Admittedly, this one isn't so much a prediction as a straight-forward inspiration, but it's still pretty fascinating. Elvis Presley, the first real rock 'n' roll star, seemed to emerge from his Memphis cocoon fully-formed: the swagger, the amorously shaking hips, the voice, and - most importantly - the hair cut. How did he comic up with such a famous, stylish, groundbreaking 'do? From comic books, of course! Presley was an avid reader of Whiz Comics as a kid, and took a special shine to the Captain Marvel Jr character in particular. In fact it's not just the greased-back pompadour that The King cribbed from his superhero idol, but also the high-collared jumpsuits of his later career, and possibly even his dual identity: just as Captain Marvel Jr was a normal boy by day, before transforming into a superhero and fighting real-world villains like the Nazis, so Elvis signed up for the army in World War II, taking time off from his burgeoning music career to serve against the Axis powers. Actually, speaking of World War II...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
