10 Best Peter David Comic Series, Ranked

In the realm of the comic book medium, several iconic creators have made their mark at a variety of publishers. In many cases, these writers and artists have excelled at crafting now legendary comic book runs at Marvel, DC and independent companies. One writer who’s delivered repeatedly on this front is Peter David, who’s written beloved run after beloved run.

Working at Marvel and DC throughout the years, Peter David delivered definitive runs for several teams and characters. These include one of Marvel’s founding Avengers and one of the most overlooked members of DC’s Justice League. His success has also been seen in the creator-owned realm, showcasing how Peter David’s talent knows no boundaries.

10 SpyBoy Was a Satirical Romp

The Series Showcased Peter David’s Sense of Humor

Published at Dark Horse Comics, SpyBoy showcased just how silly and hilarious Peter David could be. The premise was about a bullied young boy who’s actually the alter ego of a super spy. What could have been a basic concept was remixed as a downright parody, with even the basic spy organizations reflecting this humorous rendition of the well-worn genre.

Protagonist Alex Fleming/SpyBoy worked for S.H.I.R.T.S., while S.K.I.N.S. was the name of his rival organization. Franchises such as James Bond and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. were frequently referenced or made fun of, resulting in a series far more than the sum of its parts. While other books had a similar sense of humor, SpyBoy allowed Peter David to run wild.

9 Peter David Delivered One of the Few Great Captain Marvel Runs

David’s Run Featured the Best Genis-Vell Comics

Despite Marvel being the publisher who owns the rights to the name, the Captain Marvel mantle has rarely been synonymous with popular or beloved comic books at Marvel. In fact, DC’s Shazam/Captain Marvel is more known for this due to comics by creators such as Jerry Ordway and Geoff Johns. Thankfully, Marvel’s titular hero got at least one great run to the mantle’s name, courtesy of Peter David.

The Peter David Captain Marvel run celebrated the character’s history while pushing things forward. Rick Jones was once again the “alter ego” of Captain Marvel, though this time, he was bonded with Genis-Vell, the son of Mar-Vell. Many of the series reveled in metacommentary on the comic book industry by way of a character owning a comic book store. The art was also dynamic and energetic, making for an all-around great read, perhaps the one truly great Marvel Captain Marvel comic book.

8 Fallen Angel Subtly Continued a Previous Classic

The Creator-Owned Series Was Supergirl In All But Name

Originally published by DC Comics and tentatively set in the DC Universe, Peter David’s Fallen Angel later jumped to fellow comic book company IDW Publishing. The protagonist was a mysterious woman named Lee, whose supernatural abilities helped her protect the city of Bete Noire. This created a sort of paranormal cousin to the superhero genre, but the series’ origins were much more overtly heroic.

Fallen Angel was an excellent way for Peter David to repackage unused ideas from his Supergirl run at DC. To some extent, the protagonist was the Linda Lee/Matrix Supergirl in all but name. The result was a fairly dark series that expertly tackled various religious concepts and ideas. Though short-lived, it’s still one of Peter David’s defining works, putting his ideas and mentality on display in ways few of his more mainstream books could.

7 Peter David Was Great On X-Factor

The Writer Did a Lot of Work With the Team

When the X-Factor team and book debuted, it was very much a cash grab built upon the overall popularity of the X-Men. This eventually changed for the better, and after almost six years, Peter David jumped on board. Peter David’s first X-Factor series reimagined the team as a government-sponsored mutant group, and it was a great way to put lesser-known mutants in the spotlight.

Peter David’s return to the X-Factor comic book series turned the team into a mutant detective agency, with Jamie Maddrox/Multiple Man in the lead. Once again, the book was a spotlight for lesser-known characters, finally giving them their deserved attention and fleshing them out. An example of a noir X-Men series, it’s also notable for the romance between Shatterstar and Rictor.

6 Peter David’s Spectacular Spider-Man Was an Excellent Read

The Writer Delivered One of Spidey’s Darkest Stories

When it began, The Spectacular Spider-Man was a good, if somewhat typical, spinoff series that didn’t quite live up to its name. Thankfully, Peter David spiced things up by going darker than usual for the hero. The result was a story that killed off a key supporting cast member that arguably set up the introduction of an iconic villain who became a Lethal Protector.

“The Death of Jean DeWolff” was a dark murder mystery that introduced Spider-Man to a different story than fans were used to. An angry Web-Slinger sought vengeance for his murdered friend, Jean. The story arc helped get Peter David into the comic book industry, which later led to events that caused the introduction of Venom.

