Sunday, October 16, 2005

COIE: the Wavering Self-Doubt Game!

COIE Games: the Wavering Self-Doubt Game!

"I... I don't know if I can handle this game;
what if my mental powers are not up to the task? I'm so scared!"



As you'll recall, Wavering Self-Doubt is one for the four allowable types of statement in Marv Wolfman's Crisis on Infinite Earths. Without looking it up, can you figure out which characters spoke or thought the following examples of Wolfmanesque Wavering Self-Doubt?

1. "With all my powers ... I can't save any of them. I ... feel so useless."

2. "I use to revel in my powers, but when I need them the most -- they're useless. It's ironic, isn't it?"

3. "I can do nothing more than cry."

4. "Instead of saving the earth, I could be committing suicide!"

5. "It's begun and I ... I can't even help."

6. "Can I fight them? Or could they destroy me?"


7. "I'm way outta my league. So what in blazes do I do about it?"


8. "Monitor, why us? Surely there are others with greater powers!"


9. "How did this happen without
my knowing about it?"

10. "Now I feel so useless, so helpless, so worthless -- and so very, very scared."


11. "I keep getting these feelings. Feelings that say bad things are happening ... and even if they never get any better-- they're sure going to get a heckuva lot worse!"


12. "But it's
useless, none of us has the power to stop it."

13. "I ... I was useless before ... now I'm helpless, too."


14. "And I wonder, am I playing a game meant for young folk only?"


15. "It will take time to recharge ... I ... I can't do anything now."


16. "I ... I don't understand any of this!"


17. "I .. I haven't got long before I'm powerless to stop it. Trouble is, I know what's going to happen to me if I'm successful."


18. "I -- I feel like I don't belong on that earth. I belong elsewhere. I belong out here ... in the void ... in this nothingness."


19. "I'm using
all my atomic force, but it's useless against him."

20. "You want me to absorb a sun's energy? I -- I don't know if I can."

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

1-20: Vibe

Anonymous said...

2. Ultraman. Right? He had the best death line ever.

5. Pariah

7. Blue Beetle

9. Darkseid

Anonymous said...

They all sound like Green Lantern to me.

joncormier said...

Man, I just bought the trade on Friday and I'm reading this for the first time this weekend. I'm still not quite done and I can't tell who said what here.

Really, it's a matter of take hero, insert line - repeat.

I think 11 is Sgt. Rock - how butch was he? I mean fighting a war and he still has time to shave his chest and run around with his top unbuttoned. I think I saw this sketch in a Kid's in the Hall episode...same with Starman's probing starbeam rig-a-ma-jig (which I'm sure nobody ever joked about before).

Anonymous said...

Best guesses here...its been years and years since I read this.

1. Superman
2. Supergirl
3. Pariah
7. Blue Beetle
8. Cyborg
9. Darkseid
14. Wildcat
18. Superman Earth 2
19. Captain Atom
20. Dr. Light

Scipio said...

So far, from your guesses, the following are correct:

2. Ultraman
3. Pariah
7. Blue Beetle
18. Superman of Earth 2
19. Captain Atom
20. Dr. Light

Not bad, Ariel.

Oh, and, Jon? YES, there is no one butcher than Sgt. Rock. He eats tin cans for breakfast. God bless Bob Kanigher! It's hard to believe the same guy who created Sgt. Rock created Dr. Domino...

Anonymous said...

Isn't #1 Power Girl?

Scipio said...

Nope! In fact, it's nearly impossible to guess number one because the statement the character makes is extremely misleading...

Anonymous said...

Well, I do recall a scene where Power Girl was whining about being unable to stop the chaos and Huntress pretty much told her to suck it up and get to work. The same scene was repeated on Earth-One with the roles reversed, Batgirl being the whiner and Supergirl the pillar of strength.

Anonymous said...

4. Creeper
9. Luthor (Earth-2)
14. Flash (Earth-1)
15. Alex Luthor
17. Flash (Earth-2)

So few guesses... I feel so useless!

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure #6 is Obsidian
13 was Wildcat
14 was Earth 2 Atom

Anonymous said...

That should have been:

4. Creeper
9. Luthor (Earth-1)
14. Flash (Earth-2)
15. Alex Luthor
17. Flash (Earth-1)

Who'd have thought those multiple earths could be so confusing?

Scipio said...

Getting closer!

2. Ultraman
3. Pariah
6. Obsidian
7. Blue Beetle
13. Wildcat
14. The Atom, Earth 2
17. Flash, Earth 1
18. Superman of Earth 2
19. Captain Atom
20. Dr. Light

Anonymous said...

1. Johnny Quick?
4-5. Harbinger?
9. Braniac
10. Is this Batgirl, from the scene totaltoyz is referring to?
15. psycho pirate

Anonymous said...

I haven't looked at Crisis since I bought the trade a few years ago, so these are pure guesses:

4: Wildcat II
5: Harbinger
9: Batman
15: Green Lantern

Hell, this is tough. Damn you, Wolfman, for failing to give your characters individual voices!

Scipio said...

GETTING CLOSER!

2. Ultraman
3. Pariah
6. Obsidian
7. Blue Beetle
10. Batgirl
13. Wildcat
14. The Atom, Earth 2
15. Psychopirate.
17. Flash, Earth 1
18. Superman of Earth 2
19. Captain Atom
20. Dr. Light

Scipio said...

Sorry--

yes, 5 is Harbinger.