Prolific sci-fi/fantasy writer Peter David, 68, died on May 24 after years of ill health. David wrote for such TV series as X-Men, Babylon 5, Space Cases, Death Battle, and Young Justice, as well as for many video games. He wrote such comic books as The Incredible Hulk, Aquaman, Supergirl, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel (when I was a kid, I enjoyed Archie comics, and read Superman until they turned Lois Lane into a damn go-go girl). David wrote numerous novels, most of them also sci-fi or fantasy based: series based on Photon, Psi-Man, Spider-Man, Babylon-5, and King Arthur. He told interviewer Anthony Kuchar of rebooting Aquaman, “I started trying to think of ways to make Aquaman interesting, because the general public had zero interest in him. He was seen as one of the lamest characters. Certainly his portrayal in Super Friends didn't help. I decided that I had to radically change his appearance. So I gave him the long hair and I gave him the beard, and I developed the idea of him losing his right hand and having it replaced with a harpoon. I thought that would make him look a lot more dynamic. I mean, if the old Aquaman walks into a room, you'd go, ‘hey, Aquaman! What's going on?’ If the long-haired bearded guy with a scowl walks in and he's got a harpoon on his arm, you're gonna go ‘umm . . . yes? What can I do to help you, sir? Don't kill me.’"
