Quite fun! I love games that can give you both the "man, I'm bad" and "man, I am amazing" moments. This one certainly qualifies; the U-turn mechanic can make for some really smooth escapes (as well as explosive blunders), and the enemy variation keeps you on your toes (especially those tri-spinners, woof!).
Background art is excellent! Making the cloud layers may not have taken long, but the beauty lies in the culmination; scrolling, opacity, background details, everything combines just right to really nail the mood, and the music complements both the gritty haze of the background and the intensity of the gameplay. Well done.
Also good onya for the lesser known source; I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it!