What’cha wanna know?

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

It’s been a while since I’ve done a straight up Q&A thread. So anything you want to ask me, feel free. I’ll answer your questions the best I can, although it may take me a little bit to reply.

PAD

ADDED at 7:51: Okay…the five, ten, fifteen question thing? Not happenin’. One per person. Those people who posted enough questions to fill out an interview: Choose the one you most want to know and ask that. My fault; I should have repeated that condition since it’s been a while since I’ve done this.

190 comments on “What’cha wanna know?”

  1. Has there been any nibbles for a non-print New Frontier project? I can picture an NF direct-to-DVD movie, or an anime mini-series.

    SORRY. NONE WHATSOEVER THAT I KNOW OF.

  2. At a recent convention here in Minnesota, Harlan Ellison mentioned your name in an answer at a panel and then said, “of course, he’s no longer with us.” There were several chuckles from the audience, after which Harlan said, “If you’re familiar with his work, you’d get the joke.” I was very confused, because I DIDN’T get the joke, even though I’m a BIG fan of your work.

    Can you explain the joke to me?

    HONEST TO GOD, I’VE READ IT OVER A FEW TIMES AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HECK HE WAS TALKING ABOUT EITHER.

  3. You’ve often spoken of Atlantis Chronicles as your best work. What do you feel is your worst work and why do you think so? Mind you, worst work doesn’t always mean bad work. Options for worst could simply be that, in-between starting in your mind and hitting the shelf, the story just didn’t come across the way you really wanted it to or ended up going somewhere other then where you intended and thus skewed your plotlines into a slightly different direction for a bit.

    I WAS REALLY UNHAPPY WITH THE ISSUES OF HULK I PRODUCED DURING THE HEROES REBORN THING. I DESPERATELY TRIED TO MAKE THE THING WORK AND, TO ME, THAT DESPERATION CAME ACROSS IN THE FINAL PRODUCT.

  4. Favorite comic book artist from the Bronze Age?

    WHAT AM I, AN ARCHAEOLOGIST?

  5. What is the single best piece of creative process/writing advice you ever received or stumbled over/divined?

    DON’T TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY.

  6. … of comics, that is. No obscure historical figures, please. 😉

    I’M REALLY NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN BY “BRONZE AGE.” GOLD, SILVER AGE, EVEN MARVEL AGE, THAT’S PRETTY UNDERSTANDABLE. BUT I’M NOT SURE WHAT YOU THINK DEMARCATES “BRONZE.”

  7. Any chance of the Photon novels returning to print?

    OHHH, I THINK THAT’S PRETTY UNLIKELY.

  8. Many of the writers who were popular along with you back in the late 80s/early 90s have vanished from the industry, and one gets the impression that they’ve been sidelined as relics of the past. I don’t think I’m the only one who’s noticed this, and I find it distressing. How have you managed to stay relevant and in-demand?

    CLEAN LIVING, FANCY FOOTWORK, AND A HÊLL OF A LOT OF LUCK. FOR INSTANCE, IF THE TOM BREVOORT /ANDY SCHMIDT OFFICE AT MARVEL HADN’T TAKEN AN EXTREME INTEREST IN REBUILDING MY CAREER AT MARVEL, CHANGES ARE I’D BE AS SIDELINED AS ANYONE YOU CAN NAME.

  9. Peter, how about combining your answers from all the What’cha wanna know?’s, and combining them into an FAQ section on the site? And how about other additions to the stie, like a Peter David checklist?

    IT’S NOT A BAD IDEA. I MAY GET AROUND TO IT.

  10. 1 Are you writing any more new star trek books in the future?

    WELL, OF COURSE. IT’S STAR TREK. WHERE ELSE WOULD THEY BE SET *BUT* IN THE FUTURE?

  11. JMS released his treatment for Star Trek… If the franchise was yours to command how would you reboot Trek?

    Uncajimmy

    I WOULDN’T REBOOT IT. I’D DO WHAT RODDENBERRY DID: I’D JUMP IT AHEAD ANOTHER CENTURY OR SO, AND SEE WHERE MATTERS STAND. GIVE A SENSE OF A GRAND STORY MOVING FORWARD. GOING BACKWARD JUST SEEMS LIKE NAVEL GAZING.

