Peter David has been one of my favorite writers since I started reading his work on Incredible Hulk, and it continued over the past 20 plus years as he became the man who made X-Factor the most consistently great X-Book (maybe even Marvel book) of the past decade. Now, having recently suffered a stroke, David’s at a point where comic writing is less of a priority behind simply getting back to a healthier self.
But to support David, we wanted to make sure to share our favorite stories David has worked on, with links to where you can buy them on Amazon as well. Of course, if you’re a fan of David, you can share your sentiments with him direct at the following address:
Peter David
c/o Second Age, Inc.,
P.O. Box 239,
Bayport, NY 11705
David is truly one of the great stories in writing over the past few decades, and he’s a great, personable guy who has made a career of telling tales as human and real as we’ve experienced in comics. If you haven’t read much of his work, the following five comics are great ones to start with in my opinion. On top of this, I’d personally just like to say a sincere “get well soon” to David. Best of luck in your recovery.
Update: From David’s wife Kathleen on Twitter.
Peter David â€@PeterDavid_PAD
We know Peter’s site is down. Returning soon. Peter wrote an entire script yesterday with Dragon Dictate. -Kath
YES!!! Fantastic progress. Keep it up Peter!
5. Young Justice (DC Comics)
Growing up, Impulse was my favorite hero. Especially in his solo title from Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos, but when it came down to it, I was crazy about the character and that made me follow him anywhere. That led me to this title, and I was very thankful that I did. With a cast of characters that also spotlighted Tim Drake/Robin (another favorite of mine), this book had a distinctly easier path to my heart than most books. It helped quite a bit, however, that David was the writer of this book. He’s always excelled at finding the truly human moments of superpowered characters, and in this book he made the YJ cast a family more than anything. That’s something that continued on with this cast going forward, and it was David’s writing that was to thank.
4. Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
Out of all of the random books of late 90’s to early 00’s period of Marvel, Captain Marvel just might have been my favorite. Pairing the moody and immature Genis-Vell with the veteran Rick Jones in the form of Captain Marvel was inspired, and it felt in a lot of ways like some of the more fun, adventurous parts of David’s Incredible Hulk run (it helped that Jones and his wife Marlo were in the book). This book was woefully underrated and deserved a bigger audience, and it once again showcased how talented David is at managing character relations and the organic bonds the form between them (Nega Bonds, not withstanding).
3. Incredible Hulk (Marvel Comics)
When I talk about Incredible Hulk runs, personally, the run I cite first is Peter David’s. His brawn-AND-brains Hulk was my all-time favorite version, and he did the best job of creating a supporting cast for the character out of any writer ever (granted, he had a bit of a head start given that his Hulk didn’t want to just be left alone). Paired with artists Gary Frank and Dale Keown mostly, David’s run was nothing short of legendary on the character, and it all culminated with his frankly genius Hulk: The End story. That story deservedly earned a litany of accolades, and it also highlighted just how well he understood both the man and the monster within the character.
2. Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect (Marvel Comics)
This was my JAM growing up. This story that finds David’s Professor Hulk (so to speak) going to the future to meet – and hopefully take out – his future self, now going by The Maestro, is a brilliant blend of continuity and “What If?” storytelling. I love dystopian futures, especially comic related ones, and this one that finds the dead heroes effectively turned into trophies for the now bat shit crazy Hulk is one of the best ever. Equally smart as it is savage, this two part story was the absolute apex of David’s work on the character and remains to this day one of my all-time favorite superhero stories.
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1. X-Factor (Marvel Comics)
David’s piece de resistance, X-Factor was once a book he came to near its end and eventually became a book he resurrected and then defined for a new generation. Equal parts noir and superhero story, this book is all about the characters. From the charming, gifted and often painfully foolish Madrox to the constantly evolving Layla Miller, David takes a cast of characters and – like with Young Justice – makes them a family and someone readers can’t help but care about. There have been so many major moments throughout the series, but one of the things that astounds me the most is its ability to exist mostly uninterrupted from the rest of the insanity in the Marvel universe, as well as its consistent ability to survive without any A list characters.
When you get down to it, the star of the book is David. Characters come and go, as do artists, but David is the metronome. He’s the man who made this book relevant and has kept it afloat. It’s been arguably the best Marvel book over the past decade, and is the place I’d first start if I were just breaking into David’s work.
