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Huntsville comic Scott Eason came up with the idea for Dual of the Iron Mic. (File photo)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- They put the numbered scraps of paper into a newsboy cap.

And 16 local comics drew numbers from the hat to see who they'd square off against in the opening round of Enter the Comedy Dragon: Duel of the Iron Mic, a two-part tournament featuring Huntsville area stand-ups.

Local comedian Scott Eason came up with the idea for Duel of the Iron Mic.

"I'd seen the concept of comedy tournaments before, but never one in this type of format," Eason says by phone. "I wanted to do something that was kind of ratcheting up the intensity level a little bit, and get both of the comics onstage and turn it into more of a head-to-head matchup to advance, versus just everybody goes and then do some kind of voting scheme. I thought it was a lot more interesting this way.

"Plus, maybe you create some rivalries and the get crowd into it."

First and second rounds of Iron Mic went down Oct. 17 at the Sports Page Lounge & Deli. Stand-ups duking it out included: Jonathan Craig, Matthew Tate, Rob Sullivan, Brandon Ijames, Greg Stargell, Adam Alfaro, Tim Kelly, Thaddeus Blake, Daniel Kolle, Guy Frizzell, Zach De La Cruz, Jeff Graham, Shane Justice, Patrick Cunningham, Mark Bentley and The Ceej.

Victors are chosen by crowd response. In the first round, each comic got three minutes, and for the second round, first round winners advanced to deliver five minute sets.

Eason describes the Oct. 17 installment of Iron Mic as a "big success." He adds, "We had a packed house and all the comedians did well."

Iron Mic's third and fourth rounds are set for 8 p.m. Oct. 24 at The Sports Page, located at 9009 Memorial Pkwy. S.W.

Final four matchups feature Sullivan versus and Cunningham versus Graham, with 10 minute sets. The final round pits the two triumphant comics from round three, each getting a 15 minute set to stake their claim at bragging rights, a cash prize and a slot opening for "Conan," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" vet Baron Vaughn at his free, Oct. 28 Sports Page show.

"It's back to back," Eason says of the Iron Mic sets. "There's no buffer, and both comics are onstage at the same time," Eason says. "Since this is our inaugural tournament, we're going to get a feel for it, but our hopes are to continue doing this, so some of the things we're going to figure out as we go along."