Comic book writer David Pepose has quickly become one of the most exciting voices in modern comics, moving seamlessly between indie hits and major Marvel titles. In this interview, Pepose shares insights into his creative process, his journey from journalism to comics, and how he balances nostalgia with bold new storytelling. Whether tackling characters like the Punisher or crafting original worlds, his approach highlights the evolving landscape of comic book writing.
Pepose discusses his journey into comics, starting as a third-generation fan and interning at DC. He highlights his work on Spencer & Locke, which led to a career at Marvel, where he contributed to projects like Savage Avengers and The Punisher. He then transitioned to smaller publishers like Dynamite Entertainment and Mad Cave Studios, where he found more creative freedom. He also shares his approach to reinventing classic characters like Space Ghost and Speed Racer, drawing from detailed research and modern storytelling techniques. Pepose also mentioned his current projects, including trade paperbacks and his ongoing collaboration with various publishers.
Who is David Pepose?
David Pepose is an American comic book writer and former journalist known for his work in both indie comics and major publishers like Marvel. He first gained attention with creator-owned titles such as Spencer & Locke, a noir-inspired series that blends classic comic strip influences with crime storytelling.
Before breaking into comics, Pepose worked as a crime reporter and later as an editor and reviewer in the comics industry, which helped him build a strong understanding of storytelling and the medium.
He has since written for Marvel Comics on titles like Savage Avengers, Moon Knight: City of the Dead, and Punisher, while continuing to create original works like The O.Z., which won a Ringo Award for Best Single Issue.
Pepose is also known for revitalizing classic franchises, including Space Ghost and Captain Planet, bringing modern storytelling to nostalgic properties.
Overall, he’s considered part of a new generation of comic writers who successfully bridge indie creativity with mainstream superhero storytelling.
The David Pepose Interview
The Geek Twins: Could you tell us about your background?
David Pepose: So, I came by my start in comics. Honestly, I’m a third-generation comics fan. My grandfather grew up reading comics. My mother grew up reading comics. My grandfather used to read Calvin and Hobbes comic strips as a kid. And so comics have always been my first love. It’s always been my passion. And so ever since I got my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #346 as a preschooler, it just rewired my brain. So when I was in college, I thought about, you know, what would be my dream job, sort of the astronaut job, and comics were kind of the thing. So I went to intern at DC. Right out of college, I worked on books like Batman RIP, Final Crisis, and Green Lantern: Secret Origin. But that was also the summer of the 2008 recession, so there weren’t really any jobs to be had.
I was lucky enough to cross paths with Janelle Aslan, the new Batman assistant editor, and an alumnus of New Zealand. And so she introduced me to one of my mentors, Tom Brevoort. I wrote for Newsarama for the better part of a decade when Troy wound up retiring. I took over his role as the reviews editor, and that was really helpful in terms of sort of building up my toolbox and forcing me to articulate what I like about comics, what I don’t like about comics, and so, you know, for a long time I thought I wanted to be an editor. I took a class with Andy Schmidt in his Comics Experience Program, which I always recommend to people.
I took a class on editing. And Bobby Curnow, who’s now Editor-in-Chief over at IDW, talked about sort of the process of the day-to-day of being an editor. And I realized, “Oh, this is all the hard organizational stuff that I’m not good at. I don’t think I would be good at this job.”
And so for a little while, I was a little adrift. I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I knew I loved comics, but I didn’t really know what my role would ever be in something like that. So for my day job, I was working in publicity in New York, but I wanted to do something more creative. And I thought moving to Los Angeles, working in development, and current programming. Maybe that was my path forward. That was sort of, I think, where my life turned in a very unexpected way. I didn’t really have any creative things on my resume, so to speak. And so I thought, what better way to show that I could break down a story than by making one of my own?
So I wrote the first issue of my very first series, Spencer & Locke, and I had such a fun time writing that I wound up writing the whole outline. And I later learned that was a little bit of a bait-and-switch of how easy that was, because it’s never been that easy since.
