WONDERCON '06: PETER DAVID SPOTLIGHT PANEL

**MattBrady** · 02-12-2006, 01:04 PM

by Ben Ebert, special to Newsarama

Peter David’s Saturday Spotlight panel at WonderCon started off on a light note of “Hello, I’m Mark Waid”. The room was lightly populated with 50 or so fans, to whom David wondered aloud why they were not in the next room watching Superman, the sound from which thundered from the wall behind David throughout the panel. Welcome to the “Superman/Bryan Singer overflow,” David said.

David commented he’d been to far worse, having once been at a convention in Oklahoma where he spoke to one mentally disabled man and his two non-English speaking attendants and that was it.

The writer came in with his own agenda set and ran very quickly through his upcoming projects. But first, he warmed up the crowd with a lively reading of the script of the upcoming X-Factor #4, including but not limited to accents and sound effects involving whatever was close at hand on stage. Although David pleaded that we’d paid good money to go to the convention and shouldn’t go spread the ending all over the Internet, it is of note that the issue seems to lay down the true new status quo of the new X-Factor.

David also chided the Internet because everyone online complained so much about Layla Miller in issue #1, hating her for being a “deus ex machina”, but as predicted, after issue #3 everyone loves her. Apparently, it takes the “calm electrocution of an assassin” to gain the fans’ love, he said.

Then came the rundown.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4 is meant to be a breather after “The Other”. It will span the very beginning of Spider-man’s career all the way to the far future, and refers to what may be the first colonoscopy in a Marvel comic (that might’ve been a joke). Villains will include the classic Sandman and Vulture, and the story will be self-contained.

The next two issues will feature Spidey “squaring off against a super-powered Mexican wrestler”, and although David mentioned issue #6 as when the new armor will be showing up in his book. Issue #8 begins a new story arc that “may bring back the Hobgoblin”. Oh, and, “by the end of issue #7, the Internet will light up”. Sound familiar?

David commented Fallen Angel is selling much better at IDW than it did at DC, even though it costs a dollar more. David said San Francisco retailer Brian Hibbs’ sales have increased from five copies a month to thirty.

As for what is happening with Claypool’s Soulsearchers and Co., David has “no idea”. “Apparently Diamond is canceling it”, which seemed funny to him, they being a distributor not a publisher.

The writer is looking forward to writing Marvel Adventures Spider-Man. He reminded the audience that it is not a “kiddie” book, but rather “All-Ages”, and that Ditko and Lee created All-Ages stories and that we don’t think of those as kids’ books. This just means there’s “no sex, no one gets stabbed, no one gets shot, at least not on panel, and no blood.” Every issue will be self-contained, and David is going with a monster theme in the his first four issues, beginning with Flash Thompson being bit by the Werewolf By Night. It will be titled, of course, “The Hair of the Dog That Bit You”. See? No seven-year-old will get that.

The working title of his upcoming Wonder Man limited series is “My Fair Superhero”, a play on “My Fair Lady”, and will feature Simon Williams being challenged by Henry McCoy to take the next villain he faces and try to turn the into a “respectable superhero”. That villain happens to turn out to be a she.

David also has a couple other Marvel projects he cannot firm up just yet.

Books-wise, David has books coming in the Star Trek: New Frontier line, a third King Arthur book in June, a Battlestar Galactica book titled “Sagitarius is Bleeding” and will feature Laura Roslyn just after she is cured of breast cancer, and a how-to write comics book called, appropriately enough, Writing Comics with Peter David.

David said his parents are thrilled by how big the type of his name is on the cover. He is also writing a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel featuring the Borg, with his mission being to make the Borg not suck. David said you cannot reason with them, they do not have a plan, and there is no Queen. He described the Borg as a race of Terminators that will kick ass and be taking names.

David concluded with the announcement of his three-year exclusive to Marvel (for much more on that click on the link), which still allows him to work on Soulsearchers and Co., Fallen Angel, and a Spike mini for IDW, projects he felt he couldn’t walk away from.

The Spike mini will be the end of his Buffy Universe work for the time being.

The writer seemed particularly thrilled by the fact that, he has been asked to do what he “was doing anyway plus get medical”. He has a wife and four kids after all. He stated it sure did work out well that DC isn’t still publishing Fallen Angel.

RELATED STORIES:

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WonderCon '06: Peter David Signs Marvel Exclusive Contract

WonderCon '06: DCU Universe 2006: The Best Is Yet To Come

WonderCon '06: The Architects of the DC Universe Panel

WonderCon '06: Vertigo Panel

Newsarama.com's WonderCon 2006 coverage is brought to you by Fox Searchlight’s NIGHTWATCH, in theaters February 17th

innocentboy · 02-12-2006, 01:43 PM

looking forward to Peter David's work as a Marvel exclusive

pun212 · 02-12-2006, 01:54 PM

Somebody give the man a medal, a Trek book where the Borg don`t suck, and here I thought Santa Claus didn`t exist

jlawesome · 02-12-2006, 01:56 PM

Somebody has a grudge with DC for dropping Fallen Angel.

jedifish · 02-12-2006, 02:12 PM

Quote:

He is also writing a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel featuring the Borg, with his mission being to make the Borg not suck. David said you cannot reason with them, they do not have a plan, and there is no Queen. He described the Borg as a race of Terminators that will kick ass and be taking names.