  12. How extensive is your outlining process? Do you outline before you start writing, or do you just bring all the characters on stage and see where they take you?

    LATELY I’VE FOUND IT EASIER TO WRITE A SHORT BEAT OUTLINE BEFORE I DO A STORY. FOR A COMIC IT’S GENERALLY A LINE OR TWO PER BEAT. FOR A NOVEL, IT’S MORE DETAILED.

  14. “I DO FIND IT AMUSING THAT PEOPLE HOWL HOW MUCH THEY HATE CROSSOVERS…BUT THE *INSTANT* THAT FNSM DIDN’T TIE IN WITH MAJOR CROSSOVER EVENTS (AND MKSM) SALES DROPPED.”

    Well, yeah. Some of those people were complaining because they felt like they were being forced to buy something. They wanted to buy a certain comic, but they only got a portion of the story unless they bought the other comics also. Thus, grudging higher sales.

    GRUDGING, PERHAPS, BUT THEY’RE SURE THEN QUICK TO POINT IT OUT WHEN A TITLE DOESN’T MAINTAIN THE SALES AFTER THE CROSSOVER.

  15. Someone already asked the question I want answered: Which other characters did you consider for X-Factor?

    NIGHTCRAWLER’S DAUGHTER WHOSE NAME ESCAPES ME. A FEW OTHERS, I DON’T RECALL SPECIFICS.

  16. You have the opportunity to work with any director of your chosing (living). Who would it be ans what would be the general premise (or at least genre) of the screenplay you’d write for them?

    TIM BURTON, AND IT’D BE A SCREENPLAY BASED ON THE COMIC BOOK HEARINGS OF THE 1950S.

  17. Okay, I can understand if you don’t want to answer this but… it’s gotta be asked:

    Civil War: Whose side are YOU on?

    I STAND WITH GENERAL WASHINGTON.

  18. Any chance of Fallen Angel, second half of DC series, in trade (from IDW) if DC reprint doesn’t do well?

    IDW WOULD LOVE TO DO IT. WHETHER DC WILL ALLOW IT IS ANOTHER THING ENTIRELY.

  19. Did you have the backstory for Hobgoblin 2211 basically worked out when you wrote the Spider-Man vs Spidey 2099 special a while back? Thanks!

    NO, NOT AT ALL.

  20. When it comes to Star Trek you’ve prooven you can write both The Original Series and The Next Generation, So when it comes to a new movie what do you think they should do Look Back (at the old (re)cast) or Move On(with the TNG cast)?

    THEY SHOULD GO FORWARD WITH A NEW CAST ENTIRELY.

  21. If we are what we eat, why is cannibalism illegal?

    BECAUSE WE’RE NOT REALLY WHAT WE EAT (ALTHOUGH, GRANTED, I HAVE MET A FEW HOT DOGS IN MY TIME.)

  22. With all that you have written, have you ever read something you wrote ages before and then thought, “I have no recollection of this story whatsoever!”

    YES.

    By the by, a statement and not a question, I want to read a five-year run of Fantastic Four written by you before I die (I have time). This needs to happen. Talk to JMS about you succeeding him.

    Another statement: because of you, I will never get rein and reign mixed up. I need you now to work on people who say “expresso” instead of “espresso” and “supposebly” instead of “supposedly.”

    WELL, THOSE COME UP MUCH LESS OFTEN. NOW “LET ME AXE YOU SOMETHING,” ON THE OTHER HAND…

  23. Ok, PAD, you got me down to one. It was a tough choice, but I’m gonna go with….

    7) What is your most embarassing moment?

    I WAS A PANELIST IN CHICAGO ON A “REMEMBERING DON THOMPSON” PANEL, ABOUT A MONTH OR SO AFTER HE’D PASSED AWAY. IT WAS ME, MAGGIE THOMPSON, HARLAN ELLISON, MICHAEL DAVIS.

