We’re sad to report the death of the award-winning American comic and Star Trek novel writer Peter David, self-proclaimed “Writer of Stuff.” He was 68, and had been battling illness for some time.
I much enjoyed his many works, particularly his comics for Marvel, often reigniting the popularity of key characters in partnership with a range of great talents. He will obviously be much missed, his work across multiple medium celebrated and there to be reread, or discovered for the first time. However you find his work, enjoy it.
Peter’s many credits spanned comics, novels, television, films, and video games, including an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk that saw him working with several British artists, including Gary Frank, as well as runs on titles including Aquaman, Supergirl, Spider-Man, and X-Factor.
Like many a creator, he started his career as a fan, authoring gems such as “The TARDIS at Pooh Corner”, an affectionate homage to Doctor Who and Winnie the Pooh.
But, as ICV2 notes, it was journalism that led to his comics career. He interviewed Carol Kalish, then Marvel’s Sales Manager, for an article about the Direct Market in Comic Scene magazine in 1982. They hit it off, she told him she had an opening for an assistant, and a week later, she hired him.
David worked in Marvel’s Direct Sales department for five years, first as Kalish’s assistant and then as Sales Manager. “I was involved in the distribution of comic books out to comic book shops,” he explained in a 2002 interview with The Trades.
“At that time, we dealt with about seventeen different distributors. This was back in the days before there was, you know… one.” He was writing on the side, and his first novel, Knight Life, was published by Ace in 1987.
His inspirational Star Trek work included comics and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His Star Trek: The Next Generation novel, Imzadi, published in 1992, centred on the mysterious death of Counsellor Deanna Troi, remains a firm favourite for many fans of his work.
Peter’s other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Ben 10: Alien Force, Young Justice, and Nickelodeon’s Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
Sadly, his recent years had been a litany of health issues, exacerbated by financial problems, not helped by recent rejection for Medicaid, with fans rallying in support to try to help, though fundraising and other efforts. His situation brought support for creators by US comic publishers that profit from their most successful work into sharp focus, prompting calls for better treatment.
His final post to his public website PeterDavid.net, in 2020, is a cautionary warning about US politician Donald Trump.
Peter is survived by his wife, Kathleen O’Shea David, and daughters Shana, Gwen, Ariel, and Caroline. Our sympathies to them, family and friends at this time.
Tributes to Peter David
Commenting on his passing, Babylon 5 creator J.Michael Straczynski, now living in the UK, described Peter as “a terrific writer and an even better human being. He will be missed.”
“Saddened to hear that Peter David has passed away after a long illness,” commented author Greg Cox. “He will be missed as a person, a writer, a friend, and a member of our community. My heart goes out to Kathleen, his daughters, and all his loved ones.”
“More than any writer of my generation, Peter was a true force of nature,” author Howard Weinstein commented in response to the news of his death on Facebook. “One of the funniest, most talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
“We lost another great in the comic book world,” commented comic creator Jimmy Palmiotti, commenting specifically on his work on Soulsearchers and Company in the 1990s for Eclipse, collected over six volumes by ComicMix in 2018. “I remember all his excellent work and loved what he and Amanda [Conner] did on this series. They shared a silly sense of humour that made every page of this series come alive. The amazing work will live on. Rest in Peace.”
“Peter has been responsible for more of my career than anyone else,” artist Robin Riggs noted. “I spent two years inking the Hulk over Liam Sharp and Angel Medina during Peter’s lengthy run on the title. Then I inked Supergirl for four and a half years over Leonard Kirk (that’s the three of us in the photo) while Peter was writing that title. I then had the great honour to draw Peter’s own character Sir Apropos of Nothing when he brought the character from his novels to comics.
“In recent years Peter introduced me to his sister Beth Goodwin, and I’ve been drawing commercial comics projects with a medical theme for her.
“So much of my work has been directly attributable to Peter. I was a big fan of his writing long before I got to work with him and I enjoyed every minute of working on his books. I will miss him and his work tremendously. My thoughts are with Kathleen and the rest of his family.”
“I can remember myself reading Hulk by Peter David & Gary Frank 30 years ago, laughing in some panel, emotionally impacted in next one,” said Eisner Award winner Bruce Redondo, “and thinking in words “I definitely wanna work in superhero comics for living”. Today, Peter David’s comics remains as one of my biggest guides. Thank you forever.”
Artist Darryl Cunningham sums up the thoughts of many, describing him as “A born storyteller. An amazing talent, always bursting with fresh ideas. He could take the most hackneyed concept and transform it into gold.”
A Tale to Remember Peter by…
This story about Peter has taken on a life of its own over the past day, but much deserves a share, given the problems he faced in his own life. It needs no more preamble. Be kind to each other, folks.
“Really sorry to hear about Peter David,” Web SEO Kevin Church wrote on BlueSky (account required). “His work with Star Trek was among the best of the ’90s licensed material. I only met him once; it was when I would do part-time at the local comic shop for store credit.
“We had a regular at the shop, a differently-abled young man who absolutely loved the Incredible Hulk. He was, of course, nicknamed Hulk Kid. One Sunday, he was rummaging through the back issue bins when a familiar-looking face from the Comic Buyers’ Guide walked through the door. I greeted him, told him how much I loved his work and let him go about looking around the shop. Hulk Kid had just grabbed an issue of David’s run with art by MacFarlane and didn’t have enough money for it. I was explaining to him about why it was so expensive. PD comes up with a stack of cheapish Marvel horror comics and smiles at us. He tells me to add the Kid’s book to his tab and then introduced himself to him.
“For the next 45 minutes or so, Peter David and Hulk Kid had a wide-ranging, deeply nerdy, and sometimes very funny conversation that I was lucky enough to listen to. It was obvious that he had some experience with the differently-abled; and he treated the Kid like an old friend. One of the best impressions a comic creator has ever left on me.”
Peter Allen David, 23rd September 23 1956 – 24th May 2025
Web Links
• Official Website (up to 2020): peterdavid.net
• Peter David: Patreon (Subscription Required)
• Peter David at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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