I've been reading comics written by Peter David almost as long as I've been reading comics, period. But as much as I've enjoyed reading the comic and prose works of this legendary writer, who we recently lost at the age of 68, one of the most memorable experiences came from him reading to me.
David wasn't just reciting the words to the comic that I was already looking forward to because it brought Multiple Man and Strong Guy back under the pen of the man who made them two of my favorite X-characters on his run in the '90s. He acted it out, complete with accents for Wolfsbane and Siryn. And I think he knew he had us on the hook for the issue's twist ending, which he delivered perfectly, with me – and I'm sure many others in the room – on the edge of my seat.
David wrote that iteration of X-Factor, reborn as a private detective agency under the at times questionable leadership of Jamie Madrox, for 50 issues before it returned to its original numbering the next month to hit the milestone 200. He kept going for 62 issues after that, and even returned a few months later for 20 issues of “All-New X-Factor.”
Long runs were nothing new for Peter David. I met him early in his “Incredible Hulk” tenure with issue 332, followed by the first consecutive issue I ever bought intentionally. I'd like to say it was because I recognized his greatness right away, but it probably had more to do with the fact that this Hulk was gray.
I stayed with the book off and on through the Hulk's tenure as a Las Vegas legbreaker and wasn't around when he turned green again. By then, I was deeply immersed in all things X, but there was Peter David, writing an offbeat roster of mutants superheroing for the government in “X-Factor.”
We linked up again when my brother and I started collecting “Young Justice,” although the first issue we bought was #8, the only one David, I believe, didn't write. When I found out he was the regular scribe, that only increased my interest. My brother eventually tapped out, but I continued... at least until I took a principled stand against buying all the tie-in issues for the “Sins of Youth” storyline. I couldn't stay away long, though, snatching up the issues I missed and eventually getting that whole story, in which veteran heroes switch ages with their sidekicks and newcomers, in a trade collection. I stuck with it until the end and still kind of resent Geoff Johns' Teen Titans reboot for not being Young Justice. And even though I watched and enjoyed the original two seasons of the cartoon series that bears its name – and includes an episode written by David – I still politely* point out when the subject comes up that it was really Young Justice in name only.
David's presence drew me into another series featuring a character I barely knew existed – Genis-Vell, aka Captain Marvel, son of the original. The presence of Rick Jones and his wife Marlo, the Hulk's ex from his Vegas days, helped, sure, but it was David's masterful mix of comedy and drama that kept me aboard for 60 issues across two volumes.
The series spun out of Kurt Busiek's landmark “Avengers Forever,” in which this Captain Marvel was a member of a time-tossed squad of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. At one point, he was revealed to be switching places with a grizzled Jones who had lost an arm somewhere along the way. We got to see that in the pages of “Captain Marvel” relatively quickly – and the entire Avengers epic happened in the space of a page as Rick disappeared and then reappeared, saying he'd been involved in a “big hoo-hah with the Avengers.”
In “Young Justice,” he delivered one of the greatest dad jokes to hit the page, paying off a dangling plot thread from an early issue when Impulse asked a wealthy prince for a favor. In issue 25, with the team in need of interstellar transport, Impulse's request arrives – a state-of-the-art spaceship, delivered by Fedeus Ex Machina.
From Young Justice #25, art by Todd Nauck
This is the same series in which David viscerally tackled topics like school shootings and post-9/11 xenophobia. This was a man who made me feel actual feelings for a character named Sir Umbrage of the Flaming Nether Regions in his fantasy satire novel “Sir Apropos of Nothing.”
Peter David made me read movie novelizations long after I viewed them as a quick fix for story information, simply by virtue of his name being on the cover. By the time the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies came out, I would watch movies based on books but kind of viewed novelizations as an unnecessary reversal and lesser. But I would read anything Peter David wrote.
Well, almost anything.
I read the 20-issue run of “Fallen Angel” at DC and was disappointed when it came to a premature end. I was excited when IDW picked it up, but eventually gave up when its big secret was revealed. I won't go into detail here because it's been a while since I read it. Suffice it to say, the direction he decided to go with the religious themes that had somewhat intrigued me about the story simply wasn't something I wanted to read, let alone pay to do so.
But I felt his handling of Christian characters in X-Factor was respectful. I don't think we had the same beliefs, but that didn't stop me from loving and appreciating his talent.
I found the last issue of the series I was missing in a dollar bin and quickly returned to get him to autograph it. I told him about my geographically diverse efforts to finish the run, and he said, “Haven't you ever heard of eBay?”
Roasted, mildly, by Peter David. Awesome.
I had, I assured him, and that was before my own attempts at selling comics on eBay. But there's a thrill of the hunt in tracking down those missing issues, plus I got to attach the last piece of the puzzle to meeting the man himself.
Looking up information about his body of work on Mike's Amazing World revealed a host of Peter David comics I didn't know about. Plus there are the Supergirl and Aquaman issues I have but haven't read, “Soulsearchers and Company,” “Spy Boy” and a host of Star Trek novels. If I ever managed to finish all of that, I could just start reading stuff over again, and I'm sure I would love it just as much.
In that way, Peter David's work will always be with us, but my heart hurts for his family and friends. I'm grateful for his work, his sense of humor and his empathy and for him being a constant source of entertainment and inspiration through my many years of fandom.
* - I try anyway.
Comments
Post a Comment
No profanity, no bullying, no harassment. Feel free to disagree, but do it respectfully and politely.