Peter David Passes Away At 68 After Long Illness
by Tom Smithyman
Eisner Award-winning comic writer Peter David died Saturday evening after a series of protracted illnesses, his wife Kathleen confirmed on social media. He was 68 years old.
David was a prolific writer best known for his 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk – for which he shared an Eisner with Dale Keown – as well as stints writing Spider-Man 2099, X-Factor, Aquaman, and Young Justice, among others. He also wrote Star Trek novels and television scripts for Babylon 5, Ben 10: Alien Force, and Space Cases. He won a slew of other writing awards, including a GLAAD Media Award for X-Factor.
David’s family has been the beneficiary of crowdsourcing campaigns to pay for his medical bills. According to his GoFundMe campaign, he lost long-term disability coverage through Medicaid.
Never one to shy away from controversy, David wrote against President Donald Trump in his blog and championed gay characters before it was fashionable to so. He also made headlines at New York Comic Con 2016 for some anti-Romani comments made during a panel. He apologized and walked back his remarks soon afterward.
Tributes came pouring in for David on social media once word of his passing became widespread.
“Peter was the most prolific, multi-talented, enthusiastic, always ready writer I’ve ever known. Besides being friends, he and I were writing partners for many years,” wrote Billy Mumy of Lost in Space fame. “We wrote many comic books, short stories, animation episodes, television scripts, feature length screenplays (yet to be produced) and our biggest and best collaboration was creating and writing two seasons of the live action Nickelodeon TV series, Space Cases together. Most importantly, Peter was a pal.
Writer and inker Jimmy Palmiotti and his wife Amanda Connor worked with David on the comic Soulsearchers and Company and remembered the writer on X: “We lost another great in the comic book world, Peter David. I remember all his excellent work and loved what he and Amanda did on this series. They shared a silly sense of humor that made every page of this series come alive. The amazing work will live on.”
On BlueSky, comics writers G. Willow Wilson posted: “What a legend. All living X-Men fans have been affected by his X-Factor run in some way, whether by reading the books themselves or through osmosis, via their impact on the universe at large.”
Artist Mark Brooks posted this on X: “He was a giant that shaped comics in way that ripple through today including the movies, TV, and animation. He’ll be greatly missed.”
