Webtoon Review: Agent Elvis
It is 1968, and Elvis Presley is preparing for his Comeback Special. After a few years concentrating on making movies, he’s ready to go out on the road with live performances again. Well, ready except for these strange urges he gets to ditch everything and administer vigilante justice. His manager Birdie is worried about him, as is his best friend Bobby Ray. Elvis’ chimpanzee companion Scatter might also be worried, but with the drugs and all, it’s hard to tell.
There’s an obnoxious woman in a black catsuit named CeCe Ryder who keeps showing up with dubious intentions, and Elvis doesn’t trust her, even after she helps him deal with an attack by the Manson Family. And with good reason, as she works for a secret agency the American government isn’t exactly aware of.
Elvis is going to need all his wits and combat skills to survive the next few years, and maybe he’ll even get to sing a song or two!
This ten-episode animated series posits Elvis Presley as a karate-chopping action hero recruited by shadowy organization TCB (The Central Bureau) to deal with threats to America and the world. It was made with the cooperation of Priscilla Presley (who voices herself in a few episodes!) The story blends events from Elvis’ life (“Change of Habit”, working in Vegas, his photo op with President Nixon, etc.) with other events from the late Sixties and early Seventies (Altamont, the Vietnam War, the moon landing, etc.) And then it adds more fantastic elements.
But it’s primarily a comedy aimed at “mature” audiences; the kind of folks who love South Park and Family Guy. So there’s a lot of gross jokes, cynicism and sexual references.
The most notable character, outside Elvis himself, is The Commander of TCB, who’s a parody of the version of Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s a lot shadier and more amoral than his model (which strangely enough makes him more like the comic book version of Nick Fury!) He’s also bisexual and creepy about abusing his power over subordinates. The Commander is clearly up to something, but Elvis isn’t sure what.
Good stuff: Elvis music! The man really could sing, you know. Lots of historical jokes and Elvis trivia callouts. Some good action scenes.
Less good: Far too much of the grossout humor. The cynicism also gets in the way of liking the characters.
Content notes: Gore, harm to children, people in underwear, sexual situations, rough language, drug and alcohol abuse, body function humor. Not for kids or sensitive viewers.
Overall: Interesting as a curiosity. Room is left for a sequel, but I’d rather not. Recommended mostly to Elvis fans with a sense of humor.
