Stick to Drawing Comic Books Monkey Brain

Stick to Drawing Comic Books Monkey Brain - by Scott Adams

Scott Adams is best known as the creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip.  Never has anyone captured the essence of what a ‘real’ work environment looks and feels like.  What makes his comic strips so wonderful is the fact that as crass and hopeless as the situations are that his imaginary characters face, most would argue that they’re scarily spot on when compared to real life.  My guess is that the majority of workplace cubicles all over the world have cutouts of their favorite strips that illustrate the idiocy of our drawn out day-to-day obligatory comings and goings that are necessary to obtain a regular paycheck.

In addition to his brilliant comics, Adams has written several ‘workplace’ books that are just as hilarious as his daily comics.  These books are a sarcastic antidote to the bazillions of “inspirational touchy-feely” business books out there that so many leaders think that their whole staff should read in order to be more ‘productive’ and or ‘profitable’.  Scott Adams’ books are a must for everyone who has worked any amount of significant time in the corporate workspace and knows how the ‘real’ world of work actually works.

Which leads me to this book. Sadly, this book doesn’t compare to the author’s comics nor his madcap reflections of the idiocy of the workplace.  This book seems as though it is merely excuse for writing something – anything – to replicate the author’s success in other areas.  From what I can tell, this book seems to be some sort of journal, or series of blog entries where the author simply wakes up, picks some random topic that’s on his mind and jots down a page or so of his reflections.  To be fair, sometimes Adams can be VERY funny, and there are many anecdotes here that made me laugh out loud.

  

Unfortunately, though, most of what is here is simply mundane and/or irrelevant.  Topics like cleaning out a cat’s litterbox, having to reach over in the back seat of your car, and the city of Pittsburgh aren’t really funny nor necessary.  I suppose this is true with most artists when it comes to creating. They can’t be funny all the time.  I challenge you to read a collection of ANY of your favorite comic strips, and you’ll discover that as much as the comic strip makes you laugh at times, there are probably just as many entries that leave you unmoved at best or confused at worst.  Most of these daily reflections simply aren’t very funny.

Another interesting tidbit: after reading other reviews of this book, it seems as though the fragmented entries in this book WERE in fact, at one time, placed on the author’s website for all to read for free.  It seems that many of the devoted were highly upset to find these musings pulled so they could be published in a standalone book that people had to, you know, pay money to read.  Of course, most of what’s here, I really wouldn’t want to read for free anyway.  It simply isn’t worth the time.

So I would skip this one, yet highly recommend the author’s ‘business books’.  Specifically: “The Joy of Work” and “The Way of the Weasel”.    What’s quite strange is I wonder if the author actually pondered the irony of the title he used for this group of rather uninspired musings.