Thank you. Someone needs to do something after the creators on Voyager made them into a bunch of pansies. It must have been something in the water in the Delta Quadrant that made them so lame and Captain Janeway so unbeatable.

AlexLothos · 02-12-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

David also chided the Internet because everyone online complained so much about Layla Miller in issue #1, hating her for being a “deus ex machina”, but as predicted, after issue #3 everyone loves her. Apparently, it takes the “calm electrocution of an assassin” to gain the fans’ love, he said.

Hehehe. I liked her as a possible character from the idea, but in House of M she seemed like a very forced after thought. But in X-Factor she's been pretty cool, and yes, after #3 she finally became completely "solid" as a character (IMHO).

Quote:

David commented Fallen Angel is selling much better at IDW than it did at DC, even though it costs a dollar more. David said San Francisco retailer Brian Hibbs’ sales have increased from five copies a month to thirty.

Interesting. I'm curious to what the cause of increase is from because usually it's the other way around. Interesting.

Kolimar · 02-12-2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MattBrady
David commented he’d been to far worse, having once been at a convention in Oklahoma where he spoke to one mentally disabled man and his two non-English speaking attendants and that was it.

It doesn't sound too bad.

kilroy · 02-12-2006, 02:40 PM

yeah as much as I love DC Dan blew it with this. I dont understand why PAD is not treated like the writer that he is. He is brillaint his stuff is thought provoking, funny,.......yeah I love his stuff IM bias. Yet he doesnt get the big books. When Pad wrote his first x-factor story, it was amazing how well he grasped the xmen and I thought to myself why isnt he writing Uncanny. Then he made me care for the second stringers on the all new x factor. Then he moved to my favorite company and I got to enjoy the best supergirl book ever the best aquamna book ever (well have yet to read sword of atlantis might give hima ruun for his money) and Fallen "I still can't beleiev DC F*(&^% up by letting this book go"Angel. Pad has shown you can go home again X factor is brilliant. But when I think of who I want moving my universe forward I do like the guys working on 52, I woudl have to say Pad and Judd winick should be part of that team LONG live Fallen angel and X-factor

skinnyboy23 · 02-12-2006, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MattBrady

The working title of his upcoming Wonder Man limited series is “My Fair Superhero”, a play on “My Fair Lady”, and will feature Simon Williams being challenged by Henry McCoy to take the next villain he faces and try to turn the into a “respectable superhero”. That villain happens to turn out to be a she.

HOLY GOD THAT SOUNDS AMAZING. LIKE AWESOMELY AWESOME. I had absolutely no urge to pick this up and now its one of my most anticipated projects.

Kolimar · 02-12-2006, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MattBrady
The working title of his upcoming Wonder Man limited series is “My Fair Superhero”, a play on “My Fair Lady”, and will feature Simon Williams being challenged by Henry McCoy to take the next villain he faces and try to turn the into a “respectable superhero”. That villain happens to turn out to be a she.

That sounds like good old-fashioned fun.

Will she be a new character or an old one?

Perhaps Simon could get Superia to trust men...

Kolimar · 02-12-2006, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kilroy
yeah as much as I love DC Dan blew it with this. I dont understand why PAD is not treated like the writer that he is. He is brillaint his stuff is thought provoking, funny,.......yeah I love his stuff IM bias. Yet he doesnt get the big books. When Pad wrote his first x-factor story, it was amazing how well he grasped the xmen and I thought to myself why isnt he writing Uncanny. Then he made me care for the second stringers on the all new x factor. Then he moved to my favorite company and I got to enjoy the best supergirl book ever the best aquamna book ever (well have yet to read sword of atlantis might give hima ruun for his money) and Fallen "I still can't beleiev DC F*(&^% up by letting this book go"Angel. Pad has shown you can go home again X factor is brilliant. But when I think of who I want moving my universe forward I do like the guys working on 52, I woudl have to say Pad and Judd winick should be part of that team LONG live Fallen angel and X-factor

Yep, DC does things I don't understand sometimes.

Twigglet · 02-12-2006, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MattBrady

David commented he'd been to far worse, having once been at a convention in Oklahoma where he spoke to one mentally disabled man and his two non-English speaking attendants and that was it.

Hey PAD! You said you enjoyed meeting me

bcondray · 02-12-2006, 03:17 PM

I love Fallen Angel..I'm just getting into this run on X-Factor..
but PAD's New Frontier ST novels are my current fave among all the ST novels.... great cast and plots and dialogue..

J. Alexander · 02-12-2006, 03:48 PM

Hmmm. Peter David is the best Star Trek novelist. His literature has a fine grasp of the characters as oppose to some of the others which read like badly written fanfic.

As for Marvel, why don't they buy the rights to SOULSEARCHERS?

motteditor · 02-12-2006, 04:00 PM

Quote:

David also chided the Internet because everyone online complained so much about Layla Miller in issue #1, hating her for being a “deus ex machina”, but as predicted, after issue #3 everyone loves her. Apparently, it takes the “calm electrocution of an assassin” to gain the fans’ love, he said.

