Cosmic Madness 2018 First Round : Everything Else Region
Welcome to the first round of Cosmic Madness!
Now, this may be the Everything Else region, but that should in no way make you think that these titles are any less important than the other tourney contenders. Exhibit A: Neil Gaiman's Sandman! Exhibit B: Maus! And they have to face each other in the first round!! But there's also Kick-Ass, Preacher, From Hell, and Planetary! These books are SERIOUS BUSINESS.
All you have to do is pick which titles you want to win in each contest. The first round of voting will go from March 14-17, with the second round kicking off on March 18.
All the info you need, including the complete bracket and info about the contest, is available at Cosmic Madness HQ! Now GET TO VOTING!
SCALPED
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by R.M Guera
Dashiell Bad Horse has come home to the reservation armed with a set of nunchucks, a hell-bent-for-leather attitude and a dark secret. But nothing has changed-except for the glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: Jason Aaron's first ongoing series and the book that launched him into comic starrdom. Scalped is set in current day, involves an Indian Reservation, the FBI, drugs, the mob, a casino and really hits home. Awesome series all the way to the end. Just keep some Prozac handy if you get depressed easily.
VS.
FROM HELL
Written by Alan Moore
Illustrated by Eddie Campbell
From Hell is the story of Jack the Ripper, perhaps the most infamous man in the annals of murder. Detailing the events leading up to the Whitechapel killings and the cover-up that followed, From Hell is a meditation on the mind of a madman whose savagery and violence gave birth to the 20th century. The serialized story, presented in its entirety in this volume, has garnered widespread attention from critics and scholars and has been adapted into a major motion picture.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: Another Alan Moore book and perhaps the biggest book in the tournament. Often regarded as one of the most significant graphic novels ever published, From Hell combines meticulous research with educated speculation, resulting in a masterpiece of historical fiction both compelling and terrifying.
WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE??
MAUS
Written by Art Spiegelman
Illustrated by Art Spiegelman
The first masterpiece in comic book history, The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father's story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: If you've ever taken a college class on comic books there is a good chance that the first book in your syllabus was Maus. Perhaps the only comic to ever win a Pulitzer Prize and chronicles the Holocaust like no other medium before it. Maus may be the one book above all others that everyone should read.
VS.
SANDMAN
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Sam Kieth & Various
A wizard attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. Fearful for his safety, the wizard kept him imprisoned in a glass bottle for decades. After his escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On the way, Morpheus encounters Lucifer and demons from Hell, the Justice League, and John Constantine, the Hellblazer. This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings" which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl, Death.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: Neil Gaimans claim to fame. The critically acclaimed series ran for 75 issues and ended in 1996. While there are threads that tie everything together, iit all takes place in the same universe and there are multiple stories involving different characters throughout the series. There 10 trade paperbacks and at least that many different stories. That makes Sandman unique in our tournament.
WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE??
KICK ASS
Written by Mark Millar
Illustrated by John Romita Jr
Have you ever really wanted to be a super hero? No, I mean really wanted to? Dave Lizewski has - and he's not willing to let it stop with simple daydreams. Designing a suit for himself and taking the name "Kick-Ass," Dave decides to make his dreary existence more exciting - and maybe even help some people in the process. But with no special powers and outmatched by New York City's most hardened criminals, Kick-Ass might be in for a little more than he bargained for.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: One of the best new looks at the Superhero genre and Mark Millar's claim to fame. You've seen the movie and hopefully you're reading the new series that just came out. Realiscally though Kick-Ass should win because it introduced the world to HIT GIRL!
VS.
STRANGERS IN PARADISE
Written and illustrated by Terry Moore
David loves Katchoo, but Katchoo loves Francine who loves Katchoo back - but not that way, because Francine loves Freddie, who doesn't love anybody but himself!
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: The story primarily revolves around two women, Francine and Katchoo with them just trying to live their lives as simply as possible. But that ain’t gonna happen. Mysterious pasts come to light. A shadowy agency gets involved. Some politics. Some organized crime. And all these two poor girls want to do is live in peace. Oh well. Perhaps the greatest slice of life comic ever.
WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE??
PLANETARY
Written by Warren Ellis
Illustrated by John Cassaday
Witness the adventures of Elijah Snow, a hundred year old man, Jakita Wagner, an extremely powerful and bored woman, and The Drummer, a man with the ability to communicate with machines. Infatuated with tracking down evidence of super-human activity, these mystery archaeologists of the late 20th Century uncover unknown paranormal secrets and histories, such as a World War II supercomputer that can access other universes, a ghostly spirit of vengeance, and a lost island of dying monsters.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: Talk about a book that comes full circle. A comic book made for comic fans and Rusty's favorite comic of all time. It's got just about everything. Re-imaginings of your favorite heroes from the big two and every time you read it you'll find something new. In a tournament comparing comic books, Planetary just might be the best!
VS.
PREACHER
Written by Garth Ennis
Illustrated by Steve Dillon
After merging with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis, Texan preacher Jesse Custer has become completely disillusioned with the beliefs to which he had dedicated his entire life. Now possessing the power of "the word," an ability to make people do whatever he utters, Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy, Custer loses faith in both God and man as he witnesses dark atrocities and improbable calamities during his exploration of America.
WHY IT SHOULD WIN: You’ve never read anything else quite like Preacher. It spits in the face of what some people might find appropriate but that just might be why it should win. Remember all the best comics showcase something you've never seen before. In fact just about every book in our tournament can make that claim and Preacher goes further than any of them!