But it went very smoothly. And so I found an artist, George Santiago Jr., who just graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and our letterer, Colin Bell, who came up with me in New Zealand, and the late Jason Smith, our colorist, who was recommended to me by Taylor Esposito, who’s now my letterer on Space Ghost. And you know, those preview pages look so beautiful that I was like, “Okay, I’m gonna just shop this around to publishers, just send the email.”
You know, I’m not expecting anything, but it’ll be a fun story to tell my kids someday. It really is a case of right place, right time. I had sent my pitch packet to Action Lab Comics, and the then-submissions editor, Dave Dwonch, happened to be in the inbox when my email hit. So I had sent it after work. I was catching up on some paperwork. About 20 minutes later, I get an email from Dave saying, “How soon could you get this book done?” And I just kind of felt this cold chill run up my spine of oh, I dipped my toe in the pool enough times that I’ve now tripped and fallen to the deep end, and now I have to. It really worked out very well for me, and then I moved to Los Angeles with my future wife. I had a Hollywood assistant job that I was not great at for all the organizational reasons; I wouldn’t have been a good editor. But Spencer & Locke came out, and we got really good reviews. And that was when the light bulb finally went off for me.
I grew up in the Midwest. I didn’t have any creative role models, so to speak. So I never really gave myself permission to think, “Oh, could I just do this?” And seeing the response to that book finally gave me the encouragement I needed to really make a go at this. To give myself permission to say, maybe I could be a comics writer. And so I’ve been really lucky enough to be kind of gainfully employed in this ever since. It’s been about a little over 10 years since I sold that first book. It’s the hardest but most rewarding job I’ve ever had.
I mean, I live and breathe and eat and sleep comics, and I’m really grateful every day. It really takes a village of just fans and retailers and press and editors and collaborators who have really kind of come together and kind of champion me every step of the way. That’s the sort of thing I think that makes me so grateful for this career, and it really inspires me to try to get up and deliver my “A game” every single day.
The Geek Twins: There’s the stereotype that women don’t read comic books. Your mother was influenced by comics. How do you feel that the industry is going in that direction?
David Pepose: The industry is making really great, wonderful strides in that direction. I think there was a generation, especially my mother’s generation, where if women were reading comics, it was Archie books or Betty and Veronica. But with my mother, her father raised her in the Silver Age. I remember as a kid getting into a very heated argument with my mother about how Lex Luthor lost his hair. And the next morning, I found a printout taped to my door, of the Silver Age thing where he’s doing an experiment and Superman or Superboy does his freezing breath on a fire, and the chemicals made Lex lose his hair. So I did lose that bet to my mother.
So, yeah, you know. And I think in today’s marketplace, there are so many great steps that are being taken towards sort of inviting more women to the table, both in terms of readers and creators. And, you see books like, like, Absolute Wonder Woman, which I think is just amazing. Kelly Thompson is just doing the work of a career on that. Or seeing the amazing strides that Gail Simone has made. She really is a pioneer. And so, seeing her getting her flowers on X-Men is long overdue and well deserved. And so, you know, you see more and more books like that. And then you see just other unexpected vectors, you know, the YA pipeline that DC has really done a good job at building up over the years. And I’m sure, you know, seeing, you know, for example, the longevity of a book like Scarlet Witch over at Marvel, and sort of the promotions that Captain Marvel has gotten Carol Amber’s, you know, in since Kelly Sue Conwic. So I do think that there’s still a long way to go. I mean, I certainly won’t pretend that things are a one-to-one equitable ratio, but I think seeing the steps that have been taken, I think, is encouraging, and is certainly a step in the right direction, very true. I was
The Geek Twins: The minute you talked about female creators, I thought about Gail Simone.
David Pepose: Yeah, Gail’s wonderful, and she really is. The thing I like so much about Gail is that she has this track record. She has this really iconic voice for her writing. And she also uses her platform not just to promote her own work, but I think she’s so generous by kind of lifting up creators who are on sort of their way up. I know I’ve personally benefited from that. When Space Ghost first came out, she was so kind in her support for that series. And I’ve seen her do it again and again. And so Gail is one of those people, like Scott Snyder, like Mark Waid, who I consider a real leader in this industry. And so I think extremely highly of her. And so, yeah, it’s wonderful to see the work she’s doing right now.
