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The Art of Steve Rude 2026 — Inside the Nexus Studio

Created by Steve Rude the Dude

45 years of Nexus. A brand new sketchbook. Steve's painted "The Escape" cover, a year of sketches and handwritten notes — and a new way to be part of what comes next.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

🎉 350! You unlocked a secret achievement!
7 months ago – Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 04:42:59 PM



Well, THAT happened fast.  350 BACKERS!


You pushed us past 300 (books heading to the troops - YOU did that!) and just kept going. So we're doing something we didn't announce...

🎁 SURPRISE UNLOCK: The 45th Studio Process Pack

Consider this a thank-you drop straight from Steve's drawing table:

⚡ Wallpapers - Phone, desktop, AND tablet sizes featuring Nexus 45th anniversary artwork
⚡ Printable Mini-Poster Sheet - Four studio-quality mini posters ready to print, cut, and stick wherever you need a little Nexus energy

No upsell. No catch. Just a gift from us to you for showing up and being part of this crew.

Every backer gets this. Digital delivery after the campaign.


So... what's next?

We're 50 away from 400 backers and the Nexus 45th Commemorative Sticker - an exclusive that goes in every physical order. You can't buy it. You can only unlock it together.

Share the campaign. Tag your comic-loving people. Let's keep this train rolling!

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ICYMI - Here's what we've unlocked so far:

✅ 300 - In the Field: Box of books to the troops through Comics for Troops
✅ 350 - Studio Process Pack: Wallpapers + printable mini-posters (SURPRISE!)
🔓 400 - Commemorative Sticker: Exclusive 45th sticker in every physical order
🔒 450 - 45 for 45: Anniversary sketch added to every book
🔒 500 - The Crew Roll Call: Your name in the book. Forever.
🔒 550 - Nexus Family Circle: 100 commemorative prints to the troops
🔒 600 - The Remarque Party: Steve sketches live on stream!
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Thanks for being part of this with us — we're so close to the finish line!

Talk soon,

Jaynelle & the Rude Dude Studio crew

P.S. Got questions? Just hit reply — I'm here to help!

Steve's resting. The competition isn't.
7 months ago – Sat, Jan 24, 2026 at 11:06:39 AM



Pull up a chair. The leaderboard's getting good. 

Hey BackerKit crew,

No livestream today. Steve's not up to being on camera, so we're giving him a breather. Thanks for understanding.

We're at 314 of 400 backers across both platforms, which means just 86 more unlocks the Nexus 45th Sticker Drop for all mailed orders. Five days left. We can do this.

And the leaderboard? It's getting spicy. Trevin's holding the lead at 2,755 (on track for the sketch AND cookies), but BuckKickStarter is within striking distance at 2,090. Ray's in second but already won a sketch last campaign, so he's just here for the cookies and chaos. Meanwhile Jaleesa is only 50 points outside the cookie cutoff at #5.
If you were planning to hang out with us today, come say hi on the community page instead:

→ Join the conversation


Tell us what you're reading, drawing, or collecting this week. (And rack up some points while you're at it.)
Campaign ends Thursday, January 29th: https://www.steverude.com/2026skb

See you in the comments,

Jaynelle

PS REMINDER  If you did the reservation, but didn't back the campaign on Backerkit you will NOT get the reservation bookplate.  You have to back the campaign ($5 comes off your pledge)

300 Backers = TROOPS UNLOCKED! Now let's get those stickers...
7 months ago – Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 09:15:17 AM


Holy smokes,people, 300 backers. We did it!

That means a box of 2026 Sketchbooks is heading to service members through our friends at Comics for Troops. YOU made that happen. Not us - YOU. Every single pledge pushed us closer, and now someone in uniform is getting some Steve Rude Art in their life.

But we're not done yet.

Achievement #2 is live: The Nexus 45th Sticker Drop

Get us to 400 backers and we're tucking an exclusive 45th anniversary sticker into every physical order. Softcover? Sticker. Hardcover? Sticker. Remarque? You better believe there's a sticker.
This isn't something you can buy later. It's only unlocked if we hit 400 together.

Where we're at: 300 down, 100 to go

Share the campaign. Tag your comic book friends. Drag someone to the party. Let's get those stickers!

"Project We Love" + 5 backers from sending books to the troops!
7 months ago – Wed, Jan 21, 2026 at 04:21:16 PM


Hey friend!

Big news dropped: Kickstarter selected The Art of Steve Rude 2026 - Inside the Studio as a "Project We Love"!

And we're SO close to our next community goal—just 5 more backers and we'll be sending a whole BOX of sketchbooks to ComicBooks for Troops. If you know anyone who'd love this book, now's the perfect time to share!

Meanwhile, the community leaderboard competition is getting spicy. Trevin Hickmon is holding the top spot at 1,895 points, with Ray Riethmeier and Brian T. Rivers battling for second. The winners get a free sketch from Steve and homemade cookies from me—but honestly, even if you're not competing, the community chat is worth joining just for the fun.

Thanks for backing and being part of this with us!

Jaynelle Rude & the Rude Dude Crew


🎉 DAY ONE UPDATE: WE DID IT, FAMILY! 🎉
7 months ago – Fri, Jan 16, 2026 at 04:43:25 PM

FUNDED ON BOTH BACKERKIT AND KICKSTARTER IN JUST A FEW HOURS.

You all showed up and showed OUT. We're over here getting a little misty-eyed. This community never fails to blow us away.

The numbers so far:
  • BackerKit: $12,799 raised | 120 backers
  • Kickstarter: $7,076 raised | 74 backers
  • COMBINED: Nearly $20,000 and 194 backers!

Just... wow. Thank you.



🏆 LEADERBOARD UPDATE: IT'S A NAIL-BITER 🏆


Okay, this is getting GOOD.

Ray clawed his way back to #1 with 775 points—but remember, Ray already won the sketch last campaign. He's in it for glory and cookies now!

That means Trevin at #2 with 760 points is only 15 POINTS away from that free sketch! FIFTEEN. That's three likes, people. This could flip at any moment!

TooMuchDew and JohnH are neck-and-neck at #3 and #4. And shoutout to Buck jumping to 300!


🎖️ PAY IT FORWARD: 194 of 300 BACKERS 🎖️

We're 65% of the way to sending a box of sketchbooks to service members through ComicBooks for Troops. Let's get there!

This is exactly what we hoped for when we said Welcome to the studio.

You’re talking, reacting, voting, encouraging each other — and that’s what’s driving all of this forward.
We’ll keep sharing updates as things move (because watching them move is half the fun).

Thank you for being here,

Steve & Jaynelle & the Rude Dude Studio Crew