167 comments on “What’cha Wanna Know?”

    1. Some I can’t tell you about because they haven’t been announced. Comics wise, Dark Tower and Spider-Man 2099. What amazes me is how many people don’t know about the latter. I’m asked “What are you working on” all the time at conventions and so many people have no idea about S-M 2099 even though I’ve been doing it for nearly three years. I’ve even had people say, “You guys should bring back Spidey 2099!” It’s a little frustrating. Novel wise, working on the third book in the Hidden Earth trilogy.

      2. Is he back in the (near) 22nd century? I felt putting in the present took away from the character.

    2. Ah, okay. I looked them up. So that’s what John is doing these days, huh. Well, there’s a bunch of them, so I assume they’re doing okay for IDW. No opinion on the books themselves because I haven’t read them.

      PAD

  3. Graphic Audio has been doing full cast adaptation of Marvel Comics novels. Any word on them possibly adapting your Hulk novel What Savage Beast?
    Also, any word on more New Frontier novels?
    Or any word on a new X-Factor series?

    1. That’s an interesting idea, but I’m not sure they do adaptations of books that aren’t in print anymore. But that would be cool if they did. And no word on either of those projects, sorry.

      PAD

  4. This may be nostalgia talking, but I miss the days when you could write 11-years-worth of Hulk stories, forming a narrative thread that epitomized a character (for example, Banner going on a journey to heal childhood emotional trauma, visualized in his transformations from gray Hulk to gray/green Hulk to integrated, smart Hulk). The current Marvel environment feels…chaotic, with brief sparks of titles featuring Amadeus Hulk and Jen Hulk and Banner being suddenly shot in the head in a crossover miniseries…

    So my question is, how would you advise us older readers to navigate this complex ecosystem of intersecting comic book series, while we try to find that grounded, linear evolution of a single character?

    1. I’m honestly not sure. Frankly, *I* have trouble keeping track and I work for the dámņëd company. As much as I hate to say it–and I can’t believe that I am–I’m beginning to understand the philosophy of waiting for trade paperbacks because you can read entire storylines grouped together in a way that you can understand it.

      PAD

      1. Glad to hear you have plans at least. Fallen Angel is one of my favorite things you’ve ever done. The beginning of the IDW series coincided with my return to comic books. Then, towards the end of that same year, your 2nd X-Factor run began. Ahhhh, memories…

      2. Hi Peter,
        I am a comicbook publisher from Hungary. I am publishing DC Comics and asked them if I can publish Fallan Angel but they said the rights of the Fallen Angel went back to you. I am publishing IDW now, too (TMNT) but I haven’t asked them about the rights. If I buy the FA rights from the IDW that help their decision? I would like to read more Fallen Angel because that my favorite comics from you. And I published or publishing from you the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man: Death of Jean DeWolff and Death of Sin-Eater and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and I will in 2017 the X-Factor and I plan the Captain Marvel, too.

  6. What do you see as the biggest differences in the writing business today vs. when you were starting out?

    1. It’s much, much, much harder to keep a comic book series going. If it’s not one of the big ones, people just don’t want to spend the money on them on a monthly basis. Back when I was doing Hulk, the quality stories caused an increase in readers. Nowadays getting readers is almost impossible. You get your initial grouping and then you lose them by attrition, if nothing else, and no one wants to start on a series when the numbers increase, which is why series keep getting cancelled and restarted.

      PAD

  9. Any plans for any new Trek projects in any medium, even if you can’t reveal the details? I’be been enjoying rereading your older works this year. Q-Squared and New Frontier have aged well.

    1. No plans because, frankly, no one is paying me to think about it. I have general thoughts on New Frontier but as of this point, no plans to write them.

      PAD

  10. Hi Mr. David. Been reading the Incredible Hulk form the beginning and I’m closing in on issue #400. Anywho, I have some questions regarding that run thus far.

    1. When you took over from Al Milgrom on the Incredible Hulk, you soon did away with Rick Jones as the New Hulk (not that I was sad to see him back as a regular human again, mind you). What made you decide to do that? Was it something already in the works or mandated before Al left the book or was Rick as the Hulk just not as interesting to you as a writer?

