someone else’s pets was a bad thing to do.

Today, I received the following e-mail from steverudeart.com:

STEVE RUDE ARREST UPDATE

Steve has been requested by his lawyer not to make any public statements at this time. He does want me to pass along his deepest gratitude. He really loves reading any mail that comes his way and words of encouragement to be strong.

Wise council, I believe.

I’ve meet Steve Rude and his wife, Jaynelle, at the New York Comic Con. They were very kind people. I really do love the Dude’s artwork. I am a huge NEXUS fan. And I even enjoy reading Rude’s outspokenness in regards to the comic book community and ethics. But, this whole arrest situation seems so odd to me.

To check out, and purchase, Steve Rude’s artwork, visit www.steverudeart.com.