Clive Cussler Disease
Dilbert is one of the most popular comic strips in the world today. The title character, an engineer of undefined specialty, and his colleagues get into all kinds of mischief working for Path-E-Tech Management, a high-tech company in Northern California. The phrase "pointy-haired boss" - a reference to Dilbert's totally clueless boss, has even entered the common vocabulary. I actually use the phrase myself. (If my boss is reading this, I never use it to refer to you.)
Scott Adams has been drawing Dilbert for more than 15 years, and apparently he is running out of good ideas. On January 2, 2006 he actually appeared in the strip himself, complaining about a lame strip concept that "a gazillion people" have suggested to him over the years. I thought this was a cute idea, although I hoped that Mr. Adams wouldn't do that kind of thing too often.
So you can imagine my chagrin when the January 3, 2006 strip found the artist trapped in his comic strip, unable to escape. Oh dear! Another tragic case of Clive Cussler Disease.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Clive Cussler is a very popular and successful author of techno-thriller novels. His books all star Dirk Pitt, Cussler's alter ego: a swashbuckling pilot, engineer, and marine scientist (imagine a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Han Solo). Mr. Cussler's books are extremely fun reads, and I enjoy them very much. But Mr. Cussler has developed a problem in recent years.
The last four or five Dirk Pitt novels have featured cameo appearances by a new character, Clive Cussler! The first time that happened, I thought it was charming. But I've grown increasingly tired of Mr. Cussler showing up in his own novels to dispense wisdom or save the neck of his super-hero grade protagonist.
I don't know what causes successful authors and artists to fall prey to this disease. I just hope that Mr. Cussler and Mr. Adams can both be cured. The long-term symptoms aren't nearly as pleasant for others to cope with as the victims may believe.
The good news is that the "Wizard of Oz" parody which developed in Dilbert this week now seems to be over. When last seen Mr. Adams was being hosting skyward by a giant hand while he chanted the magical incantation, "There's no place like my home office..." {RAH06}
Related Links:
Dilbert
National Underwater and Marine Agency - Clive Cussler's website.
Scott Adams has been drawing Dilbert for more than 15 years, and apparently he is running out of good ideas. On January 2, 2006 he actually appeared in the strip himself, complaining about a lame strip concept that "a gazillion people" have suggested to him over the years. I thought this was a cute idea, although I hoped that Mr. Adams wouldn't do that kind of thing too often.
So you can imagine my chagrin when the January 3, 2006 strip found the artist trapped in his comic strip, unable to escape. Oh dear! Another tragic case of Clive Cussler Disease.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Clive Cussler is a very popular and successful author of techno-thriller novels. His books all star Dirk Pitt, Cussler's alter ego: a swashbuckling pilot, engineer, and marine scientist (imagine a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Han Solo). Mr. Cussler's books are extremely fun reads, and I enjoy them very much. But Mr. Cussler has developed a problem in recent years.
The last four or five Dirk Pitt novels have featured cameo appearances by a new character, Clive Cussler! The first time that happened, I thought it was charming. But I've grown increasingly tired of Mr. Cussler showing up in his own novels to dispense wisdom or save the neck of his super-hero grade protagonist.
I don't know what causes successful authors and artists to fall prey to this disease. I just hope that Mr. Cussler and Mr. Adams can both be cured. The long-term symptoms aren't nearly as pleasant for others to cope with as the victims may believe.
The good news is that the "Wizard of Oz" parody which developed in Dilbert this week now seems to be over. When last seen Mr. Adams was being hosting skyward by a giant hand while he chanted the magical incantation, "There's no place like my home office..." {RAH06}
Related Links:
Dilbert
National Underwater and Marine Agency - Clive Cussler's website.
posted by Just4yucks | 7:01 PM
1 Comments:
Not exactly on topic, but if you enjoy techno-thrillers, you might want to look at http://RadDecision.blogspot.com for an insider novel of nuclear power, written by a longtime nuclear engineer (me), and available at no cost to readers. I don't show up in the book either.
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