    2. In Vegas (“Las”) Mr. Fixit breaks up a dog fight and ends up killing the one dog who was winning the fight. For some reason this just really bothered me. I just couldn’t see him doing that. As someone who was stronger than everyone else for years and easily able to win most fights, I would think Fixit would have been able to relate to that dog in particular. And, what with the dog considerably weaker and defenseless compared to him, I just couldn’t see Fixit/Hulk doing this to the poor animal, especially when it wasn’t its fault it was acting as a monster (again, something else Fixit might have been able to relate to). I didn’t really have any other problems with Hulk’s tenure as a leg breaker (it was so enjoyable!), but that was the one thing that just didn’t sit right with me. Could you explain what made you decide on having Fixit break up the dog fight in the way that he did?

    3. What’d you think of the Hulk’s 90’s animated series, which borrowed a lot of material from your run, particularly during its second season?

    4. While we’re at it, what have you thought of the various movies depicting Hulk since the 2003 film?

    5. Of all the Hulk-related characters you created, who was/is your favorite and why?

    6. Jumping to Spider-Man 2099, of which I am also a fan, did you see that the new Marvel Legend figure of Miguel in his new costume is hitting shelves? It’s looking pretty sweet!

    7. Can you put in a good word with someone at Marvel to update the original 90’s Spidey 2099 issues on the Marvel Unlimited app? I’m dying to read more than just the first 10 issues.

    8. Was Miguel’s new costume your idea or something that came out of an editorial retreat or something of that nature? If it was your idea, what made you decide to lose that great classic look? I loved the old one. The new one is nice, and I love the new things it can do, but it just doesn’t look as striking to me as the original design. If you could somehow marry the design of the first costume to the new suit’s abilities, you’d have my favorite Spidey 2099 costume.

    9. Are the events and characters involved in the “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions” game canon with your Spidey 2099 stories? I really enjoyed those 2099 versions of Doc Ock and Hobgoblin.

    10. Are there any more Spidey villains that you have plans to make a 2099 version of? I’m always dying to see more.

    Thank you for your time, Mr. David.

    Always a fan,
    Bill Slattery III

  11. Any chance of New Frontiers the Returned in book form?

    Also, how about a collection of your short stories?

    1. Boy, a lot of NF questions. Again, no word from Pocket. I have been thinking about doing a short story collection, though. God knows I have enough. The problem is that most short story collections don’t sell unless they’re by Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, someone on that level.

      PAD

  12. Almost 18 months ago you released the 3 Star Trek New Frontier novels, with the phrase if they sell well more will follow. So did they do ok to warrant more novels? I hope the answer is yes (also when for the next one)

  13. End of Captain Marvel, there’s a lot of talking about “and then THIS person did this!” But it’s all indirect and vague. I can make guesses, but I don’t suppose you’d be willing to shed some light on that, would you?

  14. Thanks for doing this, Peter. And I’m thoroughly enjoying Spider-Man 2099, by the way.

    Can I ask if you’ve ever watched the British sitcom “Coupling” by Steven Moffat? If not, may I heartily recommend it?

      1. It was on BBC America, but a number of years ago (to the point that there was a one season American version [don’t bother with that one] that was pitched as NBC’s successor for Friends). DVD or possibly streaming (don’t know if it’s on any of the major services at the moment) is the way to go, but I’ll strongly second the recommendation. Very funny, and some amazing plotting; the last episode of the second series, The End Of The Line, has a bunch of seemingly unrelated things going on, and somehow at the end Moffat brings them all together.

      1. Glad to hear it and can’t wait to buy both!

        Also, any idea if One Knight Only or Fall of Knight will be published for Kindle? Similarly, Woad to Wuin or Tong Lashing?

  16. any chance on a follow up for The Camelot Papers? Sorry but my other questions have already been asked and answered, and I know how much you love repeating yourself…

    1. I’m not thrilled with the way he handled George Takei and the wedding invitation, but overall I adore Shatner. Kirk was my hero growing up and, when he has a good director, Shatner can be a hëll of an actor (I suggest finding “The Andersonville Trial” directed by George C. Scott if you don’t believe me.) Presenting him with the Julie Award at Dragon*Con was one of the highlights of my life.

      PAD

  19. You probably don’t remember this, but I met you at NYCC and shook your hand for standing your ground with that person who got up in arms about Roma in comics.

