Peter David facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peter David |
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David in 2017
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| Born | Peter Allen David September 23, 1956 Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2025 (aged 68) |
| Area(s) | Superhero fantasy, science fiction, fantasy |
| Pseudonym(s) | David Peters |
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Notable works
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The Incredible Hulk, X-Factor, Young Justice, Star Trek: New Frontier, Fallen Angel |
| Awards |
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| Spouse(s) |
Myra Kasman
(m. 1977; div. 1998)Kathleen O'Shea
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 4 |
| Signature | |
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| Education | New York University (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1985–2025 |
Peter Allen David (September 23, 1956 – May 24, 2025), often called PAD, was an American writer. He wrote comic books, novels, TV shows, movies, and video games.
He was famous for his 12-year work on The Incredible Hulk. He also wrote for Aquaman, Young Justice, Spider-Man, and X-Factor.
Peter David also wrote many Star Trek comics and books. His other novels included stories based on movies and his own original ideas. He co-created the TV show Space Cases for Nickelodeon.
He often joked that his job was "Writer of Stuff." He was known for writing a lot and mixing real-world problems with humor. He also added pop culture references and self-referencing jokes.
David won many awards for his work. These include a 1992 Eisner Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
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Peter David's Early Life
Peter David was born on September 23, 1956. This was in Fort Meade, Maryland. His parents were Gunter and Dalia David. His mother was an Israeli Jewish scientist. She worked with DNA researchers James Watson and Francis Crick. Peter David said his mom gave him his sense of humor.
His father's family came to the U.S. in the 1930s. This was because of problems in Nazi Germany. Peter had two younger siblings, Wally and Beth.
Discovering Comics
Peter first liked comics around age five. He read Casper and Wendy. He got into superheroes from the Adventures of Superman TV show.
His parents liked Disney comics but not superhero ones. They thought characters like the Hulk or Spider-Man looked like monsters. So, Peter read these comics in secret. His first Marvel comic was Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965. His parents later let him read superhero comics. Superman became his favorite.
He went to his first comic book convention when he was young. He met Jack Kirby there and got his autograph. This was his first time meeting a comic professional.
Becoming a Writer
Peter's interest in writing came from his dad, Gunter. His dad reviewed movies and sometimes took Peter along. Peter would write his own reviews. Parts of his writing sometimes ended up in his dad's published reviews.
At age twelve, Peter wanted to be a professional writer. He bought a guide for writers. He hoped to become a reporter.
Peter lived in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and later in Verona, New Jersey. As a teenager, he lost interest in comics. He felt he had grown out of them.
His love for comics came back later. He saw Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978) and X-Men #95 (1975). These were the first comics he bought in years.
A big moment for him was meeting writer Stephen King. King signed his book with "Good luck with your writing career." Peter now uses this same message for his own fans. He also looked up to writers like Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman.
Peter David went to New York University. He earned a degree in journalism.
Peter David's Career Journey
Early Writing Work
Peter David's first professional job was covering a science fiction convention in 1974. This was for a newspaper called the Philadelphia Bulletin.
He later moved to writing fiction. His first published story was in Asimov's Science Fiction in 1980. He also sold an opinion piece to The New York Times. But many of his early writings were not accepted.
Comic Book Adventures
Peter David worked in book publishing. Then he worked for Marvel Comics in sales for five years. During this time, he tried to sell his own stories.
His first Marvel comic story was in The Spectacular Spider-Man #103 (June 1985). He then wrote "The Death of Jean DeWolff" for Spider-Man. This story was darker than usual.
He was later offered The Incredible Hulk. This comic was not selling well, so he had a lot of freedom. He wrote Hulk for 12 years. He made the Hulk a very popular character. He explored the Hulk's different personalities. He created new characters like the Riot Squad.
After a year of writing full-time, he felt his career was set. He also wrote for DC Comics, including a short time on Green Lantern.
He wrote Dreadstar and Wolverine. He also worked on X-Factor and Spider-Man 2099. He helped create the character of Spider-Man 2099.
1990s Comic Highlights
In 1990, David wrote Aquaman miniseries for DC Comics. He was very proud of The Atlantis Chronicles. He later wrote a monthly Aquaman series. In this series, Aquaman lost a hand and got a harpoon instead. This made Aquaman a tougher character.
He wrote Star Trek comics for DC. He also co-wrote DC vs. Marvel in 1996. He worked on Supergirl and Young Justice.
For Dark Horse Comics, he wrote SpyBoy, a teen spy adventure. He also created his own comics like Soulsearchers and Company.
2000s Comic Work
In the early 2000s, he wrote for Captain Marvel.
He and his second wife, Kathleen, wrote for the Negima manga series.
In 2003, David started his own comic, Fallen Angel. He also wrote a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
He briefly returned to The Incredible Hulk in 2005. He also started Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This series showed Spider-Man changing and getting new powers.