The Geek Twins: So I want to talk to you a little bit about, so I read a little bit about your career. You worked for Marvel, correct?
David Pepose: Yeah, the last book I did over there was Cable. Savage Avengers was kind of my first series over there. I did the second volume that wrapped up Conan the Barbarian’s tenure at Marvel. That was such a wonderfully fun book to work on with artist Carlos Magno and my editor, Tom, from whom I learned so much over there. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a person I respect more in the comics industry than Tom. Moon Knight: City of the Dead with Marcel Ferreira. And then our Punisher mini series with the new Punisher Joe Garrison, with artist David Wachter. And then Cable: Love and Chrome.
And then I kind of bopped around from lots of other smaller projects as well, including Avengers Unlimited for the Marvel app. I did the first arc on that series, as well as a second arc with the Guardians of the Galaxy. I did a really fun two-parter for A.X.E.: Judgment Day for the Fantastic Four, a Hulk one-shot that I continue to be very proud of. A found footage Hulk comic and then a short in the Star Wars universe for Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White and Red, where we kind of pitched it as Darth Vader versus legally distinct xenomorphs. I continue to be amazed that Lucasfilm let me get away with that.
So, working at Marvel was such a treat and a joy, and I learned so much over there. And I feel like all the lessons that I picked up on all those projects that I just mentioned are the reason I’m still in this business. Tom Brevoort’s work in particular really trained me up in a big way, exactly when I needed it most. And I take the lessons that he taught me very seriously, and I bring them to every book that I write today.
The Geek Twins: How would you describe the difference between the Big Three and smaller publishers?
David Pepose: Yeah, every publisher has its own unique style, flavor, and vibe. I think the biggest misconception about a comics career is how much control a creator has over the projects they do. A lot of people come up, myself included, through the creator-owned scene. You think, “Oh, well, you pitch the book, so you call your own shots.” And that makes a certain kind of sense in the creator-owned spirit—but not 100%, because some publishers will say, “Send us a handful of loglines, and we’ll pick one for you to develop.”
That actually happened to me at AfterShock Comics with *Scout’s Honor*. I sent them a dozen loglines, and *Scout’s Honor* was the one I’d developed the least—and of course, that’s the one they picked. But once you get into licensed superheroes or revivals of old cartoons, like I’m doing now, you really can’t predict these things. It’s very rare that you say, “Hey, I want to write this character—here’s my pitch.” More often, the editor says, “We have this project. We need a writer, an artist, and so on. Who do we know that we’d like to give a shot, or who might have an interesting take?” So a lot of the time, you’re very reactive.
For example, *Savage Avengers*. I never could have guessed I’d get that book. It was only in retrospect, when Tom emailed me and said, “We’re relaunching *Savage Avengers*. Would you want to work on that?” that it clicked: it’s a mashup book, and I’m the mashup guy. That’s something I could lean into. So, in a roundabout way, I was never expecting Dynamite to reach out to me.
As for *Space Ghost*, it was really a right-place, right-time situation. I had just wrapped up my *Punisher* miniseries, and there were a lot of changes happening at Marvel. My editor, Tom Brevoort—who had spearheaded the new *Punisher* with me—moved over to the X-Men office. That shift changed some of the early plans we’d discussed. With Jon Bernthal returning, Frank Castle was coming back, so those preliminary ideas—like a list of new villains—fell by the wayside.
Suddenly, my schedule opened up, and the timing worked out perfectly. Dynamite Entertainment—where I’ve known founder and CEO Nick Barrucci for years—had just signed a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. for properties like ThunderCats, The Powerpuff Girls, Jonny Quest, and Space Ghost.
My editor, Joseph “Joe” Rybandt, reached out and said they were relaunching *Space Ghost* and asked if I’d be interested. They even offered a full year’s runway to write the book. That kind of long-term commitment—12 issues plus an annual—is rare, especially in today’s market, where even Big Two books might only run five to ten issues. It’s hard to plan long-term with that kind of uncertainty.
