ACEACE
Real Name: Ace Spencer
Identity/Class: Human (possible mutant or mutate)
Occupation: Currently unrevealed;
formerly
bodyguard, gang member
Group Membership: Formerly the Reapers (Sammy, Lorenzo Spencer, Tyrone, Al Webber, many others)
Affiliations: "Gus,"
Spider-Man (Peter
Parker),
formerly the Reapers
Enemies: Dragons, Reapers, Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Known Relatives: Rose ("Rosie," sister), Lorenzo Spencer (half-brother), Mrs. Spencer (mother, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile;
formerly
Harlem, New
York
First Appearance: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (1985)
Powers/Abilities: Ace possesses extremely quick reflexes, almost superhumanly so, if not at least peak human. He also somehow shorts out Spider-Man's spider-sense, causing it to either not work or work erratically. He is a skilled fighter and very athletic. He often carries a switchblade knife and brass knuckles on his person.
History:
(Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
(fb-BTS) -
Ace's father abandoned his family "ten years ago."
(Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (fb - BTS) - Ace may or may not have founded the Reapers street gang before cutting ties with them. After that, he kept out of gang-on-gang situations.
(Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5) - Ace watched from an alleyway as the police cleaned up the aftermath of a gang shooting involving the Reapers. Spider-Man, who had arrived on the scene to take pictures for the Daily Bugle, noticed Ace in the shadows and began taking pictures of him. When Ace spotted him, Spider-Man departed. As Ace left, he drove his motorcycle past Captain Jean DeWolff, who told him to stay out of trouble.
He returned to the apartment where his sister Rosie and mother lived. Upon entering, he threw his knife in Rosie's direction as she read a book, but was actually aiming at a rat that was nearby, killing it. Rosie told him all about the book she was reading (Wizard of Oz) before their bed-ridden mother called out to him. She asked Ace if he was involved in the trouble earlier that night and he answered that he wasn't. He left the apartment and encountered two thugs harassing "Gus." "Gus" told the thugs how he found Ace and taught him to do the right thing before running the thugs off with a shotgun.
Ace's brother Lorenzo, implicated in the gang shooting, was set for trial pending the survival of the victim. Unfortunately, the victim died in the hospital, jeopardizing the trial. Peter Parker realized he had pictures showing Ace at the scene and he and Joy Mercado decided to locate him in efforts to get him to testify against the gang members. While asking around for him, the two encountered some Reapers who didn't take kindly to the "outsiders." After a brief scuffle, Ace arrived and rode his motorcycle straight at Parker, who subtly used his powers to move out of the way. Pretending to be knocked out, Parker noticed Ace look through his camera bag, but put the camera back in it and drove off without it. Mercado convinced one of the Reapers, Sammy, to give her an interview in their headquarters. Parker changed into Spider-Man and went looking for Ace, only to have Ace crash through a building window on his bike, landing on the street below. Spider-Man tried to engage Ace, but Ace managed to dodge every punch and even Spider-Man's webbing. Ace even managed to cut one of Spider-Man's arms just before a number of the Dragons gang arrived nearby, intent on gaining revenge on the Reapers. In the midst of the gangfight, Sammy was killed and died in Joy's arms. Spider-Man and Ace arrived, after which Spider-Man angrily confronted Ace about how he could have stopped all the violence. Ace lashed out and struck Spider-Man before leaving. He visited his jailed brother Lorenzo and informed him that he (Ace) would be testifying against the Reapers.
(Peter Parker, the
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6) - Ace's
sister Rosie was with friends on the street when they encountered new
Reaper
leader Tyrone. Tyrone threatened Rosie that if Ace testified, there
would be
trouble for both her and her brother. Ace arrived, and the Reapers
scattered,
leaving Tyrone to defend himself. Ace beat him easily, and left with
Rosie.
Afterwards, Ace saw armed men run into a store that was paying him for
protection so he walked in after them, throwing them out through a
window. After
dropping Rosie off at a friend's and evading a man from the Child
Welfare Bureau
who had papers to take Rosie away, Ace went home. There, he found his
half-delusional mother dancing. He tried to comfort her and danced with
her
before she passed away in his arms.