5 Spider-Man 2099 Is Still the Biggest Success In the 2099 Line

Peter David Co-Created the Spider-Verse Hero

Marvel’s former 2099 imprint was a fairly interesting experiment, though some books were definitely better than others. In the case of Peter David and Rick Leonardi’s Spider-Man 2099, the book and character became the most beloved in the entire futuristic line. Featuring former Alchemax employee Miguel O’Hara, the series showcased a very different type of Spider-Man in a much different world.

Spider-Man 2099 reflected the cyberpunk leanings of the 2099 imprint, with the Alchemax Corporation being an ever-present threat in Miguel’s life and the world at large. Miguel himself had a lot of drama concerning his family and went through tons of character development. This helped make it the premiere part of the line, and it helped that, while there were a few 2099 versions of classic Spider-Man foes, the character and his stories were merely a low-rent version of Peter Parker.

Even Without the “Real” Supergirl, David’s Run Soared High

After Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC editorial stressed that Superman had to be the only survivor of Krypton. Thus, when Supergirl was reintroduced in the new continuity, she wasn’t Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El. Instead, she was a shapeshifting protoplasm named Matrix, and she eventually merged with the soul of a human girl named Linda Lee Danvers in Peter David’s run on the character.

The Peter David Supergirl didn’t feature the mainstream Girl of Steel, but it was a character-driven drama that added more supernatural aspects to the Superman brand. There was also a later connection to the pre-Crisis version of Supergirl. While Matrix/Linda has since been forgotten, the run that featured her best was handled by Peter David, with perhaps only the later Sterling Gates Supergirl rivaling it in quality for the Maiden of Might.

3 Young Justice Represented a New Age of DC Legacy

The Characters Showcased a Teen Team Beyond the Titans

Launched in the late 1990s, DC’s Young Justice comic book featured then-current sidekicks of major characters. The main protagonists were Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl and Impulse, and several other young heroes who later joined. While the book could have come off as a poor substitute for the traditional Teen Titans comic book, Peter David made it into more of a hit than it had any right to be.

Peter David’s Young Justice was the best use of teen heroes ever, and the kids felt like impetuous youths. This was aided by the similar energy of Todd Nauck’s art, creating a series that used some sidekicks better than any other books. Now available in omnibus format, Peter David helped define a generation of DC legacy heroes and set them up for later roles/books.

2 The Incredible Hulk Was Peter David’s Most Iconic Work

The Writer Defined the Mental Struggles of Bruce Banner

Before Peter David, the Incredible Hulk’s comic book adventures were mostly blasé affairs that were fairly overlooked. This changed in the 1980s, with a certain writer giving the big green monster more depth than ever. Peter David’s The Incredible Hulk comic book built upon previous abuse revelations introduced by writers such as Roger Stern and Bill Mantlo, all the while delivering one of the most iconic Hulk runs ever.

Beyond delving into Banner’s mental illness, Peter David’s decade-plus on The Incredible Hulk also introduced characters and concepts such as Hulk’s dark future counterpart, the Maestro. Since then, this book has defined the character, with even Immortal Hulk owing many of its thematic elements to the legendary Marvel comic book run. Beyond this run, Peter David’s run is the main part of the Hulk’s publication history that’s truly remembered by mainstream comic book fans, and he’s continued to build upon it in miniseries such as those based on The Maestro.

1 Peter David Wrote the Best Aquaman Run

Before Geoff Johns, Peter David Was the King of the Seven Seas

For much of his history within mainstream popular culture, Aquaman has been seen as a joke. This was despite his having some fairly dark storylines, namely the murder of his infant son. Thankfully, the post-Crisis era of DC kept delivering great Aquaman comics, but the best of the bunch were those written by Peter David. Long before similar successes during the New 52 and DC Rebirth by writers such as Geoff Johns and Jeff Parker, Peter David’s Aquaman run reigned supreme for the hero’s publication history.

Peter David’s Aquaman comic books had the hero take on a gruffer personality, replacing his lost hand with a hook weapon amid personal and political turmoil in Atlantis. His relationships with Aqualad/Tempest and his ex-wife Mera were more complicated than ever, and his stories overall felt like a tragic yet epic fantasy series. Perhaps the best part was The Atlantis Chronicles, a sort of prelude that led into the run itself, with these and other stories rebuilding Aquaman’s life into a prophetic tapestry still acclaimed.