That runway made a huge difference. I remember talking it over with friends, including my mentor, and George Marston pointed out that *Space Ghost* originally came out in the ’60s alongside Batman starring Adam West. That got the gears turning—if *Batman* has evolved so much tonally since then, why couldn’t *Space Ghost*?
Looking at the character’s history—from the ’60s original to the ’80s revival to Coast to Coast and Joe Kelly’s miniseries—it’s clear he reinvents himself every generation. Watching those early episodes, I was struck by the villains, but also by how prominent Jan, Jace, and Blip were—you meet them before Space Ghost. That “found family” dynamic, almost like Jurassic Park with Dr. Grant and the kids, really drew me in.
So yeah, I know I’m answering around your question, but that Space Ghost opportunity really changed my career. It gave me a shot in the arm at exactly the right time. The success of that book helped me carve out a niche, and when Dynamite later got the rights to Captain Planet and the Planeteers, I jumped on it—I’d been pitching that idea for ten years. So, they announced it at San Diego Comic Con, and I saw Nick and Joe at Bar Con. I literally see the press release hit my phone, and I just walk over, and I said, “This book’s mine, right?”
Meanwhile, Mad Cave has been incredibly supportive from the beginning. Mark London and Chris Fernandez were big fans of Spencer & Locke and had been reaching out for a while. Around the time I was attached to Savage Avengers, they reached out, and he said, “You know, we’re really taking a big swing. We’re trying to, kind of, like, get to the next level and grow in a big way. We’re bringing in creators like Justin Jordan, Cullen Bunn, and Steve Orlando.” And I was like, I know those guys. I really respect those guys. Later, they hired Mike Marts, whom I knew from my DC intern days.
Everything just lined up. We ended up doing a book together—The Devil That Wears My Face, a horror story with artist Alex Cormack, one of the best collaborators I’ve worked with. We pitched it as Face/Off meets The Exorcist—and that pretty much says it all.
And that book is still one of the proudest in my career, and Mad Cave was so happy with how it came together that we’ve had an ongoing relationship ever since. I’ve done books with Papercutz, such as 10 Ton Titan Terrier, and then they asked me whether I’d be interested in Speed Racer. As someone who loves writing car chases, that really appealed to me.
So, to get to the heart of your question—what’s the difference between a place like Dynamite and Mad Cave versus a bigger publisher like Marvel? A lot of it comes down to how much control you have as an author to make the call and leverage your own voice. At a place like Marvel or DC, where it’s a shared universe, there’s inherently a bit of a “traffic cop” situation going on. You’re horse-trading in terms of which characters you want to use, particularly the villains. It becomes a bit of a game of 20 Questions with your editors.
I was really lucky to work with Tom Brevoort, who knew where all the bodies were buried, so he could get me answers quicker than someone lower down the ladder. The publisher will also have their own directives. For example, coming up with the new legacy Punisher was never on my bingo card—that was something Tom brought to me. He said, “We want to introduce a new Punisher, sort of the Danny Ketch to Frank’s Johnny Blaze. We think you’d be a good fit. Here’s the criteria we want to hit.”
With something like Dynamite or Mad Cave, you’re not dealing with a shared universe or other creators using your characters, so the process is more streamlined, and there’s more freedom. The potential hurdle is that, if you’re working with a licensor, it depends on how flexible they are—whether they’re willing to let you take risks or prefer a more traditional approach. Every licensor has their own vibe and flavor.
I’ve been really lucky in that the licensors I’ve worked with—particularly Warner Bros. and Tatsunoko—have been wonderful. They’ve trusted my vision because I’ve provided detailed pitches and outlines, so they know where I’m headed. I think those books have benefited from that approach.
So yeah, with smaller publishers, like any smaller company, it’s a bit easier to stand out and push the envelope. At the same time, I love working at Marvel—the editors there are best-in-class. I always say I wouldn’t be here without Tom Brevoort. He really invested in me and mentored me in a way I’ll always be grateful for.
Every publisher has a different vibe, but I’ve been very lucky. Dynamite and Mad Cave have been wonderful homes for me over the past few years, and I plan to keep working with them as long as they’ll have me. They’re great places to work.
