Dilbert: The Third Year by Scott Adams (1991)
Note: this post includes Amazon affiliate links.
R.I.P. Scott Adams
I awoke to sad news today, that legendary cartoonist Scott Adams died. His public bout with cancer rarely sidelined him in these final months, and his ever-interesting Coffee with Scott Adams streaming on X was always an entertaining look at current research studies and at helping us all other make the world a better place.
I loved this description of Adams, as stated in Glenn Beck’s lengthy eulogy to the man:
Scott Adams was a translator. He was a translator of human weakness, of power, of persuasion. He was a translator of self-deception.
A Brother in Christ?
Big in the news the past few weeks was Scott’s bet-hedging decision to convert to Christianity. His “Final Message” letter described his decision exactly this way.
I’m not going to get too deep into the efficacy of such a written contract with a God who might be listening, but at least the man was honest—and it’s not that far off from the “logic of Christianity” that C.S. Lewis himself espoused. That’s by no means a proof of salvation—let God be the Judge!—but I sincerely hope Scott understood the value of Christ’s sacrifice, and I also hope to meet him in Heaven one day.
With Scott’s passing in mind, here are two dailies from Dilbert’s 3rd year to start things off, comics that deal with purpose and death:
Dilbert: The Third Year (1991)
I’ve had this collection of Dilbert’s third year sitting in my outbox for months now, so it’s definitely time to revisit some of these gems and celebrate Adams’ humor and unique view of the world.
I’m trying to limit myself to just 7 clips per post—that’s 1 week out of 52!—which is super tough. Adams delivered so much gold throughout his lengthy career, but here’s my attempt to boil 1991 down to its bare essentials.
I begin with Adam’s oft-revisited discussions of morality. He spent the vast majority of his life with a strongly secular worldview, but it’s interesting to see him poke holes into the way we discuss good and evil.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a father of 2 teenagers, and Dad jokes are my jam, but I’m also always a big fan of the puns I find in Dilbert. Here’s just one of several crimes Dilbert committed in his third year of syndication:
Then of course, I’m always on the lookout for references to Donald Trump in these decades before his Presidency. Here’s one where Trump’s just a side joke to Dilbert’s miserable, nerdy life:
I close with 2 favorite dailies that are just great, timeless humor.
Conclusion
I’m going to miss the wit and wisdom of Scott Adams, but I’ll enjoy my slow work through his treasure trove of comics, year by year. If you’re interested, join me by reading through Dilbert: The Complete Collection.
©2026 E.T.
Read More about Comics:
- Dilbert: The First Year by Scott Adams (1989)
- Dilbert: The Second Year by Scott Adams (1990)
- Dilbert: The Third Year by Scott Adams (1991)
- Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (1993)
- Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud (2000)
- Sparky by Beverly Gherman (2010)
- Big Nate: From the Top by Lincoln Pierce (2010)