Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956),[3][4] often abbreviated PAD,[5] is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games.

His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force[6] and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.

David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff",[6][7] and he is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor[8][9] and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction[5] and self-reference.

[15] He has two siblings,[20] a brother Wally,[21] seven years his junior,[22] who works as an IT Systems Administrator in the financial sector, and a younger sister named Beth.

Although his family eventually moved to Pennsylvania,[37] his experiences in Verona soured him on that town and shaped his liberal sociopolitical positions regarding LGBT issues.

He later made Verona the home location of villain Morgan le Fay in his novel Knight Life, and has often discussed his progressive views on LGBT issues in his column and on his blog.

[45] Specific books he has mentioned as favorites include To Kill a Mockingbird, Tarzan of the Apes, The Princess Bride, The Essential Ellison, A Confederacy of Dunces,[46] Adams Versus Jefferson, and Don Quixote.

[6][31][51][52] During this time he made some cursory attempts to sell stories, including submission of some Moon Knight plots to Dennis O'Neil, but his efforts were unfruitful.

[5][6] Owsley subsequently purchased from David "The Death of Jean DeWolff", a violent murder mystery darker in tone than the usually lighter Spider-Man stories that ran in issues #107–110 (October 1985 – January 1986) of that title.

[62] David had a brief tenure writing Green Lantern when the character was exclusive to the short-lived anthology series Action Comics Weekly from issues #608–620 in 1988.

More broadly, his run recast the character as an aggressive man of action, one deserving of greater respect, in contrast to the "fish-talking punch line" into which the TV series Super Friends had rendered him.

[70] David enjoyed considerable runs on Supergirl[71] and Young Justice,[72] the latter eventually being canceled so that DC could use that book's characters in a relaunched Teen Titans monthly.

As tends to be the case when fundamental changes are introduced to long-standing classic comics characters, the storyline caused some controversy among readers for its introduction of retractable stingers in Spider-Man's arms, and the establishment of a "totem" from which his powers are derived.

The opening storyline, which continues events from issue #260 of the previous series, establishes the new corporate-sponsored version of the team, and includes Polaris, Quicksilver, and Gambit.

[105] In 2015, Simon and Schuster published Stan Lee's autobiographical graphic novel, Amazing Fantastic Incredible, which David co-wrote, and which became a New York Times bestseller in its first week of release.

However, David gave further consideration to the fact that a book whose main character had a skewed, villainous worldview was not something Marvel had historically done much of, and decided that the premise presented itself with opportunities that intrigued him enough to accept the job.

[114] David's 2009 novel Tigerheart is a re-imagining of Peter Pan with a mix of new and old characters, told as a Victorian bedtime story, much like the classic tale.

[15] Having previously used Smith Corona typewriters, he writes on a Sony Vaio desktop computer, using Microsoft Word for his comics and novel work, and Final Draft for his screenplays.

[10] He has stated that when he works on a particular title, he always does so with a particular person or group of people in mind to which he dedicates it, explaining that he wrote Supergirl for his daughters, Young Justice for a son he might one day have and The Incredible Hulk for his first wife, Myra, who first urged him to accept the job of writing that book.

[128] Characters that David has not written but which he has expressed an interest in writing for the comics medium include Batman, Tarzan, Doc Savage, the Dragonriders of Pern, the Steed/Peel Avengers, and Dracula.

The series centers on Thunderhead, a would-be hero whose inability to utilize his ability to produce loud thunderblasts without injury to himself leads him to become a source of comedic derision in the superhero community.

The series, which explores events that occur in between the battles typically seen in comic books, was based on a concept originated by Uslan, and partly inspired by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

[194] David has since criticized McFarlane for other business practices,[195] and has engaged in public disagreements with The Comics Journal editor Gary Groth,[196] Erik Larsen,[197][198][199] Rob Liefeld,[177] Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada,[200] writer/director Kevin Smith,[201] DC Comics Vice President and Executive Editor Dan DiDio,[202] and John Byrne.

Rodriguez had asked speakers at multiple panels at the convention about greater Romani representation in comics, in light of what he said were stereotypical depictions of that group.

[230][231] David would later defend these beliefs on his blog, insisting that he had written Romani characters like Quicksilver in a positive manner, and was angered by the crippling of children.

[120] His favorite TV shows have included Doctor Who, Hill Street Blues, Charmed, Carnivale, Boston Public, The Practice, Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias and The West Wing.

[266] He later explained on his site that the pain, which he had been suffering in his hips and knees for three weeks, left him unable to function, and was eventually diagnosed as a herniated disc caused by bone fragments and fluid buildup.

[260] Six months after the stroke, David had completed his physical therapy, though he still suffered some pain in his shoulder, and intended to work on improving his reduced endurance.

[274] In March 2017, David announced on his blog that the IRS was demanding that he pay $88,000 USD in unpaid taxes, penalty and interest, which began to accumulate when his divorce from his first wife used up his savings.

[276] On November 27, 2022, another GoFundMe was launched by Graham Murphy, who explained David's health was once again in decline, following kidney failure, another series of strokes, and a mild heart attack.