The Geek Twins: Can you briefly describe how you approach reinventing classic characters? Do you go back and watch the TV shows? Do you go off memories? How do you know?
David Pepose: So the thing is, you know, I’m 40. I was not around during Space Ghost or Speed Racer’s heyday. I am pure ’90s trash. So, Captain Planet was more my vintage, and that’s one I knew pretty well. I didn’t necessarily need a huge refresher on that. Whereas with Space Ghost and Speed Racer, I wanted to make sure I knew the lay of the land, so I watched every episode of both shows and took very detailed, play-by-play notes. I still have the Google Docs with all of that, and I revisit them all the time.
They’ve become major survival tools. But I kind of see it as mainlining all this material—you’re absorbing it and digesting it. You’re a bit like a prism, being hit with all this input, and then, as a creator, your personality, experiences, creative instincts, and interests shape what gets reflected. I consider my writing to be very intuitive. It’s like I’m constantly “Rubik’s Cubing” everything—there’s a lot of iteration and tinkering until it feels right. I’ll watch an episode and think, “Okay, this one feels important.” For example, the GRX engine in Speed Racer—that feels like real stakes, something personal. Or the Great Mammoth Car, where I thought, “That’s a unique design—you don’t really see anything like that.”
You start to identify the key landmarks pretty quickly. You want to make the story accessible for newcomers first and foremost. But for longtime fans, I want to hit those landmarks and meet expectations. With Space Ghost, I think I’ve covered just about everything—by the time I’m done, I’ll have gone through nearly every viable character.
For Speed Racer, I’ll have hit almost all of them, except one. That was Crossed Wire—I thought that villain would show up in the Racer X series, so I held back, but they ended up not using him. So if the run continues past the initial 15 issues, maybe that character will appear later.
A big influence for me is J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. I grew up with The Next Generation. I wasn’t really a Kirk-Spock-Bones guy—I didn’t have a connection to them. But after watching that film, I got it. I understood who those characters were and what made them compelling. That movie became something of a Rosetta Stone for how I approach reimagining classic properties—it’s always character-driven.
It’s about what makes these characters interesting, what motivates them, and how they interact with their supporting cast. That helps you triangulate how they behave. Then it becomes a matter of saying, “These were created in the ’60s—or in the case of Captain Planet, 1989—and they used the storytelling tools of their time, which can feel dated today.”
So, through a modern lens, what if we told new stories with those characters using contemporary storytelling techniques? How do we make it feel modern? How do we make Speed Racer or Captain Planet feel like they exist in the world outside our window?
It’s about taking modern superhero conventions and putting these characters—and their villains—through their paces, while blending in different genres. Ultimately, I try to write in a way that feels immediate, accessible, and exciting to me, and trust that readers are looking for something action-driven, with big swings in every issue. That’s actually a lesson Tom Brevoort taught me.
The Geek Twins: What are you working on now, and what can we expect in the future?
David Pepose: I’ve definitely got a lot of plates spinning at the moment, between what’s coming in SPACE GHOST and SPEED RACER, as well as the upcoming return of my Kickstarter series THE O.Z. And then there are a few other projects I can’t talk about quite yet… but if you like what I’ve been doing with my recent books, I think you’ll enjoy what’s coming next!
Thanks for the interview, David! Make sure you check out his official website, DavidPepose.com. Also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, or subscribe to his email newsletter Pep Talks!
Final Thoughts
From indie breakthroughs to high-profile Marvel runs, David Pepose represents the new generation of comic creators pushing the medium forward. His ability to blend action, emotion, and genre innovation makes his work stand out in a crowded industry. As comics continue to evolve, voices like Pepose’s will shape what stories look like for years to come.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What comics has David Pepose written?
- Savage Avengers, Moon Knight, Punisher, Spencer & Locke, The O.Z.
Is David Pepose a Marvel writer?
- Yes, he has written multiple Marvel titles, including Savage Avengers and Punisher
What is David Pepose known for?
- Genre-blending storytelling and strong character-driven narratives
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