It's Obvious You Won't Survive By Your Wits Alone

Dilbert is the cubicle dwelling everyman engineer who stands in for everyone who ever had to deal with a boss who doesn't understand what they actually do, had to sit through endless meetings about teamwork and quality, or screwed up a date by wearing a short-sleeved polyester dress shirt and talking about computer code. As usual, Scott Adams' sharp, biting satirical look at the life of the nerdy and their working environment is funny and frequently bitterly sad because it is often true.

(On a side note, I just watched the Babylon 5 episode Moments in Transition, in which Adams appears in a bit role as, well essentially himself, and wants to hire Garibaldi to find his cat and his dog who are trying to take over the universe. Dilbert says show more that becoming one with his computer is Nerdvana. I disagree. Watching Adams on Babylon 5 is).

As usual, Adams manages to mix bizarre material, such as Bob the dinosaur, Ratbert the lab rat, and Dogbert, the dog who wants to rule the world, with even more bizarre material such as pointy-haired bosses and the inanity of the corporate world. Only a strip like Dilbert could demonstrate the idiocy of things like "Rivers and Trees" Management courses and "Quality" office slogans by juxtaposing them with a megalomanaical dog giving common sense lessons and starting a clues for the clueless newsletter. (One of my favorites is a strip when Dogbert makes people apply for a license to have children, and finds them woefully unqualified; almost as funny are the strips where Dogbert offers his own unique brand of marriage counseling). It is a truly sad commentary on modern life that the material involving bizarre animals such as a lazy beaver, or robots with attitude issues (constructed by the garbage-man no less) seem less surreal than the realistic depictions of the working world.

As always, Adams hits the ball out the park with almost every strip. From Dilbert musing on the meaning of life while Dogbert insults him, to Dilbert's adventures in being rejected on dates, to the almost random insanity that flows from Dilbert's alternatively clueless and evil boss, every strip is brutally funny, and painfully honest. This is yet another excellent installment in the Dilbert lexicon, and one that anyone who has ever worked in a cubicle will almost certainly enjoy. Those of you born to lives of silver-spoon wealth and the fast track to upper management (for example, the very tall with executive hair) can safely skip this book. The rest of us should consider it required reading.

This review has also been posted on my blog Dreaming About Other Worlds. show less

A collection of older Dilbert strips, so there are a lot more silly puns and plays on words than in Scott's later work (a prime example being the storyline where Dilbert kills an executive with an ear of corn). A lot of Dogbert's world domination, too, which is always fun. He's a funny little dog. But my favourite storyline may have been the one where Dilbert becomes CEO very briefly -- this book shows how he became CEO, which I'd never seen previously. Little surprises like that and the interesting perspective provided by Scott's earlier work make this book a worthwhile venture for Dilbert fans.

It's Obvious You Won't Survive by Your Wits Alone is the 6th collection of Dilbert comics, and includes strips first published in 1991- 1992. It happens to be the 4th such collection that I've read, and I consider it to be the funniest of the lot. Its effects transcend wry smiles and mild chuckles to reach full- scale, body - shaking laughter.

As usual, the cartoons focus on life in the dreary cubicle world of corporate USA; Dilbert's unenviable social life (every first date is a disaster; he rents a metal detector to attract women in the park); and various escapades by Dogbert (he opens a School for Jerks, and then a dating service called Date-A Base; his one page book "Men Are Scum" becomes a best-seller; he runs for the US show more Presidency as a Communist (not as a Democrat, as he wants a chance of winning [this was 1991]). Dogbert opens a Parent - Licensing service, then masquerades as a space alien to become Supreme Ruler of Earth. Meanwhile, Dilbert becomes President of Elbonia, and over the months, Dilbert's boss gradually develops the characteristic pointy hair of later strips.

Oh, you just can't summarize a comic book. Trust me, if you like Dilbert, you'll love this one. show less

It's amazing how poorly I find these comics have aged. As I said, it may be that I've been reading such amazing comics recently that these pale in comparison. I mean, it's no secret that the art is horrible, something Scott Adams freely admits. At the same time, I don't find the jokes very funny either. They seem somewhat clumsy and awkward. However, these are early strips, and perhaps they get better as the series matures.

Its Obvious That Adams Can Survive By His Wits Alone!: Most comic books, to me, are funny. But I can't really tell any difference from book to book. For some reason, this book strikes me as the funniest in my collection of about 5 Dilbert books. While Dilbert isn't my most favorite cartoon (probably because I'm not an adult), but its the one that I can laugh the most at particular outrageous strips. Want 476 good laughs for twelve bucks??? Buy it Now!!!

Typical fun entertaining Dilbert comic strips. Despite not being an office-worker I've always enjoyed Scott Adams/Dilbert's humor.

Dilbert's boss gets his hair horns; an epic milestone in this fine strip that represents the vengeance of the working professional over the clueless boss, and don't you just hate it when the bosses cut the strip out and put it on THEIR office windows?