A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to Rock and Roll’s Zeus, born 89 years ago, on Jan. 8, 1935…
By now, every comics fan worth his studded leather jumpsuit knows that Elvis Presley was inspired by Captain Marvel Jr. But which issues did the King read as a mere prince? We don’t know for sure and we never will. And while it’s speculated that it was Mac Raboy’s art that caught Elvis’ eye, pseudonymous comics historian Robby Reed conjectures the range that fed his imagination was Captain Marvel Jr. #77 to #119, with covers primarily by Kurt Schaffenberger and Bud Thompson, from the years 1949 to 1953.
Mac Raboy. Elvis was 8 when this came out, FYI.
So because we love the King — he was my most-listened-to artist on Spotify in 2023 — here are 13 of those covers.
And as a musical bonus, check out what I consider to be his single greatest vocal performance:
Thank you. Thank you, very much.
—
Bud Thompson
Kurt Schaffenberger
Schaffenberger
Schaffenberger
Thompson
Schaffenberger
Thompson
Schaffenberger
Schaffenberger
Schaffenberger
Thompson
Schaffenberger
Schaffenberger
—
MORE
— Roy Thomas’ ALTER EGO to Explore CAPTAIN MARVEL JR.’s Influence on ELVIS PRESLEY. Click here.
— 13 COVERS: A MAC RABOY Birthday Celebration. Click here.
January 8, 2024
Hmmm, well have to admit I did not know that, although I was almost exclusively a Marvel comics kid and not DC. I can see maybe Marvel liked the blue/red/yellow look for the second costume of their own version years later.
When I see Elvis in that pic though I can’t help thinking the Manta-Men. Speaking of which, what’s happened to the Batcave/Superfriends podcasts lately? I miss listening to yourself and John and ‘watching’ the shows that you do episodes of. They all just seem to have stopped. I hope John’s okay :/
January 8, 2024
We will be back! Sometimes real life gets in the way. And I never made the Manta Men connection until now. Thanks!
January 8, 2024
Looking forward to the issue big time. I hope for the source of the short animated piece in the Elvis film to turn up. It is being searched out. Thanks for the excellent covers. Only If there were full archive as all the Fawcett titles. They deserve that recognition.
January 9, 2024
Glad to see Elvis get a mention here on 13th Dimension. I’m always afraid he’ll be forgotten as his fans continue to age. I inherited my Elvis fandom from my mother.
January 10, 2024
The King will never be forgotten.