    I stand by what I said about them probably doing it for selfish reasons, but on reading your follow-up post, I think I also learned something about taking time to listen even to people who aren’t acting right ’cause it might do you both good. I don’t know if I’ll have the heart to do it every time, but – it’s something I think might come in handy for the next four years. At least, I hope something will.

    Uhh, that wasn’t really a question, I guess. Hm. Sorry.

    Oh, final analysis: who’s your favorite Spyboy character?

  20. In New Frontier, when Selar has her baby, it seems to be implied that “he” is dual gendered like Burgoyne, but following books establish him as male. Did I misunderstand that or was that a dropped subplot or something?

  21. Are there any characters (or any company or even outside of comics) you’ve never worked on that you would love to take a crack at?

      1. Ooh, you’d do an AWESOME Doc Savage!! If it were to happen, I’d be there on the first issue’s release day at my local shop, waiting for them to open.

  22. Hi—Did you see STAR TREK BEYOND? Curious about your opinions, if any—

    Thanks for taking the time to do this; I’m a great admirer of your work.

    pf

  23. I was also curious about your health (which sound weird when I type it): you referenced a doctor who was a big help to you. I’m not local, but what kind of doctor were they? Trying to track down a local equivalent, if possible.

    Thanks,

    pf

  24. Can you tell me if the current Spider-Man 2099 series is safe from cancellation? Cause the sales on it could be better and I don’t want one of my favorite titles getting cancelled.

  25. I miss the Pantheon. Would you be interested in ever revisiting them, or do you feel that you are done with those characters?

      2. If only Perseus had not been killed, he’d surely had made a fine candidate. “Scott Shannon for President” has a nice ring to it…

    1. I’ve been avoiding spoilers so I don’t know what direction that is, aside from casting a black guy as Roland. Which would seriously screw up the character of Detta since she’s an angry black woman who doesn’t trust white guys. But I’ve no idea if she’s in it so it may be irrelevant.

      PAD

  27. What are your thoughts on the death of Madrox?
    If you had the chance, would you write X-Factor again?
    If so, who would be on the team?

    1. I’m sorry, that wasn’t Madrox. I don’t care what they say. He was wearing a costume he hasn’t worn in over a decade and there was no M on his face. So he’s not dead as far as I’m concerned. Would I write it again? Sure. As for who would be on it, that would depend on who’s available.

      PAD

      1. And if i remember rightly you made an allusion to him not actually being a mutant, right? Hope he re-appears and is dealt with properly- he’s a solid character.

  28. As someone who’s successfully implemented massive changes to popular characters, do you have any kind of guiding philosophy as to when a character or the universe they inhabit can change so much they’re unrecognizable to their core audience? Or if that’s even a concern?

    1. It’s no concern to me at all, as long as you stay true to the character’s origins. For instance, no matter what I did with the Hulk, he was always Bruce Banner whose life became a living hëll when the gamma bomb went off. As long as you’re aware of where you’ve come from and hew to that, where you’re going will be fine.

      PAD

  29. OK, Peter, here’s my question:

    I think you’d write a great Fantastic Four, which has rarely been a favorite of mine (I like the Walt Simonson era best, think Byrne had his moments, but cringe at Reed’s sexist attitudes toward Sue during the Stan & Jack years.)

    So…what’s the very first concept that comes to your mind about how you’d bring them back from where Hickman (a writer I despise) left them at the end of Secret Wars 2015?

    1. I’d have them appear in the Baxter Building completely surprised with no idea of how they got there and make that mystery something I’d explore over the first year.

      PAD

      1. Perfect!! Thanks, Peter. I hope Marvel has the sense to offer you FF once enough time has passed and they’re ready to bring it back.

        For the record, my dream artist to collaborate with you on FF would be if you were reunited with Todd Nauck. You guys would bring in the manga/anime crowd for sure.

        And, finally, you & TN have always been my #1 choice for bringing back the FF since the very beginning of its hiatus. #2 are Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen. #3 are Karl Kesel & Tom Grummett.

