How I Know Peter David is Going to be Fine

You've probably heard by now, that Peter David has recently suffered a stroke.  
His wife, Kathleen David has been kind enough to keep us all up to date on his condition and his progress via Peter's blog as well as her own.

You can also hear her talk about the whole ordeal here on the podcast I air with Darrel Taylor, JK's happy Hour

And if you'd like to help, go here and purchase some Peter David titles from Crazy 8 Press. The proceeds from these great reads will help aid in the cost of his recovery.

But I've mentioned all that a million times before. What I'm really here to tell you today is -

How I Know Peter David is Going to be Fine

(If at any time you feel like you don't want to read the whole thing, just scroll down and read the big blue parts. They pretty much sum it up.)

When I was a teen I remember hearing about this grey Hulk. "Fuck Hulk!", I proclaimed. "Hulk is tired! Beyond tired! Dead! He's a tank-smashing, puppy-cuddling, desert-jumping, noble-savage-with-a-heart-of-gold, PLAYED-OUT BORE!"

   I remember thinking, "this grey Hulk is just a rewind. Please tell me some idiot isn't going to start the whole thing over?" I was done with Hulk for a long time and with that absolute certainty about everything only a teenager can have, I vowed NEVER to allow myself to even be interested in what was going on with Hulk.

  Flash forward a bit and with that absolute fickle inconsistency only a teenager can have, I changed my stance.

   I remember hearing how this Grey Hulk is not at all what I thought. He's brutal, of course, but cunning as well. ...AND THEY MADE HIM A VEGAS CRIME BOSS!!! WOW! O.k. I'm reading this! some guy named "Peter David" is writing it. Where have I heard that name before? Can't remember, but I love this Hulk.

   I started reading Peter David's Hulk in 1990. I bought the back issues and went on reading until the end of his run. I remember shortly after I jumped on, Peter created a "Super-Hulk"(with the help of some Doc Samson hypnotic kung fu). Now we have a character with some depth to his personality instead of some 2 dimensional cliche. Before I can catch my breath, he uses this Super-Hulk to travel to the future to battle his future self, a tyrant named Maestro! 

  Hulk was exciting for the first time since Ferrigno for me!! 

 Peter David had turned a "dead character" (Hulk) into my favourite monthly.

  

How did he do this?!?  

Who is this Peter David?!?

 ...and why did his name sound so familiar?...

   1989, a year or 2 after I vowed to never read and enjoy Hulk EVER again, My favourite writer(at that time), is leaving Dreadstar! "NO! No Starlin don't go!!!", I cried. "It won't be the same! Dreadstar is Dead!" Waaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!! I'll never read it" (sound familiar).

   I read the next issue.

   I loved it! 

   I was right about one thing, though; It wasn't the same. I was laughing. It had humour. good humour!!  It seemed a bit irreverent to something I took so seriously and I resented this new writer, this "Peter David", whoever he is.  ...but, waitaminute!  I was enjoying it !

I read it till its conclusion, never making the connection that this was that "Hulk guy" until I started reading Hulk in 1990.

 Peter David had me enjoying a series(Dreadstar) more than when my favourite writer(Starlin) was working on it.

   Around 1992, I had stopped reading Spider-Man because two Spider-Man artists I had greatly admired, (McFarlane and Larsen) had up and left with a bunch of Marvel's best to start their own publishing company with the help Malibu Graphics. This didn't stop me from being outraged at the creation of a "fake Spider-Man"! Peter David wrote and co created a title called Spiderman 2099. You can't do that!!! but guess what? it was brilliant!! He'd done it again! 

Peter David had once again got me to love something I was sure I'd hate!

   Spiderman 2099 was some of my favourite comic reading of that time and I stayed with the whole series. Peter wrote all but the last 2 , I think. He was off the book and 2 issues later the series was cancelled.
   People will fight me on this, put I really think that Spiderman 2099 was the inspiration for Warner/DC's Batman Beyond, a title I still enjoy today.

Peter David  got me to like a "fake Spider-Man"!

   In 2004, I had got my first paying work in comics from IDW. It was a CSI:NY mini series. I held onto my day job while I worked on it because I was convinced that I wouldn't get any work after the last issue. My attempts at "breaking -in" to the comic biz was a 20 year string of failures and I just wanted to put behind me.

   While I was wrapping up issue 3 of CSI:NY, I got the call! All of sudden, Chris Ryall was telling me that Peter David was continuing his Fallen Angel run at IDW and wanted me to do the art. ME!!

   Peter David was no longer that annoying new guy who was making me love the things I thought I'd always hate. He was now very well established. I'd read his whole run on 3 comic titles, all his minis and most of his novels! 

   This guy wants to work with me?!? 

   Right out of the gate, greener than green (you have no idea how hard it was to avoid a Hulk pun), and I'm working with Peter David!!

You can find the complete Fallen Angel origin story here for only .99 cents.

   Only 3 issues into this series and I had decided I wanted to do this for life. I still feel that way today. Fallen Angel is the only title that I know for a fact, I will always illustrate Fallen Angel, no matter what presents itself in the future.

Peter David's "cast" of Fallen Angel - painted as Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.

   Fallen Angel went as an ongoing series for 3 years at IDW before moving to a 1x a year mini series format.

   During this time working with Peter, I had learned a lot. He would listen to me patiently when I had crazy ideas(most ridiculously bad) and sort of coach the green out of me. Because of his patience and guidance, I learned more in 3 years than I probably would have in 10 without him. If your lucky enough to work with someone with more experience one of the greatest things you'll learn from them is how to proprerly operate yourself. Through my time with Peter and conversations we've had, I've learned how to operate me. I've learned what to say, what to not, what to follow up on and when to move on to something else. 

When Peter David met me, I was an overly ambitious, clumsy newcomer and  he has since been teaching me how to be a more efficient asset to comics and less of a blundering time-waster. 

A Herculean task! or maybe I should just start saying "a Davidian task"

   I continue to work with Peter and hope to continue to indefinitely. In the time I've know him, I've also gotten to know his family and they are every bit as as vibrant and fun to be around as him.

In fact, one of my most cherished commission requests I've ever received was when Ariel, Peter's daughter asked me to create something for his birthday. I always try to arrange a table near Peter at every convention we do together. Why? Because ...

Peter David makes conventions fun!

   In addition to Fallen Angel, I've worked with him on various covers. Most notable is the work I've done with Peter and Crazy8Press. .

• blog entry for the Camelot papers cover
• blog entry for the Hidden Earth covers

Crazy8 Press is a consortium of writers (Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Aaron Rosenberg, and Howard Weinstein). learn more here.

Peter David has found a way to bypass the traditional publishing process and bring his work directly to you, the reader.

Peter David wrote an original Star Trek novel series with a crew made up of characters most people had forgotten about or hated and combined them with all-new Trek characters who have never appeared on T.V. or movies. ...and actually made that work!!!!

In addition to comics and novels he also went on to write for games and television.

He's finished a novel and an X-Factor script after having a stroke less than a month ago!

After accomplishing all this,
Do you honestly think this stroke is going to stop him??

this is How I Know Peter David is Going to be Fine.

When I first heard that Peter David had a stroke, I was devistated. I couldn't work. I couldn't relax. I couldn't face it. After considering what Peter David is able to accomplish, I found some comfort.

I hope this does the same for you.

Also, this is an outline of Peter David's affect on 1 persons life, -- mine. I'd love to hear how he 's inspiring you. When did you start reading his work? What's your favourite? share it with us in the comments section here.