Formative '90s comic writer Peter David dead at 68

Legendary comic writer Peter David has died at the age of 68, as posted by his wife Kathleen O'Shea David. David's death comes after a long battle with chronic kidney disease along with a series of strokes.

"Since it is out there. Peter David passed away last night. We are devastated. More when I can write about it," reads the simple social media post announcing his May 24 death.

Peter David's comic career began in 1985 with a series of Spider-Man stories, including the now classic tale 'The Death of Jean DeWolff.' This was quickly followed by a run on Hulk that wound up lasting for 12 years, including the creation of Bruce Banner's extra-intelligent 'Professor Hulk' persona, and the flash-forward story Avengers: Future Imperfect, which introduced the Maestro, an evil dictator version of Hulk who became the arch-enemy of his former teammates.

David's other major Marvel work included co-creating Spider-Man 2099, turning Genis-Vell into a new Captain Marvel, and of course, a years-long run on X-Factor that took the team through multiple incarnations, from a government-sponsored mutant team, to a private investigation agency, and even into the world of corporate superheroes.

David also wrote for DC throughout the '90s, with especially notable runs on Aquaman and Supergirl. For the former, David is responsible for relaunching Aquaman in the '90s, revamping him from a colorful adventurer to a sea-faring badass with a savage, bearded look and a hook hand. And for Supergirl, David wrote an 81-issue run that rebooted the character not as a Kryptonian survivor, but as a genetically-engineered alien weapon who took on a form that honored Superman.

Throughout his career, David won numerous awards, including multiple Eisner Awards. He was also well-known as a prose writer, particularly for his work on numerous Star Trek novels, including some of the best selling Trek novels of all time.