The Late Great Peter David

Peter David (full name Peter Allen David, which was often abbreviated PAD), the writer who best known for his work on comic books for Aquaman and The Incredible Hulk as well as original novels, movie and television novelizations, and work in television, died on May 24 2025 at the age of 68. He had suffered from various health concerns since the 2010s.

Peter David was born on September 23 1956 in Fort Meade, Maryland. He was five years old when he first developed an interest in comic books after reading issues of Casper and Wendy the Good Little Witch in a barbershop. It was the classic TV show Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves, that got him interested in superheroes. Initially his parent did not want him tor read superhero comic books, particularly those published with Marvel which sometimes featured characters that looked like monsters (The Thing from The Fantastic Four and The Hulk), so he read them secretly. His first Marvel comic book was Fantastic Four Annual no. 3 (November 1965), which featured Reed Richards and Sue Storm's wedding. Eventually his parents relented and allowed him to read superhero comic books.

Peter David spent his childhood in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where he attended Demarest Elementary School. His family later moved to Verona, New Jersey and then to Pennsylvania. He attended New York University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. His first published short story was "Alternate Genesis" in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1980. Meeting with little success in writing, he shifted to working in book publishing. He worked at he E.P. Dutton imprint Elsevier/Nelson and then  in sales and distribution for Playboy Paperbacks before going to work in Marvel Comics' Sales Department. He worked there for five years.

It was Jim Owsley, who had become editor of the Spider-Man stories, who purchased Peter David's first comic book story, one featuring the Web-Slinger. The story appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man no. 103 (June 1985). Peter Owsley bought another Spider-Man story form Peter David, which, given he was still working in the sales department, resulted in charges of a conflict of interest and Peter Owsley was forced to fire Peter David from Spectacular Spider-Man. Regardless, Bob Harras later hired Peter David for The Incredible Hulk, which was then not doing well. Peter David ultimately wrote The Incredible Hulk for twelve years.
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At Marvel Peter David also wrote titles related to The Avengers, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Dreadstar, Elektra, the Fantastic Four, Justice, Sachs and Violens, She-Hulk, Wolverine, and X-Factor. He created Spider-Man 2099.  Peter David would eventually write for DC Comics as well. He wrote a Green Lantern serial for Action Comics no. 608-620 (the title had shifted to being a weekly title for short time) before writing the Aquaman miniseries, The Atlantis Chronicles. He later wrote the mini-series Aquaman: Time and Tide and volume 5 of Aquaman no. 0-46 and the Aquaman Annual vol. 1-4. At DC he also wrote the titles related to Fallen Angel,  The Phantom, Supergirl, and Young Justice. Peter David also wrote various Star Trek series at DC. At other publishers Peter David also wrote Battlestar Galactica vs. Battlestar Galactica,  Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom, Soulsearchers and Company, Vol. 1: On the Case, Spike: Old Times (based on the character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel), Spike vs. Dracula, Spyboy, The Scream, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003).

In addition to comic books, Peter David also wrote several novels. His first novel, Knight Life, published in 1987,, was also the first in his "Modern Arthur" series. His other series of novels included "Photon," "Psi-Man," and "Sir Apropos of Nothing." He also wrote several movie novelizations, including The Return of Swamp Thing and The Rocketeer, among others, as well as novels based on Alien Nation, Battlestar Galactica, Dinotopia, and Fantastic Four. He also wrote several Babylon 5 and Star Trek novels (including books based on Deep Space Nine, Starfleet Academy, and The Next Generation). He also wrote several standalone, original novels.

Peter David also worked in television. He wrote episodes of Babylon 5, Space Cases, Crusade, Roswell Conspiracies:Aliens, Myths & Legends, Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Super Power Beat Down, and Young Justice, He wrote the movies Oblivion (1994) and Oblivion 2: Backlash (1996).

Peter David is one of my favourite comic book writers of the past several decades. He was extremely inventive and he was able to breath new life into old characters, while at the same time remaining loyal to those characters. I know of many, including myself, who consider him the best writer of both Aquaman and The Hulk. He also had a gift for character dynamics, which was on display in his work on his various Aquaman titles, The Incredible Hulk, and his work on Star Trek. Indeed, while Peter David may be best known for his work on superheros, he was a fine writer of science fiction and fantasy.

Peter David was nothing if not opinionated, and he sometimes had disagreements with comic book creators, from Frank miller to Todd McFarlane. While Peter David held strong opinions, he was also known for his kindness and generosity. I know people who have met Peter David and some who even knew him as an acquaintance, All of them speak highly of Mr. David as one of the nicest people one could ever hope to meet. Peter David was a remarkable writer who brought new life to many comic book characters.