    SO THE PANEL WAS GETTING READY TO START, I WAS HEADING TO MY SEAT, MAGGIE WAS AT THE PODIUM. AND MAGGIE BEGAN TO DESCRIBE HOW THE COMMITTEE HEADS PROPOSED THE IDEA OF DOING THIS PANEL. AND SHE BEGAN BY SAYING, “SO I RECEIVED A PROPOSAL–“

    AND, STILL WALKING, WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT OR GIVING IT ANY THOUGHT, I SAID CHIPPERLY, “*THAT* WAS FAST.”

    THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE LET OUT A GASP OF THE MOST HORRIFIED LAUGHTER YOU’D EVER HEARD. EVEN HARLAN LOOKED APPALLED, AND IT TAKES A LOT TO APPALL HARLAN. REALIZING THAT I’D JUST MADE A WISECRACK ABOUT MARRIAGE TO A WOMAN WIDOWED A FEW WEEKS EARLIER, I STOPPED IN MID-STRIDE IN TOTAL CHAGRIN.

    MAGGIE, BLESS HER, BAILED ME OUT. LAUGHING DELIRIOUSLY, SHE CAME OVER, HUGGED ME, AND TOLD THE AUDIENCE THIS WAS *EXACTLY* WHAT DON WOULD HAVE WANTED: WISE CRACKING AND JOKES RATHER THAN SOMBER DEPRESSION.

  24. If it’s not too late to submit a question…

    If comic book publishers are always on the look out for new talent, why is it so hard for a fledgling writer to prove him/her self and find work?

    Case in point: Marvel and DC currently seem to be only interested in looking at artist samples, but only at conventions. Meanwhile, most of the independents that are willing to look at submissions are only willing to consider complete productions.

    What is a hopeful writer to do if you cannot draw, ink or letter, and have no contacts with those who do?

    IT’S A MAJOR PROBLEM, I ADMIT. I DON’T HAVE AN EASY ANSWER FOR IT. IN FACT, IT’S SO *NOT* AN EASY QUESTION TO ANSWER THAT, WHEN IT CAME TO ADDRESS EXACTLY THAT IN MY BOOK ON COMICS WRITING, I TURNED TO ANDY SCHMIDT AT MARVEL AND HE WROTE AN ESSAY ON HOW TO BREAK IN. I’D SUGGEST GIVING THAT A READ FOR INSIGHT ON HOW TO BREAK IN. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BUY THE BOOK, AT LEAST READ THE ESSAY AT A LIBRARY OR AT A BORDERS.

  25. Okay, so here’s my question.

    You ended your Supergirl run in a very specific way – Linda leaves behind the mantle, Ariella is lost in the future, and Xenon defeated by Linda.

    You’ve mentioned that if the series had not been cancelled, it would have continued on in two ways, one of which might have been Blonde Justice. I’m guessing that the other way would have followed the basic themes of Fallen Angel.

    My question is…I forgot my question. No, wait wait, here it is:

    What changes did you make specifically to the ending storyline that weren’t planned before in regards to the series being cancelled?

    DISPOSING OF THE VILLAIN. THAT’S WHY THE ENDING SEEMED RUSHED; I DISCOVERED THE SERIES WASN’T CONTINUING AS I WAS WRITING THE LAST SCRIPT. I’D PLANNED A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ENDING WHERE THE VILLAIN SURVIVED. IT DIDN’T WORK IF THE SERIES WASN’T GOING TO BE ONGOING. SO I HAD TO REWORK IT TO DISPOSE OF HIM, AND I WAS NEVER HAPPY WITH THE WAY I DID IT. HAD I KNOWN FURTHER IN ADVANCE, I COULD HAVE SET IT UP BETTER WITH THE PREVIOUS ISSUE.

  29. “So now you’re in your third decade of this comix-writing business, which means that you have nearly twenty years more experience than the Peter David of 1989 did.”

    That almost makes it sound like PAD is Dr. Who, has regenerated, and will soon run into the PAD of 89 who is on a mission to the future to stop some horror.

    JAC

  30. Knowing what you do now (about the direction Marvel has taken with Spider-Man —- first The Other and now the unmasking in Civil War — which I would guess has meant a lot of changes in what you might have originally been planning/wanting to do with FNSM) … if you had it to do over again, would you take the reins of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?

    YES.

  31. Any chance you’ll ever write a Firefly or Serenity novel? I’d LOVE to read how you would write those characters as your the next best thing to Joss himself writting a novel.