Some of us still don't like "L'il Deus."

Quote:

The working title of his upcoming Wonder Man limited series is “My Fair Superhero”, a play on “My Fair Lady”, and will feature Simon Williams being challenged by Henry McCoy to take the next villain he faces and try to turn the into a “respectable superhero”. That villain happens to turn out to be a she.

Sounds good. (Oh hell, I'd have said that about just about any Wonder Man story, especially if it involved Beast at all.) Does sound like it could be interesting. Anyone wonder/know whether it's an established supervillainess or a new character? (I do still think Marvel's making too many of their villains into good guys, but they usually make for good stories. Maybe the TBolts will show up, or TBolts can run with Simon and his protoge after the mini.)

Kevin T. Brown · 02-12-2006, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jlawesome
Somebody has a grudge with DC for dropping Fallen Angel.

Not DC's fault.... While initially not advertised as well as it should have been, DC did a major push in order to try to save the title. Low sales is what killed this title, despite the quality of it. All the titles that were on par sales-wise with Fallen Angel, except for Vertigo titles, were cancelled. Bloodhound, Monolith, Richard Dragon.... Quality titles one and all. Unfortunately, they all pulled in about 10,000 in sales each month.

Skyldt · 02-12-2006, 04:50 PM

geez, wish i coulda gone...woulda been fun with only 50 people there. and can you imagine him doing the accents and special effects?

Crusader · 02-12-2006, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motteditor
Some of us still don't like "L'il Deus."

Yeah, really. Sorry PAD, but "L'il Deus" is still as annoying as hell. Issue #3 didn't change a thing.

But Monet is so cool that she makes up for Layla's lameness.

samnoir · 02-12-2006, 05:18 PM

I really enjoyed the King Arthur books, looking forward to the new one.

Glad to hear that the Beast is in the new Wonderman mini. I would love to see an ongoing co-starring these two. McCoy's been lacking in his sense of humor in the past few years.

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PeterPotamus · 02-12-2006, 05:33 PM

I loved Peter David's "Fallen Angel" during the DC run. However, in the time that it was cancelled and IDW picked it up, I started buying other stuff, and couldn't afford the pricier book (IDW has great stuff, but $3.99 and up books are harsh on my budget; I have been lucky enough to find issues in $.50 and $1.00 boxes in stores).

X-Factor is a blast! I was glad to hear David was doing the new series; his run on the original book was phenominal, as was the Madrox limited series! What is Larry Stroman doing these days anyway? Why not get him for a guest pencil for a few issues??

Definitely looking forward to the Wonder Man limited series!! When I was in middle school, the Wonder Man solo series and Avengers West Coast were two of my favorite monthly reads. He's always been one of my favorite Avengers! I am sure the series will be great. How 'bout some Scott Kolins art on that book??

paulski · 02-12-2006, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MattBrady
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 begins a new story arc that “may bring back the Hobgoblin”.

Oh, please god, let it be true. Please please please!!!

One of the best Spidey villains of the last 20 years and he's sitting in limbo.

tbumpkins · 02-12-2006, 07:48 PM

Awesome stuff all around. Didn't care for Layla Millar in 'House of M', but I was pretty sure I'd like her once PAD got his hands on her, and that's been a 100% confirmation. Hobgoblin's one of my favorite Spidey villains, so I'm geared up for that story. As for Wonder Man, I'm usually a bigger fan of his "brother", Vision, so I wasn't even giving this series a thought, but after that description, it sounds like a bunch of fun. Can't wait, Mr.David!

Reebok · 02-12-2006, 08:23 PM

Anyone know when that book, "Writing Comics With Peter David" is supposed to come out? That's a book I'd sure like to read. I'd only be learning from the best, no doubt about it.

Insight · 02-12-2006, 08:44 PM

Quote:

David commented he’d been to far worse, having once been at a convention in Oklahoma where he spoke to one mentally disabled man and his two non-English speaking attendants and that was it.

So he got to talk to Chris Claremont!

Yes, that was very uncouth of me. But alas, the joke beckoned and I am powerless to resist delivering it.

Quote:

David also chided the Internet because everyone online complained so much about Layla Miller in issue #1, hating her for being a “deus ex machina”, but as predicted, after issue #3 everyone loves her. Apparently, it takes the “calm electrocution of an assassin” to gain the fans’ love, he said.

Giving too much weight to internet chatter is usually a mistake. Only a minority of people with the strongest, most polemical of opinions will be propelled to post (Not to mention dastardly individuals who fun at the expense of Chris Claremont's senility). The majority of people are happy, satisfied or just plain apathetic.

Furu · 02-12-2006, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MattBrady

Books-wise, David has books coming in the Star Trek: New Frontier line, a third King Arthur book in June, a Battlestar Galactica book titled “Sagitarius is Bleeding” and will feature Laura Roslyn just after she is cured of breast cancer, and a how-to write comics book called, appropriately enough, Writing Comics with Peter David.

I cannot rest till I have every one of these.