Ace made a dramatic entrance at Lorenzo's trial, but after attempts by the defense attorney to bully him on the stand, Ace got up to leave. Bailiffs attempted to block him but he knocked them both out. Because of this, Lorenzo was released. Peter Parker, who had been attending the trial (and was still holding a grudge against Ace for their earlier confrontations) went looking for him as Spider-Man. Spider-Man found Ace's apartment just as the police entered intending to remove Rosie from his custody. Believing Ace had kidnapped her, Spider-Man found and confronted Ace. Though Ace easily dodged Spider-Man's punches at first, he finally got caught by one. Rosie rushed to stop the hero from hurting her brother, and Ace took the opportunity to "stab" the distracted Spider-Man with a knife containing a retractable blade. Ace told Spider-Man that they were from two different worlds and couldn't survive in the other's. Tyrone tried to shoot Ace in the back, but Spider-Man caused him to miss; afterwards, Ace knocked Tyrone out. Their differences settled, Spider-Man watched as Ace told the Reapers that they were never to bother him again, and when Lorenzo made it back on the street, they could have him. He and Rosie then departed, headed for parts unknown.
Comments: Created by Peter David, Mark Beachum and Josef Rubinstein.
Ace apparently figured out who Spider-Man was by connecting the camera he saw Spider-Man using and the one he found on Parker. He later remarked to Parker that he knew "exactly who you are."
Ace had some sort of
powers, but what exactly they
were have
yet to be revealed. He moved fast enough to avoid any of Spider-Man's
attempts
to hit him (and Spider-Man later realized that Ace actually let him
make contact
during their last fight) and caused Spider-Man's spider-sense to go
haywire
whenever he was around.
Bob Almond alerted us to an old usenet post by Christopher Priest (the former Jim Owsley) in which he discusses the genesis of Ace's look:
"Ace"
was a PPTSSM annual (I don't recall issue #). The sequel, "Ace
II"
was out the following year (1984 I think). Mark (Bright) and I have
wanted to do an Ace
special, but we were never in the same place at the same time. FTR-- the
character Ace was pretty
much a self-portrait of Mark, only toned down a
little. Yes, I said toned down. It kind of answered the question (as
Mark in real life did): "What If Michael Jackson Looked Masculine?"
So there you have it. While he looks like a 1985-era Michael Jackson
(with a little Prince thrown in), he's based on Mark Bright.
Oddly, there are no interior credits given for Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6. I am trusting comics.org that it was the same creative team that created the first book.
Profile by Madison Carter.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ace has no known connections to
Street gang that were rivals to the Reapers.
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
Apparent former mentor to Ace
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5
The street gang allegedly begun by Ace, though he cut
ties with them
early
on. He was replaced as leader by his half-brother Lorenzo. When Lorenzo
was
jailed awaiting trial for murder, Tyrone took his place as leader until
Lorenzo
returned after a mistrial.
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
Ace's half-brother and leader of the Reapers.
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
Mother to Ace, Rosie and Lorenzo. Her husband left
her and the
family
"ten years ago" and she raised them alone. She became very ill and
bed-ridden eventually. Ace found her dancing in their apartment,
imagining
herself in a ballroom. After she convinced him to a dance, she passed
away in
his arms.
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
Ace's younger sister, welfare services tried to
remove her from
Ace's custody
after their mother died. She joined Ace when he made it clear to the
Reapers to
leave him alone and left the area.
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5
(Peter Parker,
the
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
Reapers member, briefly took over while Lorenzo was
in jail. Tried
to kill Ace, but failed.
--Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
images: (without ads)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6, page 10, panel 1
(main image)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#5, page 36, panel 1 (original outfit)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#6, page 20, panel 5 (without glasses)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#5, page 17, panel 3 ("Gus")
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#6, page 39, panel 1 (Reapers)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#6, page 16, panel 2 (Lorenzo)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#6, page 21, panel 4 (Mrs. Spencer)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#6, page 39, panel 5 (Rosie)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual#6, page 11, panel 4 (Tyrone)
Other Appearances:
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#5 (1985) - Peter David
(writer),
Mark Beachum (pencils), Josef Rubinstein (inker), James Owsley (editor)
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#6
(1986) -
Peter David (writer), Mark Beachum (pencils), Josef Rubinstein (inker),
James
Owsley (editor)
Last updated:08/23/07
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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