    I WOULDN’T SAY THERE’S NO CHANCE, BUT IT’S NOT AT THE TOP OF MY PRIORITY LIST.

  32. Any plans to follow up with Captain Marvel’s cast post-Thunderbolts #100? Or is that deader than Jean Grey?

    NOT AT THIS POINT, NO.

  33. Scry time. It looks like superheroes are warming up on the movie screens; at least some new projects are out there. Do you think there will be a significant hit movie about any existing superhero (who has NOT, as of yet, been portrayed in movies or TV) over the next year, and if so, who do you think it will be?

    WELL, THOSE PARAMETERS PRETTY MUCH LIMIT IT TO “GHOST RIDER.” AND HAVING SEEN NOTHING OF IT OTHER THAN THE TRAILER, I REALLY DON’T KNOW.

  34. Lately I’ve been rereading some of your earlier books, and I have a question I’ve never seen the answer to. Why were your Photon and Psi-Man books credited as “David Peters” instead of your own name?

    And, as always, thanks for giving us the opportunity to ask you these questions.

    NO, I’VE BEEN ASKED THAT BEFORE. THE REASON IS THAT ACE WANTED TO PUBLISH IT UNDER A HOUSE NAME. THE FEELING WAS THAT, IF THE SERIES CONTINUED, THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE IT WITH A CONSISTENT NAME SO THAT THEY’D ALL BE RACKED IN THE SAME PLACE IN THE BOOK STORE (THIS WAS BEFORE BOOKSTORES SHOWED THAT THEY WERE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF DISPLAYING SERIES UNDER MULTIPLE AUTHORS, SUCH AS “STAR WARS” OR “STAR TREK.”) SO THEY SWITCHED MY NAME AROUND AND CREATED A HOUSE NAME OF “DAVID PETERS” WITH IT.

  35. Which one wins in a free for all, knock down, drag out brawl – Maestro, Captain Calhoun, Fallen Angel, Sir Apropos of Nothing, or Chuck Frickin’ Norris?

    APROPOS. HE FINDS A PLACE TO SIT IT OUT, THEN LURES THE WINNER TO A BAR TO CONGRATULATE AND POISONS HIS OR HER DRINK.

  36. The Cognocenti from “Strike Zone” and the Promethians from “Fire on High” have awfully similar abilities and M.O.’s. Are they supposed to bne the same race?

    NO. THE COGS ARE THE STANDARD ALL-KNOWING TREK RACE. THE PROMETHIANS ARE ELVIS.

  38. Dear Peter.

    We both have a beloved character. The character known as Justice. The hero from the New Universe.

    Would you ever want to work him again on a ongoing series again?

    IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO RETURN TO HIM, YES.

  39. In Writing for Comics by Peter David you stated that what many fans are calling “decompressed” storytelling is in fact cinematic storytelling. I’ve noted that you seem able to write in both a cinematic style and a more “compressed” style with equal facility. Do you have a personal preference for one style over the other, and if so, which style and why?

    I DON’T THINK ABOUT WRITING IN ANY ONE STYLE OR THE OTHER; JUST WHATEVER IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE STORY AND THE AMOUNT OF SPACE I HAVE TO TELL THE STORY IN.

  40. Now it’s all over, what are your feelings on ‘The Other’? Do you think it really delivered and had enough actual story to merit 12 parts? And are you glad that you took part in FNSM, sales increases aside.

    I THINK SOME THINGS WORKED BETTER THAN OTHERS. SOME ASPECTS I THOUGHT WERE PRETTY EXCITING, AND OTHERS THAT JUST SORT OF MADE ME WINCE. OVERALL, YES, I’M GLAD I TOOK PART IN IT.

  42. I remember in your blog entry when Young Justice was cancelled, you commented on how you were disappointed because Impulse and Superboy had just cotten canceled and you were about to get free reign on the characters. My question is, What directions were you thinking of taking all the characters (I know that’s a very broad question)? Would you have “killed” Secret, and would we have found out what happened to Empress and her parents?

