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Dilbert #23
Don't Stand Where the Comet is Assumed to Strike Oil
"Confined to their cubicles in a company run by idiot bosses, Dilbert and his white-collar colleagues make the dronelike world of Kafka seem congenial."- The New York Times
Why is Dilbert such a phenomenon? People see their own dreary, monotonous lives brought to comedic life in the ubiquitous strip. In the 23rd collection of Scott Adams' tremendously popular series, Don't Stand Where the Comet Is Assumed to Strike Oil, suppressed and repressed workers everywhere can follow the latest developments in the so-called careers of Dilbert, power-hungry Dogbert, Catbert, Ratbert, the pointy-haired boss, and other supporting-but don't you dare call them supportive-characters. Each "funny because it's true" scenario bears an uncanny, hysterical, and sometimes uncomfortable similarity to cubicle-filled corporate America.
Why is Dilbert such a phenomenon? People see their own dreary, monotonous lives brought to comedic life in the ubiquitous strip. In the 23rd collection of Scott Adams' tremendously popular series, Don't Stand Where the Comet Is Assumed to Strike Oil, suppressed and repressed workers everywhere can follow the latest developments in the so-called careers of Dilbert, power-hungry Dogbert, Catbert, Ratbert, the pointy-haired boss, and other supporting-but don't you dare call them supportive-characters. Each "funny because it's true" scenario bears an uncanny, hysterical, and sometimes uncomfortable similarity to cubicle-filled corporate America.
128 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
19 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Scott Adams
239 books1,308 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Scott Adams was a defining voice of the American white-collar experience who transitioned from a prominent cartoonist into a polarizing political commentator. After earning an MBA from UC Berkeley and spending years in management at Pacific Bell, Adams launched the comic strip Dilbert in 1989. The strip’s sharp satire of corporate bureaucracy and the "Dilbert Principle"—the idea that incompetent employees are promoted to management to minimize their damage—resonated globally, eventually appearing in 2,000 newspapers and winning the prestigious Reuben Award. Beyond the funny pages, Adams explored philosophy and persuasion in works like God's Debris and Win Bigly, the latter of which analyzed Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies during the 2016 election. His career took a dramatic turn during the mid-2010s as he shifted focus to his daily "Real Coffee" livestream, where he combined his background in hypnosis and corporate strategy to comment on the "culture wars." This period of independent commentary culminated in 2023 when he reacted to a poll regarding racial tensions with a series of inflammatory remarks. Labeling Black Americans a "hate group" and advocating for racial segregation, Adams faced immediate and widespread repercussions; hundreds of newspapers dropped his strip, and his publisher canceled his upcoming projects. Undeterred, he moved his work to the subscription-based platform Locals, rebranding his comic as Dilbert Reborn. In his final years, he faced severe health challenges, including stage IV prostate cancer and vocal cord issues, yet he remained a prolific presence on social media. He eventually announced the end of his hand-drawn work due to focal dystonia but continued to direct the strip's vision. Adams’s legacy remains a complex study in the power of branding, the evolution of digital influence, and the volatile intersection of creative genius and political provocation in the modern era.
Scott Adams was a defining voice of the American white-collar experience who transitioned from a prominent cartoonist into a polarizing political commentator. After earning an MBA from UC Berkeley and spending years in management at Pacific Bell, Adams launched the comic strip Dilbert in 1989. The strip’s sharp satire of corporate bureaucracy and the "Dilbert Principle"—the idea that incompetent employees are promoted to management to minimize their damage—resonated globally, eventually appearing in 2,000 newspapers and winning the prestigious Reuben Award. Beyond the funny pages, Adams explored philosophy and persuasion in works like God's Debris and Win Bigly, the latter of which analyzed Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies during the 2016 election. His career took a dramatic turn during the mid-2010s as he shifted focus to his daily "Real Coffee" livestream, where he combined his background in hypnosis and corporate strategy to comment on the "culture wars." This period of independent commentary culminated in 2023 when he reacted to a poll regarding racial tensions with a series of inflammatory remarks. Labeling Black Americans a "hate group" and advocating for racial segregation, Adams faced immediate and widespread repercussions; hundreds of newspapers dropped his strip, and his publisher canceled his upcoming projects. Undeterred, he moved his work to the subscription-based platform Locals, rebranding his comic as Dilbert Reborn. In his final years, he faced severe health challenges, including stage IV prostate cancer and vocal cord issues, yet he remained a prolific presence on social media. He eventually announced the end of his hand-drawn work due to focal dystonia but continued to direct the strip's vision. Adams’s legacy remains a complex study in the power of branding, the evolution of digital influence, and the volatile intersection of creative genius and political provocation in the modern era.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 4, 2022
Makes me happy.
September 24, 2025
Catbert is a creature of pure unhinged corporate evil, and I love him for it.
August 29, 2018
Alice really amuses me.
July 3, 2020
Dilbert - always good
Very good as always, although perhaps not one of the best of the series. But, I will read again, and again, and again..
Very good as always, although perhaps not one of the best of the series. But, I will read again, and again, and again..
December 26, 2022
I’ve read a lot of Dilbert books and enjoy them all. This one doesn’t have a lot of ones I’d read in other books, which was good. It was a lot of fun.
December 21, 2023
No matter how honest a day's work Dilbert and his colleagues attempt, there always seems to be new schemes rolling out of the Pointy-Haired Boss' office, throwing the workplace into constant turmoil and putting the fate of their pay in the hands of idiots...as per usual...Adams continues to have fans chuckling with his wry sense of humour, examining the moronic depths that lay beneath the surface of the workplace. Perhaps the umpteenth scheme really is the charm?
September 26, 2011
After "The Grying of Lot 49" I wanted something simpler, so I turned to my favorite comic strip: "Dilbert." Even though his artistic abilities may not match others in the field, his drawings do augment his thoughtful and surprisingly funny texts.
January 23, 2016
We all might have started out like Calvin with a great view of life. But after hitting the workforce we all somewhat become Dilbert. Everyone knows someone like one of the characters in the strips. Highly recommended
August 16, 2008
My son enjoys these books too much. Is he doomed to be a code monkey?
November 24, 2008
I've always been a fan of Scott Adams and this book is one of my favorites! I just love how Adams captures the humor and insanity that modern day employees have to deal with.
August 15, 2013
Like always, a very enjoyable collection and oh so funny. I don't know how it is that Scott Adams has met all the same people I have.
May 30, 2014
Cartoons related to office life.
If you work in an office you’ll recognise many of the crazy scenes in this book, some of which are laugh out loud funny.
If you work in an office you’ll recognise many of the crazy scenes in this book, some of which are laugh out loud funny.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews