| Schedule: | Irregular |
| Ongoing: | Y |
| Publisher: | Eclipse Comics |
| Date: | March 1984 - September 1985 |
| Issues: | 15 |
| Writers: | Doug Moench |
| Pencillers: | Michael Bair (#1-2, #9) Dan Day (#3-8, #10-13, #15) Mike Harris (#14) |
| Inkers: | Nelson Redondo (#1-8) Ron Harris (#9-11) Mike Gustovich (#9-13, #15) Art Nichols (#14) Tom Yeates (#14) |
| Letterers: | Adam Kubert (#1) Esphid Mahilum (#2-6) Pete Sullit (#3-6) Peter Iro (#7-9) Carrie Spiegle (#10-15) |
| Colorists: | Philip DeWalt (#1-12) Dennis McFarling (#1-5) Steve Oliff (#12-15) Sam Parsons (#14-15) |
| Editors: | Cat Yronwode |
| Main Char Team: | Ace (Caza) Bridget Head |
| Creators: | Doug Moench |
| Sort: | Aztec Ace |
Aztec Ace is an American creator-owned science fiction comic book formerly published by Eclipse Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench, it was published for 15 issues from 1984 to 1985.[1] Amazing Heroes would describe the series as "a strange cross between Dr. Who and the Illuminati trilogy".[2]
The series kept an irregular schedule due to main artist Dan Day's meticulous approach; by 1985 the book was aiming for a six-weekly schedule, with Eclipse editor-in-chief Cat Yronwode hoping for nine or ten issues a year.[3] Other contributors to Aztec Ace included Mike Harris and Mike Gustovich.[4] The Aztec Ace logo was created by Denis McFarling.[5]
Aztec Ace featured appearances from numerous historical figures, including Amelia Earhart, Glenn Miller and Ambrose Bierce.[6] The series ended abruptly, leaving several storylines unresolved. This was announced as being due to the difficulty in finding adequate fill-in artists.[7] In 1988, a copy of Aztec Ace #13 - featuring Bridget dressed as Cleopatra - was part of an Egyptology exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.[8]
For Eclipse's 10th anniversary in 1988, they commissioned the crossover mini-series Total Eclipse, and the creators of Aztec Ace gave permission for Marv Wolfman to use the characters in the series.[9] The characters had sizeable roles in the series, with Nine-Crocodile the overarching villain, while Moench contributed a short "Interlude" story centred on Aztec Ace for the second issue, with art by Tim Sale. [10] This led to the announcement of plans to collect the earlier material as a trade paperback[11] and to continue the story as a three-issue mini-series - tentatively titled Aztec Ace - Time Tripper - in 1992 with artist Doug Heinlein;[12] however, these plans would not come to fruition.
The story revolves around a time traveller named Ace (real name: Caza), whose goal is to save the timestream from unravelling through various intricate adventures. Ace is from the 23rd century, with his base in pre-contact Aztec Mexico; he often visits ancient Egypt.
Caza is aided by Head - formerly his assistant Tempus Fugit, reduced to a disembodied head after an accident - and Bridget Kronopoulous, Ace's girlfriend from 1940 who may or may not be the Queen of Egypt. They travel through time in a time machine called the ACE (Azure Crosstime Express, though the characters often call it 'the Egg' due to its distinctive shape), which Head controls.
Ace's main enemy is Nine-Crocodile, who creates time paradoxes in an attempt to save his own dimension at the expense of other realities - especially the modern day planet Earth; his minions include the Nightgaunt and the Ebonati.