    (By the way, Young Justice is my favorite book of all time)

    I DIDN’T REALLY HAVE TIME TO START GIVING LONG TERM THOUGHT TO WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO SINCE YJ WAS CANCELED NOT LONG AFTER THAT.

  43. >>”I DO FIND IT AMUSING THAT PEOPLE HOWL HOW MUCH THEY HATE CROSSOVERS…BUT THE *INSTANT* THAT FNSM DIDN’T TIE IN WITH MAJOR CROSSOVER EVENTS (AND MKSM) SALES DROPPED.”

    >Well, yeah. Some of those people were complaining because they felt like they were being forced to buy something. They wanted to buy a certain comic, but they only got a portion of the story unless they bought the other comics also. Thus, grudging higher sales.

    Sadly, I have spoken with a handful of people who have chosen not to pick up the series at all due to the tie-in aspect of the first several issues. I have mentioned the merits of current to them and a few have said they may pick up an issue to check it out, but apparently the tie-in aspect has backfired, at least with some.

    YEAH, WELL…I THINK THEY’RE FULLA CRAP. I’VE LONG SUSPECTED THAT PEOPLE WHO LOUDLY ANNOUNCE THEY WEREN’T GOING TO SUPPORT SOMETHING FOR SUCH-AND-SUCH A REASON WEREN’T GOING TO SUPPORT IT IN ANY EVENT. I OFTEN FEEL THAT PEOPLE DON’T LOOK FOR REASONS TO BUY COMICS; THEY LOOK FOR REASONS NOT TO BUY THEM.

  44. Sorry about the multi-questions before. Here’s my pick of the three:

    I’ve been loving Spike Vs. Dracula–any plans to write other BTVS/Angel miniseries or individual issues?

    Thanks,
    Christopher

    NOPE. NOT FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS AT LEAST.

  45. Hey PAD

    I became a Dad to a beautiful baby girl, Natasha, in February.

    What advice could you give to me for the future? What can I expect now that the sleepless nights have finally finished?

    …Simon.

    DON’T BLINK. AND DON’T TURN AROUND. BECAUSE IF YOU BLINK OR IF YOU TURN AROUND, THEN BOOM. THEY’RE GROWN UP.

  46. What’s your absolute favorite/worst con story?

    I WAS AT A CONVENTION–WONDER CON, I THINK–AND THE CONVENTION WAS EFFECTIVELY OVER. I WAS WANDERING THE CLOSING DEALER’S ROOM WITH TOM GALLOWAY, AS I RECALL (IF I’M WRONG, SORRY, BUT FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS, IT WAS TOM).

    AND TOM SAID THAT I MUST HAVE MADE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAPPY WITH ALL THE AUTOGRAPHS I SIGNED. AND I SAID CYNICALLY, “YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU ALMOST NEVER HEAR FROM THEM. YOU KNOW WHO YOU HEAR FROM? ONE GUY WHO I PÍSSÊÐ ØFF SOMEHOW. HE’S GOING TO GO AROUND BECAUSE I OFFENDED HIM SOMEHOW AND SAY WHAT A BÃSTÃRÐ I AM, AND HIS WILL BE THE VOICE THAT GOES ALL OVER.”

    AND THEN THIS GUY WALKS UP TO US AND ASKS ME TO AUTOGRAPH A COMIC. IT WASN’T ONE I HAD WRITTEN. IT WAS FROM SOME INDY I’D NEVER HEARD OF. I SAID POLITELY, “I’M SORRY, BUT I DON’T SIGN COMICS I HAVEN’T WRITTEN. IT’S LIKE TAKING CREDIT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE’S WORK.”

    HE SAID, “I DON’T CARE. SIGN IT.”

    I SAID, “YES, BUT *I* CARE. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN SIGN?”

    “WOULD YOU JUST SIGN MY COMIC?”

    “LOOK, CAN’T WE FIND SOMETHING ELSE FOR ME TO SIGN? A PROGRAM BOOK? A PIECE OF PAPER? A NAPKIN?”

    AND HE SNAPS AT ME, “NO, FORGET IT. I’M SORRY TO HAVE *BOTHERED* YOU.” OFF HE STORMED.