He wrote the MadroX miniseries. Its success led to a new X-Factor series. This series was about a detective agency. He won a GLAAD Media Award for his work on X-Factor.
In 2006, David signed a special contract with Marvel Comics. He wrote for The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, based on Stephen King's novels. He also took over Marvel's She-Hulk comic.
2010s Comic Projects
In 2011, Peter David helped pull the Spider-Man balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 2013, X-Factor ended. It was then relaunched as All-New X-Factor. This new series featured a corporate-sponsored team.
In 2014, David returned to Spider-Man 2099. He was writing two series at once again. He also wrote a six-part story for The Phantom.
In 2015, he co-wrote Stan Lee's graphic novel autobiography, Amazing Fantastic Incredible. It became a New York Times bestseller.
In 2017, he wrote Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider. He also wrote the Symbiote Spider-Man miniseries in 2019.
Novel Writing
Peter David's novel career grew alongside his comic work. His first novel, Knight Life, was published in 1987. It was about King Arthur appearing in modern New York City. He later made it a trilogy.
He wrote many Star Trek novels. These included Imzadi, one of the best-selling Star Trek books ever. He also created the Star Trek: New Frontier book series. He wrote five Babylon 5 novels as well.
He wrote novel adaptations for many films. These included Spider-Man, Hulk, and Iron Man.
His 2009 novel Tigerheart was a new version of Peter Pan. It was praised and honored by the School Library Journal. He also wrote his own fantasy series, Sir Apropos of Nothing.
In 2010, he co-wrote Year of the Black Rainbow with musician Claudio Sanchez. He also wrote a Fable novel. He started an electronic publishing group called Crazy Eight Press.
How He Wrote
Peter David tried to work on different projects on different days. He often wrote novels in the morning and comics in the afternoon. He used a computer for his writing.
He used to plot his comic stories in his head. Later, he wrote full scripts. He liked to plan his comic stories in six-month parts.
He often thought of a specific person when writing a comic. He wrote Supergirl for his daughters. He wrote Young Justice for a son he might have. He wrote The Incredible Hulk for his first wife. His own life events sometimes showed up in his work.
He said his favorite female character he created was Lee from Fallen Angel. He also wanted to write for characters like Batman and Tarzan.
Other Published Works
Peter David wrote a weekly opinion column called "But I Digress..." for Comics Buyer's Guide. He donated his earnings from the column to a fund that helps comic book creators.
He helped actor James Doohan write his autobiography, Beam Me Up, Scotty.
David also wrote an instructional book called Writing for Comics with Peter David. It teaches people how to write comics.
He wrote a short story for a Zorro collection. In 2009, he organized a funny story called "Potato Noon." It was a satire of the Twilight series.
In 2022, David put together a collection of stories called The Fans are Buried Tales. It was inspired by a convention where people were snowed in.
Other Media Projects
Peter David wrote for several TV shows and video games. He wrote two episodes for Babylon 5. He also co-created the TV series Space Cases for Nickelodeon. This was his most successful TV work. He even appeared in an episode of Space Cases.
He wrote and helped produce films like Trancers 4 and Oblivion. He also made small appearances in some of these movies.
He wrote an episode for Ben 10: Alien Force and three episodes for Ben 10: Ultimate Alien.
He wrote the script for the video game Shadow Complex in 2009.
David wrote several episodes for the Young Justice animated TV series. This show was based on the comic book series he wrote. In 2011, he wrote the video game Spider-Man: Edge of Time.
He also co-created a superhero sitcom web series called Head Cases.
Awards and Recognitions
Peter David won many awards for his writing:
- 1992 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist Team (for The Incredible Hulk)
- 1993 Wizard Fan Award
- 1996 Haxtur Award for Best Script
- 2007 Julie Award for achievements in many types of writing
- 2011 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book (for X-Factor vol. 3)
- 2016 Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International
He was also nominated for several other awards, including the Eisner Award multiple times.
Peter David's Personal Life
Peter David met his first wife, Myra Kasman, at a Star Trek convention. They married in 1977 and had three daughters: Shana, Guinevere, and Ariel.
He later married Kathleen O'Shea in 2001. They had a daughter named Caroline Helen David. Peter and his family lived in Suffolk County, New York.
His father, Gunter, passed away in 2015. His mother, Dalia, passed away in 2017.
Peter David was a fan of bowling and the New York Mets. He also practiced tai chi. He enjoyed music from The Beatles and loved musicals. He liked movies like the James Bond films and Casablanca. His favorite TV shows included Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Health Challenges
In 2010, Peter David had surgery for severe back pain.
On December 29, 2012, he had a stroke. This affected his right arm and leg and his vision. He worked hard in physical therapy to recover. His vision improved, and he could move around his house without a wheelchair. He even started bowling and practicing tai chi again.
In 2015, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
In 2017, he faced financial challenges. His fans helped him by donating money online. He also started a Patreon account to share new work.
In 2022, his health declined again. He passed away on May 24, 2025, at age 68.
