R.I.P. Scott Adams

I'm breaking into this site's dormancy to reflect on the passing of a one-time idol of mine, Dilbert creator Scott Adams.

First off, I'm well aware of Adams' well-documented descent into right-wing MAGA/QAnon crackpot territory. But today I'm remembering him for his positive impact on my journey as a computer nerd/wannabe cartoonist in the 1990s.

Dilbert's influence is all over my 1990s web comic, The Bastich, most explicitly in "The Sentence" Part 1 and Part 2.

I've always loved comic strips as an artform, and Dilbert was at the top of my list for a solid decade. I read the comic, joined the mailing list, bought all of the strip collections, desk calendars and any merch I could get my hands on. When Adams released The Dilbert Principle, I bought it in print and then wore out the book-on-tape while driving around Silicon Valley. I posted the funniest strips to my cubicle wall and subjected my coworkers with enough Dilbert quotes to send them running to the nearest Monty Python fan for a reprieve. I awaited his cameo on Babylon 5 with anticipation (though it didn't seem like JMS knew who he was beyond being some famous fan of the show).

People would say that Adams "couldn't draw" but I liked the minimalism and clarity of his style. Every line was laid down with intent and the gag almost always paid off. He made it look so easy, but I know how hard it is to do what he did.

Adams' humor also spoke to me more than anything else in the funny pages. It was a brainy mix of sci-fi, philosophy, and fantasy with the mundane reality of life in Corporate America. Every day, I saw my lived experience reflected as an aspiring tech nerd. I felt it when the pointy-haired boss asked for a "mauve" database. I nodded my head every time Dilbert failed for trying and Wally prevailed by avoiding any kind effort. Nobody in the world understood the plight of nerds surrounded by normies, but Scott Adams did.

Eventually, I outgrew Dilbert. I started to see a sort of toxicity in posting strips by the water cooler. Did I really need to remind everybody of the absurdity around them every time they got up for a drink? When Social Media became a thing, I wondered how sharing the latest "my boss is an idiot" gag might look to a potential employer. Does it make me look like the self-proclaimed smart guy in a room full of cow-orkers and in-"duh"-viduals? Am I just going to sit back and poke holes at the absurdity around me instead of finding solutions? My outlook on life improved when I embraced imperfection and accepted that everyone around me was just another person trying to figure stuff out.

And so, Dilbert fell by the wayside. I hadn't read it in years by the time it was cancelled by the syndicate, but those early strips and books still stick with me.

Scott Adams' work helped embolden me to make art, and made me feel less alone at a time when nerds were still social outcasts. For that, I will always be grateful.

Thanks for all of the laughs, Mr. Adams. May you rest in peace.