    TOM STOOD THERE STUNNED AND I TURNED TO HIM AND SAID, “THERE HE GOES. HE WAS LATE, BUT HE MADE IT. HE’S THE GUY. AND HE’S GOING TO SHOW UP ON COMPUTER BOARDS AND CHAT ROOMS AND TELL PEOPLE THAT HE WALKED UP TO PETER DAVID, WHO WASN’T DOING ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR, AND ASKED HIM FOR AN AUTOGRAPH, AND PETER DAVID COULDN’T BE BOTHERED. AND OTHER PEOPLE WILL PIPE UP AND SAY, ‘YEAH, I HEARD PETER DAVID’S A REAL ÃSSHØLÊ.’ AND THAT’S HOW REPUTATIONS GET TRASHED.”

    MY FAVORITE CONVENTION STORY AND WORST CONVENTION STORY IN ONE SHOT.

  47. Hi Peter,

    Is there any John Byrne work you actually think is good? I love Man of Steel, Doom Patrol not so much.

    David

    X-MEN. FANTASTIC FOUR. NEXT MEN. ALPHA FLIGHT. BABE.

  48. That almost makes it sound like PAD is Dr. Who, has regenerated, and will soon run into the PAD of 89 who is on a mission to the future to stop some horror.

    One of the things I always enjoy about my favorite writers (PAD included) is that it seems as though they’re on a mission to undo some creative or editorial horror that was inflicted on a book in the past, or avert a disaster that would have happened in the future if a different writer had signed on.

    Sort of a “Quantum Leap” for comix continuity. 🙂

    —

    “Okay, but I still don’t understand why I’ve been leaped into the Spider-Man office.”

    “Hang on, Sam…dámņ, Ziggy’s been acting up ever since Gushie set it up to work on my tax audit…okay, Ziggy says…Ziggy says that there’s a 94% probability that Marvel is going to have Peter Parker officially unmask himself and go public as Spider-Man.”

    “Why would they do that?“

    “Cheap PR stunt. Ziggy also says that they want to get into the papers and on TV and compete with a huge summer blockbuster movie that DC releases at about the same time: … (come on, you useless hunk of) … ‘Aquaman.'”

    “What’s so bad about that?”

    “I dunno. Ziggy says that the Spidey books do really well for about a year, while writers play with the new status quo…but then it’s all played out and it becomes clear that they’ve thrown away one of the character’s two most crucial elements. And then…”

    “What?”

    “UH-oh…”

    “What, Sam?”

    “You’re not gonna like this: Ziggy says that this guy by the name of Bendis writes an issue of ‘Squirrel Girl’ in which the main characters spend 21 pages trying to get their change from a vending machine. And then in the last panel of the last page, the Scarlet Witch makes a surprise re-appearance, whispers ‘CIVIL WAR never happened,’ and then disappears again. It’s seen as the last straw not just for Marvel and comic books, but for the fundamental system of editing and printing that allowed such a thing to happen.”

    “You mean…?”

    “DC and Marvel fold. Newspapers and magazines fold, followed by commercial television, which according to public opinion helped Marvel to promote themselves. Soon, the only sources of news and entertainment left are political blogs, webcomics, and fanfic.”

    “OH boy…”

    YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT MY FANFIC, “QUANTUM BEAST.” I HAD SAM LEAP INTO THE BODY OF VINCENT AND UNDO THE ENTIRE THIRD SEASON OF “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.”

  49. Old-school question, one you might not be able to answer: On the old DC STAR TREK series, you left the book before you were able to finish a lot of the storylines (the little yellow fanatics, Klaa, etc.) you had set into motion. These were all sort of tied off rather quickly by the replacement writer, who then of course took the book in a different direction. My question, I guess, is: do you remember what it is that YOU were going to do to finish those storylines, and where you were going to take the book next? Also, why’d you leave in the first place?

    I ACTUALLY DID CONCLUDE THE STORYLINES. THAT’S WHERE THE NOVEL ‘STRIKE ZONE’ CAME FROM. I DID SOME TWEAKING TO ADJUST FOR THE FACT THAT IT WAS THE NEXT GEN CHARACTERS RATHER THAN ORIGINAL TREK, BUT MANY OF THE MAJOR STORY BEATS WERE THE SAME.

Comments are closed.