By: Justin Smulison
Oceanside will be the next stomping ground for "Hulk" author Peter David.
Known for his work as a "Star Trek" novelist and "Babylon 5" screenwriter, David plans to share some of his style and success tips during his lecture at the Oceanside Library at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29.
"I'm going to talk about my career and do readings from some books I've written," said David, 47, who lives in Patchogue. "I'll talk about 'Star Trek' and bring slides of my time on 'Babylon 5' and my time on 'Space Cases.' I'll also be giving away free comics."
Though he graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and had initially pursued intentions of becoming a reporter, David landed a job with the Marvel Comics sales department and said his career mutated shortly after. He began writing for Marvel Comics in the mid-1980s and penned "The Incredible Hulk" title for 12 years, along with other books like "Spectacular Spider-Man."
"I've been very fortunate that I've been making a living out of it," David said. "Most cannot, however. It's mostly because it's not just one medium. I deliberately try to get as many irons in the fire that I could. You want to get your name out there in as many fan bases as possible."
One of those bases is the "Star Trek" legion, the Trekkers. David and editor John Ordover collaborated to create the popular "New Frontier" novel series, which is wholly independent from the television series. Luckily, since David's novel line is original, he doesn't suffer much flack from die-hard fans, who are notorious for nit-picking about continuity and character development.
"'New Frontier' was a daring notion at the time," David said. "There were some skeptics in the industry who felt that way because they didn't think the fans would support it, but the fans were there."
Science fiction is one of his many literary fortes, and his credits in that genre include Nickelodeon's "Space Cases," "Babylon 5" and its sequel series, "Crusade," as well as many subsequent novels based on the shows. After the warm reception for his adaptation of 2002's "Spider-Man" from silver screen to page, he was approached to do the novelization for the 2003 blockbuster, "Hulk."
"'Hulk' was adapted from the script but it had to be 200 pages more," David said. "It's a real challenge to come up with additional material to put in to the story that supplements but isn't absolutely vital."
David also plans to convey the message for aspiring writers in attendance on January 29 to not only keep writing, but to keep reading.
"Ideally you should never write more than you read," he said.
And though he loves his work, David has found the interaction with his fans to be the most rewarding aspect.
"When I'm sitting there writing, it's a lonely gig, so it's nice to see the end result," David said. "I've had people write me and say that they used a poem in one my of 'Star Trek' novels and used it as their wedding vows."
Tickets will be available at the Oceanside Library's Information Desk beginning Jan. 18 for Oceanside School District residents and Jan. 22 for non-residents, if available. There is a limit of two tickets per person. For more information, call 766-2360.
