Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Review - Dogbert's Clues for the Clueless by Scott Adams


Short review: Dogbert hits clueless people with a clue-by-four.

Haiku
If you are clueless
And Dogbert pays a visit
Prepare to be clued

Full review: This is a collection of strips featuring Dogbert giving advice to "the clueless". Dogbert is Dilbert's dog (from the Dilbert comic strip) who believes everyone but him is a minion just waiting to be conquered.  In keeping with Dogbert's character, the advice is direct, brutal, and extremely funny. The comic panels are oversized, which doesn't seem to do much for the book other than reduce the amount of material that can be put into it. Even so, watching Dogbert give abusive and mean-spirited advice in an effort to "help" is exceptionally amusing.

I have often said that even though it is labeled as such, I don't believe that Dilbert is a satire, because the situations presented hit too close to home. Almost everyone has encountered someone who is as clueless as the people who populate this book, and almost everyone wishes they could respond in the same manner as Dogbert does throughout the comic strips in this volume. I suspect that there have been a number of office murders that have only been averted because someone was able to experience the cathartic joy of reading Dilbert and realizing that they are not the only person who is plagued by idiots. The only thing about this book I didn't like was that it wasn't longer.

Previous book in the series: Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies
Subsequent book in the series: Shave the Whales

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