The first round of the March Madness Super-Animal Showdown tournament is in the books … and while for the most part the higher seeds advanced (and we had several blowouts), there were still a few mild upsets and one match that went into overtime!

The closest thing to a genuine upset in the first round was #19 seed The Spectacular Spider-Ham taking down poor old Proty (ranked #14) by a 54-46 count. Proty may have been hampered by his unclear status — is he a pet? an alien? — plus his finest years were in the far future of the long lost Silver Age adventures of the Legion of Superheroes, who aren’t exactly a hot ticket right now. The Spectacular Spider-Ham emerges from the first round as the tournament’s “Cinderella,” being the lowest seed still in the tournament.

The first round’s other upset was much milder, with #17 G’nort going through against #18 Zabu by a score of 53-47.

The favorites carried every other battle by comfortable margins … aside from the dead heat contest between Comet the Superhorse and Monsieur Mallah! This battle wound up in a flat-footed 50-50 tie, so I determined the “overtime” winner by casting my moderator’s vote in favor of the higher seed, Comet (#8). Monsieur Mallah’s fans can now gripe twice — first that they were scandalously under-seeded at #25, and second that they were robbed on the field of play!

Let’s serenade poor Monsieur Mallah as he leaves the tournament, beaten but unbowed!

But there is no time for replay or appeals in the Super-Animal Showdown … we are on to the second round! Cast your votes in the match-ups below!

Science fiction animals collide as top seed Krypto (d. Max 94-6) battles Gnort (d. Zabu 53-47)

Civil war for the Legion of Super-Pets as Streaky (d. Redwing 65-35) claws into Comet (d. Mallah 50-50)

Ironic Marvel animals duke it out when Howard the Duck (d. Hoppy 60-40) battles Throg (d. Cosmo 63-34)

It’s a simian showdown between Beppo (d. Storm 60-40) and Gorilla Grodd (d. Ch’p 59-41)

Brawn versus brains as Rocket Raccoon (d. Tawky 63-37) pairs off with Detective Chimp (d. Capt. Carrot 67-33)

Worm versus reptile as Mr. Mind (d. Topo 54-46) confronts Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy (d. Titano 57-43)

Parody animals square off when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (d. Dr. Canus 79-21) take on The Spectacular Spider-Ham (d. Proty 54-46)

Dog-thing versus Bat-Dog as Lockjaw (d. Lockheed 62-38) battles Ace, The Bat-Hound (d. Tufty 80-20)

And here’s how the whole field shapes up as we prepare to whittle the field down to the Elite Eight:

As before, you will have about a week to vote. Last week I actually closed the voting late on Friday, as things had slowed down quite a bit, and I had weekend plans that would have interfered with doing this column on Sunday night. (So there’s another irregularity for Monsieur Mallah to complain about!). This week’s voting may end as soon as Friday, or it may run into the weekend. You never know with the Super-Animal Showdown!

But what is for certain is that this tournament can’t run without your votes … so vote early, and vote often, and tell your friends! This second round is going to see some beloved super-animals bite the dust. Advocate for your favorites, in the comments section below!