PETER DAVID

The following is an e-mail interview with PETER DAVID, a writer who has penned works in several genres, including Star Trek novels and science fiction films. In comicdom he may be best known as the long-running scribe of The Incredible Hulk, as well as Aquaman and Supergirl. This interview was conducted on August 31, 1998.

JOHN DALTON: What is your earliest comic book memory?

PETER DAVID: My home planet exploding as I was being rocketed to earth.

JOHN DALTON: How did you get your first break in comics?

PETER DAVID: I was assistant sales manager in Marvel's direct sales department. Jim Owsley became the editor on the Spider-Man titles and I pitched a story to him.

JOHN DALTON: You have had successes in novels and scriptwriting. Why comics?

PETER DAVID: Because I love comics. How many people in this country get to earn a living doing something they love?

JOHN DALTON: What comic book work are you most proud of?

PETER DAVID: "The Atlantis Chronicles".

JOHN DALTON: Your work has covered a wide range of characters, but your name is most often associated with The Hulk. What was the best part about writing The Hulk?

PETER DAVID: The depth of characterization that my length of tenure with the book allowed.

JOHN DALTON: What has changed in comics, for better or worse, since you began writing?

PETER DAVID: The better: Grade of paper, quality of writing. The worse: cover prices, and my being forced off the Hulk.

JOHN DALTON: You have been called one of the top writers of this decade. What, in your opinion, has been the defining moment of comics in the 90s?

PETER DAVID: This interview, right here.

JOHN DALTON: What will happen to comics as we enter the 21st Century?

PETER DAVID: They will cost more and be cancelled faster.

JOHN DALTON: What would you like to do in comics that you haven't had a chance to do?

PETER DAVID: Fire someone.

JOHN DALTON: What are you excited about that you are currently working on?

PETER DAVID: It may sound cheezy, but I'm excited about the books that I'm working on: Supergirl, Young Justice and Soulsearchers & Company. If I weren't excited about them, I wouldn't be writing them.

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