We've given a lot of thought in recent weeks to The Quizmaster - a superhero character that we believe would be a worthy addition to the superhero canon of Marvel Comics and DC graphic novels. You can read our two most recent recaps for more about this. But it occurred to me that the beauty of The Quizmaster - and what makes this character truly unique - is the lack of singularity that sets him/her apart from other such characters.
Where there is just one Batman and but a single Superman; one iconic but isolated Iron Man or Incredibly individual Hulk, there is no way to know how many Quizmasters are out there. He is us and we are he - or she! And we are legion!
The Quizmaster is a true reflection of the diversity of the human condition. There are many Quizmasters, male / female / gay / straight / transgender. We are Black, White, Hispanic and Asian. Old, young and in between. And we all uphold a set of ideals that are front and center at all the pub quiz events we host.
We believe in brains over brawn; knowledge over opinion; clarity over confusion. We ae the maintainers of the level playing field. The arbiters of fairness and accuracy. Ambiguity is not our ally. And we welcome with joy and acceptance anyone who shares our love of all things trivial. And best of all, anyone can join our ranks. You don't have to be from another planet or bitten by a radioactive spider or blasted with gamma rays from a leaking nuclear reactor.
If you like people, love trivia, and have a silly and spontaneous sense of humor, you're already a Quizmaster in your heart and we are glad to have you with us. To all loyal quizinators who come out each week to put yourself to the test in our weekly trivia quiz at the hundreds of venues nationwide where you find us, we thank you for your support. We're here for you, and we're glad you're here for us!
See ya next week.
The "Q" on the Quizmaster's chest and the "A" on his cape were shining so brightly that the room was bathed in color. Just moments ago, he had stood up to the Riddler's onslaught of questions and demonstrated his prowess. The bar quiz patrons at The Brewyard Beer Company in Burbank were cheering wildly.
Now The Quizmaster put his hands squarely on his hips, flexed his massive Quizmaster biceps and declared, "now I have a few questions for YOU!. What student tricked Professor Slughorn into revealing the secrets of the horcrux?"
"Uhm...Harry Potter?" Riddler answered weakly.
"No Riddler. It was not Harry Potter! Anyone want to tell him the correct answer," he asked the assembled quizinators.
"TOM RIDDLE," shouted many voices. The Riddler staggered with the humiliation of not knowing his own name was part of the answer.
"And what was the name of the acclaimed bandleader and composer who famously arranged the orchestrations for many of Frank Sinatra's biggest hits such as I've Got You Under My Skin, I've Got the World on a String, and I Get a Kick Out of You?"
The Riddler glowered at The Quizmaster but offered no response. After what seemed like an eternity to the evil villain, The Quizmaster gestured to the crowd and said, "Tell 'im, friends."
"Nelson RIDDLE," the answer came out with a roar, the assembled quizinators now screaming with jubilation.
"You don't seem much about your riddle-lineage, do you? Well, let's try one more. In JRR Tolkien's classic novel The Hobbit, what is the name of the chapter in which Bilbo finds the Ring of Power?"
"I...I... I'm not sure," he stammered before offering a guess. "The Riddle Ring?"
Not waiting to be asked, many quizinators shouted back, "Riddles in The Dark!"
The Riddler fell to his knees in utter defeat. At just that moment, a beer-soaked bar towel came flying across the room and hit the Riddler in the face, dislodging what was suddenly revealed to be a mask. The Quizmaster quickly reached out and pulled on a loose flap of false skin, revealing the imposter hiding underneath.
"You're not the Riddler! You're Pete Davidson!"
The comedian leaped to his feet. "That's right! I'm Pete Davidson. The Riddler sent me to tell you he'd see you soon. And in the meantime,..." Davidson then stuck his thumbs in his ears, wiggled his fingers wildly and started blowing raspberries. Then he bolted for the exit and ran out into the night.
"Well, one thing we know for sure," The Quizinator said. "You don't want Pete Davidson on your quiz team!"
See ya next week.
