Seven Years of Highly Defective People makes a great introduction to Scott Adams' brilliant comic strip. Not only do you get a sampling of Adams' best creations from the time of the strip's appearance in 1989 to 1996 and the publication of this book, you get a great introduction to the characters who share Dilbert's world. You can see the progression of the The Boss over time and marvel at the appearance and growth of his increasingly pointy hair, watch Dilbert's coworker Alice evolve from a nondescript female character to the triangle-haired attitude-laced pistol she came to be. Wally has always been Wally, but this guy makes any comic strip frame better and funnier just by lending his presence. Then there are the minor and not-so-minor other characters: Ratbert, Catbert, Bob the Dinosaur and family, Dilbert's Mom and never-seen Dad, the world's smartest garbageman, Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light, Asok the intern, Ted the Generic Guy, etc. My favorite character is of course Dogbert, Dilbert's dog who is constantly scheming to take over the world, creating some of the most amazing jobs for himself to aid him in his efforts. Dogbert gets to say all the things that Dilbert (and his author and I and many of us) would like to say but cannot even think about uttering aloud.

Each significant character gets a little bio-type write-up here, and perhaps best of all Adams has included notes for the majority of the comic strips stuffed into these 250+ pages. It's fascinating to see how little things he did almost on a lark ended up becoming so popular that they had to be incorporated into the whole Dilbert universe. Even more fascinating are Adams' references to the many controversies some of his seemingly innocuous comic strip ideas met with. His comments on his own poor cartooning skills are also quite funny and, it would seem, true to an extent. Of course, Dilbert wouldn't be the same if it came out looking like a piece of art or a Disney-type production. Most people either "get" Dilbert or don't "get" him, and I think most individuals can establish their respective place with a look at a small sampling of the comic strips. Those whom Dilbert speaks to as a prophet of truth blazing forth across the heavens would do well to invest in this significant collection; there are a lot of Dilbert books on the market, but I think Seven Years of Highly Defective People is among the best of the bunch and is particularly appealing to those wanting to review or learn about the early years of Dilbert.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Hilarious  May 18, 2006
By B. Breen "Canuckster1127"
Dilbert is the signature comic of the cubicle generation. It never ceases to amaze me how an engineer who wrestles to keep his characters even looking consistent, because he is admittedly not a great artist, has managed to make so much of his strip. The reason, of course, is that he understands the climate and atmosphere of so many of us who walk the mazes of cubicles chasing the corporate cheese. He's captured the cynicism, the drollness and the other elements that help us cope with the impersonal affronts that greet us regularly.

If you have every other Dilbert, you may want to think before picking it up as it has no new material. It does however, have the unique arrangment that shows the development of so many characters. The notes themselves add an element that gives insight into the twisted mind of Adams.

Viva la Dilbert!

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Scott Adams comments on his work  Aug 06, 2004
By John A. Dodds
The best part about this collection is that Scott comments on individual strips, saying what he likes (or doesn't like) about them or commenting on early stages of his characters' development. The strips are arranged (initially) by character, taking you through their changes over seven years. Some have changed dramatically, like the boss, who was originally tall and thin and now is short, rotund, and pointy-haired. Scott even explains the minor characters, like accounting trolls, dinosaurs, and generic co-workers. On their own, the strips would have been a good collection, but the comments by Scott Adams really make this collection fun.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Hilarious  Jul 08, 2003

This book is a must for Dilbert fans. Its shows the evolution of dilbert and characters to what we see today, along with author notes. I truely enjoyed reading this book, it kept me laughing.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

SEVEN YEARS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE COMICS  Dec 11, 2002

A single cartoon that I have laughed the hardest at, the longest at, as to be a Dilbert. Scott Adams has jokes that may step over the line in a businessman's perspective, but if you're a comics fan, its like gold.

In this book, we have the best of the beginning, the outrageous of the origin, the super of the Seven. In this book, you will get no new comics, but something that I think every popular comic strip compilation should have. Comments from the author. Somehow, they enrich your reading by providing insights such as: if Adams thought it was dumb, what parts of this outrageousness actualy IS true. Or presenting a phrase that kills him (with laughter!) every time (can you chant?). I'm glad he took the time.

In this book, Adams has a few paragraphs/a page or two about every character, as small as its role may be.

The characters include:
-Dilbert
..& Dogbert
...& Technology
..in the Business world
...& women
...& his ego
...Dies
...Travels
...Attempts to join the Consumer Society
-Dogbert

..the Early, Vulnerable days
...Reveals his Sarcasm
..& the many occupations
..Schemes to Conquer the World
...Saves Dilbert
-Ratbert ("Timmy" is the best EVER!!!!)
-Garbageman
-Liz
-Dilmom & Dildad
-Bob & the dinosaurs
-Catbert
-Phil
-Asok (he's cool!)
-Tina the Tech Writer
-Elbonians (crack-ups!)
-The Boss
-Alice
-Wally (my fav character)
-Carol
-Critters
-Dogbert in Hats
-Ted the Generic Guy
-Slapstick (the phrase, that isn't a person!)
He missed janitor.

Ah, well. This-esp. with the insight comments from Adams-belongs on the shelve of anyone who likes comics (or anything) in the 90's. Or if you like Dilbert, or laughing 'till you strain something.....

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