BLOG: 2012 Suvudu Cage Match - I pick Tarzan as King

post orignially from Fnordinc

My brother in law had the Superbowl, My wife had the Oscars.. Bookish Geeks have the Suvudu Cage Match (SCM). Suvudu (a Random House site) has put on an awesome event for the last couple years, the SCM, where various heroes and villains from literature are pitted against each other in a battle of strength, wits, and luck for a chance to reign as king of the mountain for a year.

It is both fun and informative as every year, as I learn of 10-20 books I MUST READ (good thing), though may never find time (bad thing) due to my already dangerously tall to-be-read pile.

This year, I backpedaled from my normal stance in reviewing SCM opponents. Surprisingly, my review and support led me to a man who I believe is commonly discounted due to the unjust portrayal Hollywood gave him in the 1930′s. He has been fighting against the “unwashed-heathen” stigma for a long time and I believe it is his time to shine.

In Round 1 of the SCM, there were a number of fights that occurred, but I believe that the most important is Moiraine Damodred (of the Wheel of Time series) and Tarzan (of the “Pick any book, movie, comic or childhood memory using his name” series).

With out going into too much detail as to my reasoning, you can look over the above bracket list and see how I made my decisions. Please note, that I did make a last minute decision change, and felt that Mr. Wednesday (Odin in the novel American Gods) was going to take out Carnival (Scar Night). This makes for a more interesting potential final match as Tarzan would be going against a the American incarnation of Odin.. … .. Yeah, I can see it.

Tarzan would then destroy him purely off the fact that in the realm of American Gods, the power of Old Gods is limited entirely by the number of believers still in existence. Dudes gotta be a lot weaker than he lets on.

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See the Brackets here and place your Votes!


http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2012/02/cage-match-2012-del-rey-spectras-brackets.html


My notes on the main bracket page (from the comments) -

It’s all about Tarzan.
He has fought countless battles documented in film, television, and print.. he has been found on the earths surface as well as in the realm of Pellucidar.. Dark Horse Chronicled Tarzan’s deeds with (against) John Carter in 1996.. So that makes earth, inner earth, AND Mars.. pretty versatile….. I think he even fought to get out of a pair of pants at one point. Drop him in any situation and he will MacGuyver a solution using a stick and some bashing of heads.

But the strongest trait in his favor, is his ability to overcome illiteracy in the tree house owned by his dead parents.. Illiteracy is a dark secret many people hide, but he fought it, ALONE! The man could be teaching Adult Education and ESL courses.

Anyone who can beat the social stigma of illiteracy and still choose to sport a loin cloth in public.. He has my vote… all the way to the end, where he will destroy Odin the All Father.

Tyrion/Revan be damned, Tarzan FTW