  30. Hi again,

    I met you briefly at Megacon in Orlando this year. I was the extra nerdy guy that said you are one of my top 3 favorite writers. Anyway, at the time I didn’t have anything for you to sign but I bought a B5 script you wrote. I returned the next day after I bought a Hulk comic hoping you could sign that, and I was amazed at the line of people with STACKS of things for you to sign.

    My question is…. Does it bother you to see so many things to sign from one person? I feel honored and guilty for asking but of course you are paid. But doesn’t that seem a bit shallow?

    Okay, seriously I’m sure I have more and better questions but sadly this is all my tiny brain can think of now.
    Mike

    1. I’ve gotten used to the people with stacks of stuff. Ever since I installed a tip jar, these people typically make it worth my time, although on occasion people will give me a couple dozen books to sign and leave nothing. On occasion, though, some people bring an insane amount of books–my entire run on Hulk, for instance, at which point I flat out charge them. I also insist they leave them so I can sign them at my leisure rather than keep a line of people waiting.

      PAD

  31. Was there ever an interest on either your part or Marvels of spinning off The Pantheon into their own series? At that time of The 90s boom Marvel especially was falling all over themselves to launch spin offs and I always found it odd that nothing was ever attempted with those characters when Hulk was such a hot book with you and Keown. Any inside scoop?

  32. Mr. David,
    Thanks for doing this, it is very nice of you. I’ve been a big fan for years!

    In Spider-man 2099 (vol 2) #10 after faking out Miguel, the Maestro uses the time platform to time-travel somewhere/when. It always felt to me like he was up to something specific. Any plans to follow up on this sub-plot?

  33. I just read _Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir_ (of Stan Lee). Was there anything that you wish could’ve been in it but didn’t make it into the final product? If not, do you have any other comments on what it was like to work on the project?

    1. There was stuff that was cut at the specific direction of Stan and Company, which I hated having to take out, but they’re the bosses. I wish Colleen had had more time to work on it. Make no mistake, I think she did a terrific job, but the deadline almost killed her.

      PAD

  34. PAD:
    What’s your number 1 complaint about how you are treated by Con producers? At BoroughCon, since two of the five owners are lawyers, we’re looking at a client-based system, not customer. At the Cons, I’ve been polling creators on the good and bad on how they are treated.

    Also I was informed that Artists come to the Cons to sell work while writers are trailed by guys with wagon loads of comics to sign. Artist sell, and writers set out tip jars. Which leads me a second question, what do you personally want to get out of a Con?

    1. Con producers generally treat me pretty well. I do really appreciate the con producers who make sure we’re fed lunch during the day. Some have provided menus off which we order food and they bring it. Others have generously stocked green rooms with food ranging from sandwiches to pizza. Also like it when they have someone at the airport to pick me up as opposed to saying, “Take a cab” and then they reimburse you…sometimes. Can’t think of anyone who has had me out to a con that treated me badly.

      I’ve been treated badly by guys who DIDN’T have me out. There was one in Florida that said they would bring out me and my family. Then a few months before the convention they said they couldn’t afford to stick to the deal. I said, “Well, okay, have a good convention.” I didn’t know that they kept my name on their advertising and when people showed up to meet me, they said that at the last minute I’d made too many demands that they couldn’t meet. Ðìçkš. But that’s a rarity.

      As for writers, most indeed don’t sell stuff. Which is weird. I’ve been selling scripts for years and doing quite well with it. In terms of what I want to get out of conventions, I just want to meet fans, have them say nice things about my work, and if they’re so inclined, give me money. I don’t ask for much more than that, although appearance fees certainly help.

      PAD

  35. Mr. David: just finished reading “The Rift.” Loved it! I read your Star Trek DC comics when they first came out all those years ago, and “The Rift” felt like finding some more of those comics that I didn’t know existed. And I noticed your inclusion of Tuchinsky, with her name subtly changed to Tooch. It was also great to see relatively minor characters from TOS like Jose Tyler and Robert Fox brought back to life. Anyway, thank you for all of your incredibly entertaining work.

  37. An an avid/rabid old-school gamer, I’m curious: Are there any board games, card games, or RPGs that you enjoy playing with family and friends? Conversely, are there any of these games you absolutely hate playing?

