By the time Space Ace had come out, I had discovered the universal truth about the Don Bluth animated video games. Namely, that I sucked at them and it was a waste of my quarters to play them. Nevertheless, I seem to have picked up the story and a certain residual fondness as some sort of generational race memory common to folks my age, so when I was sent some copies of Space Ace to take a look at, I figured I'd at least give them a read, especially since they were being written by Image's go-to guy (and writer of one of my new favorite comics, Walking Dead) Robert Kirkman. What I found inside was light-hearted space adventure that recalled the sort of goofy space adventure feel of the Space Ace video game in writing and art, a little too lightweight and fluffy to really capture my attention but undoubtedly fun, and worth a look for those whose nostalgic attachment is stronger than mine.
Kirkman got his start with the off-beat premise of Battle Pope, but he's proven with more recent work that he has a knack for doing inventive things with more traditional premises. In this case, he's tackling the premise of a space adventurer along the lines of Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers, the manly man type who is the best agent of the perfect Galactic Federation. Ace is a combination of Flash, Buck and Captain Kirk, with the unfortunate side effect of sometimes transforming into a gawky teenager. It's a great premise for comedy.
Unfortunately, Kirkman's take on the book is a little restrained in the comedy department. There are certainly some moments, whether it's Paulo Borges's slapsticky moment when Borf is restored to full size and flattens Ace or when Ace's overconfidence and chauvinism gets them shot down, but overall... well, he just seems too competent. And his teenaged alter-ego never really gets any dorky awkward moments to drive home the reason why those transformations are so bad. Anyone who has played the game will know what's up, but those reading the comic may get a picture of Ace as a pretty much effective agent, which undercuts the comedy.
On the upside, while the book isn't really funny, it does fulfill your basic action-adventure quotient nicely. The mysterious goal of the brothers Borf and Gorf has my curiosity mildly piqued, and the question of whether Ace will get restored back to normalcy sooner or later is also one that can drive the series for a little while. Kirkman and Borges do some really fun fight scenes as well, whether it's the imaginative weapons of the cybernetic pirates seeking revenge or the many reversals of fortune that take place during the Gorf-Kimberly-Ace battle. It also seems worth noting that Kimberly is more than just a bimbo or object to be rescued here, but a full-fledged character who is actually smarter than Ace in many ways, and a stronger character as a result.
Space Ace evokes the look of the videogame very effectively, and has a certain amount of charm for anyone who enjoys space opera/adventure. It's licensed roots are a blessing and a curse, however, because while it brings in a built-in nostalgia audience, it seems to have restrained Kirkman's imagination and storytelling skill to some degree and the results are solid stories that can't stand up to most of his (much more interesting) Image work.