    1. I like “Clue.” And Disney trivia games. No RPGs, really. The last time I played an RPG was something like thirty years ago. I played Dungeons and Dragons with a group of friends. I rolled up a thief and was pretty excited about it. Twenty minutes into the game, I got turned into a thistle. Since I was so new, no one wanted to expend any points (or whatever it was) to change me back. So they stuck me in a backpack and I sat there for three dámņëd hours. At the end of the game I was a thistle with experience points. So that kind of put me off RPGs for pretty much ever.

      PAD

      1. I think I remember a BID column when you discussed your D&D adventure, being turned into a thistle, and sitting there bored while the rest of the players, well, played. This sounds like a big flaw on the part of whoever was the DM (creating a situation where one player was essentially in limbo), and I’m sorry your first RPG turned out so poorly. If you’re ever near the NC/SC border and want to learn/try a different one, just let me know!

        And I enjoyed playing “Clue” when I was younger. The game also was included in Murphy’s Rules for being a game where you not only could be the murdered and not know it, but also win by revealing yourself as the killer!

  39. The recent Civil War 2099 arc in Spider-Man 2099 brought back a lot of familiar faces for long-time 2099 fans. As one of those fans, I just wanted to say thank you!

    My question is, of the various 2099 characters (old & new) is there any one who you would particularly like to take a crack at having their own spin-off series?

  40. Do you have any plans to bring back Halloween Jack? He was brought to present day from 2099 in X-Force #92 (July 1999) but never seen after that.

  43. Thanks for all the great work over the years. I especially love New Frontier, Q-Squared and your novelization of Batman Forever.
    .
    For as much as you’ve mentioned your dislike of Star Trek: Voyager, for all its flaws have you warmed to any of it at all over the years? For what it’s worth I really liked Before Dishonor and your use of Seven in New Froniter.
    .
    If you had been offered any Star Trek episode or movie to novelize (in addition to your comic book adaptations of ST5 and 6), which one(s) would you have most liked to do? (Personally I would have loved to see you weave a Guinan subplot into First Contact, and work in references to Rhiannon/Lore/Hugh.)

    1. I liked Seven when she came aboard, if for no other reason than that it completely undercut Richard Arnold’s firm assertion that there was no such thing as a female Borg. So any Seven-heavy story I was kind of fond of. But I still mourn what a great show Voyager could have been. The original bible was absolutely kick-ášš, but once they started writing the show they ignored it and made it much more generic.

      Any episode to novelize? “City on the Edge of Forever.” I would have endeavored to blend Harlan’s original story with the one that was aired to give it a best of both worlds vibe.

      PAD

  44. One other thing I’ve wondered is, you’ve talked a lot about Harry Potter here, but I wonder if you’ve read/are familiar with the other genre series, Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” books? (“The Golden Compass” movie was pretty watered down, but for all I know, you might have seen that). If you’re familiar, wondered what you might think of those.

  45. A “how is the sausage made” question. How/when were you informed about Jamie’s death in “Death of X” and did you have any comments/inputs/suggestions about it? Since you were his primary writer with X-Factor.

    1. How was I informed? By people on Twitter asking me what I thought of the first issue of “Death of X.” I had no clue about it until the book was published.

      PAD

  46. One November movie burst. If you’ve seen them, what are your thoughts on Dr. Strange, Fantastic Beasts and Moana?

  47. I saw your review of STAR TREK GENERATIONS years ago.

    I would love to see your reviews of the other Star Trek movie, especially the ones with Chris Pine.

    Thank you.

  48. I have questions from my childhood and my introduction to science fiction that remain unanswered after 20 years…

    Let’s talk Space Cases for a moment. Other than making it home, what would you have liked to see happen for all of the characters (including Catalina, the adults, and Thelma)? Can you reveal the endgame now, or are those details still confidential? Any plans for DVD release or continuation in comics or novels?

    I’d be happy with any additional info you can reveal about the series that we didn’t get to see played out onscreen, including backstories. Seems Goddard had an interesting past and might have been headed for jail after making it home. Guy could not catch a break.

    It’s been way longer than 7 years, 4 months, and 22 days. Can you give the fans something, please? Will they ever get home? Or are they forever destined to be Space Cases?

    1. They did get back home and we did have an entire story that would have revealed the backstory, including where the Christa came from. Maybe Bill and I can write it as a book someday. At least we’d